Pipistrel is a large international aircraft company that manufactures several aircraft models that use the Rotax 912 series engine. They advertise 15 years experience consulting, maintaining, repair and overhauling of Rotax engines with trained mechanics.
On some models they make modifications to the engine and they do it at their factory using engine stands that bolt to the Rotax 912 prop flange and hold the engine in a horizontal position, see picture and text below.
"At Pipistrel we fix the engine to a stand, similar to the one in the photo below, this makes modifying and moving the engine around the workshop much easier. In a nutshell, this manual covers the following procedures: modifying the water pump, adding the oil thermostat, mounting the cooling plenum, mounting the exhaust system and mounting the oil coolers."
Additionally, Pipistrel home builders have constructed similar stands out of plywood that suspend the engine horizontally by the prop flange. One such picture was posted earlier in this thread.
I?m not an A&P and I possess minimal knowledge regarding aircraft engines but it occurs to me that if the engine can be supported horizontally by its prop flange, setting the engine on its nose (prop flange) should NOT cause damage.
There have been several alarming comments made on this thread causing the owner of this engine great concern. I guess we all have opinions but when you tell an inexperienced builder that he may have caused serious damage to his brand new expensive engine because he set it on its nose for a couple hours and that he now needs to have it inspected for bent components, cracked bearing, broken seals ? well I?m just disappointed.
That?s my two cents regarding this issue.