Ok, im trying to start my engine so i can break it in. My problem is that it wont seam to hand start. How exactly should one go about hand starting an engine. It's an o.s. .46 AX. Are these engines able to be hand started or should i get a electric starter?

i only use Electric Starters and most people at the Club also use electric starters..

I love to eat so I need to keep all of my fingers. I use only an electic starter.
chopper man

if you dont want to use a electric starter at least use a chickenstick

I would get an electric starter; however, if you can't right now the AX series can be hand started pretty easily with some experience. If you try to hand start USE A CHICKEN STICK, NEVER FINGERS!! Most people who try to hand start don't prime the engine enough. If you have flipped the engine three times without it starting something is wrong and you should go back and make a correction. Continuing to flip without changing anything is almost always futile.

Open the throttle fully and seal the carb with your thumb. Rotate the prop until you've seen fuel entering the engine for a few rotations. If the engine is inverted, your thumb should be moist. Lower the throttle to idle and flip a couple of times without the glow igniter attached. Make sure the plane is secured and light the plug. Give it a few flips and it should start. If it doesn't start there are really only three (likely) possible issues. Bad glow plug, no fuel, or too much fuel. If the engine is flooded it will be much more difficult to flip through compression. If it's not flooded try a little more priming.

you can hand start, but it takes a lot of practice, best just to buy an electric starter

Unless you are very very experienced inhand starting NEVER hand start with fingers. Once in a while I still hand start either backflipping the prop/spinner or just use my finger. Been many many many years ... no cuts at all, this is NOT for 4 stroke engines. Use a starter or chicken stick ... better the chicken gets cut than your fingers.

Thanks for the advise nathan king, i will try that. And i do use a chicken stick, dont really like the idea of having less than ten fingers.

I hand start the .46-AX on my Sport Stick all the time. Just make sure the engine has a good prime and it should fire right up. As everyone else has said... be careful.

What Nathan said here is right on the money. But I would like to add one thing that will make it a bit easier to start the engine. Where the prop is positioned can make all the difference in the world when you are trying to start it. If you are hitting the compression of the engine with the prop/chicken stick at an odd angle you'll never get it turned over to start. Here's what I do. Turn the engine counter clockwise and the prop should be in the 1-2 o'clock position when it hits the compression stroke. If it's not loosen the prop nut and move the prop around until it is in this position. Once it's set up like this you'll find that you can "throw" the prop right through the compression to start it.

Hope this helps

Ken

On my ax I like to start it with a reverse snap of the spinner against the compression stroke
with the engine primed rotate counter clockwise grab the spinner with your thumb & first two fingers
give a firm snap clockwise the prop will bounce off the backside of the stroke most times it will fire on the first snap.

Give it a try no risk to your fingers & no stress on rod/wrist pin/crank from an electric starter (hydro lock)
never flip a prop bare finger.

alot of sound advice has been given but for the first break in runs on your OS46AX you might need a elec starter just for the first few,getting mine to start and run well enough to flip start took at least 5 runs/flights,even then the first start up of the day sometimes takes some RPM's that fliping just won't give,knowing how much to properly prime and the proper tecnique for flip starting takes some learning.
elec.starters are safer and easy to use they keep your fingers out of the prop and are cheap,as in 30$ new with a battery.
I like em,use em,and endorse em, for the beginner modeler,as much as it's cool to have that old school talent in the bag,I prefer to preach the safest method for learning to operate machines that are capable of amputation.

My 46AXs will hand start but the trick is really in the preparation, not much else. You've got to make sure to not flood the engine when fueling the airplane. Flood it and you'll wish you had a starter. You then want to insure the deliver line is full. Sound like two opposite things? Not really. Fueling that forces fuel into the line is ok, but it usually forces fuel into the engine and that floods it. But to start easily, the engine needs just enough and no more.

With our carbs and radio control of the throttle position, we've got one advantage. We can easily control how open the carb throat is. Pull your throttle closed and then push the throttle stick open a couple of clicks. The engine will draw fuel best at that setting and when it starts it'll run at low rpm. You want it to run slowly at first to warm up gently. That's for the engine's sake. Also starting at low rpm is just a tiny bit safer for you.

If the fuel line isn't full when you are ready to hookup the battery, finger choke until fuel reaches the carb. Give it one or two more rotations and you've primed it just about right. When you're flipping, watch the fuel line.

I'm not going to add anymore detail. It's been covered pretty well.

Keep in mind that ABC, ACC, ABN type engines nowadays are really not always the easiest to hand crank for a beginner. I've seen a couple of Tower and TT's that almost couldn't be turned over by hand. The pinch fit of the piston/sleeve is a bit much even for CNC made parts and the people assembling the parts nowadays. And that tight fit makes the job a bit harder sometimes. And it actually takes not just knowing where to put your effort on the flip, but helps to have built up some muscles for the effort.

And do not use your hand. Learn to use a chicken stick.

And do NOT even think about using your hand it the engine is a glow 4stroke.

Since the problem is getting it started for the first time, one technique I've found that helps for new engines is as follows:

Most manufacturers ship the engines set pretty rich. This makes starting very difficult, which is why OS probably recommends an electric starter. Follow the directions to set the needle valve in the manual.

Fully open the throttle, and with the glow starter DISCONNECTED, put your thumb over the carb and turn the prop 5-6 times to prime the engine.

Close the throttle, and flip the prop a few more times to work the fuel into the engine.

Connect the glow starter.

Flip the prop several times. If the engine doesn't start, lean out the high speed needle a few clicks.

Flip the prop some more.

Continue the process of leaning the high speed needle a few clicks at a time until the engine kicks and then starts. When it does start, slowly advance the throttle until the engine is wide open. If it won't get to full throttle, it's probably still too rich. Keep going.

Once you get it to full throttle, richen the needle to hear a reduction in RPM, then lean it to peak RPM. This gets the engine hot. Now richen it back up a few hundred RPM, and bring your throttle back down. Follow the remainder of the manufacturers recommendations for break in.


Brad

It's all in proper priming which Nathan King covered very well. Once you get it down, you will find that the engine starts so easily that you may never bother with the weight and extra fuss of an electric starter.
Using a chicken stick is just as safe or maybe safer than an electric starter, no cord to get tangled in the prop.

I feel that the "safety" of an electric starter is highly overstated. Most all of the really serious prop accidents that I have witnessed did not happen during starting but with engines that were already running, usually while adjusting the needle valve but also with an unexpected throttle up while standing in front of the plane. Electrics have also cut people's fingers, arms, and legs and you don't even need to start them.

Hey Will, did you get the email i sent you with the plans and dimensions for the breakaway plate?

yeah, got the plans. just need to cut it out and install.

I hand start sometimes. Lots of times my engines just will not start without an electric starter. I for some reason have a very easy time starting wood props than nylon. Not sure why that is. Usually i just use an electric starter though.

BTW, i have used my bare hands many times to flip start but usually use a glove. IMO, i just can't get the feel with a chicken stick.
I have hit my bare hands on a few engines and it never cut my hand but i am in no way suggesting a begginer to use his bare hands

An old 1.5"-2" wide paint brush makes a good chicken stick ...

Hi all,

In 26 years of flying I have never owned an electric starter, if it wont start by hand, theres usually something wrong with the engine. The forces an electric start puts on a small glow engine in my humble opinion doesnt feel right...anyway....

Open the throttle to full, put your finger over the carb, give it 5 or so flicks, close the throttle to tickover, flick a few more times, making sure you can 'hear' a slightly wet sound in the engine. If it doesnt sound wet repeat the choking at full throttle. Once you get this wet sound, give it a couple of flicks, put the glow plug on and start the engine....

That said, i have never owned a four stroke, so cant comment on that.

Hope that helps.

W

I have owned two different four-strokes and they are also very easy to hand start, if you do it right.

Because of the carb location, you can't finger choke them so I usually stop up the exhaust outlet while flipping to get the engine to pressurize the fuel tank which in turn primes the engine. You want the engine to make slurping sounds during the intake stroke indicating that it has plenty of fuel in the intake and the cylinder. Make sure that the fuel line to the carburettor is full of fuel.

Now close the throttle to idle or a slightly fast idle, this is very important, that's why I spelled it in bold letters, light the glow plug, and then give the prop a smart flip backwards, voila!! an idleing engine!

I've got to mention here and now that flipping or flicking a prop while you're finger choking is a risky deal. When you've got your finger over the carb, if you wish to rotate the prop, do it by grasping the prop firmly through the rotation.

Grasp the prop securely, and turn it through compression without releasing that prop. Very often, you will feel the prop bump. The engine would probably have started on that rotation. You really don't want your free hand on the other side of a prop that has just started spooling up to speed.

Having one hand on the carb and the other flicking the prop isn't a good idea for beginners.

If you're a beginner and ANY bit of this sounds risky to you, don't do it. Hesitantly turning a prop is the worst thing you could do.

It's usually a bad idea for a beginner to do a number of things that experienced models do. It's often a bad idea for the experienced modeler to be doing them.

Hand starting isn't for everyone. And it's certainly not necessary nowadays at all.