Tucci454

I would say this too, but for the fact that the first run that day the transition was perfect, but the high end acted a little rich on initial startup for about 60 seconds.

rica1

My Feedback: (32)

You may need a carb kit if the engine was laying around for a while and has had ethanol gas run through it. The float diaphragm will get stiff (should be very flexible) and the pump diaphragm tabs should be totally flat against the carb body. If they arn't totally flat, replace the diaphragms and gaskets. Does your carb say Walbro or DLE on it? I don't know if the DLE carb has had problems. Some guys replace with a Walbro recommended for that size eng if the DLE one is problematic.
Is your spark plug an NGK CM-6? I hope your not running a DLE plug. Check the color of your plug and it will tell you if it's running lean or rich. Are you running a separate battery for the ignition and if so, what type? That should help others steer you to getting it run well again. Let us know what the fix was.

bcchi

Repair center is wrong as is the DLE Manuel .28 to 32 degrees BTDC Maybe up to 34 at high altitude,we are at 5450 ASL.Won't argue about this because I am right.
BCCHI.I AM NOT LAZY I just enjoy doing nothing, Tired old CH guy.

Tucci454

I got a carb kit ordered, and I'm going to rebuild it. DLE carb, NGK plug, brand new 2s 1300 LiPo ignition battery.

Best pic I could get of the plug. Looks OK to me.
​

Joystick TX

Originally Posted by Joystick TX
The DLE 35 ignition is "special", I posted the timing curve for the A-02 ( what I call the bad module) and a standard A-01 module. See post #341. My engine will run great on the standard RCEXL module, but it will not run on the A-02 module. I tested three of the A-02 modules and they all follow about the same odd timing curve on what I thought was a bad one. There is something else going on with my engine or I have the worst luck in the world to have three modules in a row that are bad. I just sent the engine back in for service. BTW, the repair center says the timing should be set to 46 degrees BTDC. I have no idea how that can be done. I can only get a range of 30 to 40 degrees by adjusting the Hall sensor to the limits both directions.


This was one of my earlier posts before I found the source of my problem. My engine would run great for a while then start running badly, then it would not start at all. The problem was a low voltage going into the Ignition Module. The A-02 module will not run on less than 4 volts. It would have been easier to find the root cause of the problem if the repair center would admit that the timing in the manual is WRONG, and has been the way for YEARS, or if they would have confirmed that the timing curve that I sent them was CORRECT, even though it looks crazy, OR if they would post the MINUNUM voltage that the A-02 module requires to operate correctly, OR if they would just admit that the minumum voltage requirements for the A-02 module are not the same as the A-01.

I agree with you that it ain't rocket science, but these little engines can drive us crazy.

I'm of the opinion that your problem is ignition related rather than carb related. Carb problems are usually consistent from flight to flight, it is unusual to have three good flights then bad ones, then good ones again later unless you fixed something. If you could borrow an A-02 module that would be the best. If you can't get a substitute, hook yours directly to the battery to eliminate all the switches and circuits that may be causing problems. If you are using one of the battery eliminator circuits or an electronic ignition kill switches, that would be my number one suspect for the cause of your problem.

Edit - I just looked at your models, if you still have your DLE-20, you can use the ignition for that engine to test the DLE-35, they have the same timing curve.

ahicks

My Feedback: (2)

Factory settings assure nothing but the needles will be close enough to allow start up, that's it! If they happen to be close enough to allow acceptable running, that's just a coincidence, and the only way you would know that the factory settings can't be optimized further would be to prove it with further tuning attempts.

When people tell you to go back to the factory settings, it's with the assumption you will then tune as required to get it to run right from there, and that's just the ground tune. To get it to run right in the air, 99.99% will require further tuning tweaks. Further, If it's a newer engine, you can pretty much expect it will need to be tuned on occasion as the engine breaks in.

Tucci454

Here's a video of what it does..This is after COMPLETELY disassembling carb, cleaning and setting needles to the stock position (at which it ran well in the past) and installing a brand new NGK CM-6 gapped to .019.

https://youtu.be/hcuptCuFutY

ahicks

My Feedback: (2)

It's lean.

There's a very good chance you can fix that by going richer on the low speed needle. I would suggest 1/4 turn richer, which may prove too much, but at least it will start and run.

Truckracer

My Feedback: (19)

+1

Tucci454

OK. But What I don't get is why it ran perfectly at the same needle settings for a minimum of 30 minutes or 3 flights.

ahicks

My Feedback: (2)

Lot's of variables in play to justify that. The bigger point is, when you first install one of these engines, it needs to be tuned, and that tune is going to change, especially if this is an engine that's still breaking in.

I've seen engines act just like the one in the video that were just 1/8 of a turn lean. A complete pain in the butt to start. Adjusted just a hair richer and they transform into complete sweethearts.....

bcchi

Your carb is messed up.Open the low needle.
BCCHI Tired Old CH guy.

Joystick TX

Your repeated choking is a sure sign of a lean engine on the low end. I just bought another one this month and I had to open it 1/2 turn on the low end. Do you have access to the tuning instructions for the engine? Like ahicks said, they almost always need adjustment for local conditions, fuel, altitude, temperature and humidity, so the needles can't be left at the factory settings, that is just a starting point. The fuel used can be a big factor in some areas due to the difference between the winter blend and the summer blend and the amount of ethanol, octane rating, age, etc.

Joystick TX

If your carb is adjusted correctly and the engine won't run for a long time, the ignition is the next item to check. Electronic devices have a tendency to break down over time and due to heat. Sometimes they can recover once they cool off.

It sounds like you have eliminated the fuel tank and tubes as a source of the problem.

Tucci454

I got it running again. I'm running both needles WAY past factory settings. Low is almost 2 turns out, high is probably close to that. I'm sure that I'm compensating for a lean condition caused by some problem in the carb, but I don't really care at this point! It's alive! Thanks to you guys for getting me to turn those needles.

airborne2.4

Is the reed value mod still necessary or did dle take care of this issue at the factory?

Truckracer

My Feedback: (19)

I can't speak for all DLE engines but the last (4) engines I bought were fine out of the box.

ahicks

My Feedback: (2)

Another internet myth in my opinion.

Joystick TX

The last two I bought have not had any issues. At least none due to DLE.

My muffler did come loose after 20 flights, but that was my fault for not getting it tight enough and not using any thread-lock.

MTK

One other thing to consider in addition to Al, TR and Bill suggestions is the following: the carb gaskets may not be sealing properly. If there is any air leaking at the seals, the carb won't be able to draw enough gas. Could be another reason why the needles are so open. I would bet the engine might seem to run ok to about half throttle but will quit as soon as throttle is opened beyond that.

Tucci454

I've flown it several times now, and it runs great. But now weird things keep happening. First a wheel fell off, then the rudder control horn loosened up, then one of the elevator hiinges started coming loose, and finally one of the tires came off the wheel.
I think this plane hates me.

Joystick TX

All probably related to the vibration of the gas engine. Make sure your propeller is balanced and also the spinner, it is important to cut down the vibration as much as possible. A lot of us use thread lock on the control horns and use the pinned type hinges to keep them from tearing apart or coming loose.

ahicks

My Feedback: (2)

A hinge that comes loose was likely either a CA hinge, which I won't use any more because they do that so frequently, or a pinned hinge that's been poorly installed (lack of glue?).

A tire that rolls off a wheel has very likely been scrubbed off by a plane that's been turned sharply on roll out, usually to slow it. Ask me how I know about that one! If it keeps happening, a drop of CA will cure that problem.

Many of my planes get flying wires to control vibration on the tail surfaces.

The plane doesn't hate you. It's trying to teach you.

Tucci454

Actually, the wheel rim broke. First time for that.
I guess these things are to be expected with such an old airframe.

Meschmidt

My Feedback: (15)

Tucci 454.Yes, planes do have personalities and yes, they can hate you. I have 20 plus large planes and they all are different on how they behave. I try to set them up the best I can to avoid any problems and they all give different results as far as luck of the plane. Some have no problems at all and are getting old. Some give nothing but fits and refuse to cooperate no matter what you do to improve them. They teach me something different every time I take them out. They all have different expiration ages too. Keeps the hobby interesting I guess! Paul