Kitfox4 with rotax 912ul

That should have read “limited experience”, not “expedience”.

As a point of trivia, I believe that first photo posted by mistake was an AeroVee (Converted VW engine).

Roger Lee in MArana is a great source.

".............. apparently electronic and carb components deteriorate over time without use.

All of those hoses will have to be replaced - 5yr. Life"

Hi Jim,

Rotax recomend ALL rubber components be replaced every 5 years - not just hoses & some "carburettor components".

I have never heard of electronic systems "deteriorate over time without use"  - seems likly there might have been factors, other than time, involved.

As for the "floats" - I had an early 912 with the original floats that lasted 20 years. Later engines, with diffrent floats, have experienced problems right up recent times. My 2019  engine had to have the float replaced.😈

I have never heard of electronic systems "deteriorate over time without use"...

There are a number of ways electronics can deteriorate over time.  A few examples:

Aluminum electrolytic capacitors can dry out (in fact, they're notorious for it), especially if stored in high temperatures, as in a metal hangar.  It's such a big problem that it's common practice to "re-cap" old electronics -- remove and replace all aluminum electrolytic capacitors as a matter of routine.

Solder can form dendrites -- also known as "tin whiskers" -- that create conductive paths in unintended locations.  This has been more problematic since the forced introduction of lead-free solder in 2006, and it's more likely to be an issue on very dense boards with closely spaced surface mount components, like in tightly packaged avionics.

Some adhesives used to physically stabilize large components on a board have been known to deteriorate and become corrosive, eating through board traces and even component legs.  Speaking of corrosion, aluminum electrolytic caps sometimes leak their electrolyte, some of which is also corrosive and leads to the same problems.

Some types of wire insulation can suffer embrittlement with age and temperature cycles.