RE: DL-50 engine
 

Bosco,

How's the Edge? Have you flown it yet?

Talk to you later.

Dennis

I have already dorked mine, but I repaired it. LOL!!! Just waiting on some better weather.

RE: DL-50 engine
 

If I can't fly all my favorite 3D moves without a dead stick the DA is worthless. That's where I'm at with DA. DL hasn't let me down yet. Even if the DL only lasts a season it will have served me better than my last and only DA-50. I'm still thankfull that my Edge survived all 6 dead sticks. One of them should have been a total loss. So that's how I really feel. :)

RE: DL-50 engine
 

I hear ya Joe. I sold my DA 50 last summer, and have never looked back. DA has the best service in the world, no doubt, and I still buy a bunch of stuff off of them. I have the 85, but haven't ran it.

My DL's are just awesome, and are very reliable. I dorked my Edge a couple weeks ago, but that was my fault. I was farting around with the low end on a new engine. Lesson Learned. My edge is ready to go with the help of some friends.

I got my first DL50 3 years ago (Feb. 14 2006). I fried the ignition (user error), and had to get another one. It's had 2 CM6 plugs in it, and two mufflers... That's it. I have never cleaned the carb screen. I have looked at it two or three times (when the engine was going from airframe to airframe). To be fair, I will not listed the number of times my DA50 went back to Arizona for 'updates'.

RE: DL-50 engine
 

So far this thread has been very mild mannered about all the motor comparisons. If it gets nasty or turns into a pissing match they will lock it up!! I hate to interrupt a good conversation but we need to stay on subject. Or close to it anyway. I love my DL. I also have a DA. Both are great motors. I wouldn't be afraid to touch the tail on the ground on either aircraft.

RE: DL-50 engine
 

You would if you flew like I do! :)

RE: DL-50 engine
 

It is unfortunate most people do not know how to tune a gas engine very well wich then they will blame the engine manufacture for there failure, I love my DL it has been very reliable in my GP Christen Eagle that is at 18.2 Lb and it will take it straight up no problem and my DA has been just as good never had a dead stick And you all ready know that DA is very well respected in the giant scale world they have spoken for them self as one of the best engine that you can buy and it is made in USA not some sweat shop down town China town. I do not want to argeu wich of the two are the best because they both are in thre own way but the last thing that I will say is how many DL engines have won any competition name one,

RE: DL-50 engine
 

Bosco,

Along with other things I do engines for a living and I'm not at all new to them. I've been around gassers since well before the DA 50 came about. Or DA in general for that matter. The conversation is not about which is the best. Both have wonderful attributes and I believe (make that know) that DA is the better made of the two. The 50 has a rather long lived history of transitional problems that does not occur with every engine. Some are great, some are not. I've tried to tune a few that were not and it just would not go away. You could get a great top or a great bottom but with some the middle got scary. Why do you think Brillelli suddenly did so well and so many people sold their DA 50's to get one of his engines? Transition burbals that left people wondering if they would have a running engine or not when they pulled out of a hover or worked a torque roll. This is all ancient history and those that sent their engines back a few times already knew it. Some of them are and were quite good at tuning engines.

This is where the DL got into the limelight. They took a little time, did some research, and found the problem. So when they came out with a less expensive 50 that was in the same weight range that did not have that nasty, unresolvable mid range burbal they picked up a lot of sales. The price alone would not have taken them to where they are now if it did not also run well in certain areas. In other areas it runs well enough to satisfy a lot of people.

So no, this is not a knock or a praise of either engine. Both are great engines. DA has done a lot of work to correct that old issue and makes one of the finest quality engines on the market. In all sizes for that matter. They have enough diversity not to be overly concerned about who buys this or that 50 or 100. DL capitalized on another's earlier weakness and got a good share of the 50cc market with better performance in one area along with a much lower price. DL is a great value for the dollar spent and performs quite well for many people. That's just business as these things go.

I'm with you when it comes to avoiding a "who's better" discussion. Threads get closed in a big hurry when those come about.

RE: DL-50 engine
 

You are correct,

The facts are what they are I will not get into a bad discusion over this, I do respect that this is a DL forum I do not mind comparing the two in a peacefull maner I have been following this forum for some time, I do not and hope that no one is a fended,

RE: DL-50 engine
 

I'm a member of a fended, but the first rule of a fended is you do not talk about a fended......seriously?

I wouldn't imagine any engine would last very long when your gluing the bearings back in.

RE: DL-50 engine
 

At least one of the majors frequently does that during the assembly process. Probably more if you were to start looking a bit harder. So the practice is not new or uncommon by any means. So we can't chastise DL for something that others started long before DL came into being.

RE: DL-50 engine
 

Wow....seriously?...glued in? Thats disconcerting. I was looking into the DL-50 or Aerovate 50 for a giant scale warbird.... Course since it's not 3D I probably wouldn't be pushing as hard as you 3D'ers. Just scale type flight.

RE: DL-50 engine
 

I guess I dont understand what do you meen by bearings being glued in ???????????please explain maybe I mis understood what you are saying

RE: DL-50 engine
 

It's thin loctite being used to seal the bearings and crankcase...

RE: DL-50 engine
 

There are quite a few engine makes out there that have an amount of Locktite sleeve compound setting them in place. I'm not going to mention the names of any of the manufacturers that use the process but it's very common. Some of the engines it's used in run more time than any model engine could ever be anticipated to survive. DL is not doing anything incorrect if indeed they are using the stuff in small amounts.

Those that do not know should leave bearing lock subject alone. It's a process proven to work on some pretty high end stuff.

RE: DL-50 engine
 

You pretty much started it back a few posts, then you say you don't want to get into bad discussion over it. Then you say people don't know how to tune engines. But don't be offended. You're a funny dude !!!!

RE: DL-50 engine
 

The only reason that a DL engine may not have won a serious contest (I'm taking your word for it) is because no one with sufficient skill to win was using one. Most competition types aren't overly concerned with spending money, so the price difference between the two engines is not a sufficient motivator to purchase and use one. Besides, who in competition wants to look cheap?

Folks like me, sport flyers that is, would not even own a 50cc gas engine were it not for the DL-50, its good reputation and its low price. We are the ones that make this engine popular, not the competition types. There are a LOT more sport flyers than there are serious competition flyers.


Ed Cregger

RE: DL-50 engine
 

You guys cut the slaming each other out and get back to this thread on the DL engine. OK?:D Good post Ed we need engines we can afford to play with. I have several different engines and am happy with most of them but I know that so for my DL50 is the smoothest running on the test stand. And the ones at the field are very good. My Extra 300 will be ready to go in a few weeks.

RE: DL-50 engine
 

Well said Ed.
Bosco2 IS a funny dude.:D

Greg

RE: DL-50 engine
 

Im with you guys about stopping the bashing. I do have a question tho.
I have a DL50 in my Dietrich Performance Extra 260 that came with the plane when I bought it. When everything rhaws out here in the great white north Iam planeing on flying my Extra 260 this season.
(1)Im planing on running oil/gas ratio at 32:1 as the previous owner did, or should I change it to 40:1 radio with Amzoil Super Saber ?
(2)I kinda understand the carb settings and may need somehelp with the settings later on.
(3) Since Im in the corn state and most of our corn goes to Ethinole, will the ethinole affect the carb parts or engine?
(3)I read a thread here on RCU of a guy useing Kolman white gas lantern fuel in there 50cc engines. has anyone tried this and what were there results??
NEDYOB

RE: DL-50 engine
 

Run 32-1 lawn boy ash-less or another good oil for about 4 gallons for break-in. you will know when to switch to syntec. The motor really comes to life after about 3 gallons..
Gasohol is no problem. I like to run unoxygenated from the coop.
I have tried Colman white gas and didn't like it. It didn't seem to run as smooth as regular gas.
And about the tuning, when you have a question just ask us we will help all we can. No question is a dumb question.

RE: DL-50 engine
 

Thanks for the info. Paul5992
NEDYOB

RE: DL-50 engine
 

Ralph Cunningham recommends 32:1 Pennzoil for air cooled engines. Ralph is a racing competitor and knows his stuff. He could buy any oil he wants, but he uses this one. That's good enough for me.

The ethanol in the gasoline won't hurt anything.

I wouldn't use Coleman Fuel in engines whose manufacturers recommend using high octane gas/petrol. Coleman Fuel's main advantage is that it stinks differently than pump gasoline and that it lasts longer without going bad. That's about it. The rest are all disadvanges, such as lower power and higher expense.

I doubt that you would damage the engine with oils whose manufacturers recommend 40 or 50:1 mix ratios. But the first thing you will have to do is to readjust the mixture settings on your carb. I'm sure you know this, so this is just a reminder.

Our two-stroke gas engines, or at least the majority of them, are descended from utility engines that operate long and well in what we airplane enthusiasts would consider to be nightmarish conditions. Just a minimum of due diligence (?) is all that is necessary to extract long and useful life times of excellent and reliable usage.


Ed Cregger

RE: DL-50 engine
 

Please correct me if I am wrong but I was told that DA engines are not actually made in the USA. Nothing against DA, I love my DA-50.

RE: DL-50 engine
 

DA's are built in Tucson AZ.

RE: DL-50 engine
 

Great advice Ed!