Hobbsy

My Feedback: (102)

Thanks all for the kind words.

Cougar, it's good to see you picking up a few additional Saitos. I recently picked up a new FG11, my first gas 4 stroke.

spaceworm

Hello again. Well the link to what i thought was for the old 120 abc came up error 404. I searched around, including RC Groups and turned up no specific 120abc manual. Sorry. However, The Clarence lee review of the early 120 on Sceptre Flight web site may be the best there is, excepting Bill Robison's notes. If you don't have Robison's notes, do a search here on RCU, and they should come up. Was/is the bible on Saito engines. Sceptre Flight.net has tests of many engines, and is worth a look if you have not been to that site. There is a link to Clarence Lee's review of the Saito FA-120 there and better image quality can be had by you to go there rather than from a copy I paste here. Also, I suggest you visit RC Groups, and search on Saito FA-120. There are some posts on the early 120abc there by Konrad, and some good pictures. If you bog down or can't get the files, let me know and i will see what i can do here. Good luck and enjoy.
Sincerely, Richard/spaceworm

spaceworm

Well Pete, I was taking your advice yesterday and used an APC 13x6. to break in a new OS .62v. I've been playing with glow engines since 1956 when I was 14 years old I waited until yesterday to stick my hand in a prop. Seven hours in the emergency room, 27 stitches and much O Negative blood lost, hard lesson learned. One third of my middle finger tip is gone. Either don't use APC's or don't mention OS engines in the Saito thread. I am operating the mouse two handed. If I had been using a Xoar it would have broken and I wouldn't need any stitches. The .62 was turning 6,000 rpm at the time of the major blunder. So far I've been sentenced to three weeks of not,using the right hand.[/QUOTE]

Whoa Dave, so sorry to hear of your APC incident.. APC are wicked and can do serious damage as you well know. I use them, but prefer MA. As I am sure you do also, I take fine sandpaper and break the very sharp edges of both APC and MA They still can cut deep. Take care, get well and "get back up on that horse"

Very best regards to you and yours.

Sincerely, Richard

BJ64

Jayzuz, Hobbsy...

Crikey! - what THE?

That said... a well experienced RC'er friend of mine has made 2 major mistakes... and has the scars to remind him.

1 - hooking up 2 large 6S electric packs without making them 'failsafe' with male/female combo's on the final link - so effectively shorting each to the other and nearly blowing his hand (and half his head) off...and
2 - having a brain-fade moment and trying to reach between himself and a massive fast-spinning large IC prop to get the "final tune" on the carby.

A gentle reminder that RC stuff can really bite you in a momentary lapse of concentration.

Hope you heal quickly mate - no-one wants to see that kinda stuff happen...

BJ

BJ64

Note to self - "safe places" can differ.

On a Turbine start-up... most people think that the 'safe place' it to stand beside the engine. If something's going to let go, it usually comes out through the side more than comes out the exhaust.

Safest place (for me) on an IC prop jobbie is 45 deg either side...and well behind.

I hate prop failures...

BJ

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

I use remote glowplug connections for that reason. With a needle valve there isn't must choice but if the engine is a good one you don't need to adjust very often.

blw

My Feedback: (3)

We used to have a member named, I think, Jim Lane. He was in front of a gasser when the firewall broke free and the engine climbed up his forearms and biceps. It was swinging something along the lines of a 24".

It's good to be back on RCU.

Hobbsy

My Feedback: (102)

I wish I could thank you each individually but I'm having a tough time typing, I keep hitting the M instead of the space bar.Anyway many thanks to each and all.

I grew up on a dairy farm in western Pa. operating machinery like this from 10 years old on. I worked
at Crucible Steel in Midland, Pa, as a brakeman on their rail road, then at Valvoline Oil in Freedom, Pa. Then I did 33 years and 9 months at C&P, Bell Atlantic, Verizon, accident free, all those safe years did nothing for the split second that I screwed up.

Captcrunch44

Yeah
i do most of my typing on a cell phone. Typ a sentence and spend two minutes straightening it all out. For example (its amazing how quickly a little accident camn make you fell.
i find tht tje ilder i get mi reflexes ar not what ther used to be)
here is what I meant to say.( It's amazing how quickly a little accident can make you feel after all the years of experience that you have. I find myself having the same problem and i need to keep telling myself that, there is no hurry we're out to have a fun). So keep a stiff upper lip it is all good and it will heal.

Sharpeye22

I am at my wits end. The right cylinder does not fire on my Saito FG57 twin. Things I have done.

Switched the right and left high tension leads. Right one still not firing
Replaced the ignition module. Right one still not firing.
Replaced the spark plug. Right one still not firing.
Insured the voltage and current flow to the ignition module was correct.
Reset the low and high needles.

the left cylinder fire and the engine runs just fine on just that cylinder with good trainsion but of course with the other cylinder not firing I can not use the engine.

any Ideals no matter how silly would be appreciated.

Larry

the Wasp

My Feedback: (1)

one thing I do know about Solid Lifter Cams, check the Tappet Lash, a loose Lash can make an engine hard to start

Jim

Rudolph Hart

When new the fg57 ran very rich on the right hand cylinder,way more smoke than the left,this settled down after running in but some guys leaned them off to early.Larry i have an fg57 and it's been trouble free.Pulls the benchmark 6500 rpm with a 22x10 apc prop.I'm sure you've adjusted or checked the valve clearance but pull the rocker covers and check that a pushrod has not slipped out of it's cup.That happened to me running a 200r3 in.What aircraft is the fg57 in? and post a pic if you have one.

Sorry to hear about your accident dave,easy done and no one's on the ball all the time.Now don't you go giving up on apc props ok?

TJLeGault

Thanks for the help spaceworm.
Sceptre Flight.net is an interesting site for sure. Lots of good info there.

blw

My Feedback: (3)

Have you tried turning the engine so the problem cylinder is more on top? I'm assuming you have a bench mount for this. Other things to try would be a hotter plug in the right cylinder or setting the exhaust valve on the right engine to run hotter. Be careful if you do that. I had a Yamaha RD-350 2 stroke bike that had a right cylinder do the same thing every day. Our basement shop was basically a big speed shop. My dad never worked out the problem so be prepared for frustration.

The only prop strike that I've seen was a wood prop to the knuckles. It didn't break and did some gouging. I can still hear the noise of it hitting the guys hand.

I watched a guy forget to turn off the ignition on a gasser after he turned it over to draw fuel. He turned the prop to position it for starting and it popped. The wood prop came around and broke a finger.

blw

My Feedback: (3)

An oldie.

Captcrunch44

Sharpeye 22
did you check for any obstructions in the intake? Like anything.

Charley

My Feedback: (2)

Does the cylinder that won't fire have good compression?

CR

Sharpeye22

I have not had a chance yet but I will check and set the valves,
Both cylinders are very close in the amount of compression they each have.
It is a pain to pull the engine off the aircraft but if I have to I will do so to check for an obstruction in the intake side that is not firing.
When the engine is running it pumps out a good amount of air out the nonFiring cylinder side but it is relatively cool, the other side of course is expelling very hot air.
You are right one cylinder does run richer than the other, I believe it is because the intake manifold is longer going to the cylinder on one side than the other.

Below is a picture of the plane the Saito 57 is in.

Sharpeye22

The Wasp nailed my problem. I checked the valves and sure enough they were all loose. Thing is the side that was running was almost as loose as the side that was not running. I reset them as per the instruction book and test run it. She sure does purr now and I am getting the stated RPM the book says I should. What a sweet sound this twin makes.

Thanks to everyone that chimed in to help.

Here is a picture of my engine installation.

the pope

Glade to hear of your success . I have a few saitos and out of the factory the valve clearance was off and by a fair bit .

Captcrunch44

Cool got some education my self. Glad it runs that is way to pretty of an plane to just let sit.

the Wasp

My Feedback: (1)

I'm telling yeeaa, I had a 68 Nova, 350, with early 60s Solid Lifter Vett Cam, the same Cam in the 67 to 69 Z-28 ZDZ 302,, one night my friend and I was out to the bar, they had a band, we closed the bar. and there was 2 chickadees there, all 4 of us climbed in my car, I turned the key, it wouldn't start, the 2 girls and my friend pushed the car and I popped the clutch and she came to life,, the next day she (the car) wouldn't start, I called the guy I bought it from and he said "time to adjust the Tappet Lash"

I'm glad you got it running, it's a cool engine for a cool plane

Jim

Rudolph Hart

Larry that's a pretty aeroplane,helps even more when it sounds like the real thing,puts a smile on your dial when it goes past throttled back and makes that nice crackling sound.There's a guy on you tube flying an fg57 in a thunderbolt.I'm hopeless posting vids so i hope someone puts one up for all the boys to listen to

Barry those rd250/350 twins were light,handled good and went like stink

Rudolph Hart

I envy those northern hemisphere people their summer weather right now.Just finished a commissioned job for a guy way down south in albany,and trust me they are worse off than we are re being cold.He owns a 2009 triumph rocket three motorcycle and wanted a repaint with some lighting on it,kinda like the weather here right now.

Hobbsy

My Feedback: (102)

Pete, could you post that Triumph tank again please. I cut out a couple of duplicate posts and your post went with them. Sorry, Dave

There, it's back, beautiful job., I am always fascinated by that big Rocket III, Pinto sized engine, Mack 711 torque.