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912 time between oil changes

in 912 / 914 Technical Questions 10 years ago
What's the recommended time between oil changes for a 912 80hp?

  • Re: 912 time between oil changes

    by » 10 years ago

    Hi Ron,

    You may get more than one opinion here and you have a choice.

    First if you use 100LL it should be 25 hrs.
    If you use auto fuel then most recommend 50 hrs. That said the book allows up to 100 hrs. All the schools I have been to in the US has taught the 50 hr. Time schedule, but I know there is one or two that still hang on to the 100 hr.

    For me personally I use auto fuel and use the 50 hr. Time.
    I look at it like this. The oil is the life blood of the engine, disease it and you disease the engine and can shorten its life just like a person with a disease. Is 50 hrs on the safe side sure, but I like safe.

    Roger Lee
    LSRM-A & Rotax Instructor & Rotax IRC
    Tucson, AZ Ryan Airfield (KRYN)
    520-349-7056 Cell

    Thank you said by: Rohn Ashley
      
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  • Re: 912 time between oil changes

    by » 10 years ago

    Does rotax offer a remote oil filter adapter for the 912? Thanks Rohn
      
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  • Re: 912 time between oil changes

    by » 10 years ago

    I can't disagree with Roger's take (which I take as "Oil is cheap compared to engine wear" and "oil changes are pretty easy").

    But will FWIW add this:
    As with autos, how fast the oil degrades and how often it needs to change depends in part on your pattern of use. Auto service manuals often has two schedules -- one for routine use and one for "sever service." If you look closely at their definitions of severe service often it means short trips, running engine cold, running under very hot conditions, running under heavy loads like towing.

    If you have problems getting your engine oil temps up into the optimal range and it runs cold and/or you do many short flights where oil temp doesn't stay up above or near 220F for any sustained period of time the oil may be accumulating moisture and that would suggest leaning to the shorter change intervals. That situation would be aggravated if you're hangered or tied down in a cold climate. And if yours is an aircraft in which the engine chronically runs on the hot side of optimal the oil's desirable properties will breakdown faster, and again lean you toward the shorter change intervals.

    On the other hand if you're in a very temperate climate and you're oil temp spends most of its time near optimal temp and you fly flights more than long enough to drive water our of the oil, maybe you could lean toward the longer intervals. If you put on so many hours per month that you that you'd find yourself changing oil every month on the shorter (50 hour) schedule and the cost and inconvenience is starting to look high, maybe that, too, lean toward longer intervals (if the other things saying "change often" don't apply to you.)

    FWIW: We generally change at about 75 hours. Sometime shorter if we're under the cowling to do something else anyway.

    Al
      
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  • Re: 912 time between oil changes

    by » 10 years ago

    Hi Rohn

    I think there a few different factors with 912 engines which are different to most other engine . First it has a built in gear box with dog clutch and some have slipper clutches as well running in engine oil placing metals in the oil . Next using a dry sump you tend to get a greater chance of blow by exhaust gas mixing throw the oil by the return pipe back to the oil tank then if you just had a sump at the bottom of the engine . I just bought a 912 uls which has done 1300 hours because it has had a prop strike I thought it was a good time to do a total top end over haul . The gear box was full of a red dusty paste out of the clutch and the intake and exhaust values showed to be leaking and had hi carbon build up think from avgas use . So more oil changes the better 25 hours if you don,t fly much and 50 if you fly most weekends.

    Cheers dan
      
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