ShaneLittle

I used to fly planes 15yrs ago and am getting back into it. Moving a lot for work etc has kept my birds in storage for that many years and that being said, what will I need to do to get my engines running properly again and are they even slavageable? They are OS .46 engines, they hit the shed and I didn't do anything to prep them for storage because I didn't think it'd take 15yrs to pull them out again. Thanks for any info on this issue.

Shane

KitBuilder

Where were they stored or last left? May want to see how they run.... give a few squirts of after run or castor oil first and work it through by hand... and see if the plugs still glow. You may be able to remove back covers, etc but it would be bad if the bolts were weakened and they broke off. I'm sure the engine forums would have much better advice.

ShaneLittle

Thanks for the reply. Go Gators!

They have been stored in my Dad's shed in Ocala, FL. Out of the weather etc.

LargeScale88

It depends. If they had lots of oil after being run, they will probably still need some shots of oil to loosen things up. Do any engine run-up BEFORE taking in the air, just to make sure they are running good. REMEMBER, if it doesn't run good on the ground, it will NOT improve in the air. BE carefull. I say because ive had many plane crashes because of poorly taken care of engines.

frets24

My Feedback: (15)

I had a K&B 61 that was used for a season in 1986 and then lived in a box until this past November. I also had no idea it was going to go into such a long hiatus (24 years) so there were no "long-term storage preparations" made. When I did get it out it was pretty well frozen up solid from the castor turning to varnish. Opened up the back end and everything looked good; no rust, so I stuck it in the oven at 200 for about 20 minutes, then took it out, bolted up a prop and turned it through for a minute or so with a little raw fuel poured into the back, into the head through the plug hole, and into the carb. once it was turning freely, reassembled the rear cover, bolted it up to the test stand and it fired up and tuned up just fine.

horn

Also a beginner question - Any problem with using an OS 61 muffler on a Thundertiger 61 glow engine. The muffler / bolt patterns are identical on both engines, so either muffler can be mounted on either engine. However, the OS muffler is slightly smaller (both diameter and length). Don't want to ruin the engine by doing this.....

Stick 40

Hi, It would be better to post your question as a NEW post and not jump in on some one else's.

Its not a big mistake, a lot of new people do this without knowing.

as for your question, if the engine runs good with the muffler use it. If it does not come up to a good RPM with the right prop, its a problem. If it give off too much noise, you may not get enough back pressure to power the engine.

sticks

Stick 40

Hi,

welcome back, I came back after about 15 years also. I was surprised how easy it was to get back into flying. Two weeks after getting back in, I was teaching flying again.

As for the engines , some may be stuck. Do put oil into them before trying to turn them over, I would take the glow plugs out and put oil into the top of the pistons also. . If they are stuck, get backwith us, there ways to fix that.

sticks

ShaneLittle

So I got one of my engines in the mail, no planes and both of my radios, I guess I'm a slight bit closer...however it wouls appear that the engine is frozen. There is some corrosion and pitting in the aluminum, may be unsalvageable. I'll work with it slowly and see what I have on my hands. Thank you all for the replies and really jonesing for some stick time.

Shane

delman

You might try heating the engine with a heat gun or putting in an oven for 10 minutes at 230 or so. Then see if it frees up or soak in some fuel for a day or two. On the corrosion, was there pool chemicals in the storage shed - I saw some badly corroded engines due to the chemical interaction.

ShaneLittle

No sir, doubtful there was any pool chems. I'll give that oven thing a whirl this week.

ShaneLittle

So I got my other boxes in, my Tiger Trainer and my Sweet Stick with my .46's mounted. They actually turned a bit so they may be salvageable! They do look thrashed don't they? It HAS been 15yrs...do I look that bad after 15yrs passing??




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