Planted my new engine 6" deep!
05-11-2010 | 06:37 PM
#1
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From: bellingham,
MA
Planted my new engine 6" deep!
Here I go again! Maidened my Battle axe combate plane tonight. Flew great! Adding a little " up " to the ailerons ( reflex? ) smoothed things out.
Problem is on my last flight I plowed into the ground. getting a little dark and lost orientation.. shoulda throttled down but I flew it right into the ground.
Tough little plane, broke the needle valve off the back plate but all else looks good.
But, the engine... how should I go about cleaning it out. and what are the chances its not damaged?
I was careful not to turn it over but like I said, it was running when it hit..
I'll wait for advice but I figure:
1. brush of the external dirt.
2. remove the carb.
3. remove the back plate.
4. put whole engine in container of fuel and swish around.
5 squirt fuel into the engine.
Repeat?
Or should I soak it before taking apart?
Thanks
Steve
Problem is on my last flight I plowed into the ground. getting a little dark and lost orientation.. shoulda throttled down but I flew it right into the ground.
Tough little plane, broke the needle valve off the back plate but all else looks good.
But, the engine... how should I go about cleaning it out. and what are the chances its not damaged?
I was careful not to turn it over but like I said, it was running when it hit..
I'll wait for advice but I figure:
1. brush of the external dirt.
2. remove the carb.
3. remove the back plate.
4. put whole engine in container of fuel and swish around.
5 squirt fuel into the engine.
Repeat?
Or should I soak it before taking apart?
Thanks
Steve
05-11-2010 | 06:42 PM
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From: , TX
RE: Planted my new engine 6
I would take carb off, take out glow plug needle valve and soak over night in a jar of fuel, then next day take apart and see if there is damage, if any you got a bent crank shaft.
05-11-2010 | 06:47 PM
#3
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RE: Planted my new engine 6
Always gonna get different opinions here....if you have a container of fuel ready to soak it in,,then I would ,remove from plane, rinse and brush off under warm water, remove the backplate...drop in the fuel, what engine is this?..bearing or bushed?...take the prop off/plug out and rotate it back and foth under the fuel but dont turn it over until your sure its cleaned out....Rog
More than likely it died the instant it hit dirt and didnt actually ingest any...
More than likely it died the instant it hit dirt and didnt actually ingest any...
05-11-2010 | 06:51 PM
#5
RE: Planted my new engine 6
I would take my time and brush off as much dirt as possable with a tooth brush, being sure not to get any dirt (or any more dirt ) into the carb...remove carb if necessary.
Then spray it off with automotive carb cleaner...leave the muffler on, or plug the exh. w/ paper towel...the "jet spray" will get rid of anything you missed with the tooth brush.
Q-tips come in real handy too...
Sometimes, soaking the engine will allow dirt that you might have missed to get into the engine and do more harm than good.
Only disassemble if it's abosolutely necessary.
Edit: I see that it's an LA...then carb cleaner might not be the best thing to use...it could damage the plastic backplate? If it's a blue one, it might not be friendly to that either?
If you rinse w/ water, make it rather warm/hot water, then test run it long enough to burn off any moisture and/or oil it throughly asap.
(I WAS gonna make a wise a** comment...something like..no matter how well you plant them, you'll never get a new one to sprout...
..but I won't 
)
Then spray it off with automotive carb cleaner...leave the muffler on, or plug the exh. w/ paper towel...the "jet spray" will get rid of anything you missed with the tooth brush.
Q-tips come in real handy too...
Sometimes, soaking the engine will allow dirt that you might have missed to get into the engine and do more harm than good.
Only disassemble if it's abosolutely necessary.
Edit: I see that it's an LA...then carb cleaner might not be the best thing to use...it could damage the plastic backplate? If it's a blue one, it might not be friendly to that either?
If you rinse w/ water, make it rather warm/hot water, then test run it long enough to burn off any moisture and/or oil it throughly asap.
(I WAS gonna make a wise a** comment...something like..no matter how well you plant them, you'll never get a new one to sprout...
..but I won't )
05-11-2010 | 07:55 PM
#6
RE: Planted my new engine 6
Sorry to read about the crash.
Check this article out:
http://www.masportaviator.com/ah.asp?CatID=2&ID=24
Check this article out:
http://www.masportaviator.com/ah.asp?CatID=2&ID=24
05-12-2010 | 09:19 AM
#7
RE: Planted my new engine 6
I clean mine as Proptop does. I use the cans of automotive spray carb cleaner. I have had no problems with the plastic parts deteriorating from it. If you soak the plastic parts in carb cleaner then you will have problems. I tipically brush the exterior clean of loose dirt, remove the carb and plug the hole with my thumb and spray it all down. Set it aside and clean out the carb with the spray. Then I will remove the back-plate and cylinder head and clean internally. Soak the inside with afterrun oil and reassemble.
05-12-2010 | 03:22 PM
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From: Poolesville, MD
RE: Planted my new engine 6
I've washed my engines in WATER, soaking them completely to help dislodge dirt etc.
After repeated rinses, I'll flush remaining water out with ( old ) glow fuel and WD40 spray as needed.
Pulling the back plate helps, if you do not wish to remove the cylinder head....
It is important to test the engine to be sure it is clean by LIGHTLY turning the crankshaft after you have it cleaned and dried.
If you even BEGIN to feel any grittiness, STOP and clean it again, possibly taking it apart even further, and brushing things out with it wet.
Normally if I've planted an engine, I'll also take the time to remove any baked on deposits with Dawn Power Dissolver too.
If you are careful, it should start right up with the factory settings.
After repeated rinses, I'll flush remaining water out with ( old ) glow fuel and WD40 spray as needed.
Pulling the back plate helps, if you do not wish to remove the cylinder head....
It is important to test the engine to be sure it is clean by LIGHTLY turning the crankshaft after you have it cleaned and dried.
If you even BEGIN to feel any grittiness, STOP and clean it again, possibly taking it apart even further, and brushing things out with it wet.
Normally if I've planted an engine, I'll also take the time to remove any baked on deposits with Dawn Power Dissolver too.
If you are careful, it should start right up with the factory settings.
05-12-2010 | 04:56 PM
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From: Fort Lauderdale, FL
RE: Planted my new engine 6
ORIGINAL: opjose
I've washed my engines in WATER, soaking them completely to help dislodge dirt etc.
After repeated rinses, I'll flush remaining water out with ( old ) glow fuel and WD40 spray as needed.
Pulling the back plate helps, if you do not wish to remove the cylinder head....
It is important to test the engine to be sure it is clean by LIGHTLY turning the crankshaft after you have it cleaned and dried.
If you even BEGIN to feel any grittiness, STOP and clean it again, possibly taking it apart even further, and brushing things out with it wet.
Normally if I've planted an engine, I'll also take the time to remove any baked on deposits with Dawn Power Dissolver too.
If you are careful, it should start right up with the factory settings.
I've washed my engines in WATER, soaking them completely to help dislodge dirt etc.
After repeated rinses, I'll flush remaining water out with ( old ) glow fuel and WD40 spray as needed.
Pulling the back plate helps, if you do not wish to remove the cylinder head....
It is important to test the engine to be sure it is clean by LIGHTLY turning the crankshaft after you have it cleaned and dried.
If you even BEGIN to feel any grittiness, STOP and clean it again, possibly taking it apart even further, and brushing things out with it wet.
Normally if I've planted an engine, I'll also take the time to remove any baked on deposits with Dawn Power Dissolver too.
If you are careful, it should start right up with the factory settings.
05-12-2010 | 07:46 PM
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From: bellingham,
MA
RE: Planted my new engine 6
Thanks all, Everythings back together and it fired right up. couldnt find my tac but I can tell its screaming like a swarm of angry bees...
Steve
Steve
05-12-2010 | 08:20 PM
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RE: Planted my new engine 6
OK.....all's well in engine land. It's kind of rare to see dirt make it's way past the throttle valve, even rarer to see it travel deep inside the crankcase.
NOW, get some contrast on the top side of that wing so you can tell rightsideup from upside down in the blink of an eye.
I like to leave the bottom side of the plane as plain as possible and put all the "art work" on top. When I see a flash of brilliance from the top side, then I've "got it"....just like that.
Sounds like you're making good progress in your quest to get into RC combat, nice going.
I'd get a remote needle valve mounted to a piece of nylon or delrin, stick it behind the engine somewhere and forget about the stock OS backplate set up. If you do this, you'll have a "life-time" set up that almost completely eliminates one more thing that can go wrong.
MECCOA sells a universal NVA, so does JETT Engineering. The best of the best would be to use a OS C/L venturi [ditch the carb] and go with a servo driven fuel line pinch for your engine kill.
The fuel line pinch is mounted behind the engine and the C/L venturi is so compact they almost never break in a crash.
NOW, get some contrast on the top side of that wing so you can tell rightsideup from upside down in the blink of an eye.
I like to leave the bottom side of the plane as plain as possible and put all the "art work" on top. When I see a flash of brilliance from the top side, then I've "got it"....just like that.
Sounds like you're making good progress in your quest to get into RC combat, nice going.
I'd get a remote needle valve mounted to a piece of nylon or delrin, stick it behind the engine somewhere and forget about the stock OS backplate set up. If you do this, you'll have a "life-time" set up that almost completely eliminates one more thing that can go wrong.
MECCOA sells a universal NVA, so does JETT Engineering. The best of the best would be to use a OS C/L venturi [ditch the carb] and go with a servo driven fuel line pinch for your engine kill.
The fuel line pinch is mounted behind the engine and the C/L venturi is so compact they almost never break in a crash.
05-13-2010 | 12:32 AM
#12
RE: Planted my new engine 6
ORIGINAL: LNEWQBAN
Sorry to read about the crash.
Check this article out:
http://www.masportaviator.com/ah.asp?CatID=2&ID=24
Sorry to read about the crash.
Check this article out:
http://www.masportaviator.com/ah.asp?CatID=2&ID=24
05-13-2010 | 02:44 PM
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From: bellingham,
MA
RE: Planted my new engine 6
ORIGINAL: combatpigg
OK.....all's well in engine land. It's kind of rare to see dirt make it's way past the throttle valve, even rarer to see it travel deep inside the crankcase.
NOW, get some contrast on the top side of that wing so you can tell rightsideup from upside down in the blink of an eye.
I like to leave the bottom side of the plane as plain as possible and put all the ''art work'' on top. When I see a flash of brilliance from the top side, then I've ''got it''....just like that.
Sounds like you're making good progress in your quest to get into RC combat, nice going.
I'd get a remote needle valve mounted to a piece of nylon or delrin, stick it behind the engine somewhere and forget about the stock OS backplate set up. If you do this, you'll have a ''life-time'' set up that almost completely eliminates one more thing that can go wrong.
MECCOA sells a universal NVA, so does JETT Engineering. The best of the best would be to use a OS C/L venturi [ditch the carb] and go with a servo driven fuel line pinch for your engine kill.
The fuel line pinch is mounted behind the engine and the C/L venturi is so compact they almost never break in a crash.
OK.....all's well in engine land. It's kind of rare to see dirt make it's way past the throttle valve, even rarer to see it travel deep inside the crankcase.
NOW, get some contrast on the top side of that wing so you can tell rightsideup from upside down in the blink of an eye.
I like to leave the bottom side of the plane as plain as possible and put all the ''art work'' on top. When I see a flash of brilliance from the top side, then I've ''got it''....just like that.
Sounds like you're making good progress in your quest to get into RC combat, nice going.
I'd get a remote needle valve mounted to a piece of nylon or delrin, stick it behind the engine somewhere and forget about the stock OS backplate set up. If you do this, you'll have a ''life-time'' set up that almost completely eliminates one more thing that can go wrong.
MECCOA sells a universal NVA, so does JETT Engineering. The best of the best would be to use a OS C/L venturi [ditch the carb] and go with a servo driven fuel line pinch for your engine kill.
The fuel line pinch is mounted behind the engine and the C/L venturi is so compact they almost never break in a crash.
Steve
05-13-2010 | 04:48 PM
#14
Senior Member
My Feedback: (3)
RE: Planted my new engine 6
If you fly from a field with nice, low cut grass you can pull about 5 arm lengths of crepe paper off a roll, triple fold the crepe paper at 1 end and use a lightweight yarn to tie the crepe paper to the plane. You can tie the yarn [or string] to the tail boom. A fishing swivel helps to keep the string leader from raveling up. I usually make the string [or yarn] leaders about 10-20 feet long, depending on field conditions. The idea is to get a nice big target out there to discourage aiming at each other's planes. Too much of a streamer will yank the plane when you do hard maneuvers. You could find out what a "rulebook" streamer is from the RCCA web site or AMA rulebook.
