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bad engines

Old 09-06-2013, 07:01 PM
  #276  
50+AirYears
 
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Only tools I ever had that deserved blame were from Harbor Freight. And when I bought tools from Snap on and Mac, it was because they had quality tools Sears didn't carry. Quality tools definitely made many jobs easier. And sometimes, I bought cheap tools at a discount store for a single use, or maybe a couple easy uses.
And I spent a lot of years using tools to earn a good living.

Last edited by 50+AirYears; 09-06-2013 at 07:06 PM.
Old 09-06-2013, 07:55 PM
  #277  
GallopingGhostler
 
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Originally Posted by 50+AirYears
Only tools I ever had that deserved blame were from Harbor Freight. And when I bought tools from Snap on and Mac, it was because they had quality tools Sears didn't carry. Quality tools definitely made many jobs easier. And sometimes, I bought cheap tools at a discount store for a single use, or maybe a couple easy uses. And I spent a lot of years using tools to earn a good living.
As a part of employment, I'd understand. And yes, in certain cases, cheap tools suck.

My uses have been as a hobbyist and home mechanic. I don't put enough wear and tear to demand the best, but that which works. There are some really cheap made sockets, those I'd run away from.

There are some tools you don't hear of any more, have a few New Britain tools that are high quality.

Rather than a special Mopar tool, used a $3 cast iron pumbing cap with edge dressed with a file, to seat 1992 Dodge Caravan trans-axle seals. Used a several foot section of 2" PVC to seat my 1987 Suzuki Savage's fork seals instead of a $200 Suzuki part. A $15 J.C. Whitney impact hand tool from 1980 to crack motorcycle case screws has worked like a charm, still have it. I kept my single speed Craftsman 1/4" electric drill I bought in the 1970's for 20 years, then gave to a friend still in fine working condition; ditto for my single speed Craftsman jig saw, still have it. Still have the Craftsman socket set my father gave me in the 1970's. Replaced a couple sockets, rachet and breaker bar I broke over the years for free. Also replaced a couple screw drivers for free.

But yes, I know what you mean by cheap tools. I would have been better off spending another $50 than Harbor Freight's electric impact drill for $24, which overheated badly after drilling only a couple concrete holes. Their heat gun for under $15 has worked for me though, but I don't use it day in and day out and for long periods.
Old 09-06-2013, 09:02 PM
  #278  
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I've heard a lot of negative things about B&D, but I've only had one of their tools go bad. And I have about 6. The only one was a 1/4" electric drill. The brushes wore out about 2 years ago. Couldn't find a replacement brush set for that model, even at a B&D outlet store. And it only lasted me from around 1966, when I bought it on an AF Base Exchange for 19.99. Only 44 years! And the only heavy work I put it to was things like brake and engine cylinder honing, drilling mounting screw holes for auto aftermarket accessories like air conditioners. A few things like that. And I think the worst cheap hobby tool I ever had was the set of plug and cylinder spanners that came with the second engine I ever got, a Wen Mac .049 (trying to stay on topic!) that I got to start only once in about 6 years of trying. Definitely not of the quality that I got with Cox and O. K. Cub, tools or engines.
Old 09-06-2013, 09:40 PM
  #279  
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Originally Posted by 50+AirYears
And I think the worst cheap hobby tool I ever had was the set of plug and cylinder spanners that came with the second engine I ever got, a Wen Mac .049 (trying to stay on topic!) that I got to start only once in about 6 years of trying. Definitely not of the quality that I got with Cox and O. K. Cub, tools or engines.
I had good luck with Testor McCoy .049's, they seemed easy to start, don't know about the stuff before that. Got to whittle down the excess amount of tools collected over the years and from my father. Found sheet metal spanners, light duty in smaller sizes, put some in my modeling stuff for engine work. Amazing the amount of junk one collects over the years.
Old 09-07-2013, 04:23 AM
  #280  
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I've been buying tools since I was 16 years old, I have them from Craftsman, Proto, Williams, SK Wayne, Cresent, JC Penney's, I avoid Harbor Freight as if quaratined from it.

PS, Pete if you're happy with the Saitos set up, the Cline will not change it much unless its set up for a high or low tank. The greatest beauty of the regulator is the consistency.

Last edited by Hobbsy; 09-07-2013 at 04:25 AM.
Old 09-07-2013, 07:15 AM
  #281  
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I've had mixed luck with McCoys. I had a red head .35 that ran only once, I had a red head .19 that ran, but had less power than a Fox .15X, and I have a read head .35 that I've been running in a 45 year old CL Veco Smoothie for nearly 20 years. I also had a McCoy .049 that never did more than pop, no matter what fuel I used, and I had a Testor's P-51 RTF CL I bought for my son that started on one flip most of the time that never had enough thrust to taxi the plane on smooth concrete. I also have several older McCoys of various displacements, including a couple rear intakes that I haven't had the opportunity to run yet.
I remember an article by Ted Strader that for the particular design, he started with a Cub .075 Diesel, which was too much power, then went downto a McCoy Diesel, which wasn't enough, then settled with a Cub .049 Diesel which was just right. Too hot, too cold, just right. I seem to remember another story like that from somewhere.
Old 09-07-2013, 07:51 AM
  #282  
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I think the best tool I ever bought was my only Dremel that I bought in 1982. It has thousands of hours on it.

Sears won't back a lot of their items now. Learned that the hard way on a hand truck. The ratchet gears broke the first time I strapped something on it. The roller wheels in the treads that roll over steps broke and fell out. I would have been better off buying a cheap one from Walmart's or Horror Freight.

I bought a bearing separator and gear puller from Harbor Freight for pulling prop drivers. It would be a waste of money to pay more for use on small glow engines. Everything else is quality stuff, mostly Craftsman. I've had a lot of wrenches, etc given to me too.
Old 09-09-2013, 02:54 AM
  #283  
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Originally Posted by 50+AirYears
I also had a McCoy .049 that never did more than pop, no matter what fuel I used,
Wondering if perhaps you had a bad head. Some of the plug elements degraded over time; some were poorly made.

and I had a Testor's P-51 RTF CL I bought for my son that started on one flip most of the time that never had enough thrust to taxi the plane on smooth concrete.
Yeah, I heard that some of those plastic made RTF's were very heavy. Overall what limited amount of Testor McCoy .049's I had seemed to perform well. Power was at least that of a Cox Babe Bee and perhaps a little more. Here I have one of their last versions with tank mount on a Goldberg Little Toot.

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Old 09-09-2013, 05:13 AM
  #284  
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The Testor's .049 was the same or nearly the same design as the Wen-Mac and more powerful than the Cox reedies, but less than a Tee Dee. The designer also designed the first Cox .049, a rear disc valve engine. The name is not coming to me though.
Old 09-09-2013, 07:38 AM
  #285  
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Originally Posted by Sport_Pilot
The Testor's .049 was the same or nearly the same design as the Wen-Mac and more powerful than the Cox reedies, but less than a Tee Dee. The designer also designed the first Cox .049, a rear disc valve engine. The name is not coming to me though.
According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cox_model_engine the rear rotor valve 1956 RR1 with the same form factor as the reed valve engine wasn't the first. There's mention of the 1952 Space Bug, but don't know if that is a reed valve or rear rotor.

Here's the RR1.



  • 1956 RR1 (Cat#390 - Manufactured 1956-1965)
The RR1 uses a rear rotary valve intake rather than a reed valve in an attempt to achieve more power. The engine came after the Babe Bee and looks very similar with its anodized, machined extruded aluminum crank case and fuel tank. The power improvement was negligible so Cox reverted to the cheaper easier to build Babe Bee. The engine was made for quite a few years and sold for $6.95. A left and right hand rotary valve was made, as were left hand 6x2 glass filled nylon props for the RR-1. Some versions have a blue tank, others have a clear anodized tank. There were two versions of the tank back as well, to fit the corresponding tank. It has become a collectors item due to its uniqueness and pretty colors and is worth around $100 in 2008.
Anyway, interesting stuff.
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Old 09-09-2013, 12:03 PM
  #286  
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Yes, the Space Bug! It was rear rotory, with fuel tank, needle near the front of the tank. Later the Thermal Hopper had no tank and ofset engine mount.
Old 09-09-2013, 12:52 PM
  #287  
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The Space Bug, the Junior Space Bug, Thermal Hopper, and Space Hopper were all rear intake reed valve engines. I have a couple of Space Hoppers I want to build something for.

I put an old Wen Mac 049 on an Ebenezer sport free flight. It starts readily and is too powerful. I put a piece of small fuel line in the intake and ran it really rich. Worked OK. Friends flying it yesterday launched it too lean. It made two loops and then took off in about a 60 degree spiral climb for longer than it was supposed to run on the little 020 Cox helicopter tank. It is now on the roof of a nearby school. Friend is talking with the maintainence people about getting it down. If I build another sport ff for it, I will make one about 50% bigger. I made this one with the idea that if I lost it, no big deal.
Old 09-09-2013, 03:50 PM
  #288  
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If I lived in a place that had calm weather, instead of FF, I'd prefer single channel RC. It's a blast to fly and stunt, and once properly trimmed, keeps the planes within reach.
Old 09-10-2013, 06:35 PM
  #289  
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I remember the rush to Perry carbs when they first came out. Sometimes it helped and sometimes it didn't. I think that most guys were not experienced "engine guys" back then, so they didn't bother chang the type of glow plug or fuel they were using to obtain a better idle and better transition to high throttle before yanking the carb and replacing it with a Perry. Lots of the airbleed carbs were really good enough for aerobatic flying, if you had a bit of engine knowledge and adjusted the fuel/nitro mix and chose another propeller for trials.


Ed Cregger
Old 09-11-2013, 02:29 AM
  #290  
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Lightbulb Testor Red Head and Black Head Prop Washers Interchangeable

Speaking of bad Testor engines, I found that I can interchange the prop thrust washers between the Series 21 Black Heads and Red Heads. Might be an option for those who have a missing or ruined prop washer.
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Old 09-11-2013, 03:37 AM
  #291  
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Originally Posted by NM2K
I remember the rush to Perry carbs when they first came out. Sometimes it helped and sometimes it didn't. I think that most guys were not experienced "engine guys" back then, so they didn't bother chang the type of glow plug or fuel they were using to obtain a better idle and better transition to high throttle before yanking the carb and replacing it with a Perry. Lots of the airbleed carbs were really good enough for aerobatic flying, if you had a bit of engine knowledge and adjusted the fuel/nitro mix and chose another propeller for trials.
Ed Cregger
Some people just seem to have no end of bad luck with model engines, for just about any reason. I remember one poor fellow, with a Fox engine, who couldn't get it to work. He asked me for help (I assume because all of my planes used Fox engines at the time). So I dutifully adjusted his engine, got it running and he flew it the rest of the day without problems. I told him it was all set, all he had to do was fuel up the plane and start the engine and he was ready to do, no tweaking. Sure enough the next day, it didn't work again. So I readjusted it and he was a happy camper for the day. This went on every day he flew it, when I was at the field. Turns out he was a incessant tweaker and could not leave things alone, unfortunately, he would tweak everything all at once and screw up the settings. Trying to explain things and how they work, seemingly went in one ear and out the other ear and didn't stick in the brain. Other fellows convinced him that the Fox engine was bad, so he bought a OS engine and not surprisingly had the same problems. Nothing changed except the engine brand. I actually have that Fox engine as he gave it to me, and I still have it, and it is on my coroplast 3D plane and the engine works just fine.
Old 09-11-2013, 01:54 PM
  #292  
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We have the same sort of tweaker at our field. W8YE was living here and would tune his engines to perfection for him. Just as soon as Jim would sit down in the shade to cool off our friend would start back to turning the needle valves until it wouldn't run.
Old 09-11-2013, 07:42 PM
  #293  
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Originally Posted by blw
We have the same sort of tweaker at our field. W8YE was living here and would tune his engines to perfection for him. Just as soon as Jim would sit down in the shade to cool off our friend would start back to turning the needle valves until it wouldn't run.
Sounds like a good candidate for electric flight, provided he wasn't given an ESC programmer.
Old 09-16-2013, 11:54 AM
  #294  
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For goodness sake don't let that guy near Lipo batteries and chargers..
Old 09-16-2013, 12:47 PM
  #295  
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Originally Posted by MJD
For goodness sake don't let that guy near Lipo batteries and chargers..
There's been some who have almost burned down their garage and house, for not charging lipos at least in a bag safe.
Old 09-16-2013, 01:07 PM
  #296  
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And to think the batteries in our cell phones (Li Ion) are said to be more dangerous than LiPos. Oh the possibilities.
Old 09-16-2013, 05:05 PM
  #297  
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My neighbour/buddy blew one up in his newly renovated basement, on a carpet floor.. I gave him my Triton 2 charger, with which you have to be very careful when pushing the dial to accept a choice, as for some of us with klutzy fingers (I've done it too but caught the error every time luckily) it is very easy to give a little rotation input at the same time. So long story short he selected the next higher voltage or cell count (forget which, I don't use it anymore) and started the charge cycle at the same time. Oops.

I'll give him this - he did it at lunchtime, and managed to get the carpet layer back in to replace a 4 foot wide piece of carpet, and cleaned up the evidence before his wife got home that afternoon. Not busted.. yet.
Old 09-16-2013, 05:24 PM
  #298  
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Many of the members of my club used to be anti-Fox. I remember several of them trying to "help" a newbie with a plane powered by a Fox BB .45, back when they had the notorious two needle carbs. I had (still have) several. They got that engine to the point where it almost wouldn't run at all. The kid finally noticed I was having very good runs with one flip starts. So, I told him to bring his plane over and I'd see what I could do. Closed both needles down, opened them back up to the recommendation from a Fox ad. Engine started right up on the second flip. I then adjusted the carb to where the engine was running about like mine. Explained that with that particular carb, the idle needed to be set first, then the high end, just the opposite of any other carb. A couple weeks later, he was flying the plane, but with a Max .45. Seems his instructor tried to tweak the Fox, and got the engine screwed up again, and talked the newbie into pitching it. But he was a bit concerned, because the Max was tached about 800 rpm slower than the Fox with the same prop; But, he was assured that the Max still was putting out more power than that useless Fox, even if it turned the prop slower.
A couple years ago, I had a plane at the field with that now 30 some year old Fox .45. It turned a 10-6 APC about 150 rpm slower than a Fox hater's New ST .45. I got told there was something wrong with my tach.
There isn't.
Old 09-22-2013, 06:00 PM
  #299  
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I think there are a lot of wives tales going around on engines, just because one or set of persons didn't understand how to set them up right, use the right fuels (oil content that is), and etc. Thus an engine that is otherwise a good engine gets a bad rap. I just bought an MDS .46 Pro RC engine for a song, looks like it has little or no time on it. I've targeted it for a Das Ugly Stik. I'll see how far I get with it. There are some who have expressed the same about MDS engines that you have expressed about Fox,50+AirYears. Those who run it successfully, have expressed their tricks just like you with yours on the Fox. I've got two Foxes, an older NOS .25RC and a used .15X CL. Those I am targeting classic airplanes.
Old 09-22-2013, 06:49 PM
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What is interesting is that the Fox two needle carb isn't really all that different from a carb that appears to only have one needle. What they did was hide the low speed needle in those carbs so that the user didn't think about it so much. I think that Fox thought it was nice to have the low speed needle out there to make it easy to tweak if you needed to. Unfortunately, people being people, if they see it they just have to tweak it then. Hiding the low speed needle was probably the better way as it took some of the human nature out of the equation. if people didn't see it they tend to not mess with it. The Fox two needle carbs were not any more difficult than say a OS carb and so on to adjust. But normally you set the low speed and you seldom if ever need to touch it again. So having the low speed needle hidden keeps it out of sight and out of mind.

The old Fox butterfly throttle carburetors were the ones that the low speed needle affected the high speed needle setting. But it was no big deal actually. You simply got the engine to run, then tuned the low speed needle for a good idle, then adjust the high speed needle, then if needed tweak the low speed a teensy bit and check the high speed again. After that you only needed to make seasonal changes to the high speed when the weather did big changes.

Last edited by earlwb; 09-22-2013 at 06:52 PM. Reason: add more info

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