General FAQ

 

Serial Number

Purpose: Help to determine engine history and upgrades that may be required.

Location: Both halves of the crankcase beside the top cylinder (cylinder #1), generally to the left side looking from the front of the engine.

 

Engine                                            Serial Number Format

R2800                                             7ANNNNNN

R3600                                             9ANNNNNN

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A – Alphabetic character, N – Numeric character

 

Quote any additional alphanumeric characters at the end of serial codes. These signify specific design changes in an engine batch.

From 2015 onward Rotec has implemented a new serial number format.A new serial number would consist of 8 digits. First number would be the type of engine, which is 7 or 9 cylinder. Then it is a letter to reflect the month, starting from January which is A. Third and fourth digits will be the year the engine was manufactured in. Finally the last four digits are a sequence that has started from 1000 to differentiate the engines. If your serial number is 9H151005 then your engine would be a 9 cylinder engine completed in August 2015 and will be the 5th engine to be manufactured after the start of the new serial number format.

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Servicing

For detailed instructions on servicing and general Rotec Radial maintenance, refer to the user manual.

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Overhaul – By Rotec Aerosport

It is certainly possible for anyone mechanically experienced to attempt overhaul of a Rotec Radial. However, with the enormous level of experience and the countless specialized techniques, it is a far safer and faster for us to perform your engine overhaul.

At our facilities, it generally takes six separate engine assemblies before a new mechanic no longer requires assistance from an experienced technician. After about one year of full time assembly, we see our technicians become highly skilled, knowing most specialized techniques.

Building a single engine can be risky. Some mistakes on overhauls made outside our facility have been concerning. There are a host of potential fitting errors, and not to mention oil leaks at the very least. Save the time and hassle of doing it yourself.

Price:

Instead of purchasing replacement overhaul parts, then potentially causing more harm than good installing them, contact us for a quotation on overhaul. It will cost less than half of what it costs to overhaul a Rotax 912.

Procedure:

If an overhaul for servicing or a repair after an engine failure is required, contact us and prepare your engine for shipping.

If failure has occurred, it is best not to dismantle the engine in any way. No matter what the cause or who is at fault, we must make thorough assessment and document accordingly. This is for absolute certainty of the causation, so that the correct repairs, improvements and recommendations are made.

 

Overhaul – Details

Lead-Time: When overhauled by us, once received, 3 to 4 weeks. There may be delays depending on circumstances.

Procedure:

• Full engine tear down

• Inspection of all parts

• Replacement of necessary parts, including:

  • Degraded Parts – Rubbers and gaskets

  • Serviceable Parts – Oil filter, alternator belt and oil seals

  • Technically Obsolete Parts (designs improved to extend reliability, see critical advisories):

    • Old style Riveted Cam Gear

    • Old style Bell Gear Drive Plate

    • Seals that are not made of superior Viton rubber

  • Cosmetically Obsolete Parts – Not replaced, provided they are functioning correctly. For example, billet aluminum heads found on engines produced before the year 2007, will not be replaced as they are functioning as required.

• If applicable, reconditioning of the Rotec TBI Fuel System

• Engine testing

Warranty: Beginning from first start up, 12-months or 200-hours, whichever comes first

Engine Hours: Overhauled to 0-hours

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Overhaul – Propellor Strike

Overhaul is required on engines involved in a propellor strike at any RPM, including idle. Full engine tear down allows for the inspection of all drive train parts that could have been affected by the significant loads applied to them, particularly gear teeth. If necessary, gears will be crack tested and any parts suspected to be at risk will be replaced.

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