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OS40LA Scored Piston - 6/10/2003 10:29:33 AM   
raynman


 

Posts: 97
Joined: 11/13/2002
From: Berkeley, CA, USA
Status: offline 		My 1st plane was a combo from tower(who has been great at cust.srvc!!) Tower trainer 40 with OS40LA After around 15 flights
my engine had no top end Or WOT. I tried everything ..fuel lines, resealed tank needle settings , airbleed settings. thread tape on needle valve threads...everything!!! after one too many dead sticks I mis-negotiated a pole and glided into it. Easy to fix wing ...but I finally sent engine to hobby services for repair. They fixed it under warranty. said the piston/sleeve were scored, try a richer setting. The engine comes back tommorrow...how do I re-break it in? . I would like to know the BEST SETTINGS for this engine. Including air bleed and High needle. I've heard to set air bleed in until it stops and 1 turn out.(that should make it rich) And then set high needle to max rpm and out(richer) 2-3 clicks
from there. I am still new to tuning this engine and could use som input....thanks, raynman PS I am running wildcat fuel 15% with 18% castrol/synthetic blend reccomended by my instructor.

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The OS LA series - 6/10/2003 10:32:34 AM   
William Robison



Posts: 20269
Joined: 11/10/2002
From: Mary Esther, Florida, FL, USA
Status: offline 		Tigger:

I do not fault you, or anyone else for using the LA engines. Nor will I fault someone for saying the MDS line is totally crap.

Provided they have used them, or at least tried to.

It's also possible that if the LA had the shape of the FP (which was a good engine, still have a pair in a twin) and wasn't that awful color, I would have learned to make it run. And been happy with it.

Other OS engines? My Magic has an OS 46 FX, and does very well. Got the plane and engine as a combo deal, if I had bought them individually I would have saved $30-$40 and gotten the Magnum 46 XLS. Another engine line that sparks controversy.

All the way back to my little bushed Magnum 25 in my Eaglet, through a couple 40s, some 46s, and a 108 on a Joss Stick they have all been excellent.

You see, I can spend the LA price and get the FX engine. It does, however, say Magnum on it. So why be satisfied with the LA?

Bill.

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The OS LA series - 6/10/2003 11:41:16 AM   
William Robison



Posts: 20269
Joined: 11/10/2002
From: Mary Esther, Florida, FL, USA
Status: offline 		raynman:

Don't worry about the idle until the engine is close to being broken in.

Set it in a stand, or in the plane if you have no stand. But a plain board with a notch cut in it nailed to a couple chunks of 4x4 is all you need.

Put a light prop on it, 9x6 or a 10x4 and start it. Lean it right out, then come back rich until it drops rpm just a bit. You want it to turn aroung 13K rpm at constant full throttle for break-in, if it wont spin that fast stop, put a smaller prop on it and restart.

Let it run flat out, high speed, just slightly rich from peak, for about 3 to 5 minutes. Stop it, let it cool completely, and do it again. After four or five runs like this, put it in the plane and fly it.

Bill.

PS: Do set the idle air before you take off. wr.

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The OS LA series - 6/10/2003 7:34:48 PM   
foxx


 

Posts: 594
Joined: 10/28/2002
From: Somewhere in the west, USA
Status: offline 		Trigger I don't understand why you feel restricted to buy from your LHS. You can go on the net and get any engine you want. In 2-cycle engines probably nobody even comes close to O.S. so why waste you money on other brands. I think money spent on cheap stuff should be invested to purchase a quality engine that would give you a long and trouble free service.

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The OS LA series - 6/10/2003 8:13:29 PM   
tiggerinmk



Posts: 1527
Joined: 12/30/2002
From: Milton Keynes, UNITED KINGDOM
Status: offline 		Foxx,

I don't actually feel the need to get everything from the LHS, it just worked out that way with the LA engines. I've only just got back into the hobby a couple of years ago and haven't finished making mistakes yet

The 65LA I got as my 1st engine along with my 1st trainer, a Superstar 60 and the radio, a JR XP631. A good combination, I thought at the time. Incidentally, in the recent MAN test, the LA proved to be more powerful than the FX

Later, at another LHS, I decided to buy a SIG Seniorita kit. The shop had a 25LA which is the correct engine for the plane at the top end of the power range. I never got around to building that kit, so the engine ended up on a Sturdy Birdy (bad choice).
BTW I've got an HP VT .21 (off of ebay) for the Seniorita if I ever get around to it.

Then I 'won' a Ripmax Zephyr off of ebay. Looking at my options for .15 sized engines, I didn't want a screaming ABC or cheap Chinese engine. So, it was back off to the LHS for the LA. I happened to already have an Enya .15 in my collection but I elected not to use it. I also like the blue finish of the LA's, goes very nicely with the purple and yellow on the Zephyr. I even splashed out on a matching blue muffler, though I think that's a rip-off.

Onto the last one, the 46LA. In a moment of weakness I decided to convert the Sturdy Birdy to trike gear. The extra weight was too much for the 25LA so I got the 46. The choice was simple, a light cheap engine so it didn't matter if it got stuck in the dirt. I had previously bought an Irvine .39, but decided it was too good an engine to bolt to the front of a drainpipe. The Irvine is now powering an LT-40 very nicely, thank you.

Having made more mistakes and spent more money than I'd like to admit to, my future engine and aircraft purchases will be based on what (quality) products I want rather than their availability at a given location....

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The OS LA series - 6/10/2003 9:35:42 PM   
foxx


 

Posts: 594
Joined: 10/28/2002
From: Somewhere in the west, USA
Status: offline 		Trigger I guess this happens to all of us when we start the hobby . I remember I walked innocently into a hobby store in my town twenty years ago and told them I like to build an airplane and learn to flying RC ,I wish you could have seen the smile on that guy's face. I left the store with a pile of crap that he wanted to get ride of. Well the good news is that he is not in business anymore.

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The OS LA series - 6/10/2003 9:57:48 PM   
Spaceclam



Posts: 4640
Joined: 4/13/2003
From: chatsworth, CA, USA
Status: offline 		os did the same thing to me. they said my problem was that exact same thing, but they were so nice that they would repair it, but i need to run it a bit lean. we always ran it rich because i was looking for longevity becasue at that time i could not have afforded anything else. i sold it becasue i was getting the feeling it would be getting way too expensive soon, and bought an fx for $144. i could not have made a better choice. from what i have gathered about the la series, here's what i have figured.

they can have either great performance or none at all. they seem very inconsistant. of course the variable is who followed the instructons and who did not. i followed them and i did not have much luck (simply stated). because of the relatively impercise machining of their less expensive engines, one engine may come out to be better than the other under the exact same break-in procedures and conditions. if this is true, than the arguement over whether it is a good engine or a bad one is not relevant. the real "arguement" both sides will clash heads on, but still have the same point. their cheaper engines are cheaper design and manufacturing. they should do a better job, thus making the result more consistant.

of course, this is all educated guess

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LA Engines - 7/21/2003 4:38:18 PM   
nickbooth


 

Posts: 56
Joined: 2/19/2003
From: Hitchin, UNITED KINGDOM
Status: offline 		Hi all

This seems to be quite a big debate, but to get my 2 pennys worth, I currently own 4 OS la, 6 OS FX, 5 Irvine, 1 TT39pro Heli, and 1 MDS engines.
the 46 LA has run over 20 Gallons of fuel in an astro hog, it is slightly underpowered but other than than, I have never dead sticked this plane. Infact so far I have not had a any problems with any of the engines except the MDS, this was my first engine and was setup time and time again and although it had many flights, I can only remember one flight where it landed whilst still running, good job it was a Piper Cub it was in.
I think the biggest problem here is in application, I would not use a 46la in a kit that recommended a 46 engine as the smallest size. I prefer to use these in smaller planes and effectivley over power them. Their weight to power ratio when used like this is exellant, alternativley over power the kit. stick a 65 in where it recommends a 46, the weight difference is minimal but you get increased power from the engine.
I do have a new .10la that will not peak above 9k but have only had two outings so far and would expect this to be more builders error with either fuel tank/piping etc so will not comment.
At the end of the day it is horses for courses, I buy my engines to suit the application that I am working on, sometimes the lesser weight of these has its advantages sometimes not. Your choice and your money, I know I wouldn't spend an extra $30-$40 just for the sake of it, after all that would buy me another 36" fun fighter and then I just have to buy another engine..... and a couple of servos....and maybe get a new receiver.....

Good flying and safe crashing


Nick

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The OS LA series - 7/21/2003 8:16:43 PM   
maxtenet



Posts: 707
Joined: 10/18/2002
From: Towson, MD, USA
Status: offline 		[QUOTE]Originally posted by foxx
Trigger I don't understand why you feel restricted to buy from your LHS. You can go on the net and get any engine you want. In 2-cycle engines probably nobody even comes close to O.S. so why waste you money on other brands. I think money spent on cheap stuff should be invested to purchase a quality engine that would give you a long and trouble free service. [/QUOTE]


Nobody comes close to O.S. puleeease. They are the most over rated engine out there and are way over priced. Try M.V.V.S. It'll blow O.S. away big time. The brainwashed minions of O.S. keep marching to their tune without having experienced something different and swear by them. Truly amazing! I have over 120 engines as a collector, (12 O.S.) and I can tell you that there are many better engines out there. You just have to be willing to gamble once in a while! Big payoffs have been Jett, M.V.V.S., O.P.S. and Zeus for me in the .40 range

Max

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As posted at an earlier date.... - 7/21/2003 8:32:26 PM   
DarZeelon



Posts: 7107
Joined: 4/9/2003
From: Rosh-Ha'Ayin, ISRAEL
Status: online 		Foxx,

...OS is the Microsoft of the R/C model world...

Everybody buys them, just because everybody else has them; not because they are the best.

They aren't.

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The OS LA series - 7/21/2003 9:33:50 PM   
Spaceclam



Posts: 4640
Joined: 4/13/2003
From: chatsworth, CA, USA
Status: offline 		but for your money, you get things like a really short break-in period and high quality components along with great customer service. there may be other engines out there that par up with them or even surpass, but i would rather trust a tried, true, and therefore popular engine brand than trust a $1000 plane to some engine designed and built by some guy in his garage in mexico.

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The OS LA series - 9/2/2003 7:43:05 AM   
spyder0069


 

Posts: 306
Joined: 1/13/2003
From: Rochelle, IL,
Status: offline 		My first LA was a OS .10 LA. Got it for one of those global focke-wulf arf's. The manual says it will fly with a .09 to a .15 engine. Chose the .10 because that is what the hobby store had in stock. This was a hand launch plane and after running 3 tanks of fuel through the engine I tried the launch. Got about 20 feet before the plane landed into dirt. This was with a 7x4. Tried again, and again... you get the idea. The only time it could hand launch with that engine was with a good 10mph head wind. Even then it was underpowered even though the plane was under their recommended weight. It seemed to tak about 10 tanks before the engine really started to perform well and it still didn't have much power. Swaped it out with their recommended AP Yellowjacket 15 engine which was actually lighter (muffler was smaller) and that plane hand launched fine every time. That engine was twice the power and could swing the 8x4. The other thing that sucked was the engine was inverted mounting on this plane and the OS LOVED to flood with that remote needle valve setup. I really hated that. You had to be so careful not to hydrolock it. No problems with the AP. So initially I was biased against the LA series. My buddy just finished up his HOB Texan with .25 LA mounted upright. He hasn't flown gas so I gave her the maiden. First tank was taxing on the ground. Started with a hand flip, idled smooth, ran through the tank with the only problem being he didn't tighten the glow plug down and I noticed the fuel coming out. Tightened that up and had a wonderful first flight on the second tank. Put 2 more flights on it that day and each time it got stronger. Flew my HOB PT-19 that same day which has a os .25 FP and the engines really are identical in power. The pt-19 is physically larger plane so I run a 9x4 and we put a 9x5 on his. I would say perfomance wise I didn't know the difference. Flight times were about the same too. I previously owned a Magnum .25 XL which easily would out perform both of these engines but it also took two tanks just to tune that low end needle on the magnum where the OS is a easy tuner. If your looking for power go with a FX (or grab a magnum). If you want ease of use, long term reliability, and more miles per gallon the LA and FP are great engines.

Oh, and unlike the others I like think the blue is pretty cool as long as the plane's color doesn't contrast (which you can get the LA in silver instead of blue).

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The OS LA series - 9/2/2003 9:00:21 AM   
Spaceclam



Posts: 4640
Joined: 4/13/2003
From: chatsworth, CA, USA
Status: offline 		the carburator on the la series is not of the fuel metering type, so it will do that. the la series doesn't have a lot of power, and for a plane with a minimum reccomendation of a .09, putting a .10 in it an trying to hand launch it is a formula for disaster. putting in that other engine was one of the best things you could have done. the difference between the la series in comparrison to their other famous line of two strokes are their fx series. same displacement, and at least 50% more power.

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The OS LA series - 9/2/2003 1:16:11 PM