Earthstar Forums

Let me introduce myself, I am John Wanamaker from Cuyler Field (FD27) located in north Florida, west of Jacksonville. I purchased John Bubel's Thunder Gull JT2 (N701YS) last week. He is, as I understand, is finishing up his new Challenger with the proceeds from the sale. I too had a number of Challengers in my sights, when I came accross his JT2 on Barnstormers.

Anyway... I am trying to obtain as much knowledge of this terrific little aircraft as I can... for all the obvious reasons. One way I know of is to try to obtain an existing POH for any other pilot with a JT2 w/582. Or even a 503.

I am requesting any and all JT2 owner/pilots assistance with my search for a digital copy of their POH. Also I would be very interested in conversing with as many JT2 pilots as will answer here, or by offline email to mustang at cwjw dot net. I would be very seriously interested in hearing how most everyone is dealing with the charging system on these rotax engines and systems. My onboard battery does not seem to charge even after a lengthy flight. Good battery... so the regulator or another system component apparently is not functioning properly. I want to be able to add strobes, running lights, GPS, on board radio/transponder etc to the system... Sorry in advance... I am a newbie at rotax engines... and I have a mountain of knowledge to absorb in a short time. I do subscribe to the various rotax groups and forums.

My above request is not solely targeted to JT2 pilots... please, if any pilot of any model Earthstar can contribute... I would be very thankful for your assistance and wisdom.

Thanks in Advance to all,

Best Regards,

John

Maybe I can help here. I fly a Gull 2000 with a 503 and have GPS, radio, strobes, and landing lights. The alternator is capable od 160 watts according to the manual which is plenty if it’s charging properly. First you will need a good digital voltmeter to check the voltage, and when the engine is running it should be 13 volts or higher. The original voltage regulator ( a black colored one) was overcharging the original battery (17 volts). I replaced the regulator with the Key West one (blue) and a new battery about 3 years ago and it’s been just great. I also mounted a good automotive digital voltmeter on the instrument panel as I am a tech head and wanted to see real-time charging when in flight. For hangar trouble shooting I have an older John Fluke digital multi-meter. Good luck!

Hi John,
Congrats on your purchase. I think you will be happy owning a thundergull. It is hard to believe anyone would
sell a thundergull to fly a challenger, but each to his own. I fly a Gull 2000 with a 503.
With regard to your charging system problem, First place to look would be the voltage regulator. With the engine running, the output voltage from the regulator should be around 12.5 to 14.5 VDC. If you get nothing there, check the input voltage. It should be anywhere from 6VAC to 30VAC depending on engine speed.
I there is Ac coming in and nothing coming out then it is the regulator.
If there is no Ac coming in then I would trace all your wiring back to the engine to make sure there are no broken wires or loose connections. Check where the wires go into the engine because they are squeezed into a rubber grommet and can be damaged there. From there it is a stator problem.

Mike S
.
Links of pictures of 582 wiring.

rotax 582 wiring - Google Search https://www.google.ca/search?q=rotax+58 ... 80&bih=626

https://www.google.ca/search?q=rotax+58 ... 80&bih=626

rotax 582 wiring - Google Search https://www.google.ca/search?q=rotax+58 ... 80&bih=626 ultralightnews.ca Wiring diagram for866-080 602 × 821 - 117k - jpg aerofixaviation.co.uk Rotax Aircraft Engines Bosch 750 × 526 - 184k - jpg u...



View on www.google.ca https://www.google.ca/search?q=rotax+58 ... 80&bih=626
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Ducati ignition, Rotax Ducati ignition, Rotax Ducati ignition wiring diagram http://www.ultralightnews.com/engineinf ... nition.htm



http://www.ultralightnews.com/engineinf ... nition.htm

Ducati ignition, Rotax Ducati ignition, Rotax Ducati ign... http://www.ultralightnews.com/engineinf ... nition.htm Problem



View on www.ultralightnews.com http://www.ultralightnews.com/engineinf ... nition.htm
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http://www.rotax-aircraft-engines.com/p ... d00287.pdf http://www.rotax-aircraft-engines.com/p ... d00287.pdf

Hi Mike,



Thanks for your reply. I'll do as you suggested. And thanks for the links. I'll let you know the results.

John





Hi John,
Congrats on your purchase. I think you will be happy owning a thunder gull. It is hard to believe anyone would
sell a thunder gull to fly a challenger, but each to his own. I fly a Gull 2000 with a 503.
With regard to your charging system problem, First place to look would be the voltage regulator. With the engine running, the output voltage from the regulator should be around 12.5 to 14.5 VDC. If you get nothing there, check the input voltage. It should be anywhere from 6VAC to 30VAC depending on engine speed.
I there is Ac coming in and nothing coming out then it is the regulator.
If there is no Ac coming in then I would trace all your wiring back to the engine to make sure there are no broken wires or loose connections. Check where the wires go into the engine because they are squeezed into a rubber grommet and can be damaged there. From there it is a stator problem.

Mike S



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Thanks for the valuable info... I'll go check it out with the one I have. More later.



John