jg95762

My Feedback: (2)

I am new to Nitro engines and have a plane that came with with Plastic Spinner. The engine is a Super Tigre 45 which is an ABC non-ringed engine. It is very tight. I just tried to start the engine with an electric starter and it melted the outside of the spinner! It could not turn the engine over. I can turn it over by hand but it is tight. Should I just buy a replacement aluminum spinner or is the engine defective? I read in another post that plastic spinners can explode, and I can see why, so I am kind of scared at this point!

ChuckW

Plastic spinners are very common and generally work just fine. I've seen a few that come with cheapo ARF's that were problematic but most quality plastic spinners are no problem.

Your super Tiger will be very tight when cold, especially when it is new. Try turning the engine clockwise (looking from the front) until it comes up on compression. Then get your starter spinning while not touching the spinner. Now quickly push the spinning starter up against the spinner. Usually this will work.

Also a few drops of oil on top of the piston and manual cranking by hand for a few minutes helps too.

jg95762

My Feedback: (2)

Chuck - thank you!! I just tried your approach and the engine turns over and is now much looser. Amazing. Thanks again for the help.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

The first part of Chuck's advice is right on (Turn the prop clockwise). This gives the prop a "Running Start" before it hits the compression.

But do NOT get in the habit of spinning the starter first and then jamming it against the spinner!

Just press the starter firmly against the spinner and hit the switch.

As far as having melted your spinner, welcome to the club! There are not many plastic spinners that don't have that little ring around their noses

goirish

Hey MinnFlyer I was going to wish you a happy New Year and all that stuff but your email box is full. SO!!! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Going flying today, having a heat wave. It is up to 16* take my shirt off and tan the goose-bumps.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Geeze, that thing fills up fast! LOL

Thanks for the heads up Gene. I cleaned it out a bit.

Jetdesign

My Feedback: (8)

[link=http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXB947&P=ML]aluminum spinners[/link] and
[link=http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXE158&P=ML]prop nuts[/link] are one solution to the problem.

Tom Nied

That is one reason why I switched to using Harry Higley's Safety Spinner Hub 1/4-28. They are easier to use when switching out props and almost as good looking as a spinner. Also they work pretty good with a starter, as long as you keep them oil free.

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

Throw the plastic spinner away and do not give it to your friends, this especially so in the training environment. Instead use an aluminium spinner nut; far far better, allows changing a prop in seconds, It fits the starter cone perfectly so there is less likely going to be slippage and best of all they look far better on a trainer or many other types for that matter.

Never slam a running starter aginst any airplane no matter what type of spinner. very hard on engine mounts, airframes and engines. Quite frankly on a busy training day I avoid the pits as its sometimes difficult to avoid the plastic shrapnel from spinners.


http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...=RF&search3=Go



John

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Well, I've been in this hobby for almost 50 years and I've only seen maybe two plastic spinners come apart - but I've also seen aluminum spinners and prop nuts fly off.

So personally, I say, "Don't worry about it"

aldentwc

I have flown mostly plastic spinners, and have never had a problem with them in the past, they come off just like most other things when not quite installed right. I did receive a plane the other day with a prop nut on it, and i love it. from now on i will buy nothing else. now this doesn't mean i'm going to take the plastic spinners off my other planes, but as they break or crash i will probably replace them with the prop nuts.

just my humble opinion

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Putting a prop nut on something like an Ultra Sport wouldn't look too good

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

I have seen a gang of them break and fly apart but not all plastic spinners are created equal. I use big plastic spinners on my gassers that don't get started with an electric starter but I use the CB brand that goes on just like aluminum spinners with a heavy aluminum back plate. The ones I see sailing off into the wind in several parts are the ones that come in the ARFs with plastic pins and the three screws holding them on. If I don't use a good spinner I use one of the HH nuts or spinner shaped nuts that were mentioned, they work great and last forever. I did use one of the CB plastics on an engine that got started the first start up of the day with an electric starter and it lasted a very long time, looked pretty ugly with the groove but it worked fine.

Campgems

I have a fondness for the Great Planes nylon cones/aluminum back plates. I fly four strokes and you need a very tight prop and the plastic back plates just don't cut it. The aluminum back plate with the nylon cone works very well. The only problem I've had whith them is when they were the first part of the plane to touch the runway, or other nearby ground.

I've personally had one 40 two stroke spit off the spinner/prop and everything else. I've saw one other 40 size two stroke spit off it's prop and spinner, both were all plastic designs. Both were from running to lean. I also saw one Tru Turn get turned to scrap on a OS Twin. He had the models mixed on his TX and the throttle was reversed. He was smacking a running starter into the spinner and it backfired and destroyed that spinner. The only other spinner failure I've seen was on a Christan Eagle ARF. The guy who owned it is deaf. He hits the starter and holds it firmly until he sees smoke from the exhaust. THis time, the engine started and out run the starter, spinning off the starter hub. He was still applying pressure to the starter when this happened and the starter went full into the prop. I saw something hit the tarmac right near the plane and then some 20 seconds or more, the cone came back to the ground. No one was hurt, but it was an experience. That's four incidents in a three years. Hardly plastic shrapnel flying through the pits on a regular basis.

Most smaller two strokes that are tuned properly can use the plastic backplate/cone spinners. Four strokes are a different animal though and they need the aluminum back plates.

Don

RCVFR

My Feedback: (7)

I guess I have lived a charmed life over 30+ years of RC; I have never seen or experienced a spinner "disintegration" that I hear about from time to time. Schrapnel ??? I must have been out of town that day!

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

Indeed bits of irregular broken plastic that have a way of jogging your memory and making an impression when you are hit.

jg95762

My Feedback: (2)

Thank you all for the feedback. Everything with this hobby is a series of lessons-learned and as long as they don't involve injury and are not too expensive I am happy! I bought an aluminum spinner yesterday. At this point I am a bit scared of the whole gas thing, so feedback from you guys really helps.

jg95762

My Feedback: (2)

I also found that using my heat gun to heat the cylinder head helps the engine turn over more easily. I had forgotten that I used to do this with car nitro motors that were too tight initially.