More Info on Engine Upgrade

All R.I. 162 engine serial numbers 6353 and earlier should check and verify that you have made the upgrade from the aluminum cam gear to the new steel cam gear. Above shows the new steel camgear & crankshaft gear installed.

DPE Peyton Enloe presenting Melanie Marshall with her Private Pilot Ticket after completing her checkride December 13th 2016.

More Info on the Engine Upgrade/Overhaul

A Completed Overhaul & Waterjacket Upgrade R.I. 162F Engine.

RotoWay Engines R.I. 162 (carburetor) & R.I. 162F (fuel injected) Mark is now offering a service to upgrade your 162 or 162F engine at his facility in Foley, AL. This upgrade consists of the new water-jacket kit A24-9400, new JE pistons, new wrist pins & circle clips, new intake valves and a set of custom Inconel exhaust valves. The cylinder heads will be inspected & overhauled with the assistance of a local cylinder head machine shop. Gone are the cylinder head bolts. They have been replaced with studs and locking nuts. This allows a higher cylinder head fastener torque and will lessen the likelyhood of valve lash adjustments.

Stated TBO & Issues Even though RotorWay has stated a TBO at 1000 hours, it is very unlikely that the engine will perform to specifications with those kind of hours. Typically we have experienced engine power issues at around 300 to 500 hours, in too many cases even sooner. A couple of problems have existed for some time now. Number one is a coolant leak into the oil. Usually a small crack occurs between the sleeves and this is where the coolant seeps into the oil. The second issue is a snap ring on the wrist pin fails and the small pieces of the snap ring tear up the cylinder wall and oil is pushed to combustion area and blue smoke starts coming out the exhaust. Both repairs require an water-jacket upgrade. There have also been some exhaust valve failures. Hence the installation of the new custom Inconel exhaust valves.

Upgrade & Overhaul The new water-jacket upgrade kit consists of newly designed water-jackets & sleeves, new metal gaskets, and all fiber gaskets and o-rings. The engine is dis-assembled and inspected. The lower end, the crankshaft & main bearings of the RotorWay engine has been traditionally over built and has provided good service with very few issues. In most cases it is not necessary to open the crankcase. If the engine does not have the steel cam shaft gear, it will be replaced at this time also to comply with the service bulletin. The oil pump is inspected and new parts are installed as required. Once the engine has been inspected and the cylinder heads overhauled, the engine is reassemble with the new parts.

For more information and pricing please email me at airmarkhelo@yahoo.com