matus777

LOL....are you sure you have this posted to the correct website?

flat spin

Mine went after two and a bit gallons. IT was only on the last flight that i really noticed the different noise but it is very distinct, even more so on the ground. It sounded like there was a sewing machine running at the same time and when i stopped it there was a lot more play on the conrod. Mine has been sent back repaired and is on it's way back to me inside of a week so no problems.

I am told that it is the steel conrod which is the actual problem. The added weight is not accounted for in terms of the loads placed on the crankpin and so a hardening process was introduced. This has worked in most cases but form what i can gather it was not 100%. Anyway DA have sourced a new manufacturer who can give 100% and so all new DA50's will all be equiped with the new crankshaft and pin as of about a week.

Also just a note, if you find that your reid valves are not closing 100% as mine weren't this can effect transition and in particualr mixture when the effected reid is at teh bottom. This can easily be fixed apparently by rotating them through 100 degrees. This is only the reid block and not the whole black spacer or whatever you call it.

Hope this is helpful. DA rock by the way and even with this technical hitch with this model i still think the other manufacturers have got a way to go to beat them.

flat spin

Stratos

My Feedback: (4)

NEO,

my serial number is 2814 and it was one of the first with the carb update. I assume
it had the rod upgrade. Apparently, from what flat spin tells us, there are secondary issues with that upgrade.

Stratos.-

cadconversions

My Feedback: (21)

I had 2808 and it had the carb update and was supposed to have the rod update as well. Sounds like there are still some problems then...

NE0

My Feedback: (9)

Thanks guys. Mine are something like 2697 and 2704. One has the carb update, the other doesn't. According to DA, neither has the rod upgrade. I was asking cause it looked like those who have the rod update are the ones experiencing this noise after a short while.

I didn't want to send mine in until the issue is resolved, if in fact that's the problem. I also don't want to send either of them in to only find out a month later that there was a different issue, and have to send them back in again. [8D]

I'm sure DA will work it all out, but I'm trying to learn from what you guys are discovering and avoid multiple returns until the dust settles For now, the one without the carb mod, in my Vision, is running great. I hate to pull it out and do anything at this point ("ain't broke, don't fix it" kinda thing). As for the Yak, it hasn't been ran yet, so I don't know how it will do.

Thanks!

Tom

flyingcrazy

My Feedback: (28)

I have 2808 so far no problems yet ! But I have not ran it . If it does I DA will take care of it. Thanks again cadconversion for selling me a bad engine. JUST JOKING ITS IS NEW AND A GOOD BUY. THANKS

Ricmussman

My Feedback: (24)

Just curious?


If any other engine company had the same problem that DA has had with the 50R, everyone would be flamming them as bad as they do Hitec Servos, or GSP planes or ________. Why is this? Is it just their customer service? It just seems that ppl are aweful strange when they defend their purchases. I wanted a DA50R for my Yak but now I am glad that I have a Brission, especially after hearing of BBriBro's success.

I am not trying to offend anyone, it just seems strange to me the the "BEST" engine seems to be the one with the most problems???? But the planes, servos, or _________ out there with the most problems get bad mouthed until their sales fall.

Maybe I need to own one someday and then I'll see the light

cadconversions

My Feedback: (21)

I think the reason most people defend their purchase is the fact that DA has a really cool logo for the planes

Actually, I believe it's the customer service that keeps everyone coming back. Most of my experience is with electrics and we see the same thing with the Castle Creations ESC. Most people will defend then to the bitter end (they have great customer service) but they have several issues that is always coming up on their ESC's. Customer service will go a long way....

Rodney, glad you like the engine. Bummer that it looks like my NIB is still going to have the same problem as well. I'll probably send it back in a few weeks for the update before I put it in the yak.

Stratos

My Feedback: (4)

Ric,

I often wondered about that myself. I have friends that can be really fanatical in defense
of their beloved DAs, nommater how many times they have to send them back for repairs
or whatnot.

In my opinion what it comes down to is the people at DA. They are a joy to talk to and I think
people just look for an excuse to talk to them again and again.

So unless you show me an engine that will NEVER break, in which case costumer care
doesn't become an issue, I'll stick with DA.
I'm not fanatical about it though, and to tell you the truth
while I was pulling my engine off the plane yesterday I thought to myself that I should have gotten a BME
50 instead.
But then I thought, what if something happened to that one. Who do I call? How they will treat me?
Will I get charged for anything? and so on.....
I immediately felt confident on my choice again cause with DA I know the answer to all these questions.

At the end of the day you should fly what you must and leave it at that.

Stratos.-

wgeffon

My Feedback: (4)

Ric,

For me its simply customer service.
I am not dumb enough to think that stuff wont fail or break or have issue. EVERYTHING we use or put in our planes will at one time or another.
I spend my money knowing that for the most part, everything out there is pretty good but what makes me buy what I buy is knowing I can get stuff taken care of quickly and efficiently. Nobody wants to be down for two to three weeks during flying season waiting on repairs.

One of my buddies was sponsored by a motor company for the last few years. He sent in an motor to have something checked and three weeks after they received it it had not even been taken out of the box yet. This was right in the middle of the IMAC season.
If thats how they treat their rep's how are they going to treat me or anyone else who buys their stuff.
He now flies DA.

I have no doubt that DA will take care of these guys who are having issues.
Knock on wood, mine is running fine.

morecashthansense

Hey Flat spin,

What revs did you get with your KS can?

CHassan

My Feedback: (13)

Anyone else finding this problem?
If this is going to be an issue I'd like to try and stop it befor it starts.

flat spin

I have had at least 40 flights on mine and it shows abolutely no sign of delaminating.

Rod, On the last check just before the cranpin went i got 6700. On the day i noticed a slight drop in RPM and only clocked 6500. Tht is with the 23X8 Mejzlik.

eb542

Smart-Fly adjustable regulator question,

I connect my lion pack to the smart-fly regulator, adjust the voltage to 6V then switch off for a few minutes. When I switch back on, the voltage goes back to 5.5V and I have to adjust it back to 6V. Is this normal? I am using the Hangar-9 digital voltmeter/tack (aka DVT) to take my reading. I know that device does not put much load on the regulator but I believe it should still give me a steady 6V after power off/on.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

going vert

My Feedback: (11)

Ditto.

My xxx took 6 weeks to fix and it was not done right... DA is fast and always there when you call.

DrFun

My Feedback: (4)

Project EF officially started for me with the first purchase of the long list, I just got the news that my DA50 is shipped.

I am getting a stock muffler at this time but after I see the plane I might go with CH or MTW canisters.

torqmeister

I originally thought that this"DA" thing was an american phenomena called " The sheeple syndrome". You know, like having to have Calvin Klein jeans or something. But this goes way beyond that. This looks a lot to me like a cult mentality going on with this DA thing. DA makes a very high quality 100cc & 150cc engine. It's obvious to this common observer that the DA 50 is really sub-standard, quality wise. So you spend $100-150 extra for an engine that will "probably " have to be sent back to thefactory for "upgrades". GO FIGURE!

JWilliams

My Feedback: (6)

I too think it is reliability and service with DA. I take some heat because I fly Airtronics, but when I look at the whole picture, I would fly no other radio. I would go so far as to say Airtronics service is as good as DA. Now that is good, plus I have been flying Airtronics since 1991, not one radio failure. I also started flying DA 3 years ago, not one deadstick. I go with what works and I will defend them too as any company can have problems but it is funny how no one is bashing them. Maybe, DA takes public relation classes from Bill Clinton.
Jeff W.

going vert

My Feedback: (11)

The bottom half of the firewall is loose - the part that hangs below the throttle servo tray. There is a lot of force on that piece of wood. I'm going to grind out the tristock down there, glue in a 1/8" ply firewall doubler on the back side (only the small piece that hangs below the throttle tray), reapply new basswood tristock and add some CF. I'm also going to CF the inside of the motor box. The throttle servo tray is coming loose too.

No biggie. I'm sure it was those full power Leyland rolls I was doing. Those tear the front end apart.

BBriBro

My Feedback: (2)

Good points. Like a few others here, I have been wondering that exact same thing for quite some time. Now, Just because DA has great customer service doesn't mean that we should buy junk. I bought a brand new car in 1995, it wouldn't start with less than 200 miles on the odometer, then again at about 600 miles, with less than 1000 miles, it had been in the shop for the same problem 3 or 4 times. Now some people would say "great, it didn't cost you a dime, they keep fixing it for free" but after a while the inconvenience outweighs the benefits of a good warranty. I feel that if some extra time and money was spent on quality control, they would be spending LESS time and money on warranty work, which in the end, should benefit both sides.

Speaking of good customer service, I have spoken with the guy who runs Brison many times at the Toledo show, he is always very kind and knowledgeable. He openly admits that DA makes a better twin than his, lighter and more powerful. He didn't knock the DA-50 (that's not his style) but he will tell you that his engine is heavier, and less powerful, he won't feed you a line of bull just to make a sale. He explained that you no longer get pretty anodizing, or little engraved serial number plaques, because quite frankly, he had to do something to cut costs and stay competitive. Mine is blue, had a data plate, and came with a muffler. (several years ago) He isn't "in the know" with all the modern trendy stuff like DA, but he does know his engines, and he's honest. and this year, he gave me a couple of exhaust gaskets, and a hose clamp for the ignition ground. Now I know these parts don't cost him much, but it's just the point, he was polite and friendly, and I think he is genuinely happy and appreciative of my business.

A friend of mine was in the market for a gas engine last year, and spoke with DA at Toledo, and he immediately got turned off and went back to the Brison booth and bought an engine. Apparently some of the guys at DA have the "my shi* don't stink" attitude which really bothers some people. Rather than explaining what they do different to make their engine better, they were knocking all their competitors, and essentially making fun of them. granted, some gas engines are boat anchors, but others are perfectly fine "equivalents"

Now this year with my Brison header dilemma I expected to get some of that cocky attitude from DA, but I was pleasantly surprised, no one told me to scrap the Brison and buy a DA so all the exhaust parts would fit without modification. They took the time to listen to my problem, and help me solve it, measuring their in-stock parts , comparing them to my dimensions, etc, and I got a manifold that fits perfect, so I suppose even though I don't OWN a DA, I am very happy with their customer service too. But....................that still makes me wonder about all the problems, it doesn't seem like just an isolated few, it's just about the majority that are having trouble, or have had, or soon will have. I was so tempted to sell my Brison to buy a DA, but since Brison lowered their prices that makes my engine worth less and I think DA raised theirs, (since the engine was first introduced) so I'm kinda stick with it. If I had neither, I would probably buy the DA though, I am patient, I don't mind tinkering, and I just like engines, even if they have their "quirks" and even if it has trouble, you have the lightest most powerful and best looking engine out there right now, so that outta be worth something.

Ricmussman

My Feedback: (24)

Thanks for all of the kind (not heated) comments. It really was not my intention to "Stir the Pot of Controversy" I was curious what it was that made ppl back something with so many issues on one hand, and bash another product in the other hand. My ASSumption was the customer service, but I was wondering if it might be something else. There is no doubt in my mind that Dave at DA will always take care of his customers, because that is his character...

I was going to buy the Taurus 52 at first, but it didn't fit on the firewall. I then was going to get the DA but they told me 8 weeks in Toledo, that was too long to wait. So I got the Brission. I am happy with my decision and that is important, but i'll always wonder about the DA. I think it is human nature to defend whatever you invest in. I want to think that the brission is as good as the DA (maybe so, maybe no) cause that is what I bought.

I am so used to ppl bashing Hitec servos, and I have had them in all of my planes for the last 5 years, including the 1st run of the 56xx digis, and I have never had an issue. I love Jr servos too and use them hand in hand together with Hitec. This hobby is very finicky (sp) when it comes to opinions, that is why I like Waynes thinking, "Buy what you want, fly it, and no WHINNING AND COMPLAINING"

I must say this thread is filled with a ton of great comments from a bunch of great guys... I am certainly looking forward to meeting/seeing you all this summer while the "Red Bull" tears up the sky. My plane should be back from the painter this Thursday and to the field in a week after that......

bodywerks

My Feedback: (4)

No it should not be normal. I would talk to the smart-fly guys. My guess is that there is a series of steps that need to be followed exactly...

NE0

My Feedback: (9)

Now you've got me wondering... never checked mine. I don't even know how to adjust one in the first place. I just "plug and play"

BBriBro

My Feedback: (2)

A refreshing change isn't it.

Yep, very true

SAME HERE !! I never jumped on the "bash Hitec" bandwagon, I have had great service from them, and the few I sent in over the years were fixed or replaced for free.