Hi, just when I thought I had my SPE 266 sussed out, I'm stuck.

Bought the engine used but in very good shape - I think it had only seen less than 10 tanks of fuel and perhaps 2 flights. First dozen or so starts were dead easy - would pop with a few flips with the choke on then fire within 3 flips or so with the choke opened. Over about a week, I put in about three dozen starts like that on the ground tuning up the engine and making sure my cowl didn't interfere with the operation of the engine. (And mainly just getting used to the engine)

Then on maiden day, the problems started. At first, the engine just wouldn't even pop. After lots of testing, I realise that the plug was a little faulty - shorted to the crank case, it would spark only every 2nd or third turn of the prop. Over here, the stock factory plug is a Champion RDJ8J Believe it or not, I can't get a replacement as the local dealer is out of stock and no one seems to have even heard of an R plug! . Well, I managed to find a chain saw shop that sold me a Champion DJ8J - the non-resistor version. So I got one just for bench testing. Well, straight off, I could see that it was sparking better and on every turn of the magnet. With the choke closed, the engine behaves much as it did before when it was running properly - "bump" on a quick prime. However, when I open the choke and start to flip, it will just cough a few times, but not start running properly. I've also tried an electric starter but it doesn't seem to help at all. I've also gone back to factory settings on all needles plus a turn rich/lean all to no avail.

I have three questions?

#1 Is the SPE so picky on plugs? I had been led to believe that the only difference between the R and non-R version of plugs was that the former were better insulated against noise. Why won't the the DJ8J work? Or.....

#2 Is there something else that's wrong with my engine or with what I'm doing? In particular, I'm worried about the EI unit but it seems to be producing good spark for every turn. And....

#3 What else can I try?

Thanks guys.