914 5 year rubber replacement.

[buzz]

Well I received the new radiator replacement hose today. Seems to bend without kinking. The only question now is how well it makes the bend in the space available and in the needed length. I ordered 24in so I would have plenty. It costs $125 per meter and the part number is TUBS25A. I will let you know how it works.

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[buzz]

 Well I have made progress on my issues after the 5 yr hose replacement. About a week ago I had a very pointed talk with the owner of the shop that did the work. He is well aware of my concerns with horrible work that was done. But now as of yesterday it looks like my plane is airworthy now. As you can see in the pics the new radiator hose was installed. It was a real pain because there is not much room to work short of taking other parts of the engine off. I was very fortunate that I ordered more than twice the length needed...for a couple of reasons. First the hose came to me with both ends uneven and ragged. When my mechanic first tried to clean it up it got worse. This is because there is a very stiff wire embedded in the hose. He ended up taking is back to the shop and using a band saw on it. The hose also has a natural lay to it due to the wire. So before install bend the hose and rotate it so you can find where it bends easiest. Mark the hose so when you install it you can position to take advantage of the lay for less stress on the hose and connections. So this was all done and hose was installed and I inspected the work. I take a look and OMG what is this! I found a fingernail size gouge out of the sidewall of the hose. The hose had come in contact with one of the screws/clamps that hold the short hose on between the carb and airbox. So first new hose came off and the remaining hose was trimmed and installed. However the hose did not butt up to the expansion chamber like I would like. And the mark on the hose to indicate best position was 180 degrees from where it should have been. So I told the mechanic to rotate to proper position and all was good. In addition to the radiator hose all the other things like the twisted fuel line were resolved by now. Moved the plane outside to run it up without the cowling on so we could easily look all over the engine for issues. Ran it and of course on a foggy day without the cowl I wasn't able to get the temp in the green. Shut it down and inspected. We found a liquid on the body of both carbs. Didn't look like oil, coolant, or fuel. Finally decided it was DC-4 used to slide the front hose onto the carbs. Cleaned it off and put the cowl on. Was able to get the temp up. Did ignition check and found it to be running real rough on the right. Oh great now what. Fix was easy apparently when we put the cowling on the mechanic accidently pulled a spark plug wire off. Started up again ran it for a while with all normal indications on the panel. Inspection showed no leaks and the liquid on the carbs never came back. After the mechanic left I took the plane out on the airport and ran it for an extended period then inspected with no problems found. At the same time I activated all switches to check all system functions on the plane. Next up be a test pilot in the pattern and get the mechanic to update my plane and engine logbooks. Including changing date of conditional inspection to reflect yesterdays date.

[ChiMike]

Buzz, I will need to do this sometime first half of next year—thank you for sharing!

I greatly appreciate your candidness at determining the what and how for this requirement. I’m also quite perplexed that Tecnam USA neither knew what to do, had a ‘repair parts kit’ available, or seemed to be any help at all.

I get a lot of compliments on my plane. It’s hard, however, to honestly convey that the Tecnam organization has their act together. Which is a true shame, as their product—when it is working well—is the best available in this class of aircraft.

[Glenn]

Too bad the hose isn't marked with the manufacturer's name.  

[buzz]

Hi Mike. Yes it is a bit frustrating. Of course most of my issues were with my mechanic. However it should not have taken two weeks and a bunch of e-mails to get the hose coming my way from Tecnam. It should have taken one phone call. On top of that I guess its a reminder to all of us that there is a line between parts that are Rotax and parts that are aircraft manufacture specific.

[Flocker]

Great news Buzz! Refresh my memory... this hose connects what to what? Is it a coolant hose? Is it only found on the 914?

[buzz]

Oct 4, 2020 11:24:31 GMT Flocker said:

Great news Buzz! Refresh my memory... this hose connects what to what? Is it a coolant hose? Is it only found on the 914?

Connects expansion chamber to the main radiator and the radiator in the cabin for cabin heat and defrost. So again this specific part is only about 11 inches long as it connects to a metal wye tube with one side to main radiator and the other to the cabin radiator. I would imagine each type of engine has something similar but not exactly the same.

[Mike B]

This 5 year hose replacement requirement seem arbitrary and has a high potential for maintenance induced failures.  I'm a few years away from the 5 year mark and will not go through the exercise unless Technam/Rotax come up with the proper hose kit.  That said, I would expect that most of the hoses come off in fine condition and not in need of replacement.  If you do the replacement my suggestion is to keep the old parts if they look in good condition.  You might need one in the future.
mb

[timb]

My 2012 P2008 with the 912IS uses a heat muff off the exhaust for cabin heat so does not have that hose or the cabin radiator. Flocker your plane is newer do you have the same setup?

And I'm not aware of a fresh air vent, just a hole with a vented cover between the baggage area bulkhead and tail cavity.

[buzz]

Became a successful test pilot today. Three take offs and landings with no problems. Inspection showed no issues. Looks like I can put this chapter behind me.

[Flocker]

Aug 20, 2020 18:32:22 GMT Flocker said:

I just got off the phone with Lockwood. (My 5-year RR is also due next year) I asked if there was a kit and she said no. They are sending me the parts list for the 5-year rubber replacement. She did say there were a few model specific items we would need to get from Tecnam. I'll post my findings (& pricing) here.

With my engine being pulled for a cracked engine mount, I made the call to do the 5-year rubber replacement on my 912iS.  (It is due in June).  I spoke to Tecnam yesterday and they instructed us to pull all of the hoses and send them to Sebring.  Their official response below: 

"Because Tecnam aircraft are truly custom made, there can be slight variations in the hose lengths on the Light Sport Aircraft. To ensure you receive exact matches for your hoses and to avoid fitment issues, I propose sending the hoses from your aircraft to us at our Sebring, FL facility where our technicians will fabricate replacements. To start this process, you would need to mark the hoses in some way for you to identify where they go and send them to us (our address is in my signature block below). It normally takes 2 days to produce new ones once we receive them. We will mark the replacement hoses to make reinstallation as simple as possible. We charge $95.00 per hour for labor plus the cost of materials. Typically, the average total cost is $900 - $1,500. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns."

[buzz]

Jan 9, 2021 11:36:07 GMT Flocker said:

Aug 20, 2020 18:32:22 GMT Flocker said:

I just got off the phone with Lockwood. (My 5-year RR is also due next year) I asked if there was a kit and she said no. They are sending me the parts list for the 5-year rubber replacement. She did say there were a few model specific items we would need to get from Tecnam. I'll post my findings (& pricing) here.

With my engine being pulled for a cracked engine mount, I made the call to do the 5-year rubber replacement on my 912iS.  (It is due in June).  I spoke to Tecnam yesterday and they instructed us to pull all of the hoses and send them to Sebring.  Their official response below: 

"Because Tecnam aircraft are truly custom made, there can be slight variations in the hose lengths on the Light Sport Aircraft. To ensure you receive exact matches for your hoses and to avoid fitment issues, I propose sending the hoses from your aircraft to us at our Sebring, FL facility where our technicians will fabricate replacements. To start this process, you would need to mark the hoses in some way for you to identify where they go and send them to us (our address is in my signature block below). It normally takes 2 days to produce new ones once we receive them. We will mark the replacement hoses to make reinstallation as simple as possible. We charge $95.00 per hour for labor plus the cost of materials. Typically, the average total cost is $900 - $1,500. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns."

Interesting. I didn't know this. I did go back and look at an e-mail I had received from Tecnam US. It was a reminder that my 5 year rubber replacement was due. It also said that if it wasn't already done let them know so I could get in contact with their spare parts guy. Unfortunately I was already two months into my replacement. I thought my mechanic contacted Tecnam prior to work but I will have to check with him. Good to know for all of you that have upcoming replacements. I do however find it funny that when I was having my radiator hose issues they had no idea what hose to give me and ultimately they didn't even have the proper one in stock at Sebring or Capua. 

[Glenn]

Jan 9, 2021 11:36:07 GMT Flocker said:

Aug 20, 2020 18:32:22 GMT Flocker said:

"Because Tecnam aircraft are truly custom made, there can be slight variations in the hose lengths on the Light Sport Aircraft. To ensure you receive exact matches for your hoses and to avoid fitment issues, I propose sending the hoses from your aircraft to us at our Sebring, FL facility where our technicians will fabricate replacements. To start this process, you would need to mark the hoses in some way for you to identify where they go and send them to us (our address is in my signature block below). It normally takes 2 days to produce new ones once we receive them. We will mark the replacement hoses to make reinstallation as simple as possible. We charge $95.00 per hour for labor plus the cost of materials. Typically, the average total cost is $900 - $1,500. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns."

Flocker,

Were you completely satisfied with the hoses they made for you?  

[Flocker]

I elected not to do it at this time. I still have 5 months until it's due.

[cole505]

Feb 8, 2021 17:41:38 GMT Flocker said:

I elected not to do it at this time. I still have 5 months until it's due.

Hi Flocker,

I think that’s wise decision..... When I had Roger Lee do the five yr on my 2012 P-2008 it was at seven years..... 590 hours all hoses were absolutely perfect........ This is a recommendation by Rotax Not a Mandatory time change requirement .......   

Ray ✅👍🏻🇺🇸✈️👌