Homelite 26cc gas engine conversion help
 

Well I was looking in my shed for some metal rods for a landing gear and in a corner of the shed I see a gas Home-lite leaf blower with a 26CC engine. I didn't test the engine because the only thing going threw my head was "well got to take this engine out of it's plastic cage" and so I did pull it out and cleaned it up a bit and also repainted the muffler but I dont know if it will run. I tested the spark plug and it does work. The rubber part of the primer bulb broke so I know I have to replace that and was thinking about this kit to replace the bulb and some of the fuel line. The carburetor will open and close smoothly but I dont think it will work for a RC engine since i dont think i can hook up a servo. I dont know alot about small gas engines but I am pretty sure the piston has compression. The gasket for the crank shaft has to be replaced and the spinning part (which I think is called the fly wheel) spins smoothly. My goal with engine is to get it working to put in a SPAD 1/5 scale piper J-3 cub and to take it to a AMA event at my field. The event is August 15th which gives me around 50 days to get the motor running, build the plane, and get it to fly.



So since I'm 13 and dont have alot of experience with gas engines I need some help on what I should do to get this motor running. My first question is how can I test if the engine will run. Should I just reconnect the fuel tank fill it with some gas and try it that way or it there some other way.


Thanks
-sam

Here are some photos of the motor.
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2105455
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2105456
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2105457
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2105458
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2105459

W8ye, I've got a bunch going on and I'm going to let you take this one....

Sorry,
AV8TOR

So slight change of plan. After reading about this motor on the RCU forum I decided that I will not be using it but instead I will use a 25cc motor of a similar size. I still have to find a 25cc motor and I'm looking on ebay now.

-sam:cool:

I've got a Homelite 25cc, and a much better, Homelite 30cc that I can sell you cheap. You can convert them and you'll be much happier than with the engine you have. Send me a private message if you're interested.

AV8TOR

I've got a Homelite 25cc, and a much better, Homelite 30cc that I can sell you cheap. You can convert them and you'll be much happier than with the engine you have. Send me a private message if you're interested.

AV8TOR

Sorry for the double post. Man, sometimes these computer/website glitches are a pain....

AV8TOR

I feel your glitch based pain. My keyboard for some reason thinks that sometimes when I press the N key once I need 3 Ns not 1. I am interested in the motors and will send you a PM shortly.

Thank you.
-sam:cool:

Ok I sent a PM and hopefully you will receive it soon.

-sam:cool:

Since I dont have the machines to make the parts to convert the engine I was think of buying parts from Jag engines to convert it. So I would need a new muffler and the prop adapter also possible a 11mm carburetor to convert the engine to RC airplane use along making the engine lighter by removing unnecessary parts?

-sam:cool:

Yes, though a muffler is easy to make from the original and save the money on that. You just pry apart the muffler, take out all the guts, and then drill the holes and weld in outlet tubes. If you got it all ready to weld, a welding shop would probably weld or braze the outlet tubes in for you quite cheaply. I make most of my mufflers this way, and if anything, they actually weigh less than the aluminum ones you buy.

AV8TOR

Thanks for the tip. I still have the muffler from the 26cc engine that I was thinking of using but I cant get the back cover off. Does anyone have any tips on how to do this?

Thanks
-sam:cool:

I'll be sending you a muffler that works great for converting along with the Homelite 30cc. It's a nice little square one and fits the Homelite 30cc. You should wait for it to arrive. I carefully clamp them in a vice, and then using a sharp screw driver, I bit by bit open up the crimp that holds the muffler halves together. When you have worked your way around and gotten the crimp open enough, the muffler will come apart. Do it a little at a time so that you don't damage the muffler. Then when you take everything out from inside the muffler except the two bolt spacers that keep the muffler from crushing when the bolts are tightened, you can put it back together. Put it back in a vise, and use a hammer and a punch to little by little re-close that crimp. I usually coat the halves with JB Weld before crimping them back together to assure they don't leak and make a mess on the front of the airplane. Then you can make your outlet holes, prepare your outlet tubes, and weld them in. Done deal...

AV8TOR

Thank you.
-sam:cool:

I forgot to ask but does your 30cc homelite engine have a low and high speed needel on the carb.

Thanks
-sam:cool:

Yes, it does, and I will provide you with a good carb to use with the engine, so no need to buy another. Perhaps just a rebuild kit for the one I send you.

Hey! I provide full service! :)

AV8TOR

Great this engine gets better and better. What would those full services be, converting the engine for me at an additional charge?

-sam:cool:

Sorry but no. I have to both vacate the house I've been renting because it has been sold, and also undergo major surgery in less than two weeks.

AV8TOR

Good luck on both your move and your surgery. You have been a great help to both the OP and the rest of us in your help with conversions. If the deal with the 30 cc with the OP falls through, please let me know, I can source all the needed parts and do all of the non-machining conversion work myself. Thanks again.

Sincerely. Richard

I'm very sorry to hear that. Hopefully you will be able recover quickly. Thanks for such a great motor for such a low price. As for the rebuild kit I was planing on buying this one from home depot and also for the prop adapter I was planing on using something like this. Also if I pay for the engine today when will you be able to ship it.

Thanks
-sam:cool:

You're certainly welcome. I have been sorry to see the decline in "action" here in the conversions forum. They make great engines and I would far rather have a good conversion engine than one of the Chinese offerings myself. Plus, there is always the self satisfaction and pleasure of doing the conversion, and showing it to others. Every time I tell people that the airplane they just saw fly and do crazy stunts is powered by a (weedeater, leaf blower, chainsaw) engine, I get totally amazed responses. Some times people at the flying fields will "look down their noses" at such a plane, and say "Oh, it's powered by a WEEDEATER engine" in a desultory manner. Then they see how it runs and performs, and they quickly change their attitudes.

Anyway, I'm glad to help, and glad that I have been of help to many. Thank you for your appreciation and good wishes.

AV8TOR

That would be a good fuel filter to use in the tank, but that is not a carb rebuild kit like you will be needing. You need to wait and see which number carb you are actually going to use, then order a rebuild kit from someone like www.sepw.com or www.jackssmallengines.com

Also, that would not be a good option for a prop hub. It won't have enough surface area for the prop to seat against. You need one that looks something like the photo below. Try www.lambertsrc.com, or www.jagengines.com and see if they have one or will make you one for a Homelite 30cc. (A hub for a Homelite 25cc would be exactly the same.)

These are actual pictures of a Homelite 30cc.

AV8TOR

Hello Sam/sierra_bravo,

I mean this very sincerely, and I hope you take it as such. Your relative lack of understanding of gasoline engines as they are used for model application causes me much concern for your safety as well as that of those around you. May I suggest you enlist the help and guidance of someone that you can reach out in real time and real space. Also. read ALL that you can here on RCU and any other online sites for gasoline engine operation and use for RC models. A spinning propeller can inflict great harm to people and property and needs to be treated with great respect and understanding. Enjoy the hobby, but respect the potential hazards. Good luck.

Sincerely, Richard

Excellent post and thank you for making it. To the OP, be sure to read the "stickies" at the beginning of both this forum and the one at the beginning of the "Gas Engines" forum.

AV8TOR

I didn't read all the posts here but I have a Ryobi 31 cc engine with prop adaptor and the flywheel already machined I have no need for the engine, has carb and muffler ready to bolt on to the plane. 35 plus shipping. I have one on a World Models GS Spitifre.

Sorry already bought av8tors1977's engine. But could you just sell the prop adapter. Thanks

-sam:cool:

spaceworm
Thanks for your concern. I actually wont be doing a lot of the work on the engine but am going to have my brother(who is a mechanic and has many years of knowledge with gas engines) to help out with the project. Also I am going to ask some of the guys at my field if they have any knowledge on this subject.

-sam:cool:

Av8tor

I swear I must have read both [h=2]A Typical Weed Whacker Conversion [/h] and

Newbie to Gas General Information

at least 10 times each but I could read them 100 times more and even after that there is so much more I want to read

also it's a good thing that I have a large hardware store that has everything I need to convert the engine because home depot has almost nothing.

-sam:cool:

Well, that's good that you have qualified help, and that you want to read to increase your knowledge. We just don't want you to get hurt, nor get too frustrated with your project, but everyone has to learn at some point to accomplish what they want to do. I am glad to see people of your age have the inclination to do something like this. We are here to help. Just note that sometimes I am away from the computer for days at a time, as I will be next week. I will answer any questions when I get back.

Meanwhile, take a look at post number 18 on this thread: http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/engi...erengines.html

Carr Precision used to make parts for Homelite conversions, and a phone call to him might set you up with a prop hub. I am sorry that I am just so overwhelmingly busy at this time that I can't offer to make you one. Anyone else out there???

Good luck and be careful,
AV8TOR

Yeah I will still do some stuff on the motor but I'll leave the welding up to him. I dont think anyone wants to get hurt. I've had my share of incidents with a spinning prop and my hand to know to be extra careful when working with spinning thing that cuts. As for the prop adapter and Carr Precision I will keep looking for a solution and I found this website that has the same address and phone number as the original carr precision so maybe he is still in work and might be making conversion parts.


Thanks
-sam:cool:

Well, I don't want to scare you, but a prop on a .40 size glow engine for example, will cut you badly. A prop on a 30cc engine will literally take body parts right off!! Also note that many magneto engines are quite difficult to hand start. You may need to come up with a stout starter to get the engine going. A cheap but workable option is to buy a propeller cone and silicone insert, and use a good battery powered drill as a starter.

Give them a call at Carr Precision at that number on the post I sent you.

AV8TOR

I cant remember where I did read the "glow cuts but gas cuts off" saying before. I will keep that in mind though when working on the engine or in fact when working a any plane with a prop. I did find this plug from OS that if i'm not wrong lets you start the engine without having the spark plug and ignition coil but with a normal glow plug starter. If I could do that then I would be able to save a ton of weight which is awesome. I am not sure if it will fit in the place where the spark plug goes though but I'll do some reading on the plug. Also the homelite 30cc is hopefully going to arrive tomorrow.

-sam:cool:

Here's some reading for you:

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/engi...-glow-how.html

AV8TOR

Thanks for the link.

I got your engine and wow. I took it out of the box and it was so clean. Also the back plate is great. I used it to mount the engine to a block of wood and I held the engine to a table in my garrage with a vise. Also I tested the ignition coil and the spark plug and both work perfectly. The engine does have a good ammount of commpresion but i dont have a compression tester to see for sure. I havent tested the engine yet but hopfully I will be able to soon. I was thinking of buying the short shaft prop adapter from jag engines but it would cost $40 shipped which sounds like a lot to me. I'll call a machine shop near me to see if they can make a prop adapter for me but I dont really know how to describe what i need. Also how do most of these prop adapters work. Is it like a normal rc engine where the the prop goes through the crankshaft and is held on by a nut or do that work in a differnt way.

Thanks
-sam:cool:

No, normally they thread onto the crankshaft, then have a stud coming out that you mount the prop to with a nut. As I mentioned, yours is the long shaft engine, so you either need the long shaft prop hub, or you need to shorten the shaft, re-thread it, then you can use a short shaft prop hub.

Here's a couple of pics of prop hubs. One is on an Echo 58cc that I converted to CDI ignition, so it is made for use without the magneto flywheel. The other one is on a Homelite 30cc with a magneto. (Short shaft)

AV8TOR

Do you think if I show the people at the mechine shop some photos of the adapter and take them my engine they could make something for me? Also I imagine that to re thread a shaft and to make the adapter you use a lathe and a welder.

-sam:cool:

You don't need a welder, but you do need a die to re-thread the shaft, and a lathe to make the prop adapter. $40.00 is probably about as cheap as you're going to find one actually. Did you contact Ken at www.lambertsrc.com?

AV8TOR

I didnt contact him but I will try tomorrow. Should I get the crank shaft cut and re threaded or should I just buy a long shaft adapter. I know that the longer the shaft the more vibrations but how bad would it be. Also I am going to try to take apart the muffler and modify it tomorrow but how much of a loss of performance is there if I leave the muffler stock.

Thanks
-sam:cool:

I always cut the shaft and use a short shaft prop adapter. I feel they are more secure.

The stock muffler robs a LOT of power. You need to gut it.

AV8TOR

I thought that the stock muffler would steal alot of power. I was looking at who makes a prop adapter and found these but im not sure that they would work. You would recommend a small flat head screw driver to open up the muffler.

-sam:cool: