Hey Bill,

I'm pretty sure the engine was broken in long before it went into storage. The Wankel was on a plane my dad and I flew for almost a year before dad had to give up the plane to another modeler (long story). Dad was a stickler about following mfgr's directions on engines. And yes, the cooling ring has been in place when run. We even flew when it was snowing here in Dallas this past Saturday and it still started sagging after the plane had been up for a minute or so.

Now for the sad news... The Yak-54 this engine was pulling around spun in Easter Sunday afternoon when a rudder clevis popped loose during a low level manuever. The main force of the impact was to the Wankel and ended up breaking off the needle valve and exhaust port from the cooling ring. So now, I guess the question is "do you know where I can find a replacement cooling ring for an original Wankel engine? (I think the plane can be fixed (one more time).

If I do find the parts I need, I will try more running on the test stand to make sure it's really loosened up before I put it back in the air.