I put my new O.S. .46 AX onto the plane today and set up the throttle pushrod. I fueled it up and put the electric starter to the plastic spinner and it did not turn over. I thought its only the first try, so i tried it over and over and still nothing. On about the 15th try it finally turned over except the spinner and prop spun right off and it spun to a hault. I tightened the nut down real tight but it still came loose. I retightened it and tried it again and the spinner and prop flew off again. I took the spinner off and used a chicken stick to try to turn it over. It still did not turn over. I then noticed that the carb was not getting any fuel and i put more in. This time i put too much fuel in and i think i flooded it. Now i am stuck with a flooded engine and a nose cone that will not work. What should i do to unflood it and should i get an aluminum spinner?

You are hydro-locked.

Drain the engine and start over. Make sure you can push it through compression, WITH THE GLOW IGNITER OFF, by hand before you use the electric starter.

I could be wrong, but who knows?

Hydrolock, that is to say the cylinder is full of fuel. Pull the glow plug and turn the engine over several times with the glow plug out until it stops spitting fuel. Replace the glow plug and try again.

There are some engines that do this. If you cannot get it to stop, with the help of a friend flip the plane over upside down and then start it. Once it is running you can turn it over and it will be fine. Be sure to think it though and make sure that you have a safe way to secure the plane with it upside down and then once its running you have a safe way to flip it back over.

Pull the GloPlug out & see if it will turnover.

You Can Remove The Glow Plug And Turn It Over First By Hand And Then With The Starter ( Keep Your Eyes Away From The Glow Plug Hole).It Should Turn Free.Install A Fresh Glow Plug.Have A Hot Glow Inginter.Set The High Speed Needle A Little Rich.Put You Finger Over The Muffler Out Put And Turn The Engine Over (With Out The Iginter On) Till You See Fuel In The Hose To The Carb.Insall The Glow Ingniter,Set Throttle To 1/4 To 1/2 And Spin With Starter It Should Start.You May Have To Put Your Finger Over The Muffler Out Put For A Secound To Prime It.If Nothing Else Is Going On It Should Start Or At Least Make Some Noice And Try Again.
Good Luck And Keep Us Posted.
John

I ran my O.S. 40LA for the first time today. The nut came loose as well. This time I use lock tite and the nut held fine.
chopper man

G'day Mate,
What happens when you need to change props?
Don't use locktite, just tighten it, tight, get the right size spanner & do it up tight, it won't break & it won't come loose, unless you have a problem.

Getting a new engine to start can sometime be an art. GET SOME HELP! Surely there must be a club nearby. Each engine has its own quirks, and depending on a number of factors, that first start can be troublesome. You don't tell us what prop, glow plug, or fuel your using, which would be good information to help us give you advice.

When I'm starting a new engine, I start with the needle valve about 3 turns open from fully closed. This seems to be a fairly safe location. I then prime the engine (throttle fully open, finger over the carb, and turn the engine by hand 3-5 times). Then I close the throttle, and with the glow igniter OFF, I flip the prop a few more times until I feel the engine loosen up a little. Now I know I'm not hydrolocked, so I install the glow igniter, then start flipping. If the engine doesn't kick in about 10 or so flips, I lean the high speed needle a few clicks, reprime, and try again. I continue this process until the engine kicks over and starts. Once it starts, I leave the glow igniter installed, and try to throttle up slowly. If the engine gets to full throttle, I move behind the plane, and adjust the high speed needle for peak RPM, then richen it about 1/4 to 1/2 turn, and remove the glow igniter. I then give it about 1 minute at full throttle, then shut it down.

After the engine has fully cooled, I refuel it, and restart it. I then run a full tank of fuel through it on the ground, varying the throttle setting from idle to full throttle, with full throttle runs lasting 30 seconds to 1 minute, frequently checking the quality of the exhaust stream (white smoke, no metal particles, clear oil), and listening for any transition problems between idle and full throttle. When that tank of fuel is gone, let it cool down.

Now refuel it, restart it, set the high speed needle to about 500 rpm below the peak (to the rich side) and fly that sucker. If this is your first plane, get an instructor. Otherwise, the first flight will be pretty short.

Good Luck!
Brad

Chopper Man,
Try to avoid putting Locktite on your prop nut. This can cause real problems on down the line when it's time to remove that prop, as it will be very difficult to get off. Instead of using Locktite you just need to make sure that the prop nut is properly tightened. First off, did you use one of those multi-wrenches that can also be used to remove the glow plug?? If so, don't use that for tightening the prop. You just can't get enough leverage on it to properly tighten the prop nut with. Get a glove and put it on your left hand (or your right hand if you're a lefty), you will use this hold the prop with as you tighten the nut and the glove will keep the prop from cutting your hand. Now get a box end wrench to tighten the prop nut with. Get it as tight as you can with your hands. Don't worry about getting too tight as you won't damage the threads by over-tightening it. If you follow these steps you won't have to worry about the prop nut coming loose while starting it, or in flight.

Hope this helps

Ken

DO NOT use loc tite. Find a box end wrench about 8 inches long of the correct size (metric for OS engines) and a glove like Ken said. Tighten it down VERY firmly. You are NOT going to damage the nut or crankshaft, they are of very hard steel. You'll crush the prop first, especially if it is wood. The 4-way wrench is good for the plug and initial prop alignment only, just not enough leverage.

For the hydraulic lock - put a rag over the open plug hole while spinning the motor with your starter and it will catch the fuel spray from the motor. Then replace plug and start.

I use the robart 430 all in one prop wrench. It is just amazing how easy it is to tighten the nut. I don't wear a glove or anything, just hold close to the prop hub and wrap my fingers around it holding the backplate as well

I've never had a spinner unscrew loose since I started using the wrench.

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXWG35&P=WR
This is an 8 inch wrench just like I recommended. Depending upon which hole you use, of course.

Are you sure you're not running out of threads? This is possible with some of the thinner props. If so add a washer between the prop washer and nut.

I unflooded it and put on a new spinner. The screws stripped out on the other one. I tightened the prop down real tight and turned it over without the glow igniter and my finger over the carb to prime it. I then attached the igniter and tried to turn it over. I still had zero luck. I tried over and over and got nothing. I leaned it out a bit, but it did nothing. I then turned it upside down and tried it and still nothing. Perhaps i have a bad glow plug. I did replace the first one so maybe i have really bad luck.

I repeat, get some experienced help. They will be able to teach you more in 10 minutes than the next 48 posts will.

Brad

Lock tite is not permanent. It is good for setting up a good resistance to prevent it from loosing. I have never had any problems loosing a nut when I have used lock tite. Just a little more muscle. I was afraid of stripping the threads on the shaft. From what you guys are telling me that should not be a problem. Thanks for the advice.
chopper man

There are different grades of Loc tite. Some have an amazingly tight grip that one would almost consider permanent.