In addition to the cost of electronic ignition the dynamic balance of the engine is better when running magneto.

Bill

Hi Roger,
Dave is correct - they're only throwaways if you're paying $4o per hour labor. If you like these little engines and want to start a stash, as I have done, I have this advice: First, be wary of any engine that was stored outside, exposed to rain. It's not only what you'll see on the exterior, the muffler and bolt heads, for example; it's the corrosion that will most likely have formed on the inside that causes the mess. Unless you can trust the seller, you won't know until you do a tear-down. Yes, aluminum corrodes like crazy. Second, develop a haggler mindset. Be nice, but don't pay more that you have to. - EZFLY

EZFLY,
Thanks for the tips. I live in a rather remote area but I see old weedwhackers at yard sales from time to time. I think will try to start a cashe of them. We have one small engine guy in our quaint village (Pop. 750) so I might be able to pick up some from him on the cheap. Now all I need is a turret lathe and mill to make my own parts. Right!! I still plan on building a 1/4 scale Woodhopper ultralite for my weedee engine. It ought to perfect for an 8 foot span/15 inch chord clark Y wing.

Roger, IMO you've hit the bull's eye. At one time, when I saw a Ryobi I said "EL YUK." Now that I'm retired on a "fixed " income I'm singing that tune in reverse: "KUYLE" as in cool. OK all you Ryobi enthusiasts, I've come clean; hope I'm forgiven!

As to my "throw-away" remark above (didn't I just say "I've come clean"- YIKES!), this has been covered several times before ( ck TKG of C-H Ignition, for example).

If you can, stay away from Ryobis that were exposed to rain. Moisture in the crankcase is bad news. Extent of corrosion depends on how long they've been wet.

Finally, to paraphrase Lucy (Peanuts): Don't take Ryobi conversions too seriously. Enjoy, EZFLY

Hi,

Roger- A turret lathe and a vertical mill...wow, I only wish. Some years back, lots of local shops went bust during the Rust Belt era, and you could pick up a Bridgeport for well under $1500.

Another embareassing(sic) revelation: My initial exposure to RCU was mainly in the BUY/SELL areas. So when I decided to become a "motorhead" and do some conversions I didn't check the FORUMs first. After joining-in recently and becomming a Member, THEN I checked these Ryobi threads! Boy did I ever reinvent the wheel! [] But, ya know, I'm really enjoying the experience. I don't think I'll ever be a "real" motorhead, but I sorta FEEL like one. Some of the guys told me that "you can't do this kind of work without a bunch of machinery." True, I sent the flywheels out, but everything else was done with simple hand tools, a drillpress, and a dinky little Unimat lathe. It's amazing what can be accomplished when the mind is in gear. (I guess that makes me a "gearhead" too!!)

Sorry for all the "chatter," guess it comes with the territory. For a real dose, search "Al Kretz." Zowwee Diggins! That's REALLY a chatty thread!

Enjoy your Ryobis. EZFLY

EZYFLY,
Turret lathe? Vetical mill? Oh, if only! I doubt that there are any of them in the entire county. As a Tool and Production planner at a large Airplane manufactrer up here in the Northwest I wrote manufactruing plans for airplane parts and tools. How about a five axis NC mill? That thing could make an engine out of one billet. My own shop is more primitive. I use a belt sander. drillpress, drummel tool, bench grinder, hacksaw, and several sizes of hammers! I cant' make prop hubs but I can make flat parts bend things. I need Santa to bring me a gas welding setup and I will be set.

Once I get a prop on her I can set up my test cell and get her tuned up. I still dont' have an airplane that I can use but that will come. Perhaps a giant pink foamy.

I have been reading these postings on Ryobi Engines. Didn't know it but the ones I have been fooling with for years, some of them are Ryobi. I recently have stumbled onto a supply made by Mtd. I am a vendor who works at Lowes. If they get any rejects back MTD will credit them and the RTM clerk just throws them away. I have talked to the store manager about buying the engines off these trimmers. The downside to this is these crankcases are cast in such a way that you must grind the metal shroud from around the fly-wheel. I've always stuck to the engines that are not rear induction. Will these really turn up and put out good power? These are 31cc engines.
Mike

HI,
The Ryobi is the most conversion for airplanes. The Homelite is also very popular, but you do have to trim the flange from the case. The amount of power produced is dependent on a few factors, such as carb size, muffler and cylinder configuration. Some engines have curves cast above the transfer ports to ease starting. These reduce power output. The two ring ring engines seem to be best. Most of the parts are interchangable, so you can mix and match for best configuration.

Dave

joemyke,

The Ryobis with a two-piece crankcase are much easier to convert, but the ones with integral flywheel shrouds can be cleaned up nicely. It seems that the more-recent production runs used the one-piece casting. Such is progress![>:] Either way, once you get the hang of converting these engines, it goes quickly, with only minor metal work. You don't need a machine shop!

As you may have seen in my earlier posts, I'm all for accumulating a bunch of these engines; it's basically the only way you're going to get parts. True, Ryobis shouldn't be referred to as "high-perfomance" or "high-power" engines, but I prefer to stay well clear of the 18-8 prop on a running Ryobi! So, considering the dollars involved, Ryobis have plenty power and they perform quite well too. It all depends on what you want to fly and the kind of flying you want to do.

EZFLY

Purchasing individual parts for one of the these will cost you more than the initial outlay. Its best to have some spares on hand. When you consider that a coil costs $40 or a flywhell costs $40 or a carb cost $40.

I got a Mac 32 out of the trash about a month ago. There was nothing wrong with it. I use it to whack the weeds around the house. I already have a couple of converted Macs.

Just picked up a few more Ryobis. All are two-piece crankcases. Thought they were all going to be junkers for parts, but all except one is OK. I'll have to say that not every engine with signs of corrosion on the outside is bad on the inside, but be careful or bid down the price. It seems like most guys don't want to bother with the one-piece cases, but it looks like there are still a load of two-piece cases out there.