Wire Harness Mod for Fuel Pumps
(March 4, 2023) Just sharing a quick blurb about an easy change to the Rotax wire harness that makes it easier to connect the fuel pumps. The as-built wire harness on the engine isn’t quite long enough to reach one of the two fuel pumps, due to the orientation...
Radiator Mounting
(March 11, 2023) I wanted to cut the coolant hoses to the proper length, so I decided to first attach the radiators to the lower engine cowling and then temporarily attach the cowling. The oil cooler fit no problem, but the water radiator required some grinding away of material....
Exhaust Pipe
The instructions for installing the exhaust pipe are only three steps on one sheet, but the task took me a solid 4 hours to complete because I was trying to be careful. The installation of swept tail pipe requires removal of the stock straight pipe, which is welded in...
Air Filter Install
Last night’s task was installing the air filter assembly. I had to make a few modification when fitting the two manifold absolute pressure sensors to the filter housing:...
Oil Lines Part 2
I completed most of the engine oil lines in early November but when I started to build the oil radiator supply line I discovered that the fittings I had for the oil tank and for the oil pump were the wrong size. A visit to the illustrated parts manual...
Engine Plumbing: Oil Lines
I built up the oil hoses that connect between the engine oil returns and the oil tank. Per the build manual, these hoses are to be covered with a heat shield, and then secured with lock wire. I briefly talked about the heat shield with Shawn during a recent...
Engine Plumbing: Fuel Lines
For the first major task following mounting of the engine, I began installation of the fuel lines. I thought this would be pretty easy, but it took two full days and I learned a few things. At first I was going to use aluminum tubing, much like I did...
Engine Mounted
I consider this a big milestone, but it wound up being pretty easy to mount the engine. The engine is attached with just four rather large M10 bolts. I purchased a second-hand Harbor Freight engine crane for $100, and a new load leveler bar for $40. Not too bad,...
Firewall Components Installed
I wrapped up a productive weekend with attachment of the major engine accessories to the firewall: oil reservoir, voltage regulator, main battery, fusebox, shunt, fuel pump assembly, gascolator, and fuel lines. This work is much easier to do before the engine is attached. I am placing a DC contactor...
Firewall Insulation Revisited
I was about to spray adhesive for the Thermotec insulation I chose for the firewall, when suddenly I questioned how well it would insulate the cabin from engine heat (and noise). So, I performed a short test using 4” square test pieces of 26 ga. galvanized steel: one bare...