yetti831

Hi again. I went to the field today and no one was there. Good reason, too. 20mph winds. I didn't plan on flying, though. I just wanted to break the engine in. I filled the tank and primed the engine (three turns with finger over carb. 6 times without) just as you guys told me to do. I applied the glowstarter (charged for over 15 hrs.) and tried to start her up. She absolutely would not start. I toyed with the needle settings. First I tried three times open as one person suggested, and then 1.5. Either way it would not start. At one point it became very difficult to turn over and resisted some. I also adjusted the throttle, which did not seem to do anything.

One thing I did notice: After I primed the engine, the fuel would subside, leaving the fuel lines. Also, there appeared to be airbubbles in the line. This was an RTF plane, so I didn't mess with anything. Any help would be much appreciated! thanks

DMcQuinn

My Feedback: (13)

It is normal for the fuel in the line to retreat back toward the tank leaving air in the lines. When the engine starts (from the prime), it will quickly suck this air out. The next thing to do is check the glow plug. remove it from the engine. Plug it onto your glow igniter. The element should glow bright orange. In very bright daylight it may be hard to see the bright orange so cup it inside your hand. If the element glows orange, re-install it in the engine. Don't tighten it too much - you can strip the aluminum heads of the engine. In cold weather, it sometimes takes more than three turns of prime. Next time if in doubt, put several drops of fuel directly into the carb. Don't get too worried about the needle valve settings. At 2 or 3 turns open it should start. I suspect you never got enough fuel into the combustion chamber to get it going. Did it ever "pop" at all?

yetti831

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. I suspect it might be the glowplug or the glow starter, thought both are brand new. I remember with my old plane that when I put the glowstarter on, you could hear what sounded like air moving through the muffler, which I do not hear now. The engine did "pop" once or twice at the field, but that is about it. I am trying to start it now again, but to no avail. I will check the glow plug and get back to you. Thank again.

Missileman

Are you using an electric starter or chicken stick.
Glow engines are harder to start in cold weather, add to that a new engine that isn't tuned are broken in and it can be very difficult to get things going.
Leave the airplane in a warm place until the last possible moment before trying again.

yetti831

I removed the glowplug and applied the glowstarter. THE ELEMENT DOES NOT GLOW AT ALL. Which is faulty? How do I determine which is faulty. Both are brand new, I do not know how this happened. Thanks again.

yetti831

Missleman, I am trying to start it up in my house ( I know, I know), so the temperature isn't an issue, I guess. Thanks for the info.

somegeek

My Feedback: (2)

Do you have another engine plug to try the igniter on? Maybe throw it on charge for a few hours.

Read you OS engine manual for the break-in settings on those needles. Think it's 1.5 turns out from fully seated at the carb closed setting for the idle needle and 2 turns out for the high speed needle.

My OS .46 AXs are cold blooded... when it's cold out, (50F and colder) I need a few clicks of throttle to get the fuel flowing to start it and then it backs down to idle just fine. Also need to run a bit richer in said cooler weather.

In the summer, I just have to do one rotation of the prop at WOT with my thumb over the carb to draw fuel into it and then back it down to idle and it will usually start on the first try.

somegeek

yetti831

No, I don't have another plug. Can you overcharge the glowstarter? I charged it for 15 hours a week ago, but I figured that it would have lost some of it's charge over the course of the week, so I charged it overnight again.

TideFlyer

Snowman, it sounds like you`ve identified your problem. I don`t really think you can overcharge your glow starter. OS 2 strokes are EXCELLENT engines and I`ve never really heard of a bad one, to tell the truth.

yetti831

So it is possible that I simply got a dud plug from the factory. Another thing I remember from my last plane was that when i applied the starter to the plug there would be a small spark, which is not happening now. So, I guess I have to go get a new plug. I've been trying to fly for two weeks now!

Missileman

If you have a meter you can check for continuity on the plug or voltage on the ignitor (1.2v to 1.5v)
If you don't get another glow plug. It is always a good idea to have a few extras in your field box anyway.

DMcQuinn

My Feedback: (13)

It sounds like the glow plug has burned out. Glow plugs can last for a few seconds or for years. They are like light bilbs. Sometimes they fail very early in their life. A new one is only a few dollars. You should always have a few spares anyway. Look closely at the element inside the glow plug. It should look like a spiral coil. It is unlikely that your igniter is bad. Charging it overnight should not hurt it.

If you're trying to start the engine without a 12V starter, save your money up and buy a 12 V battery and starter. Every serious glow flyer uses a starter at least some of the time.

yetti831

Yes, looks like I'll have to get a few glow plugs. Thanks for the help everyone.

yetti831

Hmm, i just plugged in my glow charger for a few mins and tried to start her up again. She popped once or twice, but that was it.

Missileman

I did have a brand new Dubro ignitor that would not work most of the time. Turned out it had a shorted contact inside.

yetti831

Hmmm. For a second time i charged the glowlighter for about 5 mins. Again, when I attached it, the engine wanted to go, but did not want to a third time around. So, could it be the glowlighter as suggested by missleman?

yetti831

I think it must be the glowstarter, since every time i charge it and apply it, the engine wants to go with one flick of the chicken stick.

microsprint9

Preheat your engine with a heat gun, this will help to start a new engine and also a cold one.

bruce88123

A 5 minute charge just won't do it. I know you put a long charge on it the other day but the battery could simply be bad. Charger could also be bad. You need to find at least one component that you KNOW is good (not just new) and go from there.

yetti831

Yes. I know that a 5 min charger won't do it, but it was my way of determining which was bad, either the glow starter or the plug. When the glow starter was charged, even minimally, the engine wanted to go, but a few seconds later, it did not. This lead me to believe that the battery was not holding a charge. Either way, it doesn't matter, because in this instance both are cheap.

yetti831

I removed the plug and applied the glow starter. The plug momentarily became red hot and then died out. Am I correct in thinking that if the plug was faulty it would not light at all? If this is the case, then my glow starter is not holding a charge.

DMcQuinn

My Feedback: (13)

Sounds like your glow plug is fine. The battery in the ni-starter is either nearly discharged or is bad.

bruce88123

Not necessarily. It could be the plug had continuity (was good) until the wire heated and then the circuit opened. Pick up a couple of OS #8 plugs for spares and then test with one of those.

yetti831

Thanks, guys, I really appreciate it.

yetti831

One last question: Is the very end of the element supposed to be red hot? That is, is the portion of the element that is bent over the end of the plug suppose to be red hot? thanks