Winter Storage
 

Ok...not a happy subject...but it is about time for me to start thinking about storage for the winter[:o]

My question is, what is the best way to store my engines for the winter. Presently I keep my planes in the garage, and thought perhaps it may not be a bad idea to take the engines and battery packs out of my planes and store them inside. Do I need to do anyting special to the engines to prep them for winter storage? How about my NiCad packs?

Thanks,

Joe

RE: Winter Storage
 

For the engines, make sure all the fuel is drained out of them. Pull the plug and put some light weight machine oil in the plug hole and through the carb. Make sure the oil works its way to all the bearings and other moving parts. Put the plug back in and put something in the carb to keep dust out. In the spring, remove the plug and whatever you put in the carb, put a piece of cloth over the plug hole, and give it a quick spin with a starter to blow the oil out. Put the plug back in, or install a new one, fuel it up, set the needle a bit rich and it should start right up.

Unplug the battery packs. Discharge them to 1.1v per cell and don't worry about them til spring. Red's R/C battery clinic has a great article covering the details: http://www.rcbatteryclinic.com/

RE: Winter Storage
 

First thing to do is clean everything real good. get all of the fuel/oil residue off of the planes. If fuel has gotten inside (into the wood) try to get that absorbed. Some use kitty litter, corn starch, talc powder and others that will be mentioned. Tighten/tack down any loose covering and make any needed repairs. The engine should have been burned absolutely dry at the field and just load it up well with the after run oil of your choice. Be sure to put some down the plug hole and turn the engine over a few times slowly before reinstalling the plug. Make sure the crank case has a fair quantity of oil in it and that it has gotten onto all internal surfaces. Take the RX batteries out of the plane. I usually just overnite charge mine once per month during off season and have never had a pack go bad but I know there will be other ideas presented on this subject. I keep my TX's and RX batteries in the indoor closet where thy will not be disturbed except for charging. Store the planes where snow shovels and everything else will not present a danger.
If all this can't be done, just box it all up and send it to me and I'll fly them for you all winter, without charging you either. Nice guy that I am. :D

RE: Winter Storage
 

Or you could just go move in with Bruce for the winter and fly them yourself...[sm=bananahead.gif][sm=bananahead.gif]

RE: Winter Storage
 

Or you can quit your job, pack up everything, and move south to a climate where you don't shut down for winter!! :D:D

We're lucky here in SW Oklahoma that we never really shut down during winter, we'll still get flyable days during the winter so we just leave our planes ready to fly!!

Ken

RE: Winter Storage
 

I vote that we all move in with Kiswa and let his wife cook for us. Of course they may have other opinions. IF we were to ask, that is. :D Surprise party!!! :)

Bring your own furniture to fly! :D


BTW Ken - I've been to Lawton in the winter, remember I worked there for a while many years ago. No thanks.

RE: Winter Storage
 

yeah, i just returned from a trip to Orlando, then over to Dallas/Fort Worth then home.

Average temp in Orlando when I was there 85

Average temp in Dallas 87

Temperature when I landed in Ohio last nite 38 [&o]

RE: Winter Storage
 

Welcome home. I lived in Detroit area for my first 23 years. I can sympathize.

RE: Winter Storage
 

My favorite homemade afterun oil. 1/2 automatic transmission fluid and 1/2 Marvel Mystery air tool oil. Doesn't gum up, or dry out, just leaves a nice oily protected surface. Like I read in another post, "you don't find automatic transmissions corrodded, its because of the AT fluid". The Marvel Mystery air tool oil is good because our motor are very similar to air tools. So both oils mixed together, have an affect of preserving. Check it out. Do a search. Make just one batch, and you'll have plenty for years. Good flying to you.

Tom

RE: Winter Storage
 

My fellow modellers, I sympathise with all of you who have to store away for the winter period. Here in my sunbaked country we never have those problems. Rain is the only problem i have to contend with all year round, and lately there hasn't been much of that either. So my suggestion to you all is to come to Australia for your winter season, and fly with me every day of the year. I am averaging 800+ flights a year.

RE: Winter Storage
 

800+ flights a year[X(] It's official, I'm moving.

RE: Winter Storage
 

Do what I do and just get yourself some skis. Flying off the snow is a blast!

-Scott

RE: Winter Storage
 

We were lucky last year, we did not get allot of snow and I think there was about one month where the field was covered with snow that was deep enough to not fly so I got in roughly 700 flights on about 7 different planes. Some of these were trim flights to the tune over about 30 - 50 flights for each plane while running through a trim sheet. Some were more and some were less. No real need to do that with a 4* but the really good aerobatic one really benefit from it.

I do agree, I think we should all move south to florida and call ourselves the "transplant club" :D

Now for the question, I never once took out anything from the planes in regards to the engine. I did what everyone already suggested and added light oil after running them dry, but I wrapped the engine while still mounted in a freezer bag. Once a while I would go and turn it over a few times to keep the oil spread out plus for the glow engines I stored them nose down to keep the oil in the bearings.

I'm paranoid about batteries, and since I fly allot over the flying season I just replaced them with new ones when spring comes around. It's expensive, but since I fly larger planes then it's well worth my piece of what little mind I have left. Now this winter will be different since all but one of my planes are now on Lith-Ion packs. These will get removed and stored in the house.

RE: Winter Storage
 

I keep all my aircraft in my basement. All my rx batteries are not permanently mounted. When not in use, they are kept in a parts drawer. I keep them charged and cycle them once a month in the winter. They are all 1600 nimh packs. As far as my glow planes, I don't put after run oil in them. In my basement, I run a de-humidifier all year long. I haven't noticed any rust problems in the engines. I also run Morgan Cool Power as fuel. They state on the bottle that after run oil is not needed. If I kept them outside in a garage, then I'd probably use after run oil. I also cover the carbs with a rubber cap and the exhaust holes are plugged.

Dave...

RE: Winter Storage
 

How much oil do you put in the plug hole and carb?

RE: Winter Storage
 

IMO @ 1/4 teaspoon in the plug hole and a teaspoon in the carb. Do the plug first and turn the engine over several times to circulate the oil before doing the carb and doing the same. Then put the plug back in. Try to make sure the engine bearings get coated well with oil, a big (.60) engine may need more oil. Wrap engine in plastic to keep dirt/dust out of it during storage.

In spring take out plug, cover head with a rag to catch spray and turn engine over with starter to flush cylinder, check plug and reinstall. Checking plug will also burn off any oil residue. Always turn engine over by hand the first time to make sure it turns free and that you will not damage engine with the starter

RE: Winter Storage
 

I have a question that is along the same lines of this thread... Like RCKen, I live in Southern Oklahoma, and we never really shut down the flying in the winter. I bought a trailer this summer to transport my planes. I dont have a garage to park it in, so it stays parked beside my house. With it getting cold weather now, do I need to bring the planes in the house, or are they going to be alright remaining in the trailer? I bring my radio and field box/fuel in the house already.

RE: Winter Storage
 

I'm not sure I would want my batteries to freeze, but other than that I see no major problem. Exercize servos well too because because they may get stiff.

RE: Winter Storage
 

...bring the trailer in the house

RE: Winter Storage
 

LOL!! Might be kinda hard to fit it through the front door... wifey probably wouldnt like it much, either!:D

RE: Winter Storage
 

After my last flight for the year, I stored my plane above the rafters in my non-heated garage and didn't get it back down for 5 years in Ohio. I left 1/2 tank of fuel in and also left the batteries in the plane. I didn't cover nothing up!

After 5 years I got it down, charged the batteries, blew on the carburator to get any dust out, filled it up with fuel and flew it for 2 more years before I sold it.

In fact, up until this year I have never used any type of after run oil in my engines and never had a problem with any of them. Why I started using it now, I'll never know! Makes me feel better I guess and that's about it! Well, I'm not even to sure about that. With what I paid for the after run oil, I could have had a couple extra props.

But what do I know about anything?

Big Dan

RE: Winter Storage
 

You put after run oil in both 2 stroke and 4 stroke ?

RE: Winter Storage
 

Us poor old northerns do have more work to do.. Iam on lake erie snow belt, so winter flying is a litte tuff but that's another story. All battery manufactors are pretty much consistant. Charge and keep cool as possable to slow discharge but lately just plain keep cold but that's Nixx's. Lead acid and Pb's must be maintain charged. Any battery that's discharged can freeze that is a bad thing. So bring into bedroom with wife she'll find a place for them:D. My garage sweats as temperature goes up and down then my planes get to damp in winter and warp, ask me how I know.. Me up here in winter land " Four inches of snow as I type" , charge , oil and drain tank then hang in basement and dream of spring HA HA

RE: Winter Storage
 

Yes. If you are one of those who oil your engines (not all are) they are basically the same metallurgically.