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Which next weekend I hope to find a few more Saitos for my collection. If I dont find a 62 though, there will be a new one soon after that.

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I have been seeing a lot of bargain basement prices on 2 cycle engines lately no one seems to want them. I like 2 cycle engines and in most cases an engine can be easily upgraded. The other day someone gave me a Moki 180 2 cycle with Pitts muffler because it was covered in castor oil. I'll clean it up and pick up a prop washer and a couple of nuts and I'll have a great 30 CC engine waiting on an airplane. The engine came from an estate sale and the liquidator didn't want to mess with it.

I think it is safe to say fuel costs are a deciding factor on engine type. 2 strokes drink fuel like an alcoholic drinks booze, and with fuel costing $20+ a gallon, the 4 strokes can offset that additional cost of the engine in fuel savings after a few gallons. Noise can be another reason, I hate the sound of 2 strokes, especially the DLE gas 2 strokes. If I can fit a Saito FG into a plane, I will figure a way to get one for it. I know the FG-11 or 14 would fit on the Sig SE, but there is no place for the ignition, and the additional weight of the ignition and battery are detrimental to the flight characteristics of the plane. It should be as light as possible to get the greatest performance from it, otherwise I would have yanked it out of the T-Clips by now.

I would never buy $20 a gallon fuel when you can mix yourself for well under $10. The price of the components have not changed much. The fuel only costs that because of low demand and fixed costs for facilities.

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What has driven up the price of fuel is the shipping its considered a HazMat.
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Old Fart the 91 my mate got off me (and won't give back) is AAC. Re fuel consumption, I like to compare like with like which is why I don't like comparisons between my older 65 iron engines with the later AAC versions. Though there isn't much difference in Texaco mode.

If I knew where to get it, I might mix my own, however, considering I rarely use more than a couple gallons a year, it has not bee feasible since this stuff sucks up water like a sponge, even in sealed containers. When I build the B-25 and run a pair of 91's on it, and fly my P-51's with the YS 110 and Saito 125, then my fuel consumption will be much higher and make it feasible, provided of course I can obtain the methanol and nitro locally. As for the rest of my builds, I may be going to strictly Saito 4 stroke gas models, like the FG-21 and higher. I have a TF 1/7th Corsair nearing the finish line that has DLE 20 knockoff XYZ for it, but I am considering going 4 stroke gas instead on it, 2 stroke sound on a warbird is just not my cup of coffee. For the P-61 considering a pair of FG-36(if I can find them) or FG-40.
When I look at the FG-11 it does not look like it would take much at all to convert a glow into gas, just a matter of fixing the drive washer, installing a magnet in it, mounting the pickup, and swap out the carb. If all it takes is a new crank, drive washer and carb, then any swap meet find of a large Saito that the FG is based on should do it. If it can save me a few hundred over the cost of a new one, it would be worth it. $3 a gallon for gas is a whole lot cheaper than $20 a gallon for glow!
When I look at the FG-11 it does not look like it would take much at all to convert a glow into gas, just a matter of fixing the drive washer, installing a magnet in it, mounting the pickup, and swap out the carb. If all it takes is a new crank, drive washer and carb, then any swap meet find of a large Saito that the FG is based on should do it. If it can save me a few hundred over the cost of a new one, it would be worth it. $3 a gallon for gas is a whole lot cheaper than $20 a gallon for glow!
Last edited by acdii; 09-22-2015 at 01:33 PM.

I have been seeing a lot of bargain basement prices on 2 cycle engines lately no one seems to want them. I like 2 cycle engines and in most cases an engine can be easily upgraded. The other day someone gave me a Moki 180 2 cycle with Pitts muffler because it was covered in castor oil. I'll clean it up and pick up a prop washer and a couple of nuts and I'll have a great 30 CC engine waiting on an airplane. The engine came from an estate sale and the liquidator didn't want to mess with it.
Saito, there, I said the word Saito in the Saito thread 3 times, just to keep it honest.
Ken
Last edited by flyingagin; 09-22-2015 at 06:48 PM.
Senior Member

What he said. Here is my FA-180 with intake trumpet:

Here is the trumpet before installation to the carb inlet (shown inverted):

FA-150 similar, maybe the same part number.
BTW, I almost lost two fingers, and certainly my nerve, hand starting a new 150. It kicked back and actually cut partially through a heavy leather glove I treated it with much more respect after that, and used an electric starter, making sure the prop safety nuts were securely tightened. Good luck.
Sincerely, Richard
AMA 861960
Club Saito #635; Saito 56, 100, 120abc, 130T, 180
YS F 120
Here is the trumpet before installation to the carb inlet (shown inverted):
FA-150 similar, maybe the same part number.
BTW, I almost lost two fingers, and certainly my nerve, hand starting a new 150. It kicked back and actually cut partially through a heavy leather glove I treated it with much more respect after that, and used an electric starter, making sure the prop safety nuts were securely tightened. Good luck.
Sincerely, Richard
AMA 861960
Club Saito #635; Saito 56, 100, 120abc, 130T, 180
YS F 120

They had hazmat fees about two decades ago, and none for quart bottles. It used to be about $12 a gallon for 10% and that included hazmat fee's. Meanwhile the methanol has gone down in price and oil has gone up about $5 to $10 buck a gallon and nitro about $10 to $15 bucks a gallon.
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A few years back I took some Cool Power that had been in storage for 14 years in a dark closet. I gallon had been opened & was about 2/3 full. It had the fuel line that ran through the pump looped back to the vent in the jug forming a sealed loop. The other jug was unopened. Other than some fine white sediment that was in the opened, then sealed jug, there was no significant difference in performance after I ran the fuel through a coffee filter to strain the sediment out. Both jugs of fuel performed just fine with the unopened jug having slightly better idle.
As far as "fixing" the prop hub to the crank for CDI, if the collet is brass there will be no need to do that. Also it is better to mount the Hall sensor "fixed" & use a ring with set screws on the hub for the magnet to allow easy adjustment. If the collet is aluminum, the replacement hub & collet will be brass.
You can purchase a magnet ring & Hall sensor mount from C&H W/O buying the entire system.
BTW: The gas conversion will be about 20% less power than an FA-62 burning glow fuel W/GI, 25% less than a CDI/Glow fuel conversion. You might want to go W/an FA-82 for the conversion.
Last edited by SrTelemaster150; 09-23-2015 at 05:25 AM.
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I have a friend who was experimenting off and on with using the new OS glow plugs for gasoline to convert other glow engines to gasoline. So far he finds it does work with other brands of engines but not all of them. Its a trial and error sort of process. I suspect he will find a correlation between stroke and compression on whether it works or not.

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I think that are all AAC (aluminum/aluminum/chrome) I am not aware of any that are still ABC. (aluminum/brass/chrome)
The only thing castor does is coat the inside of the engine with varnish. It is not beneficial, especially with CDI. The higher EGTs will coke up the exhaust port.
The only thing castor does is coat the inside of the engine with varnish. It is not beneficial, especially with CDI. The higher EGTs will coke up the exhaust port.

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Trev is it true that the 91 is the only saito with a chrome to aluminium barrel and all the rest have chrome plated brass liners,would that make a 91 a poor selection for lubrication tests? i still favour 3 to 5% castor you can read the plug tip ring on temp so you don't run it to lean for long periods.

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http://www.mecoa.com/faq/abc/abc.htm

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Barry, I think this is the twin you're alluding to above, it has the chromed brass liner. I may check and see if this guy is like that, it's a 1.00 twin I picked up from Jim a while back.
http://sceptreflight.net/Model%20Engine%20Tests/Saito%20FA-100T.html
http://sceptreflight.net/Model%20Engine%20Tests/Saito%20FA-100T.html
Last edited by Hobbsy; 09-29-2015 at 01:18 PM.
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Saito hasn't used ABC in years. As far as I know, nothing in the current line-up is ABC. They are all AAC now. ABC requires a separate liner & is heavier. With AAC all they have to do is chrome plate the inside of the cylinder casting after it is machined.

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I knew there were the twins, but the 325R5 was ABC too at one time. The 60 and 100 twins were ABC. I was a little surprised that Saito used ABC in the 325. Maybe this was one of the first radials before Saito committed to all AAC?

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Hello all i am putting a Great Planes Stuka together 70" wingspan between 8lbs-8.5lbs with a Saito .82. I am looking for scale flying not a rocket ship so i need some help with a spinner and a prop. I would love to have a 3 blade spinner/prop but i can live with a 2 blade set up. I am looking for a 3"spinner either 3 blade or 2 blade combo. If anyone can steer me in the right direction i would appreciate it.
Thanks
Thanks