Saito - Pro FG 14 Tips and tricks only!!!
 

Like the [link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_9632504/anchors_9632504/mpage_1/key_/anchor/tm.htm#9632504]Saito - Pro FG 20[/link] Thread, this is only for those who have a positive interest in the FG 14!

RE: Saito - Pro FG 14 Tips and tricks only!!!
 

Straight out of the box with factory setting it had good RPM at full throttle, but idle was rough and had poor transition. After following the recommanded break-in procedure, it was still having poor transition and had hard time getting it to idle below 2700rpm. RPM was hanging a little when going from WOT to idle and cough and sputter going from idle to WOT suggesting high needle is too lean and idle needle is too rich. Leaned out the idle little by little until it will transition from idle to WOT smoothly. It took little more than a full turn closed from factory setting to achieve this. Than richen up the high needle until it will stop hanging on the way down. I did lose some top rpm doing this, but no more than 200rpm, and now it transitions smoothly. After a gallon or so, idle also smoothed out and now happily hums along at 1800rpm. Just finished today installing it in Hanger 9, twist 40. Very tight fit due to small frame, but got everything does fit inside. Used 2cell lipo with regulator to provide cosistent 6V power even under load. Also had to open up a hole on the top of the fuel hatch area to route the ignition plug through. Now basically waiting for the weekend to try it out. Will let you how it went.</p>

RE: Saito - Pro FG 14 Tips and tricks only!!!
 

Don't be afraid to land it and readjust the needles a small amount as necessary to get the flight performance satisfactory.

RE: Saito - Pro FG 14 Tips and tricks only!!!
 

I had problems as mine would not even fire up. I returned to engine to my hobby shop but they claim the ignition is fine and sent the engine back! I will fire it up this weekend and post an update!

RE: Saito - Pro FG 14 Tips and tricks only!!!
 

Flew the twist 40 with FG 14B on Friday.  The wind was gusting 15-20 miles late afternoon.  I should have control the urge to test the new plane out, but with gusto, headed out to flying field.  The engine was running great, and flight was going great.  After getting comfortable with the plane had some low hight speed pass, when the gust of wind flip the plane over at 10 ft of altitude.  Gave a quick correction on stick, but it was opposite stick move that was needed.  Make the long story short, it was total loss.  I wish I could blame the engine, but engine ran perfactly. It was my stupid dumb thumb that was responsible.

As soon as I got home got the second FG 14B installed in Hanger 9 toledo that I have been building.  Finished the project late Saterday night.  Went out to the field today.  This second engine ran perfact right out of the box.  No tansition problem, and excellent idle.  No misfiring at WOT.  The first attempt at test flight was not successful due to the fact I had rudder servo reversed.  As it was running down the run way, it was drifting right, so I gave left rudder.  But since servo was reversed, it made hard right and ran into grass and flipped over.  I thought it was too much right thrust line bulit into the engine mount, but inspeciont showed, I had rudder reversed.  I thought I checked all servo directions the night before, but obviously not carefully enough.  For my excuse it was 2am when I was doing this hoping to fly early in the morning.  Once this was sorted out , flight went without a hitch.  Engine ran beautifully.  After 20min flight there was still close to half tank left.  One thing I have to say though, gas engine being not as messy as glow is not exactly ture with this engine.  This engine left black soot all over bottom of the air frame from the crank case vent line that I routed out of the cowling.

RE: Saito - Pro FG 14 Tips and tricks only!!!
 

"his engine left black soot all over bottom of the air frame from the crank case vent line" It looks like diesel crankcase oil.

That's what they do out the vent but there is just dry soot that comes out the muffler.

RE: Saito - Pro FG 14 Tips and tricks only!!!
 

So I have installed the FG14 into a Great Planes Cub .40 ARF. I ran the engine on a test stand for about 2.5 hrs before mounting. I hope to test fly sometime this week or weekend.

RE: Saito - Pro FG 14 Tips and tricks only!!!
 

Make sure you drill a large enough hole in the fire wall right behind the carburator atmospheric hole is.  Even if there is some space between carburator and firewall, when the engine is running, vibration causes pressure wave from air caught between fire wall and carburator to make the engine run erratically.  I had that problem with twist 40.  As soon as I drill the hole problem went away.  Especially the engine was running well on the bench, and as soon as you mount the engine on the plane it runs erratically,  likely cause is the vibration causing pressure wave from firewall onto the atmospheric hole on carburator.

RE: Saito - Pro FG 14 Tips and tricks only!!!
 

thanks for the tip! I did drill a 3/8 hole right behind the carb!

RE: Saito - Pro FG 14 Tips and tricks only!!!
 

The mount that comes with the FG-14 has two mounting positions. The shortest position appears to entend the carb past the back of the mount so you have to "carve" out and through a portion of the firewall for the carb to fit through. Is this correct? If so, I would likely need to make sure that the hole in the firewall is slightly larger than and not touching the carb to reduce potential damaging effects of vibration.

RE: Saito - Pro FG 14 Tips and tricks only!!!
 

These holes may be intended for the Saito 82B glow engine?

RE: Saito - Pro FG 14 Tips and tricks only!!!
 

Just got home from flying my FG-14 powered cub. Engine runs very nice! It was only a 10min flight and I didn't have any issues. A Hawk thought my cub was lunch and was following my plane. So I cut the flight short.

RE: Saito - Pro FG 14 Tips and tricks only!!!
 

Great news

RE: Saito - Pro FG 14 Tips and tricks only!!!
 

How many RPM and Prop

Thanks
MAx

RE: Saito - Pro FG 14 Tips and tricks only!!!
 

10,000 rpm 13 x 6 zinger wooden prop

RE: Saito - Pro FG 14 Tips and tricks only!!!
 

After 4 months waiting for a part from the Australian distributor (carby body), I finally got mySaito FG-14back into my H9 Pulse 60. I crashed it 4 months ago when the spark plug cable touched the throttle push rod and caused a brown out on landing approach. Luckily, the aircraft was repairable. The brass screw on the carby body where the high speed needle screws in was broken off in the crash and needed a replacement carby body. The sensor also snapped off from the holding bracket, but I glued this back on.

I rerouted the spark plug lead, fixed a carbon rod insert into the push rod and put rubber on everything to try and prevent a repeat of the 'brown out'. I was told at the strip that carbon is a conductor! Hopefully, now that nothing can touch, I won't have the same problem anyway.

I got the engine tuned and had one flight and everything seemed OK. The sensor then broke where I glued it and thatwas that! I won't risk glueing it back up again.

RE: Saito - Pro FG 14 Tips and tricks only!!!
 

The Saito sensor is centered on top dead center

Most of the others need to be at 28 degrees before top dead center

Electronically the Saito and most of the others are not the same.

You can get the other kind of Saito sensor (Big Looking one) for $35 http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products...dID=SAIG361532

It will work on your engine

CH Ignitions sell one for somewhere around $100 and the sensor is much smaller than the one that comes on the FG-14

You will have to PM TKG or BCCHI

RE: Saito - Pro FG 14 Tips and tricks only!!!
 

Thanks for your help w8ye. You certainly know your stuff!!!

Your suggestion is an ideal solution for me. I'll try and order through HH, but it is always difficult for customers outside the US. I've never been able to get them to even acknowledge an email request for overseas shipment before.

In the meantime, I ordered a sensor cable from HobbyKing ($7:95) which at least has the same cable connection to plug into the Saito ignition module.  </p>

RE: Saito - Pro FG 14 Tips and tricks only!!!
 

I bought ignition sensors from Hobby City (Hong Kong) some time ago for $7 a piece (I bought six of them and I have two of their ignition units). The ignition unit that I had bought previously sold for less than $30. Saito, or their distributors are absolutely insane if they think folks are going to pay those ridiculous prices for a cheap part.

Ignition systems for our models just aren't that complicated and there is no rhyme nor reason to charge so much for those parts.

I like C&H prices too. Yes, some of it is imported from China now, but you have expert advice available. Ditto Ralph Cunningham (formerly R/C Ignitions), if you can get him on the telephone.


Ed Cregger

RE: Saito - Pro FG 14 Tips and tricks only!!!
 

<p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US" lang="EN-US"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">I`m still running in my FG-14 with the recommended 14 x 6 propeller. But I notice that the maximum RPM does not occur at WOT, but instead at more or less 80% opening.

</p></font></font></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US" lang="EN-US"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">I ask you guys with more experience: Is this normal?

</p></font></font></span></p>

RE: Saito - Pro FG 14 Tips and tricks only!!!
 

Ah well, it seems that Saito sensor is 'out of stock' for online purchse on planet earth. HH won't ship outside the USA and its offshore troops. I thought I located one in a European hobby shop, but they were 'out of stock' to. I'm waiting on a similar looking sensor from HobbyKing for a clone 2-stroke that sells for $7.50. If this doesn't work, I guess it is a replacement aftermarket ignition or put the engine away [again] for 4 months or so while the parts supply problem is hopefully fixed.

RE: Saito - Pro FG 14 Tips and tricks only!!!
 

Just add one of Hobby King's EI boxes to your order, if they have one with the appropriate 1/4x32 boot size. C&H sold me one of theirs for about $80.

Oh, why doesn't some enterprising entrepreneur offer conversion ignition cable/boot kits for all of the ignition units that are available cheap from China? I'd love to run ignition on lots of my current glow engines even if I kept burning methanol based glow fuel. It would be fun to experiment with doing just this thing.


Ed Cregger

RE: Saito - Pro FG 14 Tips and tricks only!!!
 

Hobby King's sensors do not mount in the proper place on a Saito. You need a special sensor mount

You can get the whole set up from CH ready to go.

RE: Saito - Pro FG 14 Tips and tricks only!!!
 

Here you are, MercerAUST, it's a Swedish site but i think they will send overseas, I live i Denmark and got parts from them in 24 hours[8D]: http://www.sodersrchobby.se/sodersrc...02&code=235200

RE: Saito - Pro FG 14 Tips and tricks only!!!
 

Thanks very much for your help Razorblade. I tried to order the item, but it is out of stock. I tried a couple of other online shops, but they all advised the same thing. Two European shops said that their Saito supplier was no longer supplying parts, whatever this means.

It looks like the Hall sensor/cable to fit the Saito FG14, 20 or 36 is not available anywhere and no one seems to know when it might be available. I guess the options are to buy a 'non-Saito' part or wait until they become available.

Sorry, Yukon Pete, to hijack the thread with more negativity. I promise I'll give positive reports if I can only get the part I need!