howdy folks,
Ive been thinking about getting a new motor. what engines have rings and true ball bearings?? is os engines fx line the ringed/ball bearing type?
Im looking for some thing between .46 and .50 for my trainer and will probably be used in a second plane. can some one help me please??

If you want a good ringed, BB engine, get the OS .50 SX engine... it's a ringed engine with BBs, runs great, easy to tune, puts out plenty of power. I have three of them... two plane versions and one heli version.

Super Tigre .51 is a good ringed, ball bearing motor with plenty of power and a little cheaper than the OS. I have two Super Tigres and they are about 15 years old are are still running strong.

Thunder Tiger .46 - inexpensive, reliable, and powerful. $79.99 from Tower Hobbies

Recommended .46 type engines...

Thunder Tiger .46
GMS .47
OS .46
Magnum .52

I think all of the above can be made to purr nicely.

For starting out I would suggest get a non ringed type instead. If the setting is too lean the engine will just quit. In a ringed engine, if the setting is too lean, the engine can keep on running tearing the rings apart and destroy itself! OS 50 SX, great engine but pricy and goes through lots of fuel. Super Tigre engines, can be very finicky to keep running and the carb barrel will eventually jam on most of them unless you remove it and machine it smooth. I would suggest an OS 46AX. Reasonable on fuel, easy to adjust to get it running great out of the box, tons of power and reliable. Its smooth running is nice to have in a trainer and the high power available makes it great for a 2nd or 3d type plane. Its a few dollars more than other engines of same size but the quailty shows right away when you start the engine.

Try the Tower Hobbies engine.
They are good strong engines that are fairly inexpensive.

Tower Hobbies 46
O.S. FX series
Thunder tiger 46
GMS 47
OS 46
Magnum 52
All have something in common. none of them have piston rings. They are all ball bearing engines though. If you want an engine with a ring your limited to the super tiger 51 which is a good engine. An O.S. 50 which i hear is also a good engine although i have never used one of these. In my own opinion which probably does'nt matter much. The ringed engines tend to tolerate a lean engine run slightly better than the ABC/ABN engines.
Of course any engine that i now own 46 or smaller is a ABC or ABN engine.
Dennis

i would second that

Re: "The ringed engines tend to tolerate a lean engine run slightly better than the ABC/ABN engines. "< I used to think so too until I read a post from a guy that has both engine types. One of his ringed engines developed a lean condition during light. Instead of getting hot and quiting like the non-ringed engines, the engine just kept on running. It started to make lots of noise as the rings got destroyed and then bits of the ring got into the engine block. The loose metel bits churning in the engine block eneded up destroying the engine. this all happened very quickly before the guy had the insight to shut it down! [>:]

While I own/fly/love the OS 5.0 SX myself, I believe that you would be better off with a OS .46 AX at this point in your training. Still a very strong engine and not as sensitive to lean burning damage. Ringed engines can require more finesse and time for break-in also.

OS engines are also very easy to find parts for and I know this is part of the reason you are engine shopping.[]

Im thinking a bb abc type engine is what im gona go with. alse I have a os la-.46 that has a vibration problem. I took it to the field and asked what people thought was wrong with it. they all thought it had a bent shaft, and it needed a new shaft to run right. I might put the tt .42 gp back on until I can locate the parts for cheap. this has me kinda peeved at this point with all the troubles with the club and the airplane servo problem and now this. Aaargggg, this was supposed to be fun.

2 R's in Aaarrgggg

It will get better. Sorry about the crankshaft.

http://www.osengines.com/parts/ev13390aa.pdf

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...=++&search3=Go

FYI so you will know when you find a bargain.

Sarges, you could try a different prop on the LA engine just to prove that its the engine and not another problem. If its really out of balance it would cause a lot of vibration. Also is the engine mount secure? If its loose and moving a bit, thats another sourse of trouble. [8D]

Crank straightness is easy to check. Put the engine/plane securely somewhere that it can not move at all. Turn the prop to any position and move an object up to just touch the blade. Rotate the prop carefully (don't move plane/engine) and see if the other blade tracks to the exacts same place. You will have to put the prop in several (3 should do) positions on the crank to verify straight but ANY failure is crooked. Just be sure you don't move anything but the prop. Would be easiest w/o the plug installed. Don't have a dial indicator I suppose