I decided to start flying again and pulled out a sig akrobat kit I built the wing for about 15+ years ago (if memory serves me correctly), and my dad gave me a Tom Dixon fox .35 stage two also from about 15+ years ago. I have ordered the fox hemi kit for this engine (head and backplate), but I am unsure which muffler to get. I have the stock fox muffler, but would rather use a tonge type or an adamison canister(?) type. Anybody have experience with these you would like to share.

Tongue muffler works fine. RSM, Stuka Stunt Works, etc have them.

Jim

Hi Red

Here's Toms website, he still does engines and parts.

Just did my Super Tiger.


[link=http://members.tripod.com/~TomDixon/tomdixon.htm]http://members.tripod.com/~TomDixon/tomdixon.htm[/link]

Bye for now Mick

Thanks, I'll have to get in touch him.

Red, I just read the January issue of Flying Models and Allen Brickhouse has a report on a new muffler maker. Thery are made of a magnessium alloy. Allen said he uses them on his Fox 35's. sounds like the design is a weight saver and it must work good if Mr.Brickhouse uses them. The other mfgr's are good people too, I have used there mufflers, just thought I might mention the latest.
Cost is listed at $20.00+ shipping
The contact is: Richard Linthicum. email- [email protected]

Thanks again for the info. My dad did a little searching and found a new Tom Dixon muffler also (canister type) and he was kind enough to donate it to my cause. Now All I need to do is to get the ole lady to cut me some slack on a little more room to occupy with this plane. Hopefully have it ready for this spring.

hey i have a fox.35 too, can you run it with no muffler at all?

Actually, the Fox 35 was designed to run without a muffler. It will be loud, however!!

The later Fox 35 engines have provision for muffler mounting and the current production engine comes with a muffler
(ugly and heavy). The guys that I know who use the Fox 35 usually use a tongue muffler designed specifically for the engine, since the the engine does not like much backpressure.

Jim

PS: Be sure to use the correct fuel for the Fox--lots of oil (at least 25 % castor, with 3% syn. oil).

My unmuffled Stunt .29 and .35 are quieter than many muffled IMAC planes.

ok thanks, but i dont have any fox fuel but i do have some trinity 16 persent nitro and 12 persent oil half and half do you think i could get some castor oil from sig or something and mix it together to bring the oil content up?

My local LHC stocks the Sig Castor. They're getting about $5 a bottle for it, which is enough to juice a gallon of some 20% oil generic fuel. A lapped engine won't last long on 12% oil

what do you think about some motorcycle two stroke oil? i got a lot of that!

oh and what do you think about a hemi kit for the fox.35 is it worth it? i'm puting my fox.35 my top flight nobler my first control line plane! do you think i'll need the extra power?

I'd pass on the motorcycle oil.

Lots of Noblers were flown with stock stunt .35's. If its not all whupped out it should be OK.

alright cool well it should be good to go then the engine is brand new just got it still puting my nobler together just got done making the push rods should have it done in one or two days

alright got the nobler done, engines in, i got some sig 10 persent nitro and 25 persent oil, now i'm going to try to start my new fox.35
any ideas on breaking it in?

Yes, I have some ideas that will instantly ruffle the feathers of many Fox 35 pilots. However I flew them many hours for 20 years and while I started out all wrong, later in time I met some real engine people and they pointed me in a very good direction.
10% nitro is high for the foxy lady (she's a rather cheap date ) however if you add another 4 oz. castor to that 25% oil (???kind???) fuel, you may get by OK. Edited to add: Assuming you have a gallon.
Now get yourself the widest blade WOOD 12-6 prop you can find, and cut it to a 9-6. Balance it well. Be sure to trim off the trailing edge of the prop so as no danger of cutting a finger when you flip the prop.

When you have it set up to run on the stand, open the NV until you can blow air through it easily. Hook up the fuel line and choke it by covering the venturi with a finger while flipping the prop. When fuel comes up to the NV, flip once more. Now turn on the glow plug (BTW if you can find one use an Idle bar, McCoy 50, Fox, K&B in order of preference) and using your thumb and first two fingers rotate the prop rather fast. You will feel a "BUMP". She is ready to play! Flip smartly and the Fox will definitely start on that flip after break-in. Now you may have to use your imagination. It starts and fades -- too lean. It starts and dies quickly, probably too rich. Once you keep messing around, it will start running. Run for only a 1/2 minute and let cool. After a few short runs, be sure to get a RICH setting, then go to work. After a few 1-2 minute runs with cooling periods between, you can tune for a very rich setting then start and by GENTLY and SLOWLY pinching the fuel line allowing it to get fairly fast then releasing, you will heat and cool, heat and cool and keep this up for some 25-30 ounces of fuel consumption.
This procedure with the small prop will prevent the head from warping and will break-in the engine much faster and much better than running 3 gallons of fuel through it at simply a rich setting. It's the constant temperature change that does it. Soon you will be able to use the proverbial 10-6 or 11-4 and sustain a run on the verge of the 2-4 break. By then the foxy-lady is ready for real performance.
Now if you really want to blow their minds, get an OS 35-40 NV or Enya same, and swap out that fox standard equipment. Rotate your spray bar until the ONE hole in that spray bar is just a hair out of sight facing BACK parallel with the crankshaft. This is not a carb. so select the area of lowest static pressure and that is it. Your fox will perform extremely well in the stunt patterns.
BTDT many years ago. Getting set up to do it again.

What Horrace said is good advice. My only difference is that I use a regular 9 x 4 for break in and use a Super Tigre NVA. I never could get the flat end needle Fox NVA to give consistant runs. The newer Fox NVA's are better. I run various 11 x 5's on Foxes. The APC 10.5 x 4.5 is said to be very good, but I have not yet tried it.

well i tryed to start it today with hossflys advice in mind, but i ran it to rich and it locked up and i had to pull the head off to free it, did this three times before i got the setting half right, i got it to pop and skip but nothing else[], i'm going to play around with the setting some more untill i get it right and it fires up because everything else is fine, checked the glow plug...good, and the nitro fuel is good so it must be my setting, so if anybody knows a special magic number of turns out it would really help!

PT-19boy,

I would suggest you get someone to look over the engine and help you. I have NEVER heard of an iron/steel engine locking up from running too rich.

George

To posts #19 and #20...

If it was just the top end had locked up on too much liquid fuel trapped up there, pulling the glow plug should have freed it.

And, that is the only way I can think of for an engine like Fox 35 to lock solid with the piston up...

I have a Fox 35 I bought new, mid eighties model. It was very, very tight. It wouldn't spin freely with the glow plug removed and the backplate loose. It would run for a second or two and then stop. In the end I had to hand lap the piston and cylinder to get it running.
I am not suggesting you do this, not at all, but you might have a tight Fox. If so then keep plugging away, it will start. Keep it rich too.

Edit: Hossfly's advice is very good, worth following.

that's what is was i was running it to rich and the top end would fill up with fuel and would not turn over all the way, and i would take off the top end to free it up, i guess i had really really rich, does anybody have any ideas about a number of turns out? i tried everything five turns out, then four turns out, then three turns out all the way down to two! made sure the engine was good and dry every time before i started with a new setting to make sure it would not flood, like i said glow plugs good nitro fuel 27 persent oil 10 persent nitro brand new fuel! so i dont know, any advice would help.

PT-19boy,

After rereading your posts I see that you are breaking-in your engine while mounted in a Nobler. Assuming a normal inverted installation, I can now see that you got a hydraulic lock.

If at all possible use a bench test stand with upright engine for the break-in, at least for the very rich part.

Otherwise there are two common ways to clear the cylinder: First is to hold the engine with exhaust down and piston down and let the fuel drain out of the exhaust and through the muffler. The second way is what Lou mentioned...remove the plug and let it drain.

After you have used one of those methods, install the glow driver and flip the engine backwards. It will probably run backwards a bit, then start running in the right direction.

Good luck.

George

well tried my good old fox.35 again today, nothing[&o] did a skip and a pop and nothing else, did every needle valve setting you could think of, tried all castor oil fuel, tried castor and synthetic, put in a brand new glow plug, new battrys in my glow plug stick, and still nothing.