| I have an RX 550 Beaver with a new Blue head Rotax 582. I can't get
it to start first thing each day, without boosting it from my car,
especially after it has not been run for two or three weeks. The battery
is a motorcycle battery, with a 14 amp hour rating. If I put the battery
on charge overnight it starts okay, or if I have started the engine and
fly for an hour or so it starts okay, but still won't start the next day.
The engine turns over at about 400 rpm. When I pull the plugs out it
turns over faster but the spark seems really weak. I have tried priming
the engine but that only seems to flood it out. The carbs have been set,
compression checked.
Anything you could suggest?
Suggestions
There are a number of potential problems here. The first is
that 400 rpm is not really enough to get a cold 582 fired up, you really
need 600 rpm or higher. So I would suggest a minimum of 17 amp hour
battery.
The spark plug gap should be .015 to .019 thou. many owners simply
install the plugs without setting them, most spark plugs out of the box
are set to .025 to .035 thou for car applications. Set the plugs to .015
and let them wear out to .019.
Spark on the Ducati ignition engines is very difficult to see. When
checking spark on an engine during the day I normally have to cover myself and the engine compartment with my jacket or a blanket to
make it dark enough to verify a good spark.
I would also check your regulator rectifier to see if it is
functioning properly since the system appears to be draining over a period
of time. This can be caused by a faulty regulator, a shorted battery cell,
or a battery low on fluid.
If your battery is regularly low on water it is an indication that your regulator
rectifier is overcharging the battery. The Rotax 582 should be using the
larger finned regulator rectifier (Rotax #264 870), not the smaller
boxed shaped (Rotax #866 080).
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