Firepower R/C

My Feedback: (10)

Just an outside obsevation, but it would seem to me that if we added a LITTLE extra oil into the fuel (the right kind), it would probably save alot of these bushed crank pins. I am not implying that the OP did anything wrong, I am just thinking a bit more oil couldn't hurt given these noted occasional crankpin mishaps.

This next part is also not directed at the OP, I am just using the opportunity to bring this up. I have heard so many people say, "... I've run gas engines for XX years and I always use XX ratio (which is less oil than MFG recommends) with no problems..." This is such a silly attitude to take, especially with this new crop of smaller, high performance gas engines. Why risk it? Does a slightly higher amount of oil really cause that much trouble? This DLE 20 is smaller than the typical gas engine... doesn't that mean that it is more sensetive to low oil conditions? I would like to hear an expert to chime in here on this, as I am not. I am just curious!

captinjohn

WOW.....this thread sure is messed up......

captinjohn

Time to post that creature eating POPCORN!.........................

willig10

Here you go

willig10

All:
the specified oil ratio per the manufactureres instructions are the way to go. There will be those who choose to use the ratio they want. I for one use 32:1 on my DLE engines. The only thing I see during break in is a little bit of residue coming from the exhaust pipe and sometimes this gets on the airframe. It is a lot less than glow. Just a little bit of windex and a rag and walah, it is clean. After the initial break in this dissipates.

Remember these are gas engines not glow engines. They don't like to be run to rich and although they tolerate heat better it is not wise to run them too lean either.

Also a very minor adjustment on the needles is all that is needed for tuning.

Antique, Captain, T.O.M. feel free to chime in.

Glenn Williams

karolh

I'm no expert, but yes they are more sensitive to insufficient or higher oil ratios due to their higher revving capabilities.

Karol

eddieC

My Feedback: (2)

Uhhh,... I believe it's called GRAVITY... causes acceleration, deceleration...
Captinjohn, soarrich are correct. In straight-and-level, unaccelerated flight, WOT airspeed is the same upwind or downwind. Doppler shift alters how we hear the sound, windspeed affects our visual cues.

Nobody said the crankpin sheared. OP hasn't posted any info yet on probable cause.

hanko

17 DLE engines all run right out of the box 40:1 Klotz model lube. Never a failure whatsoever.I have to tear a few down for crash reasons, and they are all like new inside. I have and old 50 4 years old with ILL bet 15 gallons thru it, still running strong. I had 1 DA and it was a problem child from the time it was new till I offed it

Whistling Death

I'd like to see some pics of the internals.

jedijody

My Feedback: (1)

I've seen or heard of about half a dozen of these crank pins breaking, it's the only failure I've seen in the DLE20. There has been over 6000 of them produced so far, I know I haven't seen or heard of all the crank pin failures so even if it was 10 times that number it would mean a rate of 1%, not to bad. They are being taken care of by DLE without any fuss.

I sympathize with those that have any kind of engine failure, for those that make the piloting choices described in this instance, it wouldn't matter what kind of problem occured, the plane is not likely to do very well.

Firepower R/C

My Feedback: (10)

Just curious, but why do you choose not to follow the MFG recommendations? Is there something wrong with them? You may not have any problems now, but perhaps your engine's longevity will not be as much as it could be? I'm not trying to argue, so please do not get upset... I am just trying to understand your reasoning! I plan on buying a DLE 20 and 30 soon, so I am most curious about their performance and handling.

I also would like to see the internals of this engine if possible. I hope he gets it taken care of soon and gets back in the air... that's where the fun is!!

kurt2022

My Feedback: (18)

I would love to be able to dissect this engine but that could possibly void the warranty, and yes, we in South Texas very rarely have days that would be considered ideal for flying! So reliabilty of the engine is of up most importance down here. If you CAN"T fly in the wind, south Texas is probably not for you!

Tired Old Man

My Feedback: (1)

My oh my, the level of ignorance and misunderstanding in this thread is off the scale.

First, if the OP bought the engine from Tower, what are you doing complaining here? Tower has all kinds of people getting paid by the hour to handle your problems. Pick up the phone. You bought it there and it can be fixed there.

Next, everyone wants a couple or three things from their little, and I stress little, gas engines. First, they want them cheap. Next, they want them light, and third, they want them to work forever, and if they break, get fixed for free. You can get two out of three pretty easy but the last couple get kind of tough.

Small gassers don't have room for bearings in some places and still remain cheap. Bushings work just fine if you run plenty of oil. You guys have been doing it for years with your glow engines, or did you ever notice? The cheap weed eaters you buy at Home Depot or WalMart are all bushed and nobody complains about them, do they? Essentially the same product you're flying folks.

Break in, synthetic or mineral oil? Doesn't matter if you use enough of either oil and follow certain procedures. Break in while flying? No problem, see that last comment about type and amount of oil and procedures.

A fair number of you are your own worst enemies but you're mighty fast on blaming a product, manufacturer, or distributor. Some of you go all out and blame all three. Anything mechanical breaks. Now or later, doesn't matter. If you are flying something and are not prepared to deal with an emergency, it's you that is to blame. Powered planes quickly and easily become gliders, and can be landed safely if the operator plans for emergencies. When you fly low and slow you are accepting the risk of not being able to make a runway in the event a power unit fails. When it happens it's your fault, not that of a product. Simple as that.

So learn a little about what you have and how it should be used. Then accept responsibility for your own actions instead of always looking for a way to blame someone else. You bought it, you own it, you used it, and every decision you made up to that point was yours and yours alone.

BTW, I don't have engine problems....

osxpro

My Feedback: (51)

Well, you bought the cheapest POS from Red China you could find. What else did you expect?

av8tor1977

My Feedback: (6)

I don't feel that DLE engines are "POS". They seem to be proving themselves pretty well.

The other reason a smaller engine likes more oil, is that they have such a small quantity of fuel running through them. Less fuel consumption = less oil to lubricate. Just give them the oil ratio that is recommended, and use good oil!

If you just have to have all your engines fuel from the same can, don't worry, the higher ratio won't hurt the bigger engines, it will probably cause them to make a bit more power and live longer too!

AV8TOR

eddieC

My Feedback: (2)

I use Pennzoil for aircooled, never a problem. The ultralight guys trust their *****e$ to it. [8D]

willig10

Please, Please, Please do not let this thread go to a "Brand War". That has been beat to death. Stick to the subject line and keep it somewhat general.

eddieC

My Feedback: (2)

Sorry. Rog. On tha side...

Tired Old Man

My Feedback: (1)

Small engines like more oil because they turn more RPM. More RPM equals more heat. There is no escaping that. More heat requires greater lubrication.

Rough machine work requires more oil because greater levels of friction are developed. More friction equals more heat. Additional friction generates more wear particulates to be carried from the engine. This takes things back to more oil to carry away debris, BTU's, and provide adequate lubrication, and requires more time to complete.

When people learn they cannot obtain top of the line quality and materials for considerably less money than it takes to buy a top of the line product they will be on the road to nirvana. If you want great, buy great and pay the difference. If you want good, pay a little less but be prepared to take more time completing the break in, and operate the product accordingly during that time period.

I have a DLE 20, 30, and 111. Had a DLE 100 but traded it for the 111. Thanks Jody! Overall they are good engines but I do not expect them to perform up to major name capability as quickly as I do the majors. I give them more time to do what they have to do. I understand they are not made to the same tolearnces the majors are and that break in will take longer. I understand that until an engine is broken in they can be a little unreliable, especially at low RPM levels.

As for a crank pin breaking, no brand is 100% perfect. When chit hapens I'll pick up the phone and talk to the dealer or the maker. If they don't want to deal with it, then I'll complain. Until that point all you're doing is trying to leverage the company you got the engine from. Woe unto you if the engine failed because of something you did. That next post in your thread from the dealer or manufacturer could make you start looking pretty small.

Truckracer

My Feedback: (19)

Bushings? I thought the DLE20 was a full ball bearing on the crank, needle bearings in the rod engine just like it's bigger brothers?! I think there is a lot of mis-information going on here even from those who are suppose to be in the know.

krayzc-RCU

My Feedback: (31)

please pass the salt ouch

flyingfrog007

have 3 dle MOTORS WOULD NOT GIVE THEM UP LOVE THEM :JUST AS GOOD AS A DA BUT LESS $:

a1pcfixer

My Feedback: (7)

Eggactly!!!

Cut out those who don't even own a DLE20cc, and those who can't stay on topic,
and instead of 3+ pages/70+ posts, we'd have about a dozen posts.

willig10

Agreed. But it makes for an interesting read.

MetallicaJunkie

your're right DLE are the crappiest chinese engines around....ill take one of these over DL/DLE anyday http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...idProduct=6479 [8D]






















*edit im being sarcastic BTW