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All Forums >> Glow Engines, Gas Engines, Fuel & Mfg Support Forums >> RC Fuels >> Problem with homebrew fuel
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Problem with homebrew fuel - 12/3/2006 2:47:19 PM   
keong


 

Posts: 36
Joined: 5/29/2006
From: singapore, SINGAPORE
Status: offline 		i have a bad day today at flying field...

i follow the instruction of homemade brew of 20% castor and 80% methanol...

i always had a deadstick after 5 mins of fly and today i had a bad landing due to deadstick and my landing gear is gone...
can anyone please advise me why homemade fuel happens to me...if not i think i would stick with cool power 10%...
thanks bro ....

keong, thailand
       Post #: 1

RE: Problem with homebrew fuel - 12/3/2006 3:20:26 PM   
wcmorrison



Posts: 766
Joined: 10/2/2002
From: Weatherford, TX, USA
Status: offline 		Sounds like you are running to lean. I would turn the high speed needle valve out a 1/4 turn, run on the rich side. Engines lean out in the air and if you have it tune to peak RPM on the ground, you will indeed go to lean, overheat and have a premature shut down. This especially true if the engine is new.

Tuning the engine is just as important as the lubricant you use. No amount of good lubricant can overcome a bad tune job. There are several threads on this web page that address proper tuning of the engine. Do a search and read them. And new engines need to be run rich for awhile, at least until a gallon of fuel has been run through them. Some engines take even longer to break in. Have patience and tune the engine correctly and you will have great fun flying.

Cheers,

Chip

(in reply to keong)
       Post #: 2

RE: Problem with homebrew fuel - 12/3/2006 4:59:43 PM   
keong


 

Posts: 36
Joined: 5/29/2006
From: singapore, SINGAPORE
Status: offline 		thanks bro chip!...

but when i am flying with Cool Power 10%,i never had this problem before...it occurs always when i try using homebrew fuel to cut down my flying cost..as fuel is expensive in thailand...we pay about 20 USD per gallon

the bro's in flying field tune it for me.....may i know any additives they put on commercial fuel to make the engine run cooler?

thanks chip

(in reply to keong)
       Post #: 3

RE: Problem with homebrew fuel - 12/4/2006 7:40:49 PM   
Sport_Pilot



Posts: 7451
Joined: 1/21/2002
From: Acworth, GA, USA
Status: online 		You need to lean the needle for no nitro when switching from 10%. Your idle mixture may be too rich causin the deadsticks.

(in reply to keong)
       Post #: 4

RE: Problem with homebrew fuel - 12/5/2006 8:10:57 AM   
keong


 

Posts: 36
Joined: 5/29/2006
From: singapore, SINGAPORE
Status: offline 		hmm....chip told me i was running too lean.....and u say maybe my mixture is too rich....so where i should be????

blurr........

(in reply to Sport_Pilot)
       Post #: 5

RE: Problem with homebrew fuel - 12/5/2006 12:57:01 PM   
downunder



Posts: 3116
Joined: 10/10/2002
From: Adelaide, AUSTRALIA
Status: offline 		So long as your methanol and castor were both good quality you shouldn't have any problems but it's wise to use a hot plug like an OS A3 or Enya #3 (preferably). As others have said, you have to retune both the high speed and low speed mixtures when changing to a different fuel but if you're dead sticking after 5 minutes then I'd say you're either out of fuel or it's been tuned to peak out on the ground, assuming there's no tank problems.

If you want to go back to Cruel Power...woops, Cool Power ...then I'd suggest adding enough castor to bring it up to at least 20% total oil because your LA (from another thread) has a plain bearing which needs castor for long life.

(in reply to keong)
       Post #: 6

RE: Problem with homebrew fuel - 12/5/2006 8:04:49 PM   
keong


 

Posts: 36
Joined: 5/29/2006
From: singapore, SINGAPORE
Status: offline 		i am in thailand bro...its hot the weather here is very hot......using a hot plug can help??? coz i see the OS glow plug chart it says the hotter the weather use the colder plug and vice versa....are u sure using hot plug will help??

i think its time to change new engine...when i open the engine i saw a really black carbon stick to the piston head....and by the time i put back....hehe...i dont know if it can run or not....maybe i ruin it during uninstallation..****....do u think i can send to shop and change or repair?? hehe.....i got an itchy hand....

(in reply to downunder)
       Post #: 7

RE: Problem with homebrew fuel - 12/5/2006 9:01:39 PM   
downunder



Posts: 3116
Joined: 10/10/2002
From: Adelaide, AUSTRALIA
Status: offline 		I'm in Australia and 40C+ isn't uncommon where I live .

The reason for the hot plug with no nitro fuel is that a normal engine's compression makes the fuel start burning much later than it should to get the best out of the fuel. Putting in a hot plug makes it ignite sooner so it runs better.

Don't worry too much about the carbon on top of the piston. Take the head off again and bring the piston as far up as it'll go then scrape the carbon off with a bit of wood or plastic. Do the same inside the cylinder head too. You don't have to get it all shiny, just get rid of any solid pieces, they'll come off fairly easily. When you've done that, clean inside the cylinder very carefully with a clean rag wet with some fuel to make sure there aren't any tiny pieces of carbon left inside.

When you put the head back on, first just barely nip up the 4 screws then gradually tighten all of them until they're firm. Learning how to do work on an engine is fun, just take care with what you do.

(in reply to keong)
       Post #: 8

RE: Problem with homebrew fuel - 12/5/2006 9:47:07 PM   
Sport_Pilot



Posts: 7451
Joined: 1/21/2002
From: Acworth, GA, USA
Status: online 		Downunder is right about the plug. I forgot that OS is made for higher nitro and you will need a hotter plug to make it fire at the right point. Plugs advance and retard the ignition point, just as rotating the distributer on a car will do.

(in reply to downunder)
       Post #: 9

RE: Problem with homebrew fuel - 12/6/2006 2:59:26 AM   
keong


 

Posts: 36
Joined: 5/29/2006
From: singapore, SINGAPORE
Status: offline 		down_under u are a PRO!!!!
thanks alot for the useful info.....

(in reply to Sport_Pilot)
       Post #: 10

RE: Problem with homebrew fuel - 12/23/2006 6:03:38 PM   
Fuel Dinosaur


 

Posts: 83
Joined: 6/25/2002
From: Warrenton, GA, USA
Status: offline 		Lean out the needle valve. Second, if you have shims under the head, you may want to remove them down to one thin one to give a smaller clearance. You generally can use higher compression here and you are running on basically FAI fuel. Also use a cold glow plug. Even 5% nitro would give you a smoother run and idle. I know it is hard to come by in many countries and is illegal to even possess in others. You will often find methanol in cart or speed shops and racing folks use nitromethane. The old fuel mixing dinosaur.
quote:

ORIGINAL: keong

i have a bad day today at flying field...

i follow the instruction of homemade brew of 20% castor and 80% methanol...

i always had a deadstick after 5 mins of fly and today i had a bad landing due to deadstick and my landing gear is gone...
can anyone please advise me why homemade fuel happens to me...if not i think i would stick with cool power 10%...
thanks bro ....

keong, thailand


(in reply to keong)
       Post #: 11

RE: Problem with homebrew fuel - 12/27/2006 9:27:06 PM   
agertlof


 

Posts: 44
Joined: 10/20/2003
From: Sidney, ME, USA
Status: offline 		Could some one please tell me where in the USA I can buy fuel grade methanol? I've found some on the net but the price was almost as much as buying factor mixed fuel.
Thank you
Art

(in reply to Fuel Dinosaur)
       Post #: 12

RE: Problem with homebrew fuel - 12/28/2006 3:03:34 PM   
grotto2



Posts: 324
Joined: 2/3/2003
From: Palm Bay, FL, USA
Status: offline 		http://www.s-whobby.com/

_____________________________

I finally got a tattoo. It reads, "Born too loose."

(in reply to agertlof)
       Post #: 13

RE: Problem with homebrew fuel - 12/28/2006 10:02:17 PM   
hpi apollo



Posts: 2639
Joined: 5/13/2006
From: Georgetown, KY, USA
Status: offline 		i had to search around, usually us can find a local fuel distributor in your area like i did and they sometimes have racing methanol, i use VP Racing methanol for my fuels, local fuel distributor had some, some karting and motorcycle racing shops may have some too


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       Post #: 14

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All Forums >> Glow Engines, Gas Engines, Fuel & Mfg Support Forums >> RC Fuels >> Problem with homebrew fuel
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