I just bought the whole set for starting the rc hobby which includes as "Evolution" engine 0.46 and ARF trainner hobbico 0.40.
Does anybody know if this engine brand is reliable?The brand new I got is damaged already with 5 second operation!!!!Should I move to a better engine?

[sm=sunsmiley.gif] I have a Hangar 9 Alpha which came with an Evolution Trainer Power Plant (Evo .46 w/flywheel) and after the first initial adjustment on the High end and then my Idle it has performed very reliably for me. As a matter of fact I have just bought the Evo .46 to power my Sig Somethin' Extra. You mentioned that the Brand new one is already damaged, What kind of damage are we talking about???

The Evo .46 is one of the best out there. I have had at least 10 students this year with them, and none have been problems. One day, we have 5 Alpha trainers all with the Evo .46 on the field at the same time. Wish I had a camera with me that day.

What did you do to damage things in 5 seconds? Did you damage the plane or the engine or both?

I just tryed to start the engine in my garage, so I did'n blow anything else!
Well, I'm assuming the engine is gone because before I started, the engine could be rotated manualy without the glow plug smoothly.I connected all fuel tubes as required, turned the engine manualy holding the finger over the carburator to suck fuel inside,pluged the glow plug with medium heat and started.It didn't work for couple times and finally started, running the engine for about 5 seconds and stoped.
While trying to rotate the engine manually again(without the glow plug), I could notice that there is one point where the engine gets stocked, really hard, even making an terrible metal to metal noise.After that, I placed some after burn oil inside the glow plug to see if was missing lubrification, but the problem is still there.
I called the store where I bought the stuff and the guy said this is normal, but I don't think so.Am I wrong?

Nilo

When I said without the glow pug, I meant the thing open, I could see the engine inside, no compression present!

Nilo

That is normal, in fact that's a good thing. That is how a ringless ABC-type engine gets it's compression.

Do a search on here on "break in" and pay attention to descriptions of ABC engines and breakin procedures for them.

Here's the short version. In an ABC engine, the cylinder liner is machined with a taper so that it gets smaller at the top of the piston stroke. The piston acutally has an interference fit at the top of the stroke, which is the stickyness or grinding feel you get when you turn it over by hand.

When the engine starts, the liner heats up and expands faster than the piston, creating the perfect fit between the piston and liner. If the engine over heats a little, the liner just expands a bit too far and the engine loses power with no damage to the engine. However, if you run the engine really rich, or at idle for a long period, the engine will not get to proper temperature and the liner won't expand properly, causing the piston-liner fit to wear too much, and when the engine does reach normal temperature it will be too loose, and won't produce full power. By the same token, if you do something to the engine (like lap the piston-liner fit) to losen the fit and make it "smooth" as you turn it over by hand, you are destroying the engine's potential.

In general, breakin for an ABC engine is more about thermally cycling the parts of the engine, and getting the conrod and other moving parts to fit together smoothly. This is why you noticed a tighter fit after a short run, the liner and piston are starting the adjustmetns that occur in the first few runs of the engine.

I strongly urge you to go find a local club or someone who has some experience near you, so you can get help in properly setting up and running the engine. The theory with these engines is simple, but the practice can be a real pain, with a lot of very small details that can make a big difference in how the engine runs.

yep, that is a good thing, it means your engine has pinch(comp) your sleeve it tapered at the top and that is why it is so hard to turn over and yes it may get stuck. that is why it is so important to break in an ABC engine to get all the parts seated correctly

Thanks, I bought these stuff just 3 days ago!I'm going to be associated with a local club and try to get help with then.
Thanks guys for your promper help!

Nilo

I've had a Evolution .46NT for a couple months now,and have had no problem with it.It runs great and is a good substitute for a .46FX if you're on a budget.You may wish to remove the locking collar on the Needle Valve for better adjustments.

Does anyone know a source for buying evolution engine 3 blade props...I need several...

Forget the 3-blade prop. Buy yourself a 12x4 APC, remove the muffler baffle, richen it up a little, and it will pull like a tractor. Just for fun one day, we connect my Alpha 45 evolution tail to tail with another plane mounted with an OS 70 Surpass II four-stroke. The alpha pulled it backwards.

Thanks for the info...your evolution sounds much better that mine....This one was purchased to teach beginners and we are having problems with the engine making metal to metal sounds and leaking afterrun oils out the front...Horizon does not feel that they have any responsibility since they did not sell me the engine...It is a new engine so we will run it till it drops and get a decent engine not sold by Horizon Hobbies...As you know only Horizon sells this engine...

Airplane pull offs...
hehehe sounds like a blast

No, this was new in a box and sealed....everything as should be....My question should be if Horizon does not stand behind this engine and they are the sold distributor of this engine then what must this engine be like if they are not going to guarantee it when only they sell it?...you can not buy one unless they sold it somewhere sometime.....The lesson is be careful of what you buy as its guarantee is only as good as the moment that you purchased it huh?

well i purchased my evo engine at the lhs for 80.00. what a deal, it screams. i have it on a spad trainer and this engine can do what ever i ask it to do, which can be pretty hairy being that i am new to this. every instructor i have had said it is a great eng. i am going to get the .61 size for my spad four star 60 i am building. i may never buy anything else. why change if you find a good thing. i will try taking the baffle out though. hmmmm, more power. what can i do with that.

wow, how much does the 46NT cost?

Richard39.. hey i understand the leaking out the front..my alpha was doing the same thing then one day i got tired of it loading up when idleing for more than 10 seconds..and i turned in the low end needle about 1 1/4 turns and now she purrs like a kitten and no more leaking out the front....just my story...spooner[8D]

I hope you get it broke in right. The ABC eng are finiky
about the breaking in part. I will stick to my ringed
four stroke engines. LOL If you every decide to up grade
to a four stroke the OS FS52 would be a perfect match
for that trainer.

I wanted to let those of you know who dont already -there is a difference between the Evo.Trainer .40,and the .46NT......Alot of people refer the Trainer version as the .46.
The trainer version with the three blade prop also has a "flywheel" to help maintain a nice idle,and is "almost" a .46...The .46 has a bit more power.The trainer version has this prop and flywheel to really help slow the engine down to help beginners land easily.
I have found that with this combo,that if there are more than a few other planes in the air at the same time,its hard to hear your own engine running...have had a student or two think they about to dead stick back to the runway ( until you tell them all they have to do is apply power to find out)
Just my three cents

Richard39
Since I have had nothing but excellent service from Horizon I just have to ask, did you buy it new from the local hobby shop or mail order or is this a new in the box ebay of RCU purchase? If you bought it from a dealer and have the receipt I think you will find they will repair any damage that the engine may have that is a result of a defect. If you don't have the receipt how are they to know you are not the 200th owner of the engine?
Ed M.

if you damaged it with 5 seconds of operation, you did something really wrong. that just doesn't happen. i would go over it again, word for word to the local engine guru. about the evolution engines, yes, they are reliable. they say no break in period is necessary, but you should at least run 1-2 rich tanks through it.
i am not a personal fan of the evolution engines becasue of the engine setting limitations they have to help keep beginners from turning it way wrong and ruining it. they are good engines for the money

What I ask and am not able to understand is why does Horizon not guarantee this engine regardless of who sold it and who bought it as they are the sole distributor for this evolution engine...I own a new one that has problems but since I purchased it at a r/c show and have lost the receipt then I am left holding the bag....Someone, either the distributor or the manufacturer must be responsible for selling a defective engine....I reported the problems to Horizon Hobbies after 5 minutes of running time...They refused any responsibility due no receipt yet they and only Horizon sells this engine...There are many good companies out there that will work with the buyer/owner of a product that was sold by that company but does not demand a receipt...I can and will live with this and have little good to say for Horizon Hobbies....This engine is not available unless sold by Horizon....It is their baby...they brought it into the world.....Why would this abandon it? Does anyone know the manufacturer of this evolution engine?

they're covering themselves. i am not too fond of horizon hobby. in the past, they have really shown a lack of organization and intellect. once, i was left waiting 4 months because they kept sending me the wrong part, and every time they would confirm that that was the right one and they kept doing it. it was a diferent one every time.

Distributors often require proof of purchase before any warranty work is begun. This is because items can often be purchased overseas for less than they can in the US, meaning that the distributor never dealt with the item and is then left holding the bag on the warranty.

I can think of a couple good examples of this. Back when the exchange rate between the US and UK was very favorable to the US, I purchased an Irvine 53 from the UK. Sig is the sole US distributor of Irvine engines. Had something gone wrong I'd have had to send my engine back to the UK for warranty work. Sig shouldn't be responsible for such issues. Futaba also had this problem with some of their gyros. Folks were buying them from Hong Kong at low prices. Hobbico is the US distributor, and if the goods didn't pass through them expecting them to do warranty work isn't reasonable. This is called a grey market.

Horizon's position on the issue isn't unreasonable, and is quite common in the hobby IMO.

This engine is awesome. I have two students that have this engine in a plane and it is very strong.