Am Sonntag, 18. April 2010 09:34:34 UTC+2 schrieb Willy VINKEN:
ASH-25E - Rotax 275

Having flown some of them, I noticed a couple of recurrent problems:

1. Actuator cannot start to lift the engine out of its well.
The usefull lever to start moving is short...
Manually opening the hatch helps. Door sandows are original.
Battery voltage is OK (a car battery has been tried).
Screw actuator has been opened, cleaned and properly lubricated.
800N gasstrut has been replaced with a 1000N new one.
Anyone got rid of this problem?

2. What is the safest way to get and keep propeller vertical while
lowering the engine?
I've seen (lucky) pilots rely on the 'natural' stop position after
switching off.
I've also seen two propellers shattered while trying to enter the
fuselage...
Some engines have a magnetic position detector on the flywheel.
Some pilots use a mirror to see the propeller.
Some position it with wind-and-brake, some have a manual starter
cable.
Some brakes on the flywheel seem really efficient, some are slippery.
Anyone has bright ideas?

Hey, I am also flying a ASH25E and now worked through all the mentioned problems and now the engine is extremely reliable and easy to handle.
Measure your voltage directly at the actuator for lifting the engine. My Battery was ok and also had a 1200N gasstrut and didn´t manage to lift the hatch.
From your battery, put a really thick cable (at least 4mm²) from your + directly to the Relais. The problem is that the actual cable and wiring from Binder isn´t the best. you have corrosion, multiple connectors, and small diameter for the cables which run to the main switch in the front panel and then back to the engine compartment -- Lots of voltage loss. My actuator only got 5V from the original 15V of the battery.
Now with this new cable the prop basically 'jumps' out of the engine compartment.

Additionally, I strongly recommend installing a starter to the rotax 275. There is a STC from Binder for the installation and you can also get the parts there. With that system it takes you like 15s and 30m loss of height to start your engine without stress in the air and additionally you are able to start the engine easily at the ground (e.g. for testing or push-pull).

As also mentioned with the braking of the propeller, you have to mount it in a way that it is a couple of centimeter before the actual compression of the motor. then the brake will be able to hold the propeller in place.

Shoot me a mail if you have questions. Happy to help!
Great glider, so worth putting some (Rather small) effort into the engine to make it reliable and usable!

Thanks
Markus