My advise is to call a few places and speak to the mechanics and find out what they feel a overhaul should be ( some will not feel replacing all parts is needed, some will ) and find out what they want for the work. And quite honestly, to ship to florida verses california will be hardly any more money. Shipping will be the LEAST expensive part of the ordeal. And to possibly go through the gearbox and inspect and repair as needed. So if thats the case, you just need to find a shop you trust will do what you tell them to do, and that is to replace all moving parts, and install all new seals, gaskets, o rings. Obviously you aren't interested in that, you want to keep the engine bone stock. This could be good or bad, depending on if they know what their doing and if their modifications prove to be better than factory. Thats what makes people like Rotax Rick different from a normal Rotax repair center. And they will press the crank apart and replace those parts and repress it back together. People like Rotax Rick, they believe the factory rods and or rod end bearings aren't the best design. In the jet ski and dirtbike worlds, pressing apart the crank and installing new rods and rod end bearings is common practice, but in the rotax aviation world it rarely happens. There is no way to replace those rods without either pressing apart the crank, or buying a new crank. But I have seen first hand several failures of the connecting rods. That is where I think you will find a difference in quality of workmanship and what kind of service the engine provides. Some would say there is no reason to replace the rotary valve shaft, or water pump. Some people would say there is no reason to junk a perfectly good crankshaft, just reuse it. My concerns would be, will they replace all these parts or try to reuse some of the old parts. I would not have any hesitation to use any rotax repair place. So as long as the cylinders look good and have no vertical marks and are still inline with specs on bore, anyone could rebuild the engine to new standards by ordering the parts and reassembling the engine using the torque specs Rotax publishes. Your " rebuilding " the carbs ( which is nothing more than making sure they are clean internally and none of the jets are dirty or clogged ) and then replacing all rubber parts and all gaskets and O rings. Replacing the rotary valve shaft and bearings, and replacing the water pump. Replacing the crank, pistons, wristpins and all bearings. If you want to overhaul it as Rotax suggests, your basically replacing EVERYTHING that moves. The rotary valve shaft and water pump and rotary valve and then the ignition system on the end of the crank. ![]() Two pistons with wrist pins and bearings. A crank, which also has the rods sandwiched on. And these engines are much more complex than a rotax 582 because they have exhaust power valves. Ive also had to tear down and rebuild the engine in my KTM two stroke dirtbike before to freshen it up for the race season. Ive had to rebuild my 800cc twin cylinder engine in my jet ski 3 times due to me messing up the engine by doing tricks and letting the engine suck in water while running and bending connecting rods. If you have ever tore into a small two stroke engine, and see what makes them tick, you would have a much larger appreciation for how simple they really are. His rules contradict what Bombardier says in some ways but his warranty that is his platform, speaks for itself. These rules are based on his experience and what he has seen in his hundreds or maybe thousands of teardowns. In the last 10 or 15 years, he has formed his own set of "Opinions" about how to fly a Rotax 2-stroke safely. ![]() I'd trust him too but he bears no resemblance to a "Service Center." He is a highly experienced A&P who has worked on Lycomings and the like for decades. You don't get the large amount of positive feedback he has, by being an inexperienced shyster. I am Blown Away by Rotax Rick's stellar reputation and especially his warranty. If your goal is to operate and maintain a Rotax 2-stroke exactly as factory engineers designed it to be done, I'd go with Lockwood. I have never been to one but I have learned a wealth of info from magazine articles written when the writer DID attend one. The conduct operator seminars for pilots who fly Rotax engines. They send their wrench-turners through Bombardier's training. They have been doing this for a long time and their longevity speaks for itself. Businesses in light aviation come and go. They have extensive training and EXPERIENCE on the Rotax 2-strokes. I tend to lean toward the Lockwood folks. ![]() You specifically asked about a "Service Center."
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