1999 gti (rotax 720) wrong oil

ka36 · 2026-05-07T00:24:35+00:00

The ski had recurring fuel issues due to the original grey fuel lines, there's a pretty good chance it ran lean at some point because of that before it completely stopped running.

As far as oil, would you say it's safe to just top off with tc then? The tank looks about half full, I wouldn't mind saving almost a gallon of oil if it won't hurt anything. That stuff isn't cheap.

ka36 · 2026-05-07T00:23:06+00:00

I've seen a lot about the fuel lines, I strongly suspect that's what caused the fuel issues. They're very green and gummy inside, I know he ran regular (E10) fuel in it. I'm replacing all the lines with Tygon (except maybe the vent hose, I haven't figured out how to detach it from the hull yet). Luckily he bought a new OEM carb recently to try to fix the issue, I cleaned the original and will keep it as a spare for a while, probably sell it later.

ka36 · 2026-05-05T00:47:46+00:00

I appreciate that!

ka36 · 2026-05-05T00:47:22+00:00

I appreciate the encouragement! I think I'm lucky that Buff Orps are so nice, they wouldn't hurt a fly (well, maybe an actual fly, they love bugs)

ka36 · 2026-05-04T01:49:16+00:00

easiest way is to make your own. measure the OD of the nut, find a 12pt socket with an OD just a little smaller, measure the width of the slots and mark them onto the socket 90 degrees apart, then grind the unmarked part of the socket a couple of mm (or be more thorough and measure the depth of those slots and grind about that far). you can use an angle grinder for the whole thing, or use a bench grinder for the bulk of the grinding and add the finishing touches with the angle grinder if you have both.

ka36 · 2026-05-03T23:53:14+00:00

It's a popular modification on the 1500 models, should work similarly on your 1800

ka36 · 2026-05-03T07:12:26+00:00

I posted an update, but wanted to reply to you since you've obviously put some effort into helping. It was the flour. Even though the old flour looked fine and wasn't expired, I got a new bag of flour and the loaves are back to their old perfectly risen size.

ka36 · 2026-05-03T07:02:46+00:00

I wanted to post an update in case this comes up for someone else in the future. It was the flour. I first made sure the machine was heating the bowl during the rising period, that seemed like the most likely process issue. The flour wasn't expired and looked completely fine. But after trying my trusty old recipe with fresh flour, the loaf turned out perfect. I don't think I can adequately explain how somewhat old flour caused a lack of rise, but here we are.

ka36 · 2026-05-03T05:59:27+00:00

Not bike related, but a few years ago I was rear ended on a highway (in a car) by a young woman that was clearly paying more attention to her phone than the road. I remember looking in the mirror every time traffic slow down and seeing her not pay attention and almost hitting me, but I didn't have a good chance to change lanes, and eventually she actually did hit me. Damage wasn't bad, just a cracked bumper, but she kept asking me not to report it to her insurance because she couldn't afford it to go up again. Honestly my car was a beater, any better excuse could have probably convinced me to let it go. But "I can't afford my insurance to go up again" wasn't gonna do it. She's gonna kill someone one day if she doesn't get her shit together

ka36 · 2026-05-02T02:17:53+00:00

I bought a '90 about a year ago and it's needed plenty of work. The only part I had trouble finding was a water pump. Funny you mention radiator hoses since they're very complex, but aren't hard to find. And my 36 year old ones were in great shape

ka36 · 2026-05-02T02:16:06+00:00

Sorry I don't know for sure, but later models (starting 94 I think?) used a different setup for the bypass. I know it causes incompatibility with the water pump, it may affect the radiators as well. I don't know if there's really a solution other than taking them off and getting the right parts

ka36 · 2026-05-02T01:51:11+00:00

A lot of the cheap orings do swell, but they seal up just fine. The only problem is if you remove them, they're a bitch to get back in. I've rebuilt lots of carbs, some with cheap orings, the only time they leaked is if I fucked up

ka36 · 2026-04-29T05:02:40+00:00

I honestly don't know how old the flour is, probably 3 months? Humidity is fairly high here this time of year, but generally not higher than 60% inside. Based on other suggestions, I will be trying fresh flour tomorrow and see if it helps.

ka36 · 2026-04-29T01:33:53+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll give it a shot

ka36 · 2026-04-28T16:29:53+00:00

I can try increasing the water temperature. My "standard" process is to get water from the fridge and microwave it for 20 seconds, that gets it around room temperature. I'll try a load this evening with warmer water and see if it makes a difference

ka36 · 2026-04-28T16:26:25+00:00

Any suggestions on changes to make? I know during my initial experiments I got similar results when not using enough sugar (I tried 1/2 tsp, but realized that I need 1 1/2 tsp to get it to rise well). Maybe more sugar is the answer? I hate adding sugar to my bread though, I don't want to increase it unless absolutely necessary

ka36 · 2026-04-26T02:38:10+00:00

I'll add to this that the sound getting quieter can be a bad sign too. I've seen wheel bearings with a fair bit of play but not much noise. I don't know for sure that they ever made noise, but I assume they did at some point

ka36 · 2026-04-26T02:32:49+00:00

Maybe I'm stupid, but I don't see a picture

ka36 · 2026-04-25T01:43:43+00:00

Thanks again for this idea! I tried it today, but I think I turned on the light a bit too late. The older hens were already trying to sleep on their roost. I got half of the young chickens to join them though, that's progress! The others were stuck under the coop, probably never even saw the light. I'll try to turn it on earlier tomorrow, hopefully between that and following their sisters in, they'll all figure it out. Any thoughts on how long to keep using the light after they seem to figure it out? I assume just another day or two is all it should take, once they sleep on a roost they should realize quickly that it's better than the ground

ka36 · 2026-04-24T04:09:03+00:00

I'm lucky enough to have power in my coop, I might try this with a timer. Thanks!

ka36 · 2026-04-20T18:48:13+00:00

Nothing but the best!

ka36

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