Zenith Aircraft Builders and Flyers
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Satisfied Jabiru Owners?
I have been challenged by a LSA Manufacturer to find 6 owners of the Jabiru 3300 with over 500 hours who are satisfied with their engine choice! This company has used and is very familiar with the 3300. These guys are friends of mine & when I suggested I might choose a Corvair or Jabiru, I was given the challenge.
Remember, 3300 with 500 hours or more and still happy about the engine choice.
Now I'm really curious not to mention more ?????? about an engine.
Thanks for participating in this fun survey!
Remember, 3300 with 500 hours or more and still happy about the engine choice.
Now I'm really curious not to mention more ?????? about an engine.
Thanks for participating in this fun survey!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Stephen R. Smith on
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Sorry, only 400+ hours logged over 18 months and still happy. Not 500 yet.
Steve
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Permalink Reply by Jeff Webb on
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Thanks Steve,
400 hours is close enough for me. I'll count that as "1".
Jeff
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I would say the firewall forward kits for the 601XL and 3300 had some issues which might affect the happiness factor. I have worked through these.
1) CHTs. When the engine is new it is tight and runs hot. With the stock setup the CHTs on the pilot’s side overheats in a heartbeat while climbing. I fixed this with 50 cents of aluminum by building a scoop to draw in air on that side. Now I can climb at 1,000+ ft/min at 65 mph for quite a while before things get too hot.
2) EGTs. The engine installation manual forbids 90 degree turns in air entering the carburetor. The manual also forbids the use of scat tube connecting directly to the carburetor. The firewall forward kit I got broke both of those rules. The result was terrible fuel economy at high throttle settings and very uneven EGTs. I have replaced the scat tube with radiator hose. I have yet to fix the 90 degree bend. Removing all scat tube reduced full throttle fuel consumption from about 13 GPH to about 9 GPH.
3) Oil Temps: My oil was too hot. I fixed that as described here.
Over time I think the firewall forward kits have addressed the above issues in one way or another. The kits being shipped now probably do not have the issues I had to work through.
When I was choosing which engine to put on my plane I had the good fortune to speak for about an hour with William Wynne of Corvair Engine fame. I was very impressed with his intelligence, knowledge and product research. In the end I purchased my Jabiru. I wanted the added power and reduced weight. The builder community is lucky to have both solutions. The Jabiru has a very clear performance advantage; the Corvair is a dynamite deal and offers a clear money advantage, especially for the tinkerer.
Steve
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Thanks for your time Stephen! I do appreciate the feedback. I know all of this stuff will help me and others.
Jeff
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Permalink Reply by Mike Daniels on
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Hey Steve,
It's been over a year since your post and was wondering how your 3300 is working out.
I'm building a CH750 and want to run a 3300 but living in Las Vegas and hearing about the heat issues makes me think it may not be the best choice.
Mike
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Permalink Reply by Craig Payne on
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Ask Lance Gingell. He is a member of this site who has been flying his 601xl/3300 for some time now. He also added the radiator hose and spent some time tuning deflectors inside the cooling ducts. Details in his build log on his web site (see his profile for link).
A similar question was asked about Jabiru engines in general on the Yahoo Jabiru Engines list. I believe the question was "would you buy Jabiru again". Large majority said yes.
Also compare apples to apples: what other engines are you considering and who has flown one for 500 hours? And what is the state of the FWF kit for the XL? Rotax is a fine engine (one has flown around the world in a CTSW) but underpowered for the XL.
Note that the factory demo XL is powered by a 3300. Ask the Zenith folks what they think.
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Thanks for the feedback Craig!
Please elaborate on the Rotax being underpowered. Zeniths website list that as the recommended engine although I have seen their demo with the Jab.......it's a very nice looking engine.
Do you think the 912S has enough power because I haven't ruled that out as a possibility.
Jeff
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My opinion of the Rotax on the XL is just from the comments of others on the Matronics list. The opinion of some was that it was enough for the HD and HDS but not for the XL. Yes, the Rotax is used on European XLs but they may be the lower weight version from CZAW. I lean towards the best power to weight ratio I can get as my home field (36U in Utah) is at 6400 ft and is surrounded by 10,000 ft+ peaks. BTW I'm writing about the 912ULS, the 100 HP model.
IMHO the two most mature FWF kits for the XL are the ones from Jabiru USA and William Wynne (Corvair). I've owned both for my unfinnished XL. I don't know who is building Rotax FWF kits for the XL. I have the Skyshop 912ULS FWF Kit for my 701.
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Hello Mike,
My engine now has about 750 hours on it. I can’t say I am happy with it at this point. I had a burned valve at about 530 hours and had to do a top-end at about 600 hours ($3,200 for just the parts).
Yesterday I performed my 3rd annual inspection and did a leak-down test. I found one cylinder at 67 while the others are in the mid 70s. I suspect another burned valve because I could hear a hiss in the exhaust system. The cylinder in question (#3) has never been too hot.
I also helped my brother perform the leak-down test on his 3300 which has around 300 hours on it. The compression on his engine was in the mid 60s to low 70s. Much too low for a 300 hour engine that has seen NO hard service and has been operated in a cool climate.
Bottom line in my opinion, this is NOT a durable engine. Based on my own experience, you can trust it to get you where your going (i.e. it won’t explode). But don’t expect to get the advertised hours out of it – I don’t think it’s possible.
If I had it to do over I would look into the UL350iS. It’s new but perhaps the engineering is better.
Steve
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Permalink Reply by Ken Elias on
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I am thinking of installing a 3300 on my 750 project. Can you tell me the serial numbers of the engines your speaking of?
Ken
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My engine S/N is 1,256. 810 hours now.
Steve
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Permalink Reply by Tony Graziano on
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I have 571 flight hours on my Jab3300A, S/N 644. I would install a Jab again in a heart beat. Easy and inexpensive to maintain. The latest engines have many improvements over my engine to improve cooling and for more reliability. The firewall forward kit from Jab USA has also been improved since I installed my Jab. (first flight July 2005).
With the Jab on an XL, if you get into an iffy situation, the power of the Jab can easily pull you out of possible harm's way. (I land on a short rought grass strip passing over wires and through trees, downhill, with 75 ft trees at the other end - also deer like to graze my grass.)
Tony Graziano
601XL/Jab3300A; N493TG; Buchanan, Tn
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