Kyle Entzel

First off, is it posible to start a TD by hand? (with a chicken stick of course!) Here's what i've been doing: open needle valve 3 1/2 turns, put finger over carb and turn over prop a few times untill i'm sure there is fuel in the carb, prime with exaust ports closed, connect glow head clip, and flip.
But it won't start. I'm doing all this with a new glow head. The engine is used but this is the first time i've tride to start it. Any ideas?
Thanks,
Kyle

PsychTeacher

Kyle:

There is no magic, here, just routine stuff. First, if you get no "pop" at all, then either there is no fuel prime getting into the cylinder, or else your glow plug may not be heating - flooded plug, low battery, poor electrical connection, etc . I have found that I get much more reliable starts with my small engines by using an alkaline battery (1.5V+) instead of my nicad starter (nominally only 1.2V., 1.34 when freshly charged). I use a needle oiler bottle for priming: I bought mine from the local model railroad shop, but you may find a similar item in a sewing machine shop. The brass tube on the tip will actually fit into the exhaust port of the engine - a tiny drop of fuel is all you need, but some fuel must get in there.

With a glowing plug and a little primer, you should get at least a burp, maybe a second or two of run time as the primer burns off. Once you have at least that much going, then it will be a matter of fuel supply and needle-valve setting. In my experience, 3-1/2 turns seems a bit too much - I usually start at 2-1/2 turns and go from there, but every engine is different and you wil just have to experiment until you find the correct starting setting for your TD.

I hope this helps.

Regards, Ben Newkirk

BMatthews

That should be doing it for you. Is the plug hissing after a flip or two? It may be flooded. Blow through the exhaust to clear it and keep flipping.

Sometimes the tank is set at the right height so that fuel syphons dowe into the carb and keeps the engine completely flooded. For that reason I tend to not suck fuel up the line if I suspect that may happen. A drip in the carb and wet the side of the piston as you say and it should run long enough to suck the fuel in by itself.

The other problem may be your fuel. What are you using and how old is it?

Kyle Entzel

Thanks for the quick replys!
BMatthews - the fuel is sig champion 15% it is not very new but I know it works cause I use the same stuff in my cox reedies.

I just tried to start it again and all I can get is the 1-3 second brrrup off the prime as if it's not getting any fuel. The engine is on an airboat with a film canister tank right behind it. The tank doesn't have a clunk just 2 vents on top and a drain vent on to bottom going to the carb via small fuel tubing. Is the tank setup the problem is it?

William Robison

My Feedback: (3)

Kyle:

How long since this TD has run?

All the non-throttled Cox engines use a carb design known as "Steribaetic," meaning their fuel enters through a slit at the narrowest part of the venturi in the reed engines, or a series of drilled holes in the TD series. If all these holes are clogged but one, you would be able to pull fuel up with choking, but it would not feed enough fuel for the engine to run. You might pull the venturi out and check them. Be careful, they're really small.

Just a thought.

Bill.

BMatthews

Bill is quite right. Unscrew the carb and check/clean out the 3 metering holes with a fine piece of copper wire stripped out of some multi sranded lamp cord. You only need one strand. They are VERY small holes. And don't use anything that'll gouge away at them.

It's burping off the prime so you know it CAN run. (it would have sped things up if you had mentioned that right at the first but that's OK) It's probably just not getting the fuel it actually needs through those tiny metering holes.

Best of luck but you shouldn't need it now.