tsnaylor1964

Yeah Bj,
I think the construction and machining of the ASP 400 ( and the fs61 fs91 for that matter I have) is very good. At least mine really looked nice when I did the tear down. I think the problem is simply in the assembly with workers not always taking the proper care when they put these things together.
For instance, when I put mine back together (after the broken cam gear teeth repair) I noticed how easy it would be to do that when putting the front housing assembly together. If you are not careful, you could crunch some teeth if the cam followers are sticking out a little, or the gears not meshing when you snap the the housing assembly together. I addition to that, the gear material looks to be poor quality, almost like cheap pot metal. I suspect that is what happened to mine because there was a light coating of oil on the cam gear bearings so they were okay. (probaby from the 18% oil in the fuel during the first hour of break- in). Anyway, I have got another hour and a half of bench running since getting it back together and so far it is running nicely. I am using a Xoar 20x8 for break in getting 7150 rpms with out leaning it out to max power. I plan to get another couple of hours on it before putting it in a airplane. Let's hope she keeps behaving!
Tom

Kmot

My Feedback: (24)

Hey Tom, did your HK version have the updated tumble polished crankcase, nose case, etc and black rocker box covers? Are the black bits anodized, or painted? Thanks!

tsnaylor1964

Kmot,
Yes, it has all that stuff. Does that mean it is the newest version? I just bought it from HK two months ago so I would hope so.
Hobby King also reimbursed me the $94.17 for the replacement cam gears I purchased from Just Engines. Also, they did not make me send the engine back to them for repair, saving weeks waiting for it to get back to me. They were very apologetic for the problem and went out of their way to get it resolved quickly. I have to say I am pleased with the handling of this. Now if it continues to run well I will be happy.
Tom

BJ64

I've heard that HobbyKing are trying to lift their 'Customer Service' game.

Sounds like they looked after you this time around, Tom

BJ

BJ64

Hey Caro - seen this?

http://www.rctrader.com/category/364...,-British.html

BJ

Kmot

My Feedback: (24)

Yes, that would be the later production version. The earlier versions, like mine, were a dull gray cast aluminum. So I polished mine and it became world famous, lol...

So I think Sanye saw it and decided to start tumble polishing their parts to make the radial engine look nicer and more 'premium',

Carosel43

Goodness, that's a rare one! It is a laser 75 diesel and was made in about 1988 or 89. We didn't do many of them

nicoladestro

Hi. What size of tank do you suggest me , guys?
thanks

BJ64

Did you see the price on that thang?

BJ

tsnaylor1964

nicoladestro,
I do know about what the others use but like 32 oz tanks for all my radials,
Tom

nicoladestro

Thank you. This is my first radial and i did not know the fuel consumption.

tsnaylor1964

Nicoladestro,
Have you run your ASP 400 yet? There are a lot of tips and info on this forum that really helped me in learning this engine. Is yours a new engine?
Tom

nicoladestro

Hi Tom. I am building the model for now.
I bought the engine 6-7 years ago and i never have started it.
I have seen , i must to change the e-clips of the pin-rods.
What kind of tips can you give me please?
thx
nicola

tsnaylor1964

nicoladestro,
The best advise I can give is read this entire thread from the beginning, as there is so much info about your engine. I would suggest you start bench running the engine and get familiar with. Run it often before putting it an airplane. These radials are a lot of fun but there is a learning curve and more maintenance than most rc engines. I have much enjoyment just running the engine on the bench, watching and listening to it.
Good luck,
Tom

nicoladestro

Thank you Tom. I will read the thread.
For sure, the e-clips are are very important!

I think the model will be ready for next July...

thanks

nicola

BJ64

Hi Nicola.

As has already been mentioned, this thread contains a lot of good tips, and it's worth reading the lot.

120+ pages might be a bit daunting to start with, so here's a couple of what I consider must-do's to get you started:

You've already heard about checking the crank pins - so you'll be pulling the motor down to check this.

While you've got it apart, check the following:

That there's no machining swarf inside the motor. Some engines had little bits and pieces of aluminium/steel left in them from the machining process that wasn't cleaned out properly. Make sure she's whistle clean

Check the lube up the front end - particularly the cam lobes and gears, and the front bearing. Mine was bone dry and it ran for about 2 test runs before it chewed the teeth off the cam gear. Of course, I couldn't tell after the fact if the gears weren't meshing properly (so check that while you're at it), but I noticed everything up in the nose was compeletely dry - didn't even leave an oil smear on my finger. So a decent dose of oil on all the moving parts in there is cheap insurance.

It may also pay to do the nose-cone oiler hole mod, and/or on for the crankcase around the crankshaft too. This will ensure that you can give it a decent dose of lubricant any time you want without having to pull the motor apart again. Comes in handy for adding after-run oil too.

You'll also need to keep an eye on your valve clearances - particularly after the first couple of runs, when everything is bedding itself in. While you're at it, give each pushrod tube a good drink of fine machine oil while holding the cylinder vertical so the oil can work its way down the tube and onto the cam follower (tappet). Mine were so dry that I had black alumium powder on them after the first couple of runs (until it broke the cam gears). It's pretty rudimentary engineering - steel tappets in an aluminium casing, so they'll wear quickly without a drink of the good oil.

That covers some of the main points to be watchful of in a nutshell.

If you're new to glow engines, be mindful that Nitro fuel is hygroscopic i.e. it will draw moisture from the air after a run. If you're not going to use the engine for a fair time between runs, make sure you give it a decent dose of after-run oil. Probably a good idea to do this just before you put it away each time - at least you'll know that the engine has some 'protection', and the ferrous parts inside won't try to rust up on you (see some of the earlier pics in this thread).

Have fun

BJ

nicoladestro

Thank you very much BJ64! Fantastic report.
Only two things: 1)have i to 'oil' each time i use the engine the pushrod tube and cam follower?????
2) For the nose-cone oliler hole and crankcase: what diameter have i to modify the holes ?

I have optimal experience with glow engine. It seems this one is a really junk: OS engine is another world.... but it costs a LITTLE BIT MORE..

Thanks thanks thanks.. i will check everything when i will be on the ENGINE-AREA... At this monent i am working on the wings.

Greetings from Italy
Nicola

BJ64

You probably won't need to put oil into the pushrod tube & cam follower etc. all that often - once it's run for a while, it should get some oil up in those areas.

It's just that the engine seems to ship bone dry - so before it gets a chance to get a decent lube from the oil in the fuel, it might be too late. Which is really annoying, since it would only take a few minutes and a couple of cents worth of oil for ASP to do it while they're assembling the engine. But it is what it is, and a little TLC from the owner before firing it up may help prevent some of the hassles you might endure further down the track. Ok... probably then.

Re the oiler hole mods - I just carefully drilled a 3.5mm (I think) hole up on the front of the nosecone, then tapped it with an M4 thread to put a short bolt in to seal it while it's running, but remove it to put a decent squirt of lube up front. Only takes 5 minutes to add some protection after I'm finished playing with it for the day.

Post #2040 - http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/glow...l#post11506696

I can't remember now who it was - maybe Carosel43 (?) - also drilled an oil hole in the meat of the cylinder casing between cylinders 1 & 5. I might still do that one when I pull the engine off the test stand and before I put it in my aircraft...

BJ

BJ64

Oh...and when you say "It seems this one is a really junk: OS engine is another world.... but it costs a LITTLE BIT MORE"...

There's a HUGE difference between AU$800 and GBP£2,500! http://www2.ripmax.net/Item.aspx?ItemID=L-OS37000 http://www.sussex-model-centre.co.uk...xd.asp?id=1000

That's AU$4,700 !!

BJ

nicoladestro

Thank you BJ64. I am making the list of the things to do...

BJ64

No probs Nicola.

I'm no epxpert at this stuff by any means.

Just some of the things I've come across during my journey through the world of all things ASP 400

Hopefully some of my/our trials and tributlations may spare you from going through the same pain...

BJ

Carosel43

BJ that's a cheap one, the last two Laser 80 diesels on ebay went for £860 and £940! barking mad.

Anyway, for the radial I used 24 oz tank and that was ok when using 5% nitro. Cant add much more than has already been said to assist our newest 'member'.

One thing that is for sure....my radial MIGHT come back from the dead to test out a little something with oil...... we will see

BJ64

Do eeeeeet... you KNOW you want to

BJ

Kmot

My Feedback: (24)

Smells like gasoline and spark plugs?

BJ64

Rhymes with "engine" ??



BJ