hopkimf

My Feedback: (56)

My Magnum seized up after only running a half dozen fuel tanks. It would barely turn over. The fuel used was 15% Cool Power. Same as used on my Saito and OS four strokes. I sent it back to Magnum in CA about three or four weeks ago and have heard nothing from them. UPS confirmed delivery. Whenever I've had a problem with Tower or Horizon, they were on it promplty. Anyone else have any experience with Magnum? Seizing? Unresponsive service?

Iflyglow

My Feedback: (79)

First off, Read the directions "DO NOT RUN STRAIGHT SYNTHETIC OIL" second, Hobby Peoples service is the best in the business. Give them a call. They have been known to give out new engines long after waranties are over, and sometimes for crash damage.

The warranty speifies that no straight synthetic fuels should be used.

Magnums are very good engines, and the failure to read the directions should not be grounds to blame the engine or the Distributer.

AllTheGoodNamesAreTaken

My Feedback: (180)

I know I'm opening Pandora's box by making this statement but, Magnum recommends 20% Castor oil for break-in and min of 16% Castor then after. Cool Power contains no Castor. While I'm skeptical that Cool Power is the cause of the seizing, it is one thing to consider.

As for Hobby People, I have only had nothing but positive experiences with them. Call them and ask as to the status of your engine.

hopkimf

My Feedback: (56)

Guys, thanks for the feedback. I'll admit I never bothered to read anything on the synthetic / caster lubes. But I have been running an OS 120 and an OS 70 along with a Saito 120 with absolutely no problems. Further, I don't think there is any real magic in the materials used by the various manufacturers of engines. Pistons, fits, alloys, etc are most likely very similar or identical. So the thermal expansion should also be similar.

Another issue is the fuel supplier. A reputable supplier certainly would not market something that destroys one brand of engine. That isn't in their best interest.

I'll wait for the response on the failed unit. They may find something other than the fuel as the cause. Could even be dirt, etc. I wasn't being overly critical of them in my initail post. Just noted that the response time seemed long compared with others mentioned.

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

I've run whatever in my Magnum four strokes and never had any problem

NM2K

My Feedback: (14)

There is a substantial difference in materials between various engine manufacturers, dictated by the nature of their design and construction. Also, there is a thing called "fit", which reflects the size and tightness of various parts throughout the engine. That is why some engines need more/different attention or fuel during break-in than others. As you have discovered.

If you can turn the engine over, it is not seized. Let us know what happens, warranty-wise.

Kmot

My Feedback: (24)

Probable, most likely reasons:

It is flying season. They get warranty work sent in from all over the country.

Parts shortage. Magnum is sold worldwide by different distributors. All of them want the same parts for their own in-house repairs.

Show season. Many r/c shows/contests are happening. The guys at Global/HP attend these as well as us.

Vacation season. Kids are out of school, and it's the only time a family man can go somewhere with the family.

Global/HP is renowned for their consumer friendly and liberal warranty repair service. Hang tight. You will get taken care of.

TLH101

My Feedback: (90)

It might be a wise idea to contact them and confirm, that they actually have your engine in line for service. If something has possibly happened to it, should be easier for them to straigten out now rather than later. I have heard much about their top notch service, so I am sure they would be glad to update you as to the status.

wcmorrison

My Feedback: (2)

I wish you good luck. I would not recommend using Cool Power in anything. If you do use it, I would recommend you add a couple of ounces of caster to the mix. I have a new Magnun .91 and it is running like a champ. But then I used a fuel that had 20% caster in it. In my case it was 10% ntro (as recommended) Ritchs Brew. Makes you wonder, doesn't it.

Good luck

Cheers,

Chip

XJet

It's actually quite amazing the effect a little castor can have on some engines.

I had an old Fox .15 which just would not run for any longer than about 30 seconds on fuel with synthetic oil. It would start losing power and eventually stop -- no matter how rich it was run.

Switching to castor-based fuel solved the problem completely -- it would run at full throttle for as long as the tank held fuel.

While most modern engines (which aren't a lapped iron piston like the old Fox) should run okay on synthetic, it never hurts to run a little castor oil in the fuel for some added protection -- this is especially true of 4-strokes where it can significantly reduce camshaft wear.

Flyboy Dave

My Feedback: (21)

....me either. [X(]

FBD.

XJet

As a matter of interest -- why not and what would you recommend.

As I understand it, all the synthetic model oils are made from the same ester-base so vary very little in their lubrication performance so there's not a great deal of difference between them.

skukreja

My Feedback: (6)

I have a new Magnum 91 that I haven't even broken in yet.. I was going to run Wildcat 10% Premium - should that be ok? Their website doesn't mention 4 strokes for this engine and they have a fuel that states it's for both 2 and 4 cycle engines.. anyway, the Premium is "Available in 5%, 10%, and 15% nitro's has a fuel for all of your 2-stroke needs. Wildcat Premium contains 16% total oil with a composition of 80% synthetic and 20% degummed racing castor and can be used in all 2-stroke engines that are ABC or AAC ball bearing engines. " And then I could add some castor to make it 20% total oil for break-in, right?

Sachin

Flyboy Dave

My Feedback: (21)

skukreja ....I'll answer you first....

....16% oil is considered low oil content by most engine manufactures,
especially for break-in. They like to see a bit more oil in the engines....
it makes for less problems with overheating/damage/warranty. More oil
is a good thing. Magnum calls for castor to be run in that engine....it is
almost impossible to damage an engine running straight castor....that is
a fact, not an opinion.

Standard oil content these days is 18%, like in the PowerMaster glow fuels.
Some Guys, like myself, will add more oil for break-in, just for "good measure".

Bumping that Wildcat fuel to 20% oil, with castor is the best thing you can
do for that engine. Ringed engines, like the Magnum....thrive on good castor
oil. Non ringed engine do too, but that's another topic.

FBD.

MaxStanford

You are very wrong, using purely synthetic oil can cause total failure of the engine. Just because you get away with using straight synthetic oil in some engines does not mean you will get away with it in all engines, sometimes the stars align, the tolerances work out just wrong, and a certain engine will be more sensitive to this issue than others.

As far as what you say about the the fuel supplier not selling fuel that will ruin your eneing, THEY WILL ! They also sell a castor fuel called "omega", its up to you to choose the correct fuel for your engine, dont expect everyone to save you from making bad choices.

Even though your other engines run without castor, you are greatly shortening their lives by using pure synthetic. You need the very high pressure and film streingth of castor in a glow engine for it to last, if you value your engines run fuel with both synthetic and castor in it.

TLH101

My Feedback: (90)

Remember back in the day,(a couple of years ago) when you mentioned castor, and so many guys jumped on the "No Castor" bandwagon. They swore up & down castor was no good, or did no good. Seems we don't hear so much from them these days. Could it be, the old timers maybe did know a thing or two?

Gizmo-RCU

My Feedback: (27)

First off, Magnum is great as far a service, no doubt they are buried this time of year. Had a problem with a 91 FS and they sent me a new one along with the header pipe and muffler off the old one.
Secondly, fuel W/O Castor is not fuel, my opinion. As my friend Dar Zeelon calls it "Cruel Power", there is no lubrication after a certain point, Castor fill that gap and stand up to heat beyond the various syn. blends. New, tight engines run hotter thus requiring additional lubrication............

NM2K

My Feedback: (14)

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I have used Cool Power of various nitro percentages in many engines. The only engines that I ever had a problem with while burning this fuel and another (Red Max) pure synthetic oil fuel was with engines that did not possess bushed wrist pin areas in their connecting rods. Which engines? This is in the early eighties, mind you. The K&B .40 and a Fox .19 bushing engine gave me problems. Switching back to fuel containing some castor oil seemed to slow down the degradation of the non bushed connecting rod wrist pin area. Switching to all castor oil lube prevented the destruction altogether.

Realize that these engines were flown three or four flying sessions a week and took nearly a year to encounter problems in the wrist pin area. Both were propped with minimally recommended size props and otherwise provided stellar performance.

I really do not like engines that lack bushings in the connecting rod. I am nonplussed at Saito's ability to last a while without running bushed connecting rods. I would like to know their secret. In the interim, I have accumulated most of their singles. I know a good thing when I see it.

Folks need to realize that not all oils are created equally, so slinging about percentages means nothing unless you know the characteristics of the oil. I would not hesitate to buy and fly Cool Power fuel again. Viscosity of the oil makes all the difference in the world too. At 16% concentration, a higher viscosity oil can be as effective as 18-20% concentration of lower viscosity oil. Still, with all of that said, I still prefer the protection of a little castor oil in my fuel.

I had no problem burning Cool Power fuel when running high quality engines.

Iflyglow

My Feedback: (79)

Saito's run a high silocon content aluminum rod. Quite a few industrial engnines like the ONAN, KOHLER and many others have been running aluminum rods with no inserts for years. As long as you have good clearances and lubrication they hold up very well.

NM2K

My Feedback: (14)

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In the past, many folks that made this claim have also had excessive wear problems. That Saito gets away with it must mean that they really load it with silicon.....? <G>

Iflyglow

My Feedback: (79)

I used to race go carts in a mod brigs class where we turned brigs 5hp (aluminum bore) blocks over 9,500 rpm I ran a billet aluminum rod with no inserts, and there was never any measureable wear, and that was with splash oiling. Going thru valve guides and valves, that was a another story.

XJet

Are you sure they aren't making their con-rods from 7075 -- it's *very* hard, as hard as 1040 steel in some tempers.

NM2K

My Feedback: (14)

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Material isn't the only factor in the equation, bearing area also factors in.

Flyboy Dave

My Feedback: (21)

...bearing area doesn't have much to do with it. It all comes down to the type
of aluminum used, and more importantly....the heat treating of the aluminum.

Modern engines.....overhead cam types....don't even use bearings or bushings.
The plain aluminum bearing surfaces will run without wear, almost indefinitely.

FBD.

submikester

My Feedback: (6)

Well, I'm an avid fan of the Magnums and our club hosts a yearly engine clinic and we usually get some pretty decent presentations from Mike Greenshields himself. He was there this year and I asked him specifically if 100% synthetic oil was okay for my magnums, 2 stroke and 4.

He said that it should be fine and qualified it with the remark that their instruction booklets were a little dated and they were working on updates and that the references against using Synthetic oils were related to synthetics of the past (like the late 80s and early 90s) when they simply weren't the quality that Castor was then and still is now.

That's what the man who markets, makes and designs these engines instructed the crowd I was in. Synthetic is just fine in a magnum and I have been using powermaster 20/20 in mine for a few years now exclusively. Now; the 20/20 is 20% oil which is quite a bit of oil, most castor based fuels that I am aware of are less than 20% oil.

Your engine likely didn't seize because of the oil (unless it was bad) but it may have seized from being too lean or simply being a bad engine (it happens) - how was it running before and up to the point of seizure? What prop were you using and about how many RPM were you getting? I get just around 9500 with a 14x6 APC on mine,. higher if I use a wood prop.