earlwb

The dark side of electrics brings in a whole new round of bad electronic speed controls, flaky battery eliminator circuits, bad voltage regulators, bad motors, and flaky or bad battery packs too.  "Slag" gets to be a whole new thing with real meltdowns. Plus it gives realistic examples of crash and burn when the plane catches fire when a ESC burns up in the air.

But going with gasoline engines is more complicated that glow engines. Not for a beginner. There is a whole new issue with huge numbers of bad or flaky gas engines coming out of China with questionable quality control and little to no support and no parts. A beginner won't be able to rebuild or repair a bad new motor. Plus if the engine breaks there is no warranty or parts to get to repair it either. Beginners invariably go with the cheaper gas engine when they should have stayed with the big name brands which are more expensive of course. Except the cheap engine usually doesn't work and the beginner has no idea as to what to do about it.

aspeed

Some people are changing over their gas motors to glow to save weight and for more simplicity, while others are changing glow to gas to save $$ on fuel.  I like electric for gliders, but have like 100 glow motors to use up, so will stick to them for a while.  MDS and CS I will agree are sketchy.  My CS piped .049 wouldn't  even turn over but after lapping and fiddling it is good.  Out of 3 MDS .15's two are great and one was a bear to start because of a leaky head surface.  All of them had stone age screws in and some thread holes were tight because of the sand in the castings.  I bet they were mad at the factory when making them and having to change taps every few motors.  They are fast after a fairly major going over, but the two piped .15's leak  out way too much at the front bearing.

GallopingGhostler

May be someone in the electric power forum can start a thread on bad electric motors, esc's, etc.

earlwb

Yeah a bad motor or Esc thread.

larryak

My Feedback: (32)

Could,nt have said it better myself!!!! Lost a lot of good flying time with Cox engines. My advice after all these years is go Saito. A learning curve, yes, hundreds of enjoyable (and stress free) flying hours , yes. OS reliables the .46 and 4st..56. Both bullet proof.

earlwb

Fox engines are one of the best engines around. I can get many years of use out of them. I am still flying a old Fox .60 Blue head head that was made back around 1967. A few years ago I put in new piston rings on the engine. I have several airplanes with Fox engines on them right now that I fly from time to time too.

Unfortunately, for some odd reason people had trouble adjusting the carburetors on the earlier Fox engines. I suspect that they never read the instructions. The current Fox engines all come with a much better carburetor on them that is easier for newbie users to handle. But Fox engines still require a good run in or break in period and people seem to prefer a engine that doesn't need a break in for that instant gratification feeling.

Fox engines don't have those pesky bearing problems that some other brands are having either.

landeck

My Feedback: (1)

+1 I have been using Fox engines for years, first in control line and then in RC. I have a Fox Eagle IV .74 with the new carb that is a real power house and I have a 40 year old Fox Eagle I .60 that still is as solid as the day I bought it.

Bruce

GallopingGhostler

Will a Saito power my 36" (914mm) span Q-Tee?

Never had problems with the Cox reed valves. They were easy starting, easy break-in. On all Castor oil fuel, I had to occasionally disassemble and devarnish the cylinder to restore it to peak running condition. Mind you though these were not the Estes era engines that some have expressed difficulty with.

Gee, I dunno, I'd say the same of my Cox reed valve engines (except for the .074 Queen Bee).

HoundDog

My Feedback: (49)

Asking this question is like asking a bunch of drunks what beer is best ... There just isn't a logical answer ... If a person has been in this hobby for any length of time they will have Opinions on every thing from Engines, Radios, ,Planes,Kits,ARFs, and even  their fellow club members.

dinodigger II

Has anyone had experience with SE engines? Good or bad.

GallopingGhostler

Yup, nothing like turning a stick model into kindling.[X(]

1QwkSport2.5r

I wouldn't feel so bad if it were an ARF... If it was a kit I built, I'd [:@][:@][:@][&:]. Then again, it wouldn't have been electric in the first place...

I have yet to meet an engine that wasn't of good quality.

NoOneFlysAtMyClub

My Feedback: (32)

HoundDog,

WELL SAID!!!!!!

GallopingGhostler

I've never seen a nitro plane catch fire like that, even with a BAD engine.

A future build will be a Hobby Shack (now Hobby People) The Real Thing, powered by my Enya .19-VI TV. Now that is a bad engine.

AA5BY

Hey George.... I've also got one of those bad Enya .19 VI engines still in use. Wish the thing would wear out so it could be replaced.

1QwkSport2.5r

Better keep wishin'! Buying an Enya is like getting married to the hobby... except your Enya isn't going to tell you to take out the trash..

jester_s1

The only truly bad engine I've ever had was one of the first run Evolutions. IIRC it is a .46 NT which they replaced the next year after they hit the market. There were lots of threads of people having trouble with them, so it wasn't just me. Out of the box, it wouldn't tune with anything approaching a consistent response to the needles, so I figure out it had a bad front bearing. I replaced that which fixed the air leak and made it respond to the needles as it should. But it never stopped having random deadsticks in the air. I could run it tuned 500 rpm rich, 1000 rpm rich, 300 rpm rich, and it made no difference. The engine could not be trusted to run at full throttle without suddenly quitting maybe once every 3-4 flights. It's in the garage now waiting to be given to someone who's a glutton for punishment.

AA5BY

I've a YS I've tried to give away... only one guy so far was willing to take, but required a bottle of aspirin ta boot.

Sport_Pilot

Losing the pinch does not mean it is worn out. I have engines that have lasted with no pinch and ran better with no pinch than before with. This usually is only applicable to some sport engines made to break in quickly and have little pinch to begin with.

Sport_Pilot

With methanol selling for less than gas and the large gas engines needing 5% or less oil in methanol, then maybe they should consider converting their gas engines to glow?

freefall2907

well everybody has their opinions!!!!but i think when it comes down to it some glow engines need to be broken in properly,my Super tigre engines are awsome even the new chinese  versions,they take a little time to break in and get the low end set but after break in i have no trouble,i have been given a few tigers,that the owners have cursed,break them in and no trouble,had fox engines to that run amazing,not all engines are bolt on and fly.i am not knocking any engines on the market,every engine i buy is an investment and i just follow the manufacturers directions for break in,,,just my nickeles worth

Sport_Pilot

Only problem I have had with the Cox reedies were that I kept flooding them. It only takes a few drops of primer and I never could seem to get just a few drops in.

j.duncker

My Feedback: (2)

Get a 1 cc or smaller syringe solves the problem even on an 010.

Sport_Pilot

Nor will it run away with another engine! Probably a Fox or OS. Proof of that is you never see any baby OSya's or Foxya's.

1QwkSport2.5r

Haha, no doubt! =D