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Rotax Rubber hose replacement and why it's needed

in General Tech Discussion 13 years ago
The Rotax 5 year rubber replacement program has good intentions and a solid past of problems of owners who failed to heed this requirement and its warnings to do the right thing and be safe. Can a hose last longer? Sure they can, but you don't know when it will fail and who you might injure when it does. The idea is to give you a safety margin to protect you, your passengers and the people on the ground.
Here is a video of a piece of fuel hose off a Rotax engine. The hose is 6.5 years old and was not altered in any way.
Change your hoses so you don't show up on America's Funniest Video show hanging upside down in a tree yelling for help out your window.

Video:
http://youtu.be/AdlKl9hSwHw

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

  • Re: Rotax Rubber hose replacement and why it's needed

    by » 13 years ago

    Okay, I looked at the video. It is fake or rigged or whatever.

    There is apparently no pressure on the hose till mid clip and then it starts leaking in 5 or 6 places on each end all of a sudden, I suspect when the pressure was applied, then stops when the pressure is removed. A hose will have one leak, the pressure goes down and there are no more ruptures, if the pressure is increased more (a lot more) the one leak would open more and possibly another hole would open maybe two, NOT ten holes.

    The holes in this hose were put there by the testers, pressure was not applied until mid clip and then all the holes leaked equally. Even an old rotten hose may have a seeping leak but to have that many leaks at once is not believable.

    I am not an A&P but have mechanical experience all my life and about 800 hours on my 912ULS. I don't know why someone would try to pass this off as an example of why rubber hoses should be replaced. Usually you will see a wet spot or evidence of seepage. Move the hose and maybe mash on it or bend it and the rotten hose will open up more.

    Yes, you should change your hoses, maybe five years, maybe ten years, inspect them, maybe remove an easy one, look at it, flex it, then make a decision.

    Dale
      
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  • Re: Rotax Rubber hose replacement and why it's needed

    by » 13 years ago

    Hi Dale,

    Sorry this is not faked or altered. This was as real as it gets and I had 3 other people there watching the demo I while I filmed. It is a 6.5 year hose off a Rotax engine. You are right it had no pressure on it until I put pressure on it. I didn't want water all over the place. The reason it is not a fake is because I have another Rotax engine. I started it and fuel poured out every where. I took the hose off and did the demo. No alterations, just like it came off the engine. The pressure started and stopped when I pushed the plunger on the bug sprayer that was supplying the water. Yes some hose get pin holes (one guy lost his engine due to an oil line pin hole) some split (already had several of those) and in this case it was dry rotted and the vibration reeked havoc right at the edge of the barbed fittings the hose we on. I have seen hose do a lot of things, this was just one of them. I'll take more pictures as I get them.

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

      
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  • Re: Rotax Rubber hose replacement and why it's needed

    by » 13 years ago

    I just completed a 5 year hose replacement on a CTSW with a 912ULS. I found an oil hose that had a split in it.
    Last week on a different Rotax, I found a fuel line that was cracked in three places. This hose was only 4 years old, with less than 400 hours on it.
    Also, the o-rings on the fuel caps and gascolator were all in bad shape.

    Cammie Patch
    LSRM-A, WS, PP
    CFI, CFII, MEI, ATP
    www.glasscockpitaviation.com
    IMAG1770.jpg (You do not have access to download this file.)
      
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  • Re: Rotax Rubber hose replacement and why it's needed

    by » 13 years ago

    Hi Cammie,

    Glad to see your done.
    Funny thing is I had a split in the same oil vent line about 6 weeks ago. It was down another 4" on the line and about 3" long. This is just a vent line so I don't know why it split. It may be the #4 exhaust blow-by at the knuckle was blowing on mine. Maybe yours might be from your cold weather and the tension from hanging right at the curve from the fitting couple with vibration cracked it?
    Just goes to show you don't know when it will happen, 4 years, 5 years, 7 years who knows when it will happen, but at least Rotax is trying to make sure we stay in the air and not balled up on the ground by having a 5 year rubber replacement program.

    I have another one (5 year rubber replacement) this coming week and then another one the following week and both need firewall blankets too. :S

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

      
    Report

  • Re: Rotax Rubber hose replacement and why it's needed

    by » 13 years ago

    More pics of a cracked coolant hose and found in the nick of time (found during hose change and 6 years old). This hose is from the left side that connects the expansion tank and the radiator.

    Second pics are of a hose where safety wire is used to secure heat shielding on the coolant hose and it has caused a serious reduction in hose inside diameter. Use wire ties and don't crank them down. Also safety wire is not an acceptable standard ASTM practice to secure fire sleeve on fuel and oil hoses.


    Hose change at 5 years is there to protect you.
    Crackedcoolanthose.jpg (You do not have access to download this file.)
    Leftsidecoolanttubewithcrackedhosetotheright.jpg (You do not have access to download this file.)
    Restrictioninhosefromsafetywire1.jpg (You do not have access to download this file.)
    Restrictioninhosefromsafetywire.jpg (You do not have access to download this file.)

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

      
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