Fuel Types
 

Hi,

I fly a World Models P-51 (.46 size) fitted with an Irvine .53, and also a 1909 Bleriot fitted with an old Saito FA40 Special Semi Head. My question concerns fuel - I presently use Model Technics Duraglow 5 - App 9%castor, 9%oil and 5% Nitro. I was advised by some members answering another thread of mine to go ahead and use the Duraglow in both engines. However...

Over here in the UK we have a specialist company named 'Just Engines' and on their website 'www.justengines.unseen.org/' states that Duraglow is good for 4 stroke/cycle engines - but NOT for 2 stroke!! They go on to say that all major 2 stroke engine manafacturers now will not honour warranty on a 2 stroke which has been run on Duraglow.

The only solution I could come up with is to increase the amount of oil by adding soem Castor Oil to the fuel. Your thoughts on the above would be appreciated - and if anyone is reading from the UK and can tell me where to get some castor from, that would be even better!

Many Thanks

RE: Fuel Types
 

If the fuel is 9% castor plus 9% synthetic, that's 18% total oil. OS and many other manufacturers recommend 18% oil content for the majority of their two and four stroke engines. Does justengines say 'why' they think your fuel is only good for four strokes?

RE: Fuel Types
 

Nah...

Check out the site yourself.. no reason given, but was just concerned..

RE: Fuel Types
 

I'm not from the UK but look for Castrol M. Castrol is an English company and even their name is a shortened form of CASToR OiL :)

RE: Fuel Types
 

Hi!
As you're from the right side of the pond :D why don't use 15% all synthetic oil like the rest of us is using in Europe!?;).
Hardly anyone over here in Sweden are using castor oil these days.
Haven't you heard of the Germans developing new synhetic oils 10-15 years ago for modelengine use!?
15% oil is the norm over here and many use even lower percentages.
The German Aerosynht 2 and Aerosave from Fuchs, has been the most popular brands used here.
I myself use the French brand Motul...You have probably have heard of if from the motorcycle racing world or from F1 racing. Motul has a special synthetic oil made for us glow adicts called Motul "Micro".

Why Just engines in Britain advokates 20% castor oil and not synthetics pussles me??
Being the Swedish MVVS distributor I recommend 15% all synthetic oil for all glow engines.

Regards!
Jan K
Airracing products

http://hem.passagen.se/airracing

RE: Fuel Types
 

Jan,

Hear what you're saying, but I'm afraid I have had some bad encounters with synthetics - and many of my friends also!

Basically, when setting the main mixture needle, if you set it too lean with a castor oil fuel the engine will just stop. However, if you do the same with a synthetic fuel what happens is that the engine keeps running - so the modeller thinks all is well - and flies - only to find that during the flight as the fuel gets lower and the mixture leans out, the engine suddenly starts sounding a little 'strange'.

On landing, you find that the plating off the piston/cyclinder has been damaged due to the synthetic allowing the engine to continue running in an increasingly lean state.

...God doesn't make mistakes - I'm happy to stick to nature's castor as a lubricant.