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912 aftermarket ignition

15 posts in this topic

Posted

Does anyone have any experience with this topic?  I did find this aftermarket by looking on line.  In US dollars it's $1192.  I see it does one ignition, not dual ignition at that price.  Any thoughts?  JImChuk

www.sprintaero.com/product/rotax-912-914-fully-electronic-replacement-ignition-system/
 

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Posted

OEM Rotax is less than $800 each new...

 

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Posted

Which part are you looking at for the $800 price?  I was just looking in my LEAF catalog, and see the SMD modules are 1227 each.  If I understand it correctly, there are 4 coils at $372 each.  4 pole trigger coil assembly was $853, ect ect, ect.  Wish there was more info about that Sprintaero setup.  I'm not really sure if it completely takes the place of one 912 ignition or not.  Or what powers it for that matter.  Maybe I need to look more on their site.  JImChuk

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Posted (edited)

That is what I paid for new modules two years ago from LEAF.  There are different configurations, this was the newest version.  I had to change plugs on the engine to match it.   The ones with the same plugs as my engine was $1500 each.  

 

Edited by Av8r3400

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Posted

Thanks for the reply Larry.  I was trying to price out all the parts one would need if he changed out everything, and wow!  It got to be a lot of money pretty quick.  Then I went and found the unit I posted about that apparently replaces everything that Rotax put on for ignition.  Well for one side anyway.  It does take a battery to run it however.  Turns out that the SprintAero people are selling this system      www.sdsefi.com/cpi.htm      which is actually made here in the states.  I emailed Sprintaero, and the guy got right back to me.  Offered me free shipping, a discounted price and then told me where they got them from.  If you think about messages on the "other" site, maybe you can come up with the reason for my interest in this topic. :-)  JImChuk
  

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Posted

I see...

This may be a good option for people with the really old 912 engines with the "aluminum box" style ignition system.

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Posted

I could maybe see going with one Rotax and one of these.  That gives spare parts for the Rotax if anything goes bad from the other Rotax ignition, and would protect against having the battery go dead and the aftermarket ignition with it if one went with 2 sets of the aftermarket stuff.  Maybe, maybe.  The US guy got back to me today, and this is what he said.  Hi Jim,

The CPI for the Rotax 912 would be $810US without plug wire kit, $892 with plus shipping. The New Zealand  guy offered a 20% discount and free shipping.  Just a bit higher than the US guy.  

Then the next question  is are these dependable?  Anyone have any experience with them?  Or am I going to have to be the ginny pig? JImChuk

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Posted

What is wrong with the factory ignition that one would want to replace it? Does this newer one offer variable timing or some other performance advantage? I've never seen a rotax ignition fail. Doesn't mean they don't. I've just never seen one fail.

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Posted

There were some problems in the ignition, and the owner recommended changing everything out to who ever got it.  I did some pricing on Rotax ignition parts and,  well you know what I mean there.  This whole unit cost about what one of the cheaper Rotax modules does.  If it was ok, and reliable, it would give a completely different, separate redundant ignition.  They also say in the add that it makes spark at any RPM, so it probably would start even if the battery is low?  Also ignition is retarded for starting and can be adjusted with the control box.  I really don't know if it's good or not, I was hoping someone else had some first hand information on it.  JImChuk

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Posted

A friend has a 912 on his Remos.

He has intermittent starting issues. 

One time we pulled the plugs and they needed to be replaced so he ran over to Spruce and bought a new set. When he installed them the engine started right up. So we thought we had cured the issue. But NO...

On another day it wouldn't start so we consulted the Rotax guru from CPS who resides on our field. He said the starting circuit on the ignition modules may be bad. He said one could go out and you wouldn't know it because the engine would start on the other one...until IT started to fail.

He suggested to put a bag of ice over the modules and leave for an hour. Sure enough, one hour later the engine started. We though it may be necessary to buy two new $1000 modules. However, I suspected the ignition switch. They are notorious for failing. He had that switch replaced. It started up OK. We thought we solved the issue. WRONG! It failed to start two days later. He won't fly his airplane away from the airport for fear of being stuck out somewhere.

All of this made me so glad the ignition system on my Jabiru is so simple.

He has 2200 hours on the engne and is currently looking for a newer engine with maybe only 500 hours on it so he can fly his Remos for maybe 5 more years before giving up flying. He and I are getting way up there age wise.

 

John M

 

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Posted (edited)

A heat gun or hair dryer will also kickstart a dodgy module.

Edited by Dusty

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Posted

OEM Rotax is less than $800 each new...

 

When I needed one 4 years ago Lockwood charged me over $1100.  The web page showed less than $800.  The charge whatever the $@!@#$ they want to.

 

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Posted

Jim,

That sounds pretty interesting, please let me know if you decide to get it and what you think of it.  I have a mag drop on one of my ignitions that I have not been able to resolve  and it is not the ignition module because I switched them and the drop didn't switch.  A different ignition and backup parts for the Rotax would be good since, as you pointed out, Rotax wants to charge a couple $K for just one ignition setup.

Thanks,

Randy

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Posted (edited)

Hi Randy,  I never did get this ignition system.  I found I had one bad module and one broken ground wire.  I think the original problem was the broken ground wire, and in trying to find the problem,  the original owner had changed the module with another used one, thinking it was the problem.  He ended up sending me the original module, so it turned out to be a cheap fix.  I'm not flying the engine yet, have to finish the plane still, so maybe I will find I still have issues that I'm not aware of.  When I found the broken ground wire, I pulled on it and it felt fine, but when I was taking the coil off, the plastic insulation on the terminal broke and showed what the problem was.  The plastic was all that was holding and if I had pulled a bit harder then, I would have found the problem sooner.   JImChuk

PS  If the miss stays when you switch the module, maybe try switching the pickup coil wires.  If it moves then, you have narrowed it down.  Probably a broken wire going to the pick up coil then.  If the miss doesn't move, maybe a ground wire on one of the coils?  How much of a drop in rpm are you seeing? 

Edited by 1avidflyer

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Posted

Thanks for the info Jim. I am seeing about a 600+ rpm drop.  I will try more switching of wires (not to easy to do when all the wires are so tightly covered and in the gang plugs).  Maybe I can try to ohm out each of the trigger coil wires from the coil to the plugs and see if they all check out, and at least I will know where each one goes to each plug for starters.

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