Originally Posted by
jwrich
I am a big fan of Zenoah engines, . . . . . The Big Stick is my type of airplane.
The DLE-35 is a great little engine an I am very please with it. I just hope that it will last as long as a Zenoah.
Fair Winds & Happy Flyin'
Rich
I never ran the Zenoah engines, but I've seen plenty of them at the field over the years. They are workhorses for sure. I don't know if the DLE would outlast a Zenoah. I have worn out two of them so far. I get 350 to 400 hours of flying before they have a bearing failure.
I just finished running my newest DLE 35. It was easy to start with a few hand flips with the ignition on, choke on and full throttle. After the engine ran for a couple of seconds, it stopped. I reduced the throttle to three clicks above low and it started in 6 flips. Ran like a champ and would even idle fairly well without dying.
I ran two 14 oz tanks of fuel through it. Tomorrow I'll adjust the needles to give a better low to hi throttle transition. It is okay now for break in, but will die if the throttle is slammed from low to hi.
Can't wait for the weather to warm up a little so I can get it in the air.