New Engine Break in On or Off
 

All it takes is one lean run to ruin an engine. A lot of engine wear comes from sitting around also. You will get a lot more hours out of one if you are using it every weekend. Like anything, the life expectancy is directly proportional to the care it recieves. I have seen many engines ruined in one flight. It would be impossible to give an accurate report on the average life expectancy of an engine. Experienced modelers engines invariably last longer than the engines of the inexperiened.

New Engine Break in On or Off
 

So the motto of the story is take good care of your engine!
You guys like flying in the winter?
Are the air currents stronger ? does the cold air affect your flights?
Questions,Questions,Questions!!!

New Engine Break in On or Off
 

Engines and planes perform better in the cold. My fingers do not.

New Engine Break in On or Off
 

NO!!!! I hate flying in the winter,it gets dark at 4.45 pm,its cloudy and cold,my fingers are cold and stiff,my eyes are running,my ears are burning, my toes are numb,In Dallas there is always wind currents,a calm day is 10 to 15 mph winds,yes the air is heavier in the winter making the plane more responsive, feel lucky to fly 2 or 3 days a week in the winter,theN it's usually an hour in the evening unless it's on the weekend,then still only 8 hours till dark. In the summer can fly 4 to 7 days a week,5 hours each evening,on weekends 13.5 hours on the week end days,plus get my 5 th wheel and some planes then head to fly ins. IN summer shorts and t shirt,hat big ole hairy smile,do I like winter flying? H--- NO!!

HOurs on Engines
 

YOU beat me to it Tattoo

I was reading along and was going to put it a little more politically BUT i like you Full of it comment. 15 hours Brother. SO I was thinking like you well I can only fly this engine on fifteen days. ( about 1 hour per trip to the flying field. Really maybe they meant 115 hours more like it I guess.

The DiBo

New Engine Break in On or Off
 

TerrellFlyer,
Do you know where to get info on Fly ins on the Net?
Just when outside today at work and froze my #$% off!
By the way talking up to 20" of the cold white stuff up my way.
so i can imagine how cold it gets handling the radio on cold days.
I think the best way is to stay inside and use the flight sim.

New Engine Break in On or Off
 

Evening Destructor,AMA,www.modelaircraft.org
little larger size www.fly-imaa.org,today was hi 50's low wind,tomorrow mid 60's low wind,guess me and the Edge 540 will get a little sun,grin,grin.

Thanks T F
 

:)

New Engine Break in On or Off
 

I SECOND THAT ALL THE WAY!!!

Re: New Engine Break in On or Off
 

I filled the tank and ran the craft around in circles on the paved lot.
On the second tank I made short hops and always reving and cutting down.
Third tank I took it up and I have about 20 hours on it and not even a fuel, adjustment so far.
Runs very smooth :)

Whirley Bird
 

So your saying that the throttle on the second tank does not have to be at a constant rpm?

Re: Whirley Bird
 

The manual that came with the engine said to run it rich and keep the RPM about half way so I gave just enough to make a short hop then cut back and made a soft landing.
Also the book said to keep the mixture rich.
As long as I can see smoke and I have the power i'm OK :)
A rich mixture wi keep the engine running cooler from what I read in the Manual :)

Re: Re: Whirley Bird
 

What Type of engine do you have?

Re: Re: Re: Whirley Bird
 

I have 2 OS 40's and 1 OS 46.Nice engines and I never had any problems with them

Nuff
 

I think at times we tend to get to technical on some things. As far as OS engines go. fill your tank, run one tank through it if you want ( rich if you have a tack top end it then turn the RPMs back 500 RPMs) Then next tank fly it, make sure is rich with good smoke trail. Have been breaking in Os engines for years most time I just stick them in the air. Never ever had a problem. BUT I never run them lean. I love the guys every time they start their engines are fiddling with the needle valves and SQUEEZING the last RPM out of the engine( and also annoying everyone else around them as they run the engine in the pits for longer periods of time than is necessary), Then want to know why the engine fails.

The DiBo

Re: Nuff
 

Dennis DiBona

You are so right!!
Thats just what they say in the factory owner manual.
Run it rich and make sure you see smoke.
My OS-40 idles so slow it dosen't move the plane on a paved surface and it never stalls.
More then 20 hours now and never needed any adjustments.
Only had on problem.
Ran out of fuel but I did that to see how the trainer would fly with a dead stick.
Just like I thought it would.
Like a truck :)
Can't beat the TH RTF trainers but ,WHEW!!!! they sure have some thick wings but the OS-40 does a great job with them :)

What's the average!
 

What's the average flight time on a tank of fuel with a :confused: trainer with a .40 engine

Re: What's the average!
 

..
Destructor,Thats a sharp looking bird ya got sitting there,
You have to give me some info on it.
As for the fule/flight time I never timed it plus i'm always bringing it in to top it off.
I did run it dry one time to see how it would fly with a dead stick.
The only thing I can say is the tank holds 10.5oz and I keep my enging running rich all the time.
Most of the time it's ful bore so i'd say my run time the way I fly and the 10X6 prop that came with it is about 9 minuts MAX.
I'll have to check it out this coming weekend and post the results here but i'll take a wild guess and say appx 1oz per minute :confused: ???

New Engine Break in On or Off
 

I have a 10 oz. tank in my trainer with a 40 sf and I fly 11 min (i use a timer) when it beeps, I land. (this leaves me enough fuel for at least two go arounds if I need them)

New Engine Break in On or Off
 

...Hi vegas mossie
Well I guess i'm pretty close because I run my OS-40 pretty much on the rich side but I think the RPM's are lower due to the bigger bite on the prop.
Thats close enough for me
BTW,
I put my GPS unit on several weeks ago and as the crow flies
Straight out,turn around and back for a landing it showed 1.2 miles.
Thats a long haul and I was going to count to 10 before I turned it back but I thought I was pushing it.
I understand the alitude record is over 27,000 feet.
I'd sure like to know what TX and RX was used because the power we run won't go that far.
Many thanks for the info :)

New Engine Break in On or Off
 

Dennis,

I agree with you. I set the needles on the rich side keeping a reliable idle and transition, then fly. Thats how I break in my engines. After a half dozen flights or so I start leaning it out. Thats it.

New Engine Break in On or Off
 

If your engine is an ABC Type breaking it in Too Rich will actually damage it since the parts will not get hot enough to expand.

It is allways a good idea to follow the instructions included with the engine.


As far as breaking in on or off the plane I do both.

Off the plane is easier when the engine is enclosed by a cowling

New Engine Break in On or Off
 

Hi Crashem ,after reading some of these post a person would think the instructions were for packing purposes only and the engine manufacturers didn't know a thing about engines,I can see why when I'm flying at the club some of the guys are always tinkering with there engines.

New Engine Break in On or Off
 

TerrellFlyer,

I know what you mean. I have found that once an engine is setup I need very little adjustments.

I took a TT GP.42 out of a zip lock baggie this summer that I had in storage since '99 put it a plane fired it up and flew for most of the summer needing only to adjust the needle valve no deadsticks no problems even still using orignal glowplug.

Maybe the instructions on break in and prop size/pitch range aren't as clear as the could be ;)

New Engine Break in On or Off
 

Pauly

That is basically exactly how OS tells you to break them in, Like someone said earlier they keep fiddling with thier engines. I set my needle at the time I first start to break my engine in ( rich I do use a tack and set it about 500 RPM under the max) and latter I lean it out a little at a time. BUT after that only when its really humid do I need to make a small adjustment. OF course I am only a sport flyer and not a compititon flyer so I assume they need a different set of tolorances than I have.
The DiBo