Removing the Apex Engine

[@JonasMarcinko]

Thanks for sharing! This will be a life saver for anyone removing a apex!

[@av8r3400]

I've waffled back and forth on doing a Yamaha in my Mangy Fox. I'm watching your project with interest.

[@gmcjetpilot]

3 05 the kid on floor jack in back ground is classic unintentional photo bomb... well done son.

[@GenasysMech]

Enjoying your build, I really like that side by side, flapperon Kitfox......you can't go wrong with a Yamaha, amazing piece of engineering shoe horning that engine into that sled..........Looks like mating a larger speed reduction unit should be fairly straight forward as the engine already has one. Frankly, I'd suggest going with the KISS approach, using a single 2" wide Kevlar belt reduction rather than direct gearing as it would provide numerous benefits....... virtually no maintenance, it won't transfer pulse harmonics (gearing back chatter), would provide the slippage necessary in a prop strike, aka no clutch (unless the apex engine won't idle in the power band you need), would weigh less, probably last way beyond any reasonable engine TBO and lastly, would be cheap compared to a gear drive. I've installed these types of belt drives on very large commercial air handlers over twenty years ago and man do they work, they reliably handle instantaneous (starts) with 100 HP electric motor loads rotating a mass significantly larger than any engine/propeller combo you could imagine for that air frame. Would probably last well over 5k hours. BTW, given the neck of the woods you're in, I hope you'll be looking at a turbo for that puppy for some awesome performance.....

[@markperkins5664]

Looking good, Bryan. Nice to see you jump right in. Looking forward to your build. I just picked up my sled last week: 2007 Apex w/ 811 miles. Hope to learn a lot from you. 👍

[@tenlittleindians]

Wow, I'm glad I got out of sledding. They were much simpler to work on back in the 80's.

[@rb3baize482]

Great video getting better by the minute. I need to shelve my shop.

[@lapoint7603]

I'm very interested to see what you come up with for this build. Thanks for posting.

[@2Phast4Rocket]

Great video. I am always want know how to convert the Yamaha engine for use as an airplane engine. Please tell us more about all the details of the conversion. Thanks.

[@sansdecorum4600]

With the growing popularity of the Yamaha Apex aero conversion, if Yamaha Inc. saw a significant demand / profit opportunity, they could build one hell of a dedicated small aircraft engine. 250 HP would probably be baseline kid stuff for their engineers.

[@davidwoods5095]

Look forward to following the project.

[@knikula]

some really nice tech in that Yamaha...

[@kevincamp189]

Great video. Are you planning on the Edge turbo kit?

[@BowenAero]

Depends on the final cost of the setup, but would really like to have a turbo set up to about 180hp and normalized for that hp at altitude.

[@kennethwilliams8647]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing. I'm still trying to decide on a FWF for my project--Christavia MK1--and am looking heavily towards the apex.

[@billhauck6425]

look to a Honda

[@KowboyUSA]

Looking forward to seeing your project come to fruition. _Little confused by the second line in the description, though. Meant to be video tags?_

[@tragictheory]

Do you have to do a complete rebuild/overhaul of the engine to make it air-worthy? How many miles on the sled is too many for a project like this? Great stuff!!

[@forexautomatedtrading148]

This is a 1000 cc engine right? I like the engine for a Kitfox build but I'm going Viking 170 (Honda 1.5L Turbo) for my CH 750 SD build I will start in January next month. I like the larger displacement engine for the heavier CH 750 SD build.

[@johnowen6507]

sweet build you got going there. is the 4 cylinder more desirable in aircraft than the triple cylinder genesis?

[@benlzicar7628]

Genesis is very new, so there isn't a wire harness adapter for it that exist for aviation, and nobody has put the time and effort into testing, and developing a gearbox adapter. Apex has been used for aviation for almost 10 years at this point, so it's tried and true motor for LSA.

[@johnowen6507]

@@benlzicar7628 i see, thanks for the info!

[@oltimer5544]

Holy cow. That was involved. Looks like the Apex is a two stroke? Glad to hear you're going to put it in a new airframe. I could see all kinds of issues installing it in place of the O-290. Any idea of the difference in installed weights of the two motors?

[@BowenAero]

Dennis, It is a 4 stroke in line 4 cylinder fuel injected engine. The installed weight including engine mount, intake and exhaust, gearbox and propeller should be 175-180lbs compared to my Lycoming at 260lbs.

[@oltimer5544]

Good to hear it's a 4 stroke. There's a saying...."friends don't let friends fly 2 strokes". Problem with 2 strokes is, they run great right up until the point when, without warning, they just quit :( @@BowenAero

[@yodaiam1000]

Apex skidoo give away. Some assembly and an engine may be required. Does Yamaha sell the engine separately? Parts dealers?

[@BowenAero]

Not that I have been able to find, but they do sell every part for the engine.

[@666dynomax]

that is really sad to strip a low mile sled like that, but exciting to know they are such a reliable engine was getting a used part from a guy who strips them, he had 29,000 on his, and said that mileage does not scare him at all.

[@davidrhodes4659]

I take it you’re being extra careful for snowmachine parts resale?

[@jameshenderson9228]

Wow there is a lot of parts you maybe able to reuse in the plane. What about the shocks for your landing gear?

[@BowenAero]

Guys have tried that, but the airplane specific suspension systems from TK1 racing are far superior.

[@1vester1]

Looking good ... lots of pain the ass to get the motor out!!! Damm get a heater in that shop would not take much to heat that area.. I am in Texas heat sucks but cold weather really sucks lol!!!! I fire up the wood stove to knock the chill out when it is 50 deg damp cold here..

[@midsixtiesmuscle463]

Forgive me if I missed it, but: What year Apex is this? I'm looking at an '06 for sale locally where the owner states an oil leak at bottom of engine - thus the need to remove said engine. With 9k miles on it, I'm wondering - even if the machine were given to me for free - if this is a job worth tackling. I'm sure I can do it, but, not sure if I've got the appetite to virtually deconstruct the entire machine to remove engine. If the oil line is just failed, or the piping it's on, that should be an easy fix. If it's more involved, I'll be wasting a lot of time. And the person is looking for about $1700... Clutches typically never come off easy, and exhaust bolts love to snap. Thanks in advance for the Year of your Apex. Jay

[@BowenAero]

2007

[@littlewingpsc27]

What research did you do to see if this Apex engine was suitable to use as a aircraft engine? Are you concerned at all if it will be reliable enough? How about the demand or load on the engine as a snowmobile vs. as a airplane engine? Will it be able to handle the different demands placed on it?

[@BowenAero]

All good questions and I have researched it very thoroughly. I will be putting up a video soon talking about the engine choice.

[@vicrattlehead4246]

im trying to pull my seat and tank. there are two rivits on that back cover . do they need to be drilled out?

[@BowenAero]

I don't think I had to drill rivets to remove the seat and tank, but you do need to remove the exhaust pipe covers to get to the seat bolts.

[@thepostapocalypticgardener9435]

I notice your wearing a reach air med T shirt. Is that who you work for? My wife was a Nurse for the Helena Montana Unit.

[@BowenAero]

Yes, I work for REACH as a pilot in Redding, Ca.

[@sega702]

Do you happen to have photos of the timing of the cams? I have an apex engine I had to replace the cams on and I have not been successful re-installing tha cams. Thank you

[@BowenAero]

I have not opened the engine up.

[@collectionofdifferentvideo6239]

Most of them are .. they upload building the body , it's important but, the most important thing for those who really want to learn ,is watching and listening and learning the engine and wiring all the connections.

[@Stpilot]

Getting exciting!

[@hbstealth]

Good stuff

[@johnfife3062]

I wish my projects went as fast as yours do with jump cuts: *Poof!* and shelves!

[@cmtetaboaco]

Yamaha PWC engine the MR1 was used in the FX140 and FX160 HO series, waaaay cheaper and way easier to remove! Those are the same engine as APEX and the Motorcycle R1 in jet skis its 140 and 160HP with restrictive exhaust and intake, the motorcycle it gets to over 180HP

[@BowenAero]

Accept it has an integrated gearbox as part of the case.

[@cmtetaboaco]

Project Kitfox the PWC engine has a integrated gearbox do t know the ratio! I believe the top RPM out is around 4000 and 5000RPM

[@gmcnelly2468]

you got a sawsall?????????????????

[@BowenAero]

Makes the resale of the sled parts less valuable.

[@collectionofdifferentvideo6239]

I'm so interested in your video ,I don't have time for learning mechanical engineer that why, if you are my teacher I'll be very very happy, not only for your fans also , I wanna see your installing in the plane also ..

[@nelsonashbrook765]

Ok. Love your videos and I'm a subscriber but I have to tease you bit. It's funny that you can build an airplane but not disassemble a snowmobile. That said, been there as well.