Hey guys

Just got my first plane. It's a tower trainer 40 RTF which come with a Tower Hobbies .46 engine.
What plug should i use when i need to replace the plug that come with it?

I have a lot of o.S. #8 plug which i use for my cars. O.S. also recommends this plug for plane engines. When i compare the stock plug to a #8 plug i noticed the #8 plug was much shorter. If i dont use the washer that comes with the #8 plug then the lenght is the same as the factory plug.
I guess my question is can i use the #8 plug without the washer? or should i use another plug?

Thanks

The OS #8 will be just fine for that engine. Go ahead and use them, you'll have no problems at all with them.

Ken

Thanks..Should i use the washer or no?

Yuep. it,s the seal for the glow plug.
[quote]ORIGINAL: nitrobeast

Thanks..Should i use the washer or no?

[quote]ORIGINAL: RCKen

yes...use the washer

Isn't the plug being shorter gonna be a problem? Thanks for all the help

No, it's not going to be a problem. Use the washer and you'll be just fine with it.

Ken

Nitrobeast,

I have a trainer with the tower 46. Anyway, I started out with the towerpower glow plug and for the life of me (and some much more experienced guys) we couldn't figure out why the motor was not running right.. Thankfully I survived 2 deadsticks in one afternoon when I mentioned to the fella that sold me the plane/motor "yeah, this is strange because I just put a new towerpower glow plug in this thing.." anyway, I had replaced a OS #8 with the TP and was having nothing but trouble.. Replaced the TowerPower with OS8, with washer and the motor has worked flawlessly ever since. Bought a tower .75 this winter and threw the tower plug out with the box it came in..

Geardaddys thanks a lot for the info.

yeah, you have to run Tower plugs really hot (lean) to get them to perform at all, and then they only last like a flight or two.
they are pretty sorry...

on Evolution engines, i like the Hanger 9 plug,, it lasts a good while.
on OS i use A8's and A3's (they don't last as long)
Enya #3's are way good plugs, but pricy and hard to find...

can someone fill me in on the different #'s (ie. #8 glow plug) and what they mean. also what does an idle bar do, and how to know when to use one if you don't have engine instructions.

thanks, dave trimmer

http://www.osengines.com/accys/choosing-glowplugs.html
http://www.osengines.com/accys/glowplugs.html
http://www.bsrcc.com/glowplugs.htm

These should help

thanks for the help

an OS #8 has a solid platinum coil hence their cost, the solid coil lasts allot longer then plated coils like the OS A3 (same plug only with a plated coil but often misrepresented as a solid coil plug). in high performance engines more often then not you deform the coil of the plug long before you use it past its useful coil life so a plated coil would be a better choice for value, on your average sport engine the #8 can be a more valuable choice also because of the solid coil they are a better choice for a newbie because they stand up better to abuse at the hands of the inexperienced at engine tuning (both overly rich and lean runs)

the Enya #3s mentioned are extremely good solid coil plugs but are very hot in comparison to the OS #8 and are intended for high temp, and high nitro engines where the higher nitro percentage cools the plug conciderably, they are exceptional plugs in helis. the OS website provides inaccurate information, higher nitro fuel cools the plug and the higher the nitro the hotter the plug needed. but just the opposite for high compression, the higher the compression the hotter the plug, so a high compression engine running on FAI fuel needs a hot plug as well.

as the others said the washer is necessary, it prevents the plug from loosening, the only time you don't use them are in turbine engines.

kc

EDIT: just an FYI, glow plug heat range changes the timing of the engine, a hotter plug causes combustion to retard (combustion is further before TDC) and a colder heat range advances it (closer to TDC), can make allot of differences in conjunction with engine compression and fuel nitro percentage.

this is some fantastic information from you guys. i've been running the cheap tower hobbies glow plugs..( $2.99) and so far have had no troubles but am leaning toward swapping them all out with the os 8. i'm thinking it'd be good to catch a problem before it starts. again...thanks for the "great info"... now.....whats the fastest way to remove ten inches of new snow from your flying field....lol have a great day guys

Move to Florida.

lol......wouldnt it be nice to fly year round. although, flying off snow isnt really too bad. it's the cold that's really starting to get to me. maybe i'll take that advise someday."thanks!"

we even have 'cold' days here in the sunny south too, today being one of them, the 46ΒΊ ain't so bad till you toss in the 30-35 mph winds, then it's a might cool out on the flight line.

kc

i just wanna know one thing.....why is it when you're at work, the wind never blows....hahha. but when it's time to fly, holy crap...look out! actually, flying in the wind is fun once you've done it a few times . the right kind of plane makes a huge difference there as well. trainers are more susceptible to that darn wind

flying in the wind isn't a problem, flew the F-16 last weekend in stronger wind then this, but it was in the mid to upper 70s so no chill while standing on the line. the cold never bothered me till i had two back surgeries and the nerve damage has made me allot less tolerant to the cold

kc

well believe me...you'd be very unhappy with the temps up here in new hampshire. we had 10 degrees this morning. i'm telling you....that florida idea is looking better all the time..lol but after all....it's only april. there's plenty of flying to be done...real soon. (praying for warmth)