SB Requires Inspection or Replacement for 912 i, 915 i, and 916 i Series

On February 3, Rotax issued a new Mandatory Service Bulletin for the 912 i, 915 i, and 916 series engines that requires inspection or replacement of the crankcase and gearbox housing. This is the second surprise obligation for newer 900-series powerplants in less than two months.

The engine manufacturer located a potential manufacturing issue that impacts the hardness values of metals in the crankcase and/or gearbox housing for certain machines. The parts “may not reach the correct hardness values,” leading to “reduced endurance of components and/or potential oil leakage,” stated Rotax.

Owners, operators, and maintainers of 912 i, 915 i, or 916 i series power plants will be required to comply with the service bulletin if their engine’s serial number is listed in the Certified version’s Appendix section. If the engine falls in the affected range, they will be required to schedule an inspection with an authorized Rotax distributor, service center, or iRMT. Lower-than-standard hardness specs would be grounds for a mandatory replacement.

Customers are required to go through with the inspection at the next scheduled maintenance event or within a year if the engine has less than 800 hours on it. Engines that have logged more than 800 hours of use may not fly more than 50 hours or go over a year without completing the inspection.

“Non-compliance with these instructions could result in engine damages, personal injuries or death,” the Service Bulletin said.

900-series Rotax engine owners have been in the weeds recently, with the new mandatory inspection being the second in less than two months. The first, issued on December 16, 2024, affected the same set of engines and required inspection or replacement of the oil spray nozzle due to excessive application of Loktite during manufacturing. This created an opening for blockages, leading to inadequate cooling and potential damage to the generators. Owners were obligated to comply with the instructions within 25 flight hours or at the next periodic check.

FMI: www.rotax.com