Can i save a rusted nitro motor?
06-14-2013, 10:48 AM
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Can i save a rusted nitro motor?
About a year ago i mounted a brand new OS 61fx motor on one of my fav planes. Some dickhead then decides to break into my shop and gather up a bunch of stuff and set it out behind the building in some plot to steal. Well my .61fx that had only 5 or 6 tanks of fuel through it was left outside for 5 or 6 days before i found out what had happened and by then all the head bolts were rusted and the carb was rusted shut. This happened to immediately follow two crashes i had the week before(one was pilot error one was equipment failure) and i was just fed up with my planes. Last week i pulled this motor back out and felt the gumption to fix it and fly. The piston and sleeve of this motor is flawless but the shaft, bearing, and carb are rusted tight. I sprayed some PB Blaster in it last night and i've had it sitting over night, hasn't loosened up yet. I was wondering if anybody had any suggestions for some way for me to save this motor without having to buy all new parts for it. Thank you in advance for any and all help you can send my way!
06-14-2013, 11:27 AM
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RE: Can i save a rusted nitro motor?
Rust in 5 or 6 days has locked up the engine. I would think that is an extremely short period of time to lock up the engine, but anyway you can fill up the engine with fuel and let it soak for a day or two. Drain it and it should loosen up. Once it has loosened up, put some oil in it like gun oil or 3 in 1 oil to preserve it. Good Luck, Dave
06-14-2013, 11:30 AM
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RE: Can i save a rusted nitro motor?
Well the carb was rusted in 5 or 6 days. Idk how bad the motor was at that time, it was almost a year later that i took it apart this week and looked inside.
06-14-2013, 11:43 AM
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RE: Can i save a rusted nitro motor?
About 90% of a two stroke (OS FX engines are two stoke) is aluminum. Offhand, the only parts I can think of that could possibly rust are the wrist pin, the carb barrel, the bearings and the various bolts Aluminum won't rust. Could it be some kind of corrosion?
06-14-2013, 12:51 PM
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RE: Can i save a rusted nitro motor?
Recently I was put in charge of freeing up two OS engines that were siezed from sitting, it turned out a little heat will get the castor to change from "varnish" to Molasis. I had to let the motor soak in hot oil then turn it over to suspend/disolve the old castor oil. Hope this will work for you. Using just heat will work but the castor will just reharden as the parts cool.Calvi.
06-14-2013, 01:45 PM
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RE: Can i save a rusted nitro motor?
I would consider new bearings and a GOOD cleaning while it is apart. I redid a very old OS 40ABC FSR that had been stored in a damp basement for about 8 years. I rebuilt it and oiled it up WELL. Last week I used it on an ugly stick and was able to flip start it !
06-14-2013, 02:17 PM
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RE: Can i save a rusted nitro motor?
I'm assuming you're a gearhead. I've freed up a lot of seized engines using the crockpot/antifreeze method. Set the pot on low, remove the glow plug and back plate, and dip it for about 8 hours. It cleans the engine too. Take the bearings out while hot, much easier. Heat the case up again to install the new bearings. I think that carb can be salvaged, just have to work at. Dont put any plastic parts in the antifreeze. Most of the time you can remove the plastic throttle arm (if you have one) and dip it in the pot with the rest of the engine. Like was said oil it up good when reassembling. I like to use marvel air tool oil.
Edwin
Edwin
06-14-2013, 10:18 PM
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RE: Can i save a rusted nitro motor?
ORIGINAL: Edwin
I'm assuming you're a gearhead. I've freed up a lot of seized engines using the crockpot/antifreeze method. Set the pot on low, remove the glow plug and back plate, and dip it for about 8 hours. It cleans the engine too. Take the bearings out while hot, much easier. Heat the case up again to install the new bearings. I think that carb can be salvaged, just have to work at. Dont put any plastic parts in the antifreeze. Most of the time you can remove the plastic throttle arm (if you have one) and dip it in the pot with the rest of the engine. Like was said oil it up good when reassembling. I like to use marvel air tool oil.
Edwin
I'm assuming you're a gearhead. I've freed up a lot of seized engines using the crockpot/antifreeze method. Set the pot on low, remove the glow plug and back plate, and dip it for about 8 hours. It cleans the engine too. Take the bearings out while hot, much easier. Heat the case up again to install the new bearings. I think that carb can be salvaged, just have to work at. Dont put any plastic parts in the antifreeze. Most of the time you can remove the plastic throttle arm (if you have one) and dip it in the pot with the rest of the engine. Like was said oil it up good when reassembling. I like to use marvel air tool oil.
Edwin
06-17-2013, 07:29 PM
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RE: Can i save a rusted nitro motor?
This sounds like a story problem from a math book.
So the total days rusted would be = 1 year + 5 or 6 days. Divide this by 5 or 6 tanks of gas and you get one rusted engine. I see. I would soak it entirely in nitro for a week. every once in awhile try rotating the crank and throttle shaft. It could probably stand to use some new bearing but would most likely work ok as is once you get it loosened up. After soaking for awhile I would take it apart and soak some more. Just my opinion.
chad
So the total days rusted would be = 1 year + 5 or 6 days. Divide this by 5 or 6 tanks of gas and you get one rusted engine. I see. I would soak it entirely in nitro for a week. every once in awhile try rotating the crank and throttle shaft. It could probably stand to use some new bearing but would most likely work ok as is once you get it loosened up. After soaking for awhile I would take it apart and soak some more. Just my opinion.chad
ORIGINAL: AnAlternateEgo
About a year ago i mounted a brand new OS 61fx motor on one of my fav planes. Some dickhead then decides to break into my shop and gather up a bunch of stuff and set it out behind the building in some plot to steal. Well my .61fx that had only 5 or 6 tanks of fuel through it was left outside for 5 or 6 days before i found out what had happened and by then all the head bolts were rusted and the carb was rusted shut. This happened to immediately follow two crashes i had the week before(one was pilot error one was equipment failure) and i was just fed up with my planes. Last week i pulled this motor back out and felt the gumption to fix it and fly. The piston and sleeve of this motor is flawless but the shaft, bearing, and carb are rusted tight. I sprayed some PB Blaster in it last night and i've had it sitting over night, hasn't loosened up yet. I was wondering if anybody had any suggestions for some way for me to save this motor without having to buy all new parts for it. Thank you in advance for any and all help you can send my way!
About a year ago i mounted a brand new OS 61fx motor on one of my fav planes. Some dickhead then decides to break into my shop and gather up a bunch of stuff and set it out behind the building in some plot to steal. Well my .61fx that had only 5 or 6 tanks of fuel through it was left outside for 5 or 6 days before i found out what had happened and by then all the head bolts were rusted and the carb was rusted shut. This happened to immediately follow two crashes i had the week before(one was pilot error one was equipment failure) and i was just fed up with my planes. Last week i pulled this motor back out and felt the gumption to fix it and fly. The piston and sleeve of this motor is flawless but the shaft, bearing, and carb are rusted tight. I sprayed some PB Blaster in it last night and i've had it sitting over night, hasn't loosened up yet. I was wondering if anybody had any suggestions for some way for me to save this motor without having to buy all new parts for it. Thank you in advance for any and all help you can send my way!
06-17-2013, 08:05 PM
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RE: Can i save a rusted nitro motor?
If you're talking about bright red rust I'd hit it with rust/bluing remover usually sold for guns. You may find that the steel parts are too pitted or rough to still be used, but at least you won't spend a week fooling with it to find that out.
06-25-2013, 06:54 AM
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RE: Can i save a rusted nitro motor?
I have seen the crockpot/antifreeze method work before, if the nitro fuel doesn't work I would try that. Just be careful with it and don't use the crockpot again for anything else.
06-25-2013, 07:09 AM
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RE: Can i save a rusted nitro motor?
Highly doubt that rust is your problem, more likely congealed castor oil residue. Solution:heat. Heat the carb and engine with a high intensity heat gun or torch while gently applying pressure to the moving parts and they will soon start moving.
06-25-2013, 11:19 AM
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RE: Can i save a rusted nitro motor?
ORIGINAL: Rodney
Highly doubt that rust is your problem, more likely congealed castor oil residue. Solution:heat. Heat the carb and engine with a high intensity heat gun or torch while gently applying pressure to the moving parts and they will soon start moving.
Highly doubt that rust is your problem, more likely congealed castor oil residue. Solution:heat. Heat the carb and engine with a high intensity heat gun or torch while gently applying pressure to the moving parts and they will soon start moving.
06-25-2013, 11:31 AM
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RE: Can i save a rusted nitro motor?
Hi!
As has been said earlier our glow engines are made of aluminium and thus doesn´t rust. The only thing inside the engine that can rust and often do so, is the bearings, crank and piston pin. Of these three the bearings is often the culprit. The carb barrel is made of steel too but it's not likely to rust, especially after just a few days outside.
What does make a engine freese up is old congeled Castor oil, and this is easily fixed by heating the engine with either a propane tortch or a heat gun.
But...in my opinion, take the engine apart and clean it! If you cannot turn the crank over the ball bearings certainly needs a looking over and probably need to be changed.
As has been said earlier our glow engines are made of aluminium and thus doesn´t rust. The only thing inside the engine that can rust and often do so, is the bearings, crank and piston pin. Of these three the bearings is often the culprit. The carb barrel is made of steel too but it's not likely to rust, especially after just a few days outside.
What does make a engine freese up is old congeled Castor oil, and this is easily fixed by heating the engine with either a propane tortch or a heat gun.
But...in my opinion, take the engine apart and clean it! If you cannot turn the crank over the ball bearings certainly needs a looking over and probably need to be changed.
06-25-2013, 01:33 PM
#19
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RE: Can i save a rusted nitro motor?
In most of the cases I've seen, just using a heat gun like you use for shrinking covering will get the carb hot enough to let it start moving. I've never had any luck trying to soak one free no matter what fluid you use.
08-14-2013, 05:31 PM
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Ok guys, I let the motor sit in nitro fuel for about a month with no budge. I just happened to be walking aroud autozone this past weekend and they had a jug of wd-40 rust remover that claimed it was safe for all metals, plastics, and composits. 24hrs later and a little help with a wrench and the piston and carb and smooth as silk again! I haven't put the motor back together yet to check compression bc i figure i need to oil the innerds down pretty well just in case the wd-40 remover did its degreasing. Does anybody see any problem with soaking the bearings and shaft in lithium grease from a can? I figure it will at least be a good start as the oil from the nitro fuel would work it out later on....right?
08-14-2013, 06:11 PM
#21
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Usually the wrist pin and crank can be cleaned up and saved but the bearings tend to get pitted and flakes of rust can get between them and the race. You can clean them out well enough to start and run but they tend not to last very long. You can usually feel and hear bearings that are pitted. For under $15.00 you can get a new set from rcbearings.com. Why bother putting the engine back together when you can just replace the bearings now.
08-14-2013, 08:03 PM
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You're overthinking the grease thing. A simple shot of WD-40 will be enough to keep anything from rusting. The stuff is made of mostly fish oil and was specifically engineered to be a water displacer to prevent rust on iron. A shot of after run oil after you have it all back together will lubricate the internals plenty to start the engine.
