Actually... i took my brothers airplane out of storage... it's been sitting there for 5 years not being used.. What is the best way to clean a glow engine to put it back in duty??

take it apart and simmer in a crockpot filled with anti-freeze overnight on low. search for other threads on rcu for details.

another effective way for me has been to clean the parts with rubbing alcohol. be sure to spray with WD-40 right after cleaning and oil with a heavier oil before assembly. It's truly amazing how quickly some parts can rust.

Make sure that you replace all the gaskets and non-metal parts. The crock pot concept works.

thanks guys.. I was thinking of soaking it in gasoline.. hehe but I will do the crockpot thing.. I haven't taken the motor out yet... don't know what kind so hopefully it's still around fpr parts

Hi!
If it's a ballbearing engine that has been run on castor oil you will most likely have to replace the bearings!!!

Regards!
Jan K
Sweden

Jan, I'm sorry, but it's not the castor oil that causes the bearings to go bad, on the contrary, it's what helps them to avoid rusting and wear. It's the methanol that causes the rust because it's hyposopic and will draw water right out of the air and place it right on the bearings, causing rust. Castor will thicken up over time and cause the bearing to be hard to turn, but can be cleaned right up with some fresh fuel.

Is the engine rusted or gummed up? if not, maybe you don't have to do anything to it at all. Just run it realy rich the first couple minutes.

it's not rusty or anything.. it's just really REALLY DUSTY.. i mean REALLY DUSTY...

The outer side of engines generally doesn't get corroded... It's the inner parts that matter. You are at least going to have to pull the backplate to see what's going on inside. If it looks fine except for some gummed up castor oil, loosen it up with some fuel and give some rich runs. On the other hand, if you see ANY corrrosion, you're going to have to dismantle it, take away the rust with some very fine sandpaper and replace the bearings. Make sure you put the parts back in the same way they came out, they are mated to each other.

sounds good.. thanks