I just have a few questions about R/C gas engines and available parts. To start with I am a complete amature and am not intending on constructing an R/C vehicle , only using the components in an unrelated small scale project I am working on , so my questions may seem imature. Im just gonna jump right to is so thanks for any help in advance.
if im not mistaken, you are refering to nitro, or glow engines in this statement. these engines are very available with plenty of spare parts to boot. however, they may be a bit pricy for your project.
Are there small scale torque converters available for the gas engines.Are there small scale torque converters available for the gas engines.
i dont believe i've ever seen a "torque converter" for these engines, but we do use centrifigal clutchs. basicly just 2 lil shoes in a bell housing held together with a spring and mounted to the flywheel.
How long can the motors operate without overheating under minimal loads.( Hypotheticly if you had unlimited fuel , on a perfectly smooth level surface , how long could you "putt" around without risk of damaging the engine?)
our lil 2-strokes are not made to run with no load, the tolerances are too close, however, under normal loads, and perfectly tuned, you could burn 2 maybe 3 gallons before needing a rebuild.
And are there engines that run on regular or high octane unleaded gas.
yes, there are. they are also 2-stroke for the most part, but i would guess that they may be more reliable and durable. you could find a cheaper GAS 2-stroke out of an old weed-eater though.
If it helps any I would like to use the smallest I.C.E as possible to turn a stepper motor or set of stepper motors(small electric motors) to generate a small useable amount af A/C current, eventualy building a lightweight portable power source
the smallest internal combustion engine i've seen is a Cox Tee-Dee .010 cubic inches. these engines are in the price range of about $35.00 US.