Diagnosis of Raptor 30 Power Loss

Diagnosis of Raptor 30 Power Loss
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Diagnosis of Raptor 30 Power Loss - 7/6/2008 11:11:39 PM

ArtW

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Joined: 2/16/2003
From: San Rafael, CA, USA
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I have a Raptor 30 with an OS 32 Engine. It has 110 flights on it. Four flights ago I noted shaking when I throttled down after landing. I tightened stuff. Then I asked about that and was told it is just normal. Today, I was about at a half a tank of fuel in fast forward flight and suddenly lost power. The engine was still running and I regained power. I turned around brought it back to the field and landed. It seemed fine once the episode past. I checked everything. No obvious problems. I refueled and flew it around some more, everything perfect. Then suddenly lost power in fast forward flight. This time the heli came down into high grass. I guess the auto practice on the simulator was worth it. No damage. I inspected everything. Nothing obviously wrong. I restarted the engine. This time I didn't refuel. Everything worked. Everything except the engine seems to be running very fast and I don't have enough power to lift off. The blades are spinning but something is wrong. Is this the dreaded fuel line hole symptom? A clutch problem.

What are the symptoms of a clutch problem?
What are the symptoms of a fuel line hole problem?
How does one get the fuel cap out of the tank? Brute force or is there a trick? I tried pulling it out but it seems firmly in the tank.

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RE: Diagnosis of Raptor 30 Power Loss - 7/7/2008 2:38:32 AM

Flying Geezer

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Joined: 4/12/2003
From: Bowling Green, KY, USA
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quote:

[I have a Raptor 30 with an OS 32 Engine. It has 110 flights on it. Four flights ago I noted shaking when I throttled down after landing. I tightened stuff. Then I asked about that and was told it is just normal. Today, I was about at a half a tank of fuel in fast forward flight and suddenly lost power. The engine was still running and I regained power. I turned around brought it back to the field and landed. It seemed fine once the episode past. I checked everything. No obvious problems. I refueled and flew it around some more, everything perfect. Then suddenly lost power in fast forward flight. This time the heli came down into high grass. I guess the auto practice on the simulator was worth it. No damage. I inspected everything. Nothing obviously wrong. I restarted the engine. This time I didn't refuel. Everything worked. Everything except the engine seems to be running very fast and I don't have enough power to lift off. The blades are spinning but something is wrong. Is this the dreaded fuel line hole symptom? A clutch problem.

What are the symptoms of a clutch problem?
What are the symptoms of a fuel line hole problem?
How does one get the fuel cap out of the tank? Brute force or is there a trick? I tried pulling it out but it seems firmly in the tank. /quote]

When my clutch quit it wasn't "come and go" it was gone in an instant.

Fuel line hole, "suckin' air" makes 'em run real lean, lots of screamin' then loss of power. Was your engine hot?

I have a 50 and the fuel tank cap is just like a big groumet. I just pull it out gently. It seems like a real loose set up for a fuel tank, but it has never leaked.

The first thing I would do is change out all the fuel lines, inside and out.

I'm kinda new at this too, someone else will probably have better advice.

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RE: Diagnosis of Raptor 30 Power Loss - 7/7/2008 1:58:11 PM

gj1803

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From: Blackpool, UNITED KINGDOM
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Hi ArtW,

When you say you lost power but the engine was still running, do you mean the revs dropped off or did the engine remain constant and the blades slowed?

GJ

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Post #: 3

RE: Diagnosis of Raptor 30 Power Loss - 7/7/2008 2:09:19 PM

ArtW

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From: San Rafael, CA, USA
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The sound of the engine changed but remained running. The power output dropped dramatically. I was 30-40 feet up and really going when the sound changed. The head speed dropped and I was very rapidly on the ground. The engine was still running when it hit the ground. I shut it down with the kill switch when I realized it was still idling. I looked it over. Then restarted it and mechanically everything seemed fine. There wasn't enough power to take off. The blades spun. Nothing was bent or broken. Everything seemed in balance but it was as if the engine was over revving but without real power. Both times this happened I had half a tank of fuel. When I retested it after the forced auto, I had not refilled the tank. Now that I put it together, I think the hole in the fuel tube in the tank has a higher likelihood of being a cause.

What does a clutch liner/clutch problem act like?

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Post #: 4

RE: Diagnosis of Raptor 30 Power Loss - 7/7/2008 3:09:56 PM

BarracudaHockey

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From: Orange Park, FL, USA
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Replace the clunk lines.

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RE: Diagnosis of Raptor 30 Power Loss - 7/7/2008 3:50:20 PM

gj1803

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I would def check for air leaking in to the carb aswell. Are you sure its not running too lean? Maybe the settings have moved over time.

GJ

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Post #: 6

RE: Diagnosis of Raptor 30 Power Loss - 7/9/2008 7:17:03 AM

ArtW

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From: San Rafael, CA, USA
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Thanks.

Is there some FAQ sheet on helicopter maintenance/debugging? IE for problem x, do this, for problem y, do this?

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Post #: 7

RE: Diagnosis of Raptor 30 Power Loss - 7/9/2008 8:30:22 AM

gj1803

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For the OS engine, I would use the manufacturers website www.osengines.com

The instructions usually have a "what if" section

GJ

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Post #: 8

RE: Diagnosis of Raptor 30 Power Loss - 7/9/2008 2:18:17 PM

BarracudaHockey

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http://www.raptortechnique.com

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RE: Diagnosis of Raptor 30 Power Loss - 7/13/2008 11:31:15 PM

ArtW

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From: San Rafael, CA, USA
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I pulled out the tank and took out the plug to replace the clunk line. The clunk line seemed to be in good shape. When I tried to replace the rubber grommet and plastic fuel connector plug, the rubber grommet wouldn't stay in the the tank. I finally gave up trying and just replaced the tank with a new one and new rubber grommet. I ran the heli in the front yard and voila! the problem is gone. I actually got rid of two problems. The first was the engine and heli head speed would accelerate after 2-3 minutes in flight. The second was the loss of power at half a tank. It is my guess that as the tank ran down the plug would leak more or less and the mixture would change. At 2 minutes into flight it would quite reliably get leaner and speed up. At 8 minutes it would loose power. Replacing the tank, grommet, and fuel lines eliminated both problems. Thanks for the help.

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Post #: 10

RE: Diagnosis of Raptor 30 Power Loss - 7/14/2008 3:14:12 PM

BarracudaHockey

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Glad you got it sorted. They also have a habit of leaking at the little teats that stick out on the side if you don't knock the sharp edges off the frames with sand paper.

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RE: Diagnosis of Raptor 30 Power Loss - 7/14/2008 5:18:31 PM

ArtW

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From: San Rafael, CA, USA
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Yikes. I had not thought of that as a possibility.

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RE: Diagnosis of Raptor 30 Power Loss - 7/14/2008 6:48:09 PM

gj1803

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From: Blackpool, UNITED KINGDOM
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lol, thats ArtW taking his tank out again :P

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Post #: 13

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