My brand new CRRC 26cc won't hand start. It doesn't even pop at all. It feels very tight while flipping the prop. My guess is I need to use an electric starter until the engine is broken-in. I have never owned an electric starter. Which one should I buy? The Hobbico and Tower ones claim they are powerful enough to start a 1.8 cu-inch engine (which is 29.5cc). The Sullivan one claims it can do 40cc with 24 volts, but it is very expensive and I only have a 12V battery. Budget is tight right now. Are Tower Hobbies or Hobbico strong enough?

Hobbico TorqMaster 180 Deluxe $40
Sullivan Dynatron is a Heavy-Duty, Super High-Torque $100
Tower Hobbies TOWER Power Starter 12V Heavy Duty $28

I bought a Sullivan Dynatron at the flea market for $15. It had been in the sun so much that the label was faded out. I got a new switch and wire from sullivan for $10. Made a nice starter as I had it all apart and the brushes showed almost no wear.

I also have one of the Tower HD starters that I bought for $10 at the swap meet and it looked like brand new.

I tell all these glory stories but I also saw many that the people wanted so much for them that I would never consider.

The difference between the Hobbico and the Tower starters is that one is yellow and black and the other is red and black

on the engine,you said it feels tight and won't pop.try putting some oil down the cylinder to temporary seal the rings to build up compression and to help get the carb pumping gas.it just may start,no guarantee,just a thought.
the engine is just like a women,you need to get them wet, before you want them to go.

By "tight", I mean I feel there is high compression. It's a lot higher than other broken-in gas engine that I've flipped.

I've seen the Tower HD crank a magneto version Zenoah G38 using a 12V truck battery

Yes, it really has to do with what the battery is capable of doing amperage wise. The more amps the starter can draw (up until its limit), the more it will as long as the battery can handle it.

This Magnum starter does the trick for my OS160 and OS140 when they get cranky. I like the compactness. I run a 4C Rhino 2350 pack and am able to start my stuff and even lend it out to others. Couldn't resist showing my starter caddy. Made it from Dad's old shop project. Thanks Dad!
RC

[img][/img]

So, I just ordered a Tower Hobbies Heavy Duty Starter. I plan to pull the lead acid battery out of my Honda Accord and use it. But I happen to have 4 2200mAh A123 (3.3 x 4 = 13.2 Volts) batteries laying around. I might give the A123's a try. If it works, it sure beats pulling out a car battery.

Find a system that works for you.

How many amp can the Tower/Hobbico starter draw?

A friend tried his small Sullivan black and yellow starter on 24volts and to start his BME 50, It welded the starter switch contacts shut. The contacts may have been oily?

He disconnected the battery and separated and cleaned the switch contacts but it surprised him.

same thing happened to me on my 24 dynatron...i got rid of it.....this time i went 12 volt wire in parallel with a hobbico torqmaster and it will crank my saito 150 with no problem, and i tried it for kicks on my dl50 cc and it worked too.... but i usually start gassers by hand, since they dont have the nasty kick back that glow engines can put out

If your engine utilizes an electronic ignition system, it should start readily by hand flipping. If it won't start, something is wrong either with the engine's set up, i.e., sensor position/carb settings, or starting technique. Every engine seems to have its own personal set of conditions which it needs to start promptly. But I'll bet that all of you knew that already.

I used to be able to start my friend's Quadra 35cc engines with my standard Sullivan starter when using the battery in my Pinto station wagon. I don't think it had a whole lot more torque left, say for a 50cc engine, but it did fine with the Q35. I was one of the few guys at the field that could hand start a Q35, if no one else had tried to start it (flooding it). I couldn't do that today, thirty years later.


Ed Cregger

I have the same engine. They are high compression and your going to need better then your average 12 volts to crank it. Even the Dynotron has trouble at 12v. I use a 2200mah 4 cell lipo,,works perfect! Also you'll need to get that motor wet to start it and fuel draw with hand cranking just doesn't get it on that motor. Shoot it a prime and bingo!

Well, not all 12 volt batteries are created the same, as you certainly know. While a 7 amp hour battery wouldn't start the Q35 with a standard Sullivan starter, hooking it up to my 450 amp hr 12 volt car battery most certainly did the job.

I do agree that a heavy duty starter with large surface area brushes and properly proportioned commutator rings, along with a large capacity battery, will certainly do the job. I wouldn't do it with more than 12 volts unless the starter manufacturer recommends doing so, or if you don't mind replacing brushes periodically.

My big Chevy van battery powering my standard Sullivan starter would definitely snap over a 50cc engine, but I don't know how long the standard Sullivan starter would last in that type of service.


Ed Cregger

The Brown truck delivered my Tower HD starter today. I plugged it into a 12-Ah Harborfreight battery, and it was barely able to spin the crank but too slowly to start the engine. I think maybe the Harbor battery is not fully charged. Anyhow, I then pulled out the battery from my Honda Accord. I know this one is fully charged for sure. Success! The CRRC-26 started. The Accord battery was barely able to start the CRRC; the starter struggled for a while. I think the engine was really tight. I never had to use an electric starter before; I just hope I can remember to bring it to the field from now on.

P.s. I let the engine idle for about 10 minutes, and then shut it down. As I'm typing this message, I can't remember whether I added oil into the gas or not.[X(] Well, I recently added 1/2 gallon into the gas can, which already had 1/4 gallon of 30:1 mix. So, if I had forgotten to add oil, the fuel in my can would have very low oil content, like 90:1. I hope there's no damage. The engine seemed to be running very strong.

Which is better for connecting heavy duty starter to a big car battery?

This

or
?

<table border="1" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td width="65%" height="41">Heavy Duty Battery Clips (set of two)</td> <td width="18%" height="41">S98253</td> <td width="17%" height="41">$2.20/set</td> <td width="17%" height="41"> <div align="center"></div> </td> </tr> </tbody></table>
http://www.sullivanproducts.com/StartersContent.htm

Put some pieces of 3/16" brass tubing in the wire connectors of the clips and you can insert the banana plugs into the clips and have it both ways

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...LXUDX0&amp;P=7

These already have the 3/16" tubing in the handle
http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products...ProdID=DYN5016

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...LXYHP4&amp;P=7

I mean, which one is better at conducting large amount of electrical current?

To hook up to car batteries and garden tractor batteries I like the clips

I use the banana plugs on my small starters that I might plug into my field box.

I have a Sullivan Black and Yellow Hi Tork starter with banana plugs and I have a set of the clips that I can plug the banana plugs into. I sometimes use the starter hooked to my field box and I sometimes use it with a garden tractor battery.

I have several Sullivan Dynatrons and they all have the clips that came with them from the factory. I only use them on a car battery or a garden tractor battery.

I have a Tower HD starter with the clips

I have a couple Tower regular starters and one has clips and the other plugs

Sullivan Dynatron with turnigy 4S 3000mah lipo turns over my CRRC GF40i with ease even when it wouldn't start.

I went for a Sulivan Dynatron...after my recently untimely demise of my planetary kavan starter, i had this for years &amp; repaired it a few times...but it got used everyweek!!..so it did well tbh.
I use the sulivan for 15cc upwards &amp; i have a real nice Align wireless starter that takes a lipo..for the smaller engines.
Be careful with that CRRC pro 26 pal...make sure its primed/wet before you spin it over!..should not be tight at all...just high compression!?....you have prob had a partial seizure!.

I liked those Kavans too. But over time - eventually - the planetary goes.

I've rebuilt some Sullivans. You can get the individual major parts like the plastic pieces, switches, cords, except brushes and I can get the brushes at the hardware store.

You need a starter with gear reduction system (like what RC11 shows in this thread) to start big engines like yours.

You can check out this URL http://bpassociates.homestead.com/bp.html. I also believe MAXX products has one. The KAVAN starter probably has enough torque for the job.