tewitt1949

I'm thinking about getting a paw diesel for my 1/2a but hesisant about what I'm getting into. Never been around any of these small diesels, I'm hoping owners with diesel experience can advise yes, no and why. I guess things I'm concerned is:

1. ease of starting
2. other hidden expense other than just the motor and fuel
3. power compersion to other nitro engines
4. diesel weight compared to nitro engine.

If you have a diesel, and you could go back in time, would you do it again? Any secrets? I have a catalog coming from diesel doctor so I'm hoping there is a lot of info in it.
Roughly what kind of $$ are we talking about to get a .061 diesel?

skaliwag

My Feedback: (1)

Do It...
You will never have to worry about a glow plug being burnt out and a charged glow starter again.
Your engine per cc / ci will have more Power... Turns Bigger props.
You get twice the milage from the fuel.
The fuel doesn't eat the paint you put on your model.

There's more but others will tell

johnvb-RCU

My Feedback: (1)

I'd say do it as well.

Ease of starting: Once you get the knack, as with any engine really, they are no harder than glow engines, in fact a little easier for the small sizes if, and it's a big if, you don't flood them

Hidden expenses: none that I can think of. Make sure you can get or make fuel though. You don't have to buy glow plugs

Power: PAW engines are more grunters than revvers. On a 1cc diesel you can easily run an 8*4 and I would expect somwhere around 7-8,000rpm. Whereas the same size glow would demand a 6" or at most a 7" prop. Dunno whether they make more power or not, but the power they do make is more useful for larger models. If you want to fly fast you might be better with a hot glow and small prop. That's not to say you can't go fast with a diesel but the standard PAWs are not screamers in my experience. There are single ball-raced versions as well as combat specials available and these would go a bit harder than the plain-bearing versions

Weight: Haven't weighed them myself but I imagine they might be built a bit heavier than glows, although the mufflers are much lighter and smaller than the standard glow mufflers

Go on, go and get one, you know you want to.

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

Compared to the alternatives, the PAW .061 is looking better and better. There is a dark side to running diesel, it's not all peaches and cream.

johnvb-RCU

My Feedback: (1)

Peaches and cream is what comes out of the exhaust. True story. I kid you not.

burtcs

Milk and Honey come to think of it or is that suger and spice I see.

- Steve B.

ffkiwi

All the small PAW's (55, 049 and 061) are ball raced-a single rear race setup. It is only in the larger sizes-09 and up that the option of plain bearing still applies-and there are a host of variations, porting and power options once you get into the 09, 15 and 19 displacement sizes. The original small PAW was the 80, and then followed the 100. These followed the classic 'large' PAW layout of a slip in plain liner with fins held down by 3 long screws into the crankcase. A derivative was the 'Classic 80' ported and timed for vintage use and larger props. Once the PAW 55 evolved with its single rear ball race, screw in liner, and screw on fins, the design was adapted for the two larger variants, the 049 and 061. It is reasonable to supose that the 049 and 061 produce slightly more power, being ball raced, than the plain bearing 80 and 100 models they replaced. These were no slouches performance wise, producing slightly less than a TD 049-and at similar revs-and needing a 5x3 to achieve these revs. Small props on diesels can be an exercise in pain-they bite!! Unless you have a very good starting technique! But on the larger 8" and 7" props they are very docile. Equally, the performance figures were derived from the standard model-the R/C carbs tend to cut the power back a bit.
Would I use one in a 1/2A pylon racer? Probably not! Would I use one in a F/F, C/L and general sport R/C model-ABSOLUTELY!!
They are still being made, have very good spares and repair backup and last extremely well. They are a bit heavier than an 049 or 061 glow-but find me a diesel that isn't........!

FWIW here are the weights of some representative examples:

PAW 55 std 48.6g/1.715 oz > power 0.07 BHP @ 12,500rpm; rpm range 7,000-14,000
PAW 55 deluxe 50.0g/1.765 oz > a Master 7x3 is a very good match
PAW 80 tuned 70.1g/2.47 oz > power ~ 0.12 BHP @ 18,000+ rpm (figs from PAW 100 test)
PAW vintage classic 80 74.5g/2.63oz
PAW 049 75g (R/C = 90g) power 0.13 BHP @ 21,000 rpm
PAW 061 75g ( " " ) power 0.14 BHP @ 21,000 rpm

PAW 049 and 061 data from PAW data sheet, based on the published ('Aeromodeller') test figures for the plain bearing 80 and 100, their performance figures look realistic.

In any case PAW are the only people currently in series production of 1/2A diesels, so if you want to go down this route they are your only option.

'ffkiwi'

BSARGE

How much do they cost for say a 049? And who sells them?

-Bill

Raymond LeFlyr

My Feedback: (2)

One thing that nobody has mentioned yet, and something about diesels that is extra fun for me, is that there is another dimension to fiddle with - compression. Yes I know, compression is what a diesel is all about and compression is a factor in our glow engines too (ever add shims?). But with a small diesel you get to adjust the compression as well as the needle valve to get the "perfect" setting. I like the challenge and satisfaction that provides when I get it right.

Second thing is the smell. Some people don't like it. Most of the time I do like it, sometimes I don't. My wife never does. But a little of that "flavored" smelling stuff they sell for oil lamps seems to help. I've only experimented with it by the tank full (suck up a little before I fill the syringe the rest of the way then shake, shake, shake). I think Doctor Diesels "new" fuel is smell-adjusted already.

FWIW, I say, "new fuel" because the fuel I am still using I bought in the mid-1990s (I thought I had a fuel gone-bad problem once but it was me). My experience kinda debunks the myth that fuel goes bad quick. A gallon lasts (me) a looong time but I keep a big pair of pliers with the fuel to kepp the cap on TIGHT.

Thurd itum ah reckun is dat dar goop. Lordy, lordy it do make fer a slippery, sloppy plane. Make dad-burned shure you gots plenty of soapy water (and alkeyhall) in yore skwirt bodle. Mah wooman says to me, "Lord of the manor, done youse-all be a-bringin that smelly rag inna house or yull getta whippin'". She meen it too. (But she cen be sweeter'n a new kitten if she be a wantin sumpin.)

ffkiwi

I have no idea what the US prices for PAWs are, but the US supplier is Eric Clutton, who trades as Dr Diesel, based in Tennessee IIRC. The PAW home website is: www.paw.ac and has a great deal of information.

'ffkiwi'

tewitt1949

Are starters used on diesels or for some reason do you have to use a chicken stick? That little screw on top of the head, is that something that has to constantally be adjusted along with the fuel screw on the carb?

I will use it primerally for sport flying. I can't 3d and probably never will but I'd like to see if I can get a 1/2a to hover. Maybe thats not possble even with a diesel. A couple more questions.

What about noise? Are they quieter than glow?

What about heat? Do they over heat if running lean?

Is the muffler designed where an estension can be put on and devert the fuel off the plane?

Lastly what about engine cost? About whats a .061 cost?

As far as fuel, I've heard you can make your own fuel, can you start out with regular diesel fuel and add castor and either (starting fluid)?

Terry

SGC

terry,
Regular pump diesel will work ,BUT!!!! its not the best, the engine will be harder to start and not throttle as well and deposit more carbon. We here in oz use whats sold as kerosine used in heaters and lamps- like hurricain lanterns, this gives good allround handling and burns cleaner. But my recomendation is to start out with a commercial fuel , get yourself a quart with the motor, it'll last a long time in a 061 diesel, for instance I get 90 seconds run time from 3 mls of fuel in a 1cc Barbini swinging a wood zinger 7x5 at 12,000 rpm, havent run my little PAWs yet.
Stewart

ffkiwi

Ansering your questions in detail:

(1) It is possible to use a starter-however if you have no previous experience this is a dangerous route to take-misuse and inexperience will result in engine damage. Once you have some experience with diesels, you may choose to use a starter-though with experience this is rarely required. essentially, with a starter you cannot feel when the engine is overcompressed or flooded-and hence it is possible to force the engine over against a 'hydraulic lock'-which will bend or break the conrod and/or gudgeon, and sometimes break the shaft. [this is not a peculiarity of PAWs, it applies to any diesel under similar circumstances] A chicken stick is not a bad idea-or a good leather glove. Hand starting is a technique that comes with practice. It does require a different approach than with a glow engine. I still occasionally have to resort to a starter with a new engine than is reluctant to start-as they run in however, the compression and fits improve, and hand starting improves with it. Old worn out diesels are hard to start by any means-though once running, may perform quite well. Cold starts with worn motors are tricky, and hot restarts near impossible!

(2) That 'little screw' on top is the most important part of the engine-and far more important than the needle valve! Up to a point, yes you do have to adjust it frequently-you alter it for starting, you alter it as the engine warms up, and you alter it if you change the load on the engine-ie using a different prop. That being said, once you have established running and starting compression settings for a particular propellor load and a particular fuel, these should stay consistent. That 'little screw' adjusts the contra piston-and that directly affects the ignition timing of the engine, for any particular load. As the engine warms up the ignition point changes slightly, and it is usual to have to reduce compression slightly to compensate. (typically you would back off perhaps 1/4 of a turn). In contrast, the needle valve is generally less sensitive on a diesel than on a glow-that means of course, that it is trickier to find the optimum needle settting, as provided the compression is set right, diesels will keep running over a range of needle maladjustment. There is a degree of interconnection between the compression setting and the needle setting, so both need to be tweaked in succession for optimum running.Then you have to worry about the carb settings as well.....

(3) Yes they are quieter than glow-for a start they are generally turning a bigger prop at considerably lower revs.

(4) It's an internal combustion engine-OF COURSE it will overheat if you run it lean-that is implicit in the definition of running lean!

(5) The mufflers on the small ones are essentially just collector rings-and can be extended with plastic tubing to divert the exhaust residue.

(6) Engine cost depend on your source. Check Dr Diesel or possibly Ed Carlson for US prices-I've already given you a source for the PAW site which has direct prices listed.

(7) No you can't use automotive diesel-full stop! The fuel components for model diesel engines is kerosene (lighting or heating grade), ether (from starting fluid if there is no alternative source-but at best starting fluid is only 80% ether, so you need to factor this into your calculations.) and oil (castor is ideal, but you can use normal 2-stroke oils in diesel fuels for non critical applications). Proportions of all three vary in a interconnected fashion depending on the engine type and usage. You will likely require some ignition smoother (amyl nitrate, isopropyl nitrate or the commercial blend 'diesel ignition improver') at around 2% of the total fuel to promote smooth running at higher revs. The PAW instructions (and the website) give full fuel blending instructions. Note that plain bearing engines require a higher oil content than single ball bearing ones, and twin ball bearing ones less still. Note also the warnings about not keeping diesel fuel in any form of plastic fuel container. Strictly glass (dark glass) or metal containers for fuel storage.

(8) you didn't ask-but be aware that diesel fuel is incompatible with the typical silicone rubber fuel line used in glow engines. diesel makes it swell and fall off needle valves and fuel fittings. Plastic fuel tubing is required-the yellow 'tygon' brand works well, and remains flexible, unlike some other plastic types.

'ffkiwi'

digital_trucker

Speaking of exhaust extenders - with a PAW you can take a piece of tubing (the same diameter as the exhaust outlet) and run it clear to the back of the plane with no significant power loss. Works fine on sport models, if you were racing every smidgeon makes a difference, of course.

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

Terry, you'll want to use a special 1/2A blend.
Forget about monokoted models, it won't last. Diesel models do better with painted tissue.
They will drive you nuts sometimes looking for the perfect compression setting, they are very sensitive to the air temp and density.
The fuel can go bad if you don't have a perfect seal on the can. How do you know if the seal is perfect?
Everything you come in contact with will smell like charcoal starter if you don't practice containment.
I use soldered tin tanks and tygon tubing fuel line on the planes. A shampoo bottle fitted with a hunk of tubing makes a serviceable tank fueler. You want to use neoprene, never silicone around diesel.
If the compression is just in the ball park, the engine will start once fuel arrives. Start with a totally closed needle and the compression screw backed off and creep up on a pressure that creates a POP when you crank a primed engine. Now you can crank the engine some more and slowly open the needle. Bear in mind that the cylinder should be lower than the tank to ensure fuel draw while cranking. Once it comes to life your job is to see how rich it can run and at what compression setting it will maintain spark at. The next job is to monitor the exhaust spray for signs of over compression, it will be black. What you want is brown. When you can no longer detect metal in the exhaust, then it is time to do some bench runs at 90% power. Once you are sure that the engine is behaving, then go out and have some fun.

gcb

tewitt1949,
You have a catalog coming from Doctor diesel. He includes a lot of info about diesels. If you really need 1/2A, go for the .049. If you are a sport flyer, you might want to try the .061.

If you REALLY want some detailed info, get "Dr. Diesel's Diary". It tell a LOT about the engines, what each component of the fuel does, etc. Wish it had been available 50 years ago!

Don't know how much you know about engines in general, but having the compression adjustment allows you to adjust firing timing, sort of like timing adjustment on a car that adjusts a little for loads, etc. You can adjust the compression for best running for various size props. Once you have it adjusted, you can usually leave it alone unless you change prop size. Most of us tend to tweek the adjustment for optimum much more than we really have to.

I have found my PAW engines to be excellent, easy handling diesels.

If there is another diesel runner nearby, ask that person for help. It will make learning MUCH easier.

Check out this site for breaking-in a PAW. Great information:
http://www3.bc.sympatico.ca/dieselco...ut_diesels.htm

George

gkamysz

My Feedback: (19)

This is a bunch of links regarding diesels I assembled int he diesel forum.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_4853740/tm.htm

Please start your diesel experience with a purchased fuel. Mixing fuel can make it hard to figure out how to get a diesel running, especially if you don't start with the right ingredients. we have a few very long threads int he diesel forum about alternative fuels, including functional and failed formulae.

I would purchase your engine from Eric Clutton and get a quart or gallon of fuel while you are at it.

ffkiwi, there are a few things I will have to disagree with.

There are some people running blends of auto diesel replacing kerosene. They seem to do just fine. "Normal" two stroke oils are NOT suitable for PAW engines. I personally would not use anything but castor in an iron/steel piston liner assembly. If you really can't get castor, you must use a high viscosity, high flash point two stroke oil,. Common oils for liquid cooled two strokes are not at all suitable. Most aircooled oils are also unsuitable. They have low viscosity and low flash and boiling points. Normal non detergent SAE40 or 50 crankcase oil works well, and some use 15w40. John Deere starting fluid is mostly ether, even though the label says its 80%. The other 20% consists of CO2 propellant and some upper cylinder lube. Most others are 50/50 or so, ether and heptane.

We have also been using octyl nitrate (Amoil's ACB product) as an ignition improver with good results.

Anyway there is plenty more talk about that in the fuel threads in the diesel forum.

ffkiwi

[quote]



I would purchase your engine from Eric Clutton and get a quart or gallon of fuel while you are at it.


There are some people running blends of auto diesel replacing kerosene. They seem to do just fine. "Normal" two stroke oils are NOT suitable for PAW engines. I personally would not use anything but castor in an iron/steel piston liner assembly. If you really can't get castor, you must use a high viscosity, high flash point two stroke oil,. Common oils for liquid cooled two strokes are not at all suitable. Most aircooled oils are also unsuitable. They have low viscosity and low flash and boiling points. Normal non detergent SAE40 or 50 crankcase oil works well, and some use 15w40. John Deere starting fluid is mostly ether, even though the label says its 80%. The other 20% consists of CO2 propellant and some upper cylinder lube. Most others are 50/50 or so, ether and heptane.

We have also been using octyl nitrate (Amoil's ACB product) as an ignition improver with good results. [quote]


Greg we will have to agree to disagree on certain points:
(1) I reiterate that you CAN use normal 2-stroke oils in diesel fuel-I have done it for nearly 30 years-note that I did specify non critical applications-I wouldn't recommend it for team race. I've use Castrol 2-stroke, (for lawmowers and chainsaws and small engines,) as well as outboard motor 2-stroke oil without any problems. There is a long and successful history in the UK of diesel fuels being blended with mineral oil as opposed to castor-and virtually all of the well known suppliers-Mercury, BP, DC and ED did this-they generally offered a choice of fuels with either mineral or castor base. The two advantages are cost and freiendliness to model finish-mineral oil based fuels are kinder to painted finishes-which is useful in scale work. I concede AB****ELY that castor is a better lubricant. Certainly for sport use I never found any problems.

(2) I would not use automotive diesel for several reasons-one is the degree of refining, two the degree of waxes, and thirdly the sulphur content. As you stated some people have tried it-relatively recently but lets wait to see what the long term outcomes of such use is-after dozens of hours running. Jet A-1 can be used but confers no advantage other than bragging-extensive experiments in both australia and NZ in the 80's and 90's confirmed this-there is no detectable difference in our diesels.

(3) the diesel forum-which I also contribute frequently contains all sorts of weird and wonderful fuel mixes which have little to commend them other than the proponent having got them to work at one time or another in a particular engine. Used crankcase oil in one case!

(4) octyl nitrate-accepted! A similar product used to be available down here under the Wynn's proprietary brand. The key issue is that a hexyl/heptyl or octyl organic nitrate is the compound best used for the ignition smoother (the commercial DII is a mixture of all three), and such additives are effective at around the 2% v/v level. In the UK, IPN is the preferred additive-largely as a issue of supply rather than effectiveness. In Europe several people have reported successfully using MEKP, the polyester catalyst, as an ignition improver.

I concur absolutely that as a raw beginner with diesels tewitt49 would be better off getting a commercial blend-and Dr Diesel can supply this, as can several other sources. I also note that despite the growing interest in diesel in the US, it is in decline everywhere else, with a consequent difficulty in obtaining fuel-and that Enya on their website are now marketing a diesel fuel blend for use in their engines-which is a new step for them. Ironic really, since Japan was very early into diesels-round about 1950-and there was low level production by several minor manufacturers for many years, with both OS and Enya dabbling with it-disastrously in the case of OS, and very successfully in the case of Enya.........

'ffkiwi' (about to go flying on a nice Christchurch spring morning-and run up several diesels as well,,,,,,,,,

Max_Power

I also am looking into a little PAW. I took the plunge into diesel a while back, my first engine being a Tower .40 Conversion. A lot of folks told me to get started on diesel tuning on a larger engine, as the lower ends are traditionally stronger if you are going conversion. I think I've got the tuning thing down, and am really wanting a small purpose-built diesel. I've got to say I'm very happy with my .40 diesel, On several different fuels, including several home-mixed with JD Ether it runs awesome! In fact, I honstly feel like a "Bad Diesel Owner" lately because as long as I keep my fuel fresh and deal with the fact that it runs rough for the first 45 seconds of so, I never even have to adjust it!! I fill it, bump it with the electric starter and usually taxi the SkyRaider Mach 2 to the runway without even a run up. Although I have been fighting a AP Wasp with RJL conversion head to run well on diesel for over a month, So i know it can't all be that easy. The wasp ran poorly when i did get it lit, and now i can't even get it to light on Diesel!! So I've been looking at a PAW .061 or .09. Let me know how it turns out if you get one. I'm gonna wait a while as I have way too many Irons in right now , And I'm really trying to Hobby detox a bit, at least on the purchasing side until I Fly(crash) my inventory down a little. Besides, I just picked up a OS .10fsr with diesel head on da 'bay! I swear if I try to explain to my Wife how these little engines are like homeless puppies to me again she'll surely have me committed. Todd

gkamysz

My Feedback: (19)

The PAW .061 makes for a nice engine. I have one I got second hand. I ran it recently on the bench and I ran another new one for a friend this winter. Both started right up and were easy to adjust. I've read a couple poor reports on converted Wasps, I wouldn't put any more time into it.

FFkiwi, I don't know how the regular two stroke oils worked without causing failures. The viscosity of most of those is half that of castor oil, and many outboard oils flash point is below 200°F. I certainly wouldn't recommend them after I used some sort of two stroke oil in my diesel beginnings to fuel an MVVS 1.5. It wore it out right quick. Not to the point it wouldn't run, but hot compression was virtually non-existent. I didn't do that with my next engine an MVVS 2.5 and it was easy to start hot. Mineral oil in the form of engine crankcase oil is perfectly fine. Yes, Treven is a bit on the wild side with used crankcase oil and pump diesel, but he's burned something like 6 gallons of it in an OS .40, who's to say anything about that? I know what you are saying about auto diesel. I'm pretty sure that most diesel fuels are extremely low sulfur today. In the US we even have 15ppm sulfur diesel as of this year. Which Castrol oil were you using specifically? If it's one of the lower viscosity ones, I'd like to know.

ffkiwi

Greg I'll have to go digging as to the details on the oils-it was some time ago-late 80's and early 90's when I did so-and these were used on sport engines in a F/F environment, so we are talking running in duty and in-air running times of perhaps 90 sec max........some time later.....OK here is what i've dug up from my 'fuel archives
(1) Castrol super 2-stroke oil, designed for air cooled 2-stroke engines, deep red in colour, estimate ~ 40-50 SAE (package doesn't indicate grade or viscosity.
(2) Outboard oil, deep blue in colour, similar viscosity
(3) Castrol R, castor based, SAE 30 racing motor oil-not very successful due to having some kind of light sensitive dye in it which caused exhaust residue to progressively darken
(4) Castrol MSSR, a specific model 2-stroke oil, developed in Australasia, and now only available in New Zealand-a blend of synthetic gear oil with some castor. Comparable viscosity to castor. very popular in NZ in the mid 70's thru 80's until other synthetics appeared.
The castrol oils were all products of Castrol NZ, and may differ from those available in the US. I've no idea what the outboard oil was-it came from where I worked at the time

I did quite a bit of work with both 1 and 2-little difference between them, and they were used at normal lubricant levels of 20-25%, and occasionally up to 30% for running in mixes. Used in everything from an Allbon Bambi of 0.15cc up to a PAW 35 (though the former used a special fuel mix as per the original instructions) -typically I would have been running 0.5cc, 0.75/0.8cc, 1, 1.5cc and 2.5cc sizes most often, and these in sport or vintage F/F. I do recall the red oil would leave a burnt residue, but the engines themselves ran quite happily. At this stage I would have been using amyl nitrite or isopropyl nitrite as the ignition moderator, because being halfway thru a PhD in biochemistry, it was no problem to synthesize it in the lab. It does however react badly with castor in cold climates (ie a Dunedin, NZ, winter) hence the experimentation with alternative lubes.
The Castrol R was a surprise, as it gave problems in both diesel and glow fuels. Could have been a dud batch or simply that the formulation has changed over the years.
MSSR was marvellous stuff, but has become prohibitively expensive-the last time I priced it about 10 years ago it was around NZ $99 for 4-litres. These days I use castor in all my fuels-mainly because I have an assured supplier within my own club, and for simplicity. I'm never running more than 40% nitro so miscibility issues never arise (in anycase these can be rectified with acetone or MEK if you want the extreme nitro mixes) I've tried using Klotz Supertechniplate as well-but my glows are definitely not happy on it. In anycase, there are practical limits as to how many mixes you want to be carrying-I routinely carry three diesel mixes-D1000, D2000 and miniature diesel mix, and at least two, sometimes three glow mixes in my field box, so eventually you end up cluttered.

There is still quite a bit of variation in pump diesel around the world. NZ's fuel supplies are obtained out of the big refinery complex at Singapore so are likely to differ from the US's, and again in Europe. I do recall that during the Bosnian civil war, the NZ army contingent deployed in that conflict area had major issues with the diesel fuel supplied in the area of operations, so thee is potentially quite a bit of variation. In contrast, kerosene seems to be pretty consistent, no matter where you get it. I buy mine at the local supermarket-in 1-litre bottles!

If you can, peruse 'Aeromodeller' and 'Model Aircraft' magazines from the 50's and early 60's-there were a number of fuel articles, as well as adverts from the various fuel manufacturers, which make interesting reading.

I'll try and post some pictures when I get the good camera back in a day or so.

'ffkiwi'

SGC

ffkiwi, I think the 2/ oil was a Valvoline 2 stroke oil, which I have used myself with good results. I used it exclusivly in my chainsaw which has split 2,000+ stringy and iron bark posts , slabbed logs and other general farm construction and firewood cutting , its now over 20yo and still like new inside, must try some in conjuction with olive oil in some diesel brew.
Stewart

ffkiwi

Stewart, Valvoline rings a muffled bell now that I think about it. I was working at the University of Otago's Portobello Marine Lab on Otago peninsular at the time, and the outboard oil was what we used in the Zodiac runabout we used for inshore work. I vaguely recall it coming from 20-litre drums.I still have about 1/2 a litre of all 3 (Castrol 2-stroke, outboard, and Castrol R) left-I may make up some test brews all to the same formula (D1000 probably) and do some comparative testing.

'ffkiwi'

tewitt1949

As I'm a diesel machanic on large equipment and after reading all the posts, I think I can figure out how to make them run without too much problem. It may take a little time getting used to the head screw and needle valve, but I think I can do it. The thing that might be the biggest deterant is how do you keep from smelling like an oil refineery? If I'm all by myself, no big deal but, at a club picnic or something simular (with wives and family around), that smell will hang on for quite a while. My wife can detect a nasty smell 100 ft away. I usually get fuel on my hands, and deisel fuel I think would be a problem when around spectators. . That stuff just doesn't wipe off like nitro. I don't really want to wear rubber gloves. Is there a good simple solution?
Terry

lukesp

Terry,

Google Carlson engine imports to compare prices with Dr Diesel, they have several pages of PAW engines and also have diesel fuel.

I edited out the link I provided, I don't know the policy here in regards to linking to commercial sites.

The only thing I will add to above posts is do not attempt to turn over a flooded small diesel. It can damage the rod. I think you're going to have a lot of fun once you get past the initial first starts. PAW's are the sweetest diesels.

Luke.