Sport Pilot Talk

What is missing in this picture? Yeah -- a clamp. So Rotax mechanics out there -- what kind of clamp do I need to get from Ace Aviation or AviationZone? Just a hose clamp?

There is no pressure there, so any kind of clamp should do as long as it doesn't pinch the tube. On the CT's I use a Oetiker, because it is simple and I have them here.

thanks -- what size is the line and/or what size clamp?

dstclair wrote:thanks -- what size is the line and/or what size clamp?

Flight Design uses a different hose than what you have in your picture, so I can't advise on clamp size.

From the picture, it looks like it may have just had a turn of safety wire around it.

Google came up with this:



May not be kosher, but as 3dreamer said it’s not under any pressure, so that may have been enough to hold it.

There is a company that sells a tool that utilizes safety wire to replace small clamps:



https://clamptitetools.com

I’ve never used that kit, but have secured small, non-critical hoses on motorcycles with safety wire to good effect. On my Sky Arrow, I’ve only used it to secure the ends of firesleeve.

Mine didn't have a clamp on the coolant reservoir at all when I got the airplane; I added an Oetiker at the first annual. But the nipple being plastic, be careful how much clamping force you put on it. If you just gorilla smash it down it might crack and I think that cheap plastic bottle is about a $100 Rotax part.

I have some these clamps in my installation. It came that way for some of the connections and I made a few myself with a borrowed tool. Very easy to use, not so easy to get looking as neat as those in the photo. I'd want to practice more before using it on anything that might leak. I just used it so secure fire sleeve.

Ron

MrMorden wrote:Mine didn't have a clamp on the coolant reservoir at all when I got the airplane; I added an Oetiker at the first annual. But the nipple being plastic, be careful how much clamping force you put on it. If you just gorilla smash it down it might crack and I think that cheap plastic bottle is about a $100 Rotax part.

Don't know if mine had a clamp or not but with the recent cold blast here in Dallas, I noticed coolant on the hangar floor and had a small stream on the belly after my last two flights. Note in the picture that the line isn't pushed snug against the bottle so this is probably why it started leaking. Pushed it snug last night and had no fluid on the floor this morning when I went to put a 7/16 in fuel inject clamp on. I tightened to just where the clamp could not be rotated so hopefully I didn't win the opportunity to buy a $100 plastic bottle.

I made a royal mess disconnecting the line so it'll be a flight or two before the residual fluid is blown off the engine and I can determine if it is fixed.

FastEddieB wrote:From the picture, it looks like it may have just had a turn of safety wire around it.

There is a company that sells a tool that utilizes safety wire to replace small clamps:

Pliers

Almost any clamp here on the reservoir bottle hose would work since there is no pressure. It just needs to be secure enough not to slip off.