Well, I had my first crash Sunday. My trainer had a mid-air with a low wing stick. He hit me from behind, and his prop smashed my horizonal stab which flew off as well as the vertical stab.
My plane went in hard and fast, smashing it to complete ruin.
The worst thing is, I was breaking in a brand new OS 50 sx (which was to go on my next plane someday), but now the engine is loaded up with sand and mud. I don't want to blow out the dirt with compressed air, because that might push grains of sand into other little areas of the engine that they will stick in. I'm not sure what liquids/solutions will hurt the engine. Carb cleaner? Brake cleaner? How about plain old water?
I'm new to this game, and need some advice from you 'pros'.
Thanks in advance![8D]

ScottyO

I would take it all apart and clean with brake cleaner(make sure it won't hurt any plastic parts) and flush every thing then spray with compressed air about 90 psi, that cleanes them up nice.

thats a tough one, do you have a hobby shob nearby toa ask for advice?
I too have the same engine- it is truely an awsome engine and very well built - I have by over 30 gallons through it and it still starts with a couple of flips.

I have an electric starter but have no need for it with my .50

are any parts damaged on the engine?

a 12x4 is awsome for 3d - I used in on a ultra stick .40 and could hover at a little under full power and could still go prety fast-

it wont tollerate anything past 15% fuel unless you lean it out a whole lot I had one gallon of byron 20% once and nevr really had the time to get it running right with that fuel so I used it up running rich[:'(]

after break in you need to lean the both the needles alot

especially the idle needle valve- dont be afraid to lean it as much as you can as long as the engine doesnt stop! I had to lean it a couple of turns!- if you dont it wont transision smoothly and it will stumble when you punch the throttle.

is the engine damaged at all - dont be afraid to take it apart too clean it just use alot of oil.

I really wouldnt know about using water - it could rust the engine- make sure you dry everything and put lots of oil in it when you let it sit for a while.


a costly little sucker wasnt it like a $150 or somthing but a real good engine.. I would get another for a .36-.50 size plane but I am really in to the big 3d stuff like the funtana 90 and I love chyp hydes vision that will be my next plane in like years lol I have no money

DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT TURN THE ENGINE OVER !!! Any dirt that may be in there can and will scratch the inner surfaces of the engine.

Remove the carburator and back plate and head. Be careful removing the gaskets. Take note on which way the head goes - some engines have their heads designed to only go a certain way.

Now flush the engine out with a warm water and dish detergent. A semi flexible paint brush with bristles about 1" long is good for getting the crud out of the fins on the engine. Make sure to get the opening in the crankshaft (it is hollow). Wash the head and the backplate also. Rinse everything well with water.

At this point look the crankcase of the engine over good with a magnifying glass to be sure it isn't cracked. If it does have a crack, clean the crack with some acetone (use the tip of a #11 blade to get into the crack) and when the acetone is dry, put some JB Weld into the crack and around the immediate area to seal it. (It doesn't look that pretty, but it is cheaper than a new crankcase or engine)

Put everything on a pan and put it in a 175 - 200 degree oven for about 30 - 45 minutes to dry everything off thoroughly. LET THE PARTS COOL BEFORE ASSEMBLING (and if used, let the JB Weld cure also). Squirt afterrun oil in the cylinder and around the crank and CAREFULLY turn the engine over feeling for any dirt you may have missed or any binding. If you find any dirt, reclean the engine. If there is binding, have someone experienced with engines check it over. Put the backplate and head back on (don't forget the gaskets) and proceed to clean the carb.

Now disassemble the carb. Pay special attention to the idle needle setting (it will make life easier for you when you reassemble the carb and go to run the engine). Wash the carb parts well in fresh fuel. Pay special attention that there is nothing clogging the spray bar. Reassemble the carb and put it back on the engine.

Start your engine and readjust the low end (If you were careful with the low end needle it should be very close). After you run a tank through the engine (preferrably on a stand) inspect the engine again for any oil leaks which may be from cracks.

Unless you really did a "pile driver" into hard ground or hit a rock, the crank is almost never bent and the crankcase almost never has any cracks.

Sorry about the accident.

Hope this helps for the engine.

that was an essay now I know what I have to do if I ever crash my engine lol

Another thing is make sure the crank shaft is not bent. Most crashes don't bent the crank shaft, but it is something to watch out for. I use Brake cleaner to clean my engines. Also no not rotate the engine as much as possible.

Later,

Ryan

Thanks everyone.
I'm going to follow Campy's directions after dinner tonight. Seems like the best process to be sure that the engine is completely clean and in good working order.
I'll be sure to check that the crankshaft isn't bent.

Oh, and Banche, thanks for the advice about leaning out the idle setting. My 50sx really did stumble a lot when I went from idle to full throttle. (granted, she wasn't broken in all the way yet- but hopefully she will live to see another day!)

ScottyO

Ok, here's this is the easy one for me.

You should have seen my OS 46AX when I put my Somethin' Extra in the ground 10" (literally about 10 in. in ground)...

But anyways, all you have to do is take the engine apart, starting to boil some water in the meantime. After the water has started to boil, drop ALL the apart engine parts except like the plactic throttle linkate or any other plastic parts. Let it boil for about a min and then put in some dish detergent (I haven't tried liquid, but should work, try to use the solid crystal kind)...It's amazing to see all the dirt come to the top of the pan. Keep adding detergent until you don't see that much dirt coming to the top. Then, what I do is take liquid detergent and an old toothbrush and clean all the crystal detergent off. Let try and oil parts and put back together


I know for a fact that this method will work every time. If you got your 50 as dirty as me, then you will be ok.

Also, just like the others said, you should check if you can if any parts a bent, preferably the crankshaft and like the pistion and everything.


I have to say that these other methods do work just fine if you didn't get much dirt on them and even if you do have alot, but I have found that the boiling method works the best.

I hope this helps

If you have anyother questions, we're here to help!!

~Michael~