zbird

I installed a satio 100 in my seagull harrier inverted. when I fill up the tank it fills up my carburator with fuel,and floods it. Do these engines run ok inverted, or should I try to mount it right side up?

craigss11

All but one of my Saitos are mounted inverted,never have a problem
Maybe the tank is to high?

Jester241

Its always best to mount them anyway but inverted,but yet thats probably how most 4-stroke are mounted and properly set up,they'll run great! Sideways work good,and right side up is always best. If you must mount inverted,simply make sure your tank height is very close to where it should be......make your fuel tubing from your tank to your carb have a small arc in it where as the peak of the arc is higher than both your tank and your carb so it cant just drain right out. Just make sure you dont get the "siphon" effect going,or it will still drain out. And probably most important of all(and how most people do without ever realizing it).....when your kill your engine after flying or whatever...kill it by trimming your throttle bar beyond where it can run and keep it there until after you fuel up and ready to start your engine. This usually blocks the carb enough so that the fuel cant get to the carb while your fueling up.

And I'm assuming your fill line isnt "T'ed" into you carb line.....if so,dont do that either because that always a bad idea.

2slow2matter

My Feedback: (1)

Sounds like your tank is too high.

Mikecam

I had this answer to another question I asked in the Saito club thread.



I am running a Saito .91 inverted. I do have onboard glo and love it. It idles very well without the glo turned on, but I like the extra insurance. I went with the Electrodynamics brand. I had SR make me a single cell 3400 maH NiMh pack for power. The engine is VERY easy to start by hand inverted. Did anyone read Clarence Lee's engine clinic in this months AMA magazine? He suggests 4 strokes run better inverted than 2 strokes do inverted because the glo plug is offset on the 4 stroke, not at the top (bottom) of the cylinder like a 2 stroke. Thus it is less likely to flood out.

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Nathan King

I find both two and four strokes to run equally well inverted, provided the pilot takes the time to set everything up properly.

perdo

My Feedback: (61)

I have read everyones responses, and I do agree with the fact that his tank is too high, however if he fills the tank and it floods the engine he must be using some type of fueling device and not removing the supply line to fill with. It is my suggestion that if possible to pinch off the supply line to the carb, or check your fueling device to see that it is working properly, (i.e. shut off the line to the carb during fueling)

Just my $.02 worth but hey it didn't cost him anything

Don//

zbird

Well after many days of frustration ,I went ahead and mounted the engine right side up.Now the satio starts right up. Runs great! The top of tank is about 1/2 inch.lower then the carb. Maybe I did not know what I was doing when I was trying to start it inverted. The problem was definitely flooding issue.

opjose

Exactly.

It takes a bit more care with the plumbing and/or starting proceedure, but otherwise there is almost no difference.

The tank height is important to prevent siphoning as the OP experienced, but even in cases where adjustments cannot be made, a slight change to the startup proceedure can help immensely...

e.g. less priming, and once primed immediately dropping the throttle to idle before attempting a start. The latter slows the siphoning rate either from or to the tank.

Stickbuilder

Even better, buy a Cline fuel regulator, and you can mount the tank on a pedastal above the cockpit. It will not allow the engine to flood, and is very easy to set up and use.

Bill, AMA 4720
WACO Brotherhood #1