800hrs on my 912ULS. Last week I did a 27F start without pre-heating (lesson learned), took three very rough tries but it didnt seem like anything that would cause damage. On way home, engine ran smooth at all rpms and started quickly and easily when warm. At home, just to see if I screwed anything up I measured the gearbox friction torque and it was startlingly low, 230 in-lbs. My gearbox was serviced at 600hrs by Motive Aero and no issues were found and just 80 hours prior at my 200hr engine service the gearbox friction torque measured 465 in-lbs. I was incredulous and remeasured the friction torque both cold and at hot but its really 230 in-lbs now. Everything *seems* normal. Engine cold starts fine at 60F and runs normally.
Is this real? Can one low temp rough start destroy the gearbox?
What are the risks of running a gearbox with the minimum acceptable gearbox friction torque?
I have the old gearbox without the weep hole that requires inspection every 600hrs, is it worth the cost to upgrade to the new model that only requires inspection every 1000hrs instead of repairing this gearbox?
My engine pre-heat kit has already been ordered
Engine Serial Number: 6785083
Engine Type: ROTAX 912 ULS
Engine Version: 912 ULS2-01
Model Number: 309120110
Production Date: 08-Oct-2015
