Picked this up at the swap meet in a plane and am not familiar with the side carb on one. I have other DLE 30s with a rear carb. Any problems with this old style engine? Thanks!!

Some of those engines had problems with fuel pooling between the carb and the crankcase. They would run OK but when tipped or turned suddenly after a period of idle, they might just die for no apparent reason as the fuel dislodged and flooded the engine. This is the main reason the engine was changed to a rear intake configuration. Add to that these were engines produced early in DLE's history and the quality control wasn't always the best. There were a number of quality control and material issues that were resolved in the years following those early engines.

You can still buy the rear intake conversion kit and if not easily found, the individual parts are quite reasonable. I'd probably just run the engine as is to see how it works out.

I've been running my side-draft for about 7 years with no problem.

thanks I ran this engine seemed fine they have a 19x10 carbon fiber prop on it is that to big?

Mine is on the Taylorcraft you can see in the picture to the left. I use a 20x6 wood prop and it runs with a lot of enthusiasm. Most folks use an 18x10. Try the 19x10 and see if you like it.

It did have a bit of a mid-range burble. A idea suggested for that issue was to gap the plug to 25 thousandths, and that seemed to work well.

The engine has been trouble free.

Mine runs well also. Has a Tillotson carb that looks like a Walbro clone. Easy to tune as well. Xoar 20x8 prop.

Enjoy,
Pete

I solved the problem by mounting the engine about 20 degrees( to the left) from the cylinder being strait down. Best is to install the rear intake set-up ! Good luck, john

I am about to purchase a side card DLE 30. Never used one before. Is it possible to rotate the carb to the opposite side without ill effects? Reason being, we usually mount engines inverted. In this case of a side carb, it will be pretty difficult to adjust H & L end needle valves as they seem to be facing down when inverted. Hence, the reason to rotate to the opposite side. Then, when mounted inverted, the carb valves will be accessible

Also, are costs of replacement parts such as carb and carb interior parts (gaskets, repair kit etc) similar to the rear carb DLE?

Trust I am clear.

Chers
Mo.

You can rotate the carb without any issues. As far as spare parts are concerned, everything except the rear half of the case should be available.

Many thanks indeed for your valuable input.