Boomerang1

Gents, I find myself in uncharted waters!

I've been considering a 'gas' engine for some time, just wanted one so I could say I have glow,
diesel, electric, turbine & gas, but was concerned about the quality & parts backup of the perhaps
too many Chinese engines on the market.

Problem solved on the weekend, went to a scale fly in & a local supplier was selling Zenoah engines
at half his already heavily discounted prices - bargain!

Picked up a new G-38 but don't know about props (18 x 10?) or exhaust (it has the little pressed metal
unit with louvres for the outlet.) It's a magneto ignition model.

Starting?, will my Sullivan Dynatron do the job?, do they hand start easy with the magneto ignition?
Fuel tank size for a reasonable run (15 mins)? Throttle linkage? Kill switch?

I take it these things are as reliable as a brick?

Thanks in advance, John.

apalsson

My Feedback: (1)

John,

I was at the same fly-in and saw the deal they were doing. If I didn't have too many engines for my own good, I would have snapped up one as well. A mate I was travelling with certainly did
Support is good for these engines. In fact, they are so common that you can get any accessories virtually anywhere and definitely via Flea-Bay
The stock muffler is probably not the most practical one but the port size is pretty much a de-facto standard size so there is plenty of aftermarket ones out there
Regarding the propping, these engines like to spin a bit so your suggestion of 18x10 is probably close to the mark

I hope this is of some help

Ari

STUKA BARRY

You cant go wrong with a Zenoah, they've been around for decades. The G-38 is probably the easiest hand starting of the Zenoahs. They are far from powerhouses, but are definitely the most reliable engines on the market. A Dynatron will spin the crap out of it, but not necessary as the will hand start. B&B Specialties makes a spring starter for it if you want to go that route. The best prop is a Xoar 18X10 depending on aircraft and 18 ounces of fuel is plenty, a 20oz. tank might be easier to obtain. Without starting an oil war, Penzoil aircooled oil from Advance Auto is all you will need, 4oz. to a gallon of gas or 32:1 ratio is all you need. Zenoah makes a manual kill switch thats already wired up for it, but there are other avenues you might want to take. The stock muffler is optimum, no sense going crazy with aftermarket mufflers. Good-luck with it.

Boomerang1

Thanks Ari, big Marty suggested the 18x10 & he runs a few of these engines.
Also downloaded the detailed instructions for Zenoahs from Horizorn this morning,
recommended prop - yep 18x10 but I suppose it would depend on the model.
Who would buy Chinese at the prices Dwayne was offering?

Thanks Barry, not really after power, I mostly build scale models & would size the model
to suit. I'm too old to hover 3D models & wear a baseball cap backwards anyway!

Seems a heavy lump of a thing (not used to gassers) but the best nose weight is aluminium!

John.

jwrich

My Feedback: (17)

I have been running Zenoah 38s since the mid-80s. As you of the guys said they are not a powerhouse but they are great for 1/4 scale Cubs type airplanes and WW I aircraft because of their weight. The size of the prop depends a lot on the airplane it powering. On my 1/4 scale Cub (16 Lbs.) I run a master airscrew 20x6 (towing banners and photo work) but on my 1/4 scale Fokker D VII ( 24 lbs. ) I run an master airscrew Simatar 20x8. Both perform excellent. In my years with the 38s, they like to be wet to start, prime the carb. until you hear a wet sucking sound. The spring starter are great, I have one on the Fokker DVII 38, but not on the Cub. On the Cub I can prime the engine and sometimes on the first flip it starts. If it does not start after three flips I prime it a little more. If you take care of it, run the correct oil mixture and carb adjustments the Zenoah 38 will last years. The one on the cub is at least 10 years old and flys every season. Final thoughts, it is not for the aerobatic airplanes but it is the most dependable engine on the market for its size.

Rich