Rotax 912 Reliability

[Flyboy66]

What are those of you who operate the Rotax 912 engines seeing for reliability? Has anyone experienced an engine failure? If so, what was the cause?

What about maintenance issues? I have seen some posts about coolant leakage and other things that needed to be addressed, and one person has actually listed the numbers for O rings used in the engines. Am I going to have a box full of O rings in my garage to keep it running? Obviously, no engine will run a lifetime on only oil and gas, but what are you seeing pop up from time to time?

The Rotax Factory video shows the extent of the precision they go to when assembling an engine. Will I be able to perform all maintenance functions without causing other problems because I don't have all the assembly tools they use?

Steve

[Av8r3400]

912 engines are reliable in the extreme. I trust mine with my and my famly's life.

Like any mechanical item there are always things to maintain or repair, but overall they are as good if not better than "certified" aircraft engines.

[Flyboy66]

Good to hear. So I am going to change the question a bit. To those of you who have more than 500 hours on your 100 hp Rotax (carbureted or injected), what type of maintenance or repairs (other than oil, and oil filter change) have you had to perform?

[Floog]

Over 1,200 hours now. Engine still runs better than new! Because I recently converted to EFI, fuel economy is even better now. I've never opened the engine up for anything other than oil changes, plugs, etc. The engine has no leaks. I use mogas primarily and 100LL only rarely. It has never failed to start. It quit running only once: I believe it was vapor lock. The 912 is an amazing and reliable little engine!

[jiott]

I fly a 912uls and have 550 hours on it with nothing other than regular scheduled maintenance. I did have a radiator failure but that is not really a part of the engine and not a Rotax part.

[av8rps]

Besides being known for extreme reliability, the 912 is very well engineered to operate even if you do develop problems. One good example of that is the cooling system. If for some reason you were to lose all your coolant, you can safely fly it to the closest airport, and probably without any engine damage. The coolant system is just cooling the cylinder heads, the rest of the engine relies on cooling fins and air.

[WWhunter]

Floog, you mentioned FI, is this a factory FI engine or an aftermarket type?

As far as getting back OT, my 912 has had ignition problems that may need an entire wiring and ignition module replacement. Not fun to be flying along and the engine start sputtering and totally quit on on ignition. Luckily I was over my strip when it happened. Granted, this is a very low hour (200TT) eninge but of 1997 vintage.

[Flyboy66]

In one of these threads I saw mention of some aftermarket leaning product for the carbureted engines. Does anyone know what it is and has anyone tried using the product? Did it work as advertised?