ORIGINAL: aussiesteve
ORIGINAL: GeraldRosebery
What I wanted to ask is - Is the plug almost always the culprit to weird behavior or are there other issues people know about are seem to be common?.
YES. The stock plug is almost always the issue. Get a Genuine NGK CM6. Make sure it actually says ''NGK'' on the insulator and gap it to 0.020'' - the thickness of a #11 Exacto Hobby blade. If your local auto parts stores or Saw shops don't have any CM6's in stock, The Honda ''CM6's'' available from many places are in fact an NGK in a Honda Box.
I have seen it so many times at fields where people follow the ''local guru'' and all end up with the same bad running engines. Just because a persons owns a Gasser and can fly well, doesn't mean he can tune an engine. (how do you know he flies well - does he get those deadsticks to land perfectly every time? - if that is the case - don't take his engine advice).
Once the plug is changed to a decent one, also make sure you are using a fresh and fully charged ignition pack - then tune the needles right (there are no factory settings). Set the high to max RPM, set the low to good transition, recheck the high and go fly.
NEVER run it overly rich.
AUSSIESTEVE is right on, per JediJody,
rich = deadstick or poor performance in air
I have two 30's one converted from side carb and both start and run fine, I run 32-1 Pennzoil but once again
rich=problems in air