Howdy folks,

It's been a little over three years since I last flew. All the snow we have here has got me thinking of putting the skis on and getting in a few flights. I have a Kadet Senior with an O.S. 46fx and I would like some input as to what special things I should look for on an airplane that has sat for that long. I'm especially concerned with the durability of the Rx an Tx battery packs. My radio is a Futaba T6XA. Should I just charge everything and go if the voltages are good? Also, will I need to retune the engine because I have switched fuel makers? My old club used Magnum 15% designed for 2 and 4 cycle engines ( or so it says on the jug ). I ordered some Wildcat !5% from tower hobbies with 16% oil so I suspect the oil content is different. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks
Rufcut

Hello Rufcut,

This is what I would do. I would 1st charge everything and check all voltage make sure all the battery's are fully charged and that they are holding a charge. I would move all the servo's and make sure they are all still good. I would go to the field and do a range check just to make sure its still good. I would put the fuel in the engine and start that son of a .... up . I would tune it up a bit if it needs tuning and make sure the transition of the engine is good. if all passes i would fly the heck out of the plane like there's no tomorow and call it a day. I hope i helped haha enjoy.

To go along with that, if you have a battery cycler, then do that. Cycle the batteries two or three times, then measure the last discharge level and see how much your batteries have. If 700 mah, for instance, you should observe that amount (or within about 10% of that amount) during the last discharge cycle. (not only the RX battery but the TX battery also). If you don't have a cycler, then you can make one. There are threads here in RCU that show you how to go about doing that, and it's simple.

If the engine turns over ok, then just follow NJAIRSTRIKE's advice and fuel 'er up and go for it. But, make sure all servos are on tight, all connections are secure, the clevis's have keepers that are flexible and in place.

Good luck!

CGr.

One of our club members came out after a 2 year layoff. He had a huge fuel leak around the tank stopper of one of his planes. The stopper had lost all of its flexibility. You might want to check the stopper. I'd also replace the fuel lines inside and outside the tank. The tiniest pinhole can give you fits at the field.



One point about your fuel:
OS recommends a minimum oil content of 18% for the 46FX.

You can add oil to your fuel.

Adding 4 ounces to a full gallon:
Oil.......original 16.0000% new value 18.5455%
Nitro.....original 15.0000% new value 14.5455%
Alcohol...original 69.0000% new value 66.9091%

Adding 3 ounces to a full gallon:
Oil.......original 16.0000% new value 17.9237%
Nitro.....original 15.0000% new value 14.6565%
Alcohol...original 69.0000% new value 67.4198%

Thanks for the tips everybody. I'll look into making a battery cycler since I don't have one. Thanks for the heads up, Carrell, on the needed oil content for the 46fx. As far as adding oil, what kind of oil should I use? Food grade castor oil? The Rufcut in me would use some Stihl 2 cycle chainsaw oil but I don't want to ruin a good engine. Unfortunately, I live almost 200 miles from my " local " hobby shop so I'm always looking for substitutes that I can get locally.

Thanks
Rufcut

You can get Castor oil at most any drug store.
When I was young parents would give their kids Castor oil as a laxative. Nasty tasting stuff.

Remember Cod Liver Oil? [sm=tongue_smile.gif] EEeeeooooo!!!

i got some cod liver oil tablets somewere, probably 5 years or so out of date

it may be best to leave some sort of degreaser in your engine overnight as i was told "fuelin' and firin'" could cause damage to internal parts such as the bearings because if there was a buildup of old fuel around them it would prevent them getting the oil they need, ditto with the piston.

get it nice and lubed with some After-run-oil or similar and then see how you go, make sure to tune it as although the oil content isnt likely to be that much of an issue (never was with my trainer when going from Tornado 5% to MT 5%), after three years it may have "drifted" out of tune a bit

regarding batteries: as mentioned above, is best to cycle (charge/discharge) them two or three times (i hook my RX batt to a 6v lamp and TX to a 12v automotive lamp to discharge them)

if your feeling a bit rusty perhaps it would be a good idea to go up with an instructor nearby to help you should you run in to trouble?

happy landings!

NO! Medicinal castor oil may not be suitable for our model engines. I'd only use AA grade Baker's Castor Oil, available from Sig. You can order it directly from them.

For your batteries, I'd use your wallwart charger and leave them on for 16-18 hours. If you don't have a expanded scale voltmeter (ESM) then please get one. They are far cheaper than losing a plane. Test your voltage after your first flight, after your 2nd flight and 3rd flight. Your T6XA transmitter has a meter built in so you should stop flying when the TX voltage has dropped down to 8.6 or 8.5 volts. An alarm goes off at 8.4 volts. That means you're supposed to land immediately (assuming you still have an RX pack left).

Some go-kart racers run methanol in their two cycle engines and they mix either Castor or synthetic oil with it. If you have a local motorcycle shop, they could be a source for oil that is suitable to mix with your fuel.

Thanks again everyone. I managed to get in touch with my instructor pilot and he had a fresh gallon of fuel with 20% oil so my fuel problem is solved. I decided that trying to modify the wrong fuel to save 20 bucks was not worth risking a $110 engine and possibly the aircraft. Now what to do with 2 quarts of the wrong fuel? Oh well. He even lent me his battery cycler. This guy is a real gentleman and loves the sport. Pre-flight is pretty much complete.......a couple of hours on the simulator and I'll be ready to go.

Rufcut

I'd add oil and use the fuel.

A pint of Castor is $7.39 from Tower.
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXS627&P=M
Add 1.5 ounces per quart and you'll have 19.76% oil.

A lot of people add oil to the fuel they buy. My brother and I run mostly ringed four strokes, and prefer fuel with all synthetic oil for normal flying. When we're breaking in a new engine we add some castor oil to our normal fuel.

Keep the old fuel its great for cleaning out parts or sometimes if you get a fuel tank you think might have a bit of dirt to flush it out...