Sport_Pilot

Most of the early Fox CL engines were high nitro engines, even the Fox Stunt can tolerate a fair amount of nitro. But then in the 80's the RC engines were made to use no nitro at all. My Fox 50 will get hot and flame out with anything more than 5%, it can tolerate 10% on a cold day. Some of the early manuals said that the limit was 15% which was not true. Some cannot tolerate anything other than FAI fuel. I suspect that may have been your problem, at least in part.

This is not just a Fox issue. I have an early ASP Red Head that will not run with more then 5% nitro and the instructions said the limit was 15% as well.

Hobbsy

My Feedback: (102)

Hugh, I have an ASP 1.08 that w8ye gave me as a gift, the thing has really high compression, even 5% fuel is iffy.

Sport_Pilot

This is an ASP .91. With the same head clearances the smaller bore would have a slightly higher tolerance for nitro.

Hobbsy

My Feedback: (102)

I should clarify a little, the ASP 1.08 is a great engine, I don't want anyone to think less of it because I mentioned here. It will be a good thing when this thread croaks.

earlwb

Many years ago America's Hobby Center and Gotham Hobbies were, sort of, in competition with each other, on who could sell the most junk or slag engines. GHQ .60 engines was one famous example, but even then some people had good running examples while the vast majority just scratched their heads wondering why their engine didn't work. The Deezil was another example too along with the AHC deisel engine, same thing some engines would work but most would not. The two companies also made and sold several other horrid engines too. Thor, Buzz, Genie, the "Glow Wee", Synchro, Roberts and Pioneer Brown slag engines. Most all of these engines had pistons that run up and down in untreated aluminum cylinders. Thus they usually didn't last very long if you got one that ran.

I think the SAM group Society of Antique Modellers actually had a contest or two where they flew airplanes with slag engines on them. So even the slag engines, if you had one, could work OK, but how long would be the issue though.

Some company in Spain also put out a entire line of different slag engines and sold them to whoever they could. Typical untreated aluminum cylinders with pistons going up and down in them, but they added unknown low quality steel alloys for the crankshafts too.

A British company, Model Aerodrome, prior to WWII made the DROME slag engines too. The 6cc one used a stamped steel piston going up and down in a untreated aluminum cylinder.

Hobbsy

My Feedback: (102)

Earl, it has been said that imitation is greatest form of flattery, here is an Argentinian imitation of a MVVS .49 but is a .55. It's a good engine though not as polished as an MVVS but then the MVVS aren't all that polished.. The Snorer .55.

earlwb

MVVS makes really good engines. The company making the Snorer brand licensed its rights from MVVS. They typically only sell them in South America, mostly Argentina and Brazil. I think someone around three years ago borught back like 25 to 50 engines to sell in the USA on Ebay, etc. The people that got them were quite satisfied with them.
I am sure the Snorer brand name means a lot more to those in Argentina in Spanish than it does to us here in the USA.

Sport_Pilot

Brodak sells them.

blw

My Feedback: (3)

Argentina had (or still has) a bit of an rc industry. CA Models is Argentinian. Those are my favorite kits. I've built 3 and have 1 in the box. Pity they went to the high end competition style ARFs.

If Gringo Flyer is still around maybe he has more on that engine. He lived there for a few years.

earlwb

At first I thought Brodak was not selling them but they show up in a search of their online store, but the engines aren't listed directly.
http://brodak.com/snorer-55-engine-with-muffler.html

hookedonrc

So you see?.......It depends. I like OS, Saito, and Zenoah. Others might not. It can be a lot like cars. For every person that won't have a brand on their plane, there are others that won't have anything else. One that comes to mind is Thunder Tiger. I know people on both sides of the argument. Like others have said.....check out the flying field. That's where marketing and price take a backseat to performance.

Hobbsy

My Feedback: (102)

The Snorer was a gift from a friend in Florida, I have several special gift engines that I will not part with. My 1991 Saito 1.50 a gift from my daughter, a PAW .15, a Diesel head for an Irvine .20 and crankshaft, an ASP 1.08, an Irvine bumpy .40 and at least one Irvine .40 Diesel. I also have a gift Diesel head for a K&B .40 but not engine, I need a K&B .40 with a flat topped piston.

Giant_Scale_Gasser

My Feedback: (84)

I have 2 on the bench as we speak. The dual plug head looks a little funny....

Hobbsy

My Feedback: (102)

I manged to scrounge up a picture of the .61 dual plug.

Giant_Scale_Gasser

My Feedback: (84)

Here is a .61 dual plug and a .55 dual plug on my bench now. I am going to rehab them for fun. Both turn over surprisingly smoothly and have plenty of compression. Pretty ugly though!

Tony Iannucelli

My Feedback: (193)

Talking nitro:
Sheer power, YS and Rossi.
Easy handling, dependable, OS
Hit and miss, Magnum, TTiger, Super Tigre,
Old school, good stuff, Enya, K&B
pick one today, OS, no doubt.

pmerritt

My Feedback: (118)

Most engines are just as good as the tuner.

Hobbsy

My Feedback: (102)

Amen to that, several times.

Lightspeed1551

My Feedback: (4)

This topic is like removing a bee hive with an M-80 fire cracker. Everyone love's engine brand A and hates engine brand B. I will agree that you can be burned badly with used engines, but most engines sold at your LHS or a reputable place like Tower Hobbies.com should run fine.

blw

My Feedback: (3)

How about many engines are better than their tuners?

50+AirYears

I also once bought an engine for 2 bucks at a club swap shop. Didn't think the owner really wanted to sell it, he was badmouthing it, and Fox engines in general. Late model Fox 15 cross ported RC engine. I took a look at it, turned it over (no plug), then gave him the 2 bucks. The clue was in slotted screws instead of Phillips head. Got home, pulled it apart, turned the piston around so the baffle was on the bypass side of the engine, put the head on to match the baffle, and had it on a plane at the field about 2 weeks later, when I got back from a business trip. Guy wouldn't believe it was the same engine, Seems he had purchased it new, and gave it to an engine guru friend of his for hop-up. Friend, the expert, had opened it, polished the crank fuel passage, cleaned up some flash in the casting and did some grinder work on the bypass porting on the sleeve,things I've also done on engines, then improperly reassembled it.

rgburrill

Best advice here. This way if you have problems you have a lot of guys who have fixed the same problem before.

Hobbsy

My Feedback: (102)

50+, when Fox engine still had Phillips head screws, I changed them to hex head screws before it was all the way out of the box.

maxtenet

Dad always said,"A poor mechanic blames his tools". Same applies here!

Max

GallopingGhostler

Max, I've seen home mechanics spend the extra dollars on Snap-On tools, because they thought it made them better mechanics than the Sears Craftsman tools.

I've seen badly chewed screw heads on engines. Most of the time it was because the owner did not use the proper sized screw driver to fit the screw head slot. Once it a blue moon I've had a screw that just would not come out except by force. Some of those screws have soft steel in them, but I usually just replace the ones that are bad in a used buy, make use of the others which has been satisfactory for me. Reasons have been more out of economy than "doing it right".