I found one off of craigslist, that was seemingly taken well care of for $250. Cant beat that. The P.O. crashed it early in his hobby and bought another NexSTAR Select to replace some broken parts.. So I basically have two planes for the price of one, minus the servos, and OS .46 engine.

I also got a bunch of glow plugs, all the original manuals, the box it came in, field tools, etc etc..

(He has removed the A.F.S. , speed brakes, and extender/limiter that controls the lean/rich mixture. The only thing that is left for beginner's use is the Airfoil extensions..

At any rate, I had some problems getting it started with this Hobbico Torque Master90 12V starter, I found out the tubes were switched (exhaust and fill tube) from where they were supposed to be. Also couldnt seem to get the glow plug igniter to get the glow plugs going so I bought one that is battery powered, works better in my opinion. I hate having to charge things (Waiting) to get them to work. Sofinally I got it started with the handle end of a screwdriver and a quick spin.. Seems to run pretty good. HOWEVER, with the idle reduced to zero the plane won't shut off.. The only way I can get it to shut off is by putting my finger over the exhaust and killing the engine. I checked all the linkages from the servo to the throttle body of the engine and I took out all the play from the rod, but I still cannot get the slide from the carb to close the hole completely. That is the only thing I can see that would keep it running.. I am completely new to these engines and this hobby for that matter. Is there another adjustment I am missing?
I have the needle valve turned out 1 1/2 turns as per the manual specs. Anyone know what the throttle stop screw is supposed to be set at??

Also when I brought it home I immediately went to the Sim to practice.. As I started flying with the Futaba 4YBF the spring on the elevator side of the control broke free.. Ugh.. So I took the back off to find that not only did the spring come loose but the mount that it attaches to broke off. I rigged the mount up with a rubber band and got the spring back on.. It isn't exactly centered and wants to continue to climb while flying the Sim. I'd fix it more permanently but I cant see of any way to fasten the mount more securely. It's a tight fit in there.. I new I was going to replace the Transmitter with a 2.4ghz down the road but dang.. I didn't want to do it immediately.. So although the controller works fine for the Sim, I dare not take it out to the field and try because if the rubber band breaks while in flight I'm screwed! Anyone know of a way to get replacement parts for these Transmitters?

If I was to replace it what is good to go get w/o breaking the bank? I found this one on ebay anyone know anything about these?

<a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/2-4GHZ-Radio-control-9-channel-transmitter-and-receiver_W0QQitemZ120649062422QQcategoryZ34056QQcm dZViewItemQQ_trksidZp5197.m7QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DLVI %26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D5%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clki d%3D5444203672589165789#ht_5415wt_1139">http://cgi.ebay.com/2-4GHZ-Radio-con...ht_5415wt_1139


<br type="_moz" /></a>Thanks in advance for the help<br type="_moz" />

Boy, that seems awfully cheap for a 9-channel radio. But it might be better than a broken one.

Is it possible to fix the spring mount with CA glue? (CA glue is a type of Superglue - we use it a lot in this hobby)

I bought a NexStar, non Select, and you know what, I had the same issue with the fill line and the line to the carb. Before it was even maidened, the guys at my club figured out there was an issue, and after I took it home to look at it closely, I found the problem. I had even built it the specs as the instructions said. Goes to show you that you need to be vigilent, even following factory instructions. Anyhoo, after that, it maidened, and it flies great. I've been flying it over a year now, and I love it. As for the radio, the advice I have to give, is don't cheap out. If you don't have the money to spend on a 2.4 GHz. now, don't buy a cheap one. The biggest, best and most safe investment you can buy is the transmitter/reciever. If you can't afford a good 2.4 GHz one, look into buying a good FM one. You won't regret it. The 2.4 phenomenon is taking our hobby by storm, but getting in with cheap equipment is like buying a cheap used car that is broken. You will regret is later on. Best to buy old, proven technology that has no danger of going away anytime too soon, and then move up, as to start with inferior equipment that you will just get frustrated with out of the gate. I suggest looking at Spektrum for 2.4 Ghz technology if you want relatively inexpensive Spread Spectrum technology to start. They have the DX5e that is $50. But if not, I wouldn't be opposed to reccomend any manufacturer's FM technology, as that has been the staple of the hobby for many, many years, and is relatively cheap with the advent of all the 2.4 GHz stuff.

Just my $.02.

T-

Well the mount also acts as a pivot point for the spring, so permanently fixing it with super glue probably would freeze up the whole controller..


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Well the mount also acts as a pivot point for the spring, so permanently fixing it with super glue probably would freeze up the whole switch..

And I was thinking about buying the new Spektrum 8 from my local Hobby shop, the price tag is $200, and doesn't include Receivers. Not sure which one to get, as they also range in price.. Any thoughts?


I'd also like to try and figure out why I cannot kill the engine when I am done... Any thoughts as to why I can't? It's not like there is an "off" switch anywhere.

When I reduce the throttle to zero and the throttle trim to zero it still purrs like a kitten. So how do I kill the engine???<br type="_moz" />

you could send it off and have a new piece installed most likely it would cost more to ship than the price to fix, give towerhobbies a call they do the warranty work on futaba radios.

I don't know much about the spectrum radios, but I would do some comparison shopping, regardless of weather or not the radio comes with servos or not the Nextar comes with Futaba servos, so the radio you chose needs to be compatible with the servos you already have,I have the Futaba 7ch 2.4 and its a good system you can get a 6ch radio and receiver for 220.$ from tower http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXPZT8&P=0 less if your a super saver club member with there free shipping and promo your in for less than 200$

as for the engine you need to make sure the barrel closes fully when the stick is down, there's a couple of things to check first loosen the connection at the servo, and move the throttle lever so the barrel is as closed as it will go, don't force it to shut it,the lever should move with little effort.

there is a throttle limiter screw on the top of the Fxi carb it may be screwed in too much, so the barrel won't shut fully, back it out so the opening is fully blocked by the barrel, the part that rotates.

then with the stick in the down position and the trim in the neutral position, tighten the pushrod at the servo so the carb is closed, this should be enough so the engine dies when the stick is down, when you fire up the engine adjust the trim so you get a running idle, and make note of the position of the stick as well then you can tweak the adjustment to suit your engine.

I always set my motors up so down stick and down trim kills the engine,then when its fly time set the trim for idle and go

Well, I tried loosening the throttle's rod from the servo, and it doesn't allow any more of the barrel to close up. I took a picture to show what it would look like with the throttle and the throttle trim all the way down..

When you say "throttle trim in neutral position" are you saying have the switch set half way, or all the way down?

How far should the throttle stop screw be set out? I remember it being way out while trying to start it, but i screwed it in to where it is only about 2 1/2 turns out. I tried to start it after adjusting the barrel, and I screwed the throttle stop screw out atleast 5 turns, and it was hard to start it. Not sure if the cold garage had anything to do with it. but I still had to plug up the exhaust to get it to stop. It's running wide open with the throttle and throttle trim all the way down.


Anything else I can try?<br type="_moz" />

so one by one,always good to include pics, the barrel should close fully to stop the engine, and the little sliver that's open is why it won't stop for ya.

now on top of the carb is a black screw with a spring this should be screwed in just enough to hold it in place for now,
its the throttle limiter screw( check your engine manual if your unclear which one I am talking about) its a not often used screw to set the idle, I use my radio, this screw should be backed out as much as you can without removing it, for now.

next if the pushrod wont move freely then unscrew the horn from the servo so it will,my Nextar had a adjustable EZ connector holding the pushrod that could be loosened so the rod could would slide, and could be moved for fine tweaking the rod.

yours may be different,check the barrel to see if it opens and closes completely,it should freely rotate in the carb body, if it does then slowly screw in the throttle limiter screw so it wont come loose but doesn't affect the range of the throttle barrel, do not screw it into the carb body because it forces the barrel open so it won't close like you discovered.

if you can turn on the radio and center the trim and close the throttle do so now,then remount the servo horn making sure the carb is fully closed you should be good to go.
when your setting it up for flight after securing the horn to the servo and EZ connector, I like the trim to be set up so fully down it kills the engine and when its at about center its at a decent idle its personal preference though and it helps to have a qualified person to check your work before attempting any flights.

this little tweaking of the model is made easy with some help from a experienced club member or instructor there's allot of small stuff that you can get lost in you dont want to make a small mistake that can burn your engine and cost you money for no reason.

here's what I did to my Nextar when I retired it, stripped and recovered the fuse after fixing some old crash damage and put a OS 61FX look at the FX carb notice the TL screw and how far out it is

man whats up with pictorus gigantus one tiny and the other giant minnflyer help me Mr wizard

The picture of your engine shows a nylon clevis on the pushrod to the throttle. It also shows a limit screw. That's the one with the spring on it, about a half inch from the intake, at 11o'clock from the center of the intake.

Unhook that clevis and see if you can move the throttle arm enough to close that opening. If the barrel won't turn any farther, that screw with the spring on it needs to be turned out. It really is only needed to hold the throttle body in the carb. It's limiting function is worthless with today's radios. It needs to be there to hold the body in, but really isn't needed for limiting. Our radios are absolutely reliable for opening and closing the thing.

If you can close the throttle with the pushrod disconnected, then there are a number of possibilities. It can take a page or so to cover them all. But simply stated, your servo has to move it's arm far enough, and the pushrod needs to be connected far enough out that arm, or that arm needs to be longer, or your TX's throttle travel adjustment needs to be increased, or the TX's centering point for the throttle needs to be adjusted, or there might be something blocking full travel....... and I might have missed something.

It would take an experienced modeler just a few minutes to fix that throttle if he had the plane and TX in his hands. The hobby shop guys who want to sell you that radio should be able to find and fix that throttle problem in a minute or two, and check out everything else as well. In fact, if you have a club nearby, they can help even more. They are worth finding.

Thanks guys for the responses. I got the barrel to close back down via the throttle stop screw.. Wow did it need to be screwed WAY out!

Is it normal for the servo to "whine" a little bit? When I first turn on the plane the throttle servo tends to make a whining noise until it gets moved around. Like maybe the throttle rod is pulling it before it wants to move or something..

BigTim where did you get the exhaust tube at? I would love to get something like that to keep the nitro from slapping all over the side of the plane. And where did you get your floats from? Price?

Once the engine has been warmed up, does the Mixture Screw need to be let out (leaned) anymore or is the standard 1 1/2 turns okay throughout flight? I turned it out more when I was working on it because I got a lot of unburnt gas out of the exhaust, and thought it was running too rich.

Oh Oh.. And I'm having a hell of a time keeping the dang propeller and cone on.. The propeller, when looking at the plane head on, turns counter clockwise when running, however the nut that hold the propeller on the shaft, screws in clockwise. So if I have to use the 12V starter to get it started sometimes the propeller will just spin right off and send me running! Haha.. What am I missing here?
As for right now the base of the cone goes on the shaft first, then the propeller, followed by a washer and a nut. The finally the cone fits over the propeller and fastens in by two phillips head screws..

That's all i can think of right now. Thanks again guys. You guys have been very helpful!! =)




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Okay, I got the throttle screw dialed in. It's turned out just enough so that it will gently die when reduced all the way to idle.

Got a problem though, when it is running and I increase the throttle all the way up it will bog down and die, almost like it is getting too much air. It will only take 1/2 throttle at best. What is the deal with that?

Also I still think it is way too rich -see the picture attached- that looks to me like WAY to much fuel spitting out the exhaust..

I've adjusted the mixture and throttle screws every which way I can, and the fuel never stops spitting out the exhaust..

What the heck is going on here??..<br type="_moz" />

some servos bark a little a slight clicking sound, it means its at the end of its travel,and has a little strain going.

its a Hobbico exhaust deflector there like 2$ or so from tower or most hobby shops they work well to help with the Goo control, ya still get some slime but there is less to clean up.

the floats are kit built Goldberg superfloats,I got mine off ebay they come up every once in a while but there are several out there to buy about 40$, when I redid the fuse, I changed the landing gear location so it would be a tail dragger, the stock gear location had been rebuilt a couple of times, you will learn about that little issue later.

I have found 1 1/4 turns is about right but every engine is a little different better get some first hand help, but short answer is yes lean it a little when its warm, that un burned fuel is more or less oil not fuel, the oil is used in the cooling, the fuel, in the fuel, is actually alcohol and to a lesser degree nitro methane its the part that burns.

expect oil out of the pipe when the engine is running 2strokes, 4 strokes have less oil out the pipe.

When you turn the needle valve OUT, you're making it MORE rich.

That slime is not unusual with a 2-stroke, but if you can't get it passed half throttle, the mixture is wrong. That, plus the slime, plus the spinner coming off tells me that the mixture is too rich. Next time, start the engine, bring it as high as it will go but still run, then turn the needle IN a little. Let it blow out any built-up fuel and increase the throttle some more.

Once you get the throttle fully open, adjust the RPM to peak and then back it off (Turn thr needle OUT) until you just start to hear the RPM decrease.