Aug, plastic spinners are okay if they use a metal back plate. The problem occurs with plastic back plates in many instances. CB Associates was a brand that used plastic spinner cones with metal back plates. That was the only one with a plastic spinner that I would bother with.

I could get other brands of all plastic construction to work, but each and every time they would sap about 500 rpm off the top end of the engine. I don't pay for premium engines only to lose power using a cheap spinner.

Metal spinners are an excellent investment, as far as I'm concerned.

On models that do not require a spinner, use the AMA safety nut type of crankshaft nut and simply reverse the rubber cone in your starter's cup. That saps 0 rpms from your engine and is very durable. Another excellent investment.


Ed Cregger

I had a bout with an engine which was run on older fuel. Eventually, I found that the piston sides were all varnished up. It seemed that this additional friction would cause the engine to drag over time while flying and eventually dead stick. Before we knew what the issue was, we found the engine to run quite warm, but could never fix the mixture to get rid of the seemingly lean situation. I pulled the engine apart, scrubbed the piston walls with solvent and a green scrub pad, until it was shiny new aluminum, then broke the engine in again as new. This is now a very sweet running engine.

I don't know how old your engine is, or if you knew the history, but I figured I'd share my experience.

Jack

You got me on that one! I need to pay more attention to my prop and balancing it. Lesson learned. Thanks.

To answer your third question. I'm returning to the hobby from a 30 year absence. You can see all of my earlier models in my profile but I'm very rusty.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/community/...e&memid=240063

I did join a club but the field is located very far away and I have my own personal field accross the street from my house.

Propane Powered Shrink Wrap Heat Gun

G'day and welcome back. Like you, I have been in and out of the hobby for most of my life. In at about 11, out at 16 back in at 24 out at 29, back in at 39 out at 44 and most recently in at 53 and still here at 59 and hoping to be here for quite a while yet. This is one hobby which can really take hold and from which it is very hard to escape permanently. I'm up to my forth club now as a result of some moves. They have all been very different but all have been fun.

Ed

You could use a propane shrink wrap heat gun.

Heck I have actually used a propane torch,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,very carefully. On the bench, without fuel, and slow and easy kinda far away. [8D]
I have great luck with all my engines.

Here`s a few small and nice ones. http://www.dealextreme.com/search.dx/search.torch#809 I use this aid regularly in the winter to get easy starts in below freezing temps

This is a fantastic site to order stuff from, cheap as dirt, no shipping no matter what you order and no taxes when it arrives. I have ordered a bunch of stuff from this site.

Thanks, Aug. Never heard that tool, but it makes sense that it exists.


Ed Cregger

Thanks, Asmund. I will give the site a thorough looking over.


Ed Cregger

A torch, if used with common sense and care, does the job just fine.

A thermos of water fresh as possible out of the kettle can be trickled over the head too I suppose - anyone done this? I think it is hot enough..?

MJD

Yepp, been there done that. One time I could not get my YS 110 going during very cold weather, I took my thermos with hot coffe and poured some over the cooling ribs and it instantly fired right up. It doesn`t take alot of heat to help out. But I prefer to heat myself with my coffe so I use a torch on my engines now.

As you said, common sense and care must be used as well, or a bonfire could be the result.

Edit: bad grammar[:@]

Aug,


If the engine seizes while starting, the sleeve is apparently not growing fast enough, as the engine is beginning to run.

I had an OS.40FP in the past... The trick was to have the high-speed needle set lean enough, for the engine to 'instantly' reach its operating temperature; and the parts, their running dimensions.


The break-in procedure is clearly described [link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/Tapered%2DBore_Engine_Break%2Din_%2D_Upgraded/m_1850473/tm.htm]right here[/link].

The dubious info regarding this procedure in the manual, should be regarded as such...


What is now happening, is as the engine is started up, the light piston is the first thing to increase in temperature and to expand; faster than can the nickel coated brass sleeve.

The fit of the piston in the vicinity of TDC, thus becomes excessively tight, causing the engine to grind to an halt, within a few revolutions...


If the mixture is set lean enough (yet richer than peak), the heating of the sleeve comes earlier, with the engine not stopping, but overcoming the temporary near-seizure...

Am I missing something here? The Tower 46 is a purple head dual ball bearing dual needle carbed engine. I suppose you mean a Tower 40 don't you. I mean it is a quite reach for a TT GP 40 and an OS FP 40 to get to a Tower 46.

Thus a message.

Cheers,

Chip

Thanks for that link. I already ordered a simulator to PC cable from them.

Got it......Thanks.

I'll throw something else in here seeing it's a plain bearing engine. I watched someone trying to start an OS LA with an electric starter thinking that just winding it over would draw fuel up to the carb and get it running. It didn't but what it did do was seize the crankshaft into the bush from lack of oil. I managed to free the crankshaft for him but I didn't dare try to find out what the piston/liner looked like although it seemed to start and run ok afterwards.

Thanks Ed. I got her running beautifully now. Thanks to this forum and all the good tips. I ran almost a full tank of fuel out while the plane was on my flight box yesterday. Been too windy for a first flight.