Bolter

Can anyone tell me what might be going on with my new Saito 72? I started the break-in procedure as per manual and it started right off great. Had it running very rich with igniter still connected for about 8 minutes when I removed the igniter and it quit. When I tried to restart it fired once and the needle on my power panel went to zero. Removed plug and tested, no glow. Checked a brand new OS F plug, nice glow , installed. Again it kicked once and then no juice. Removed that plug and tested, no glow. Checked to ensure no hydrolock and tried one more plug-OS F. Same darn thing! I can't afford these plugs at this rate :-(

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance!

Bolter

TimC

Bolter, take an old plug and hook it up to your panel connector. It sounds like the problem is in the panel. I noticed on my panel, the voltage indicated is way off. I have to adjust it by hooking up a plug and watching the heater element.

Rudeboy

Yeah, you can't blow a plug by flipping the prop once...

Look at the following things: check if you don't run too much current through your plugs (I used a single nicad, 1.2 volts-1700mAh, and that's enough to start virtually every engine on every plug), check your glow clip (maybe you've got a bad contact or a broken lead there), check your panel, look at the plugs (if the plug looks ok, it is ok 95% of the times, if it is blown you will have a hard time missing that).

I hope you didn't throw all those plugs straight into the thrash, because there's a 99% chance they were still good... Those OS F plugs are very durable...

Be carefull with those power panels. If an engine doesn't start, most people start by turning up the currect on the glow plug... wrong. That will only cost you plugs.
If the plug is glowing dark red, most of the times that is more than enough to start ignition. It really doesn't have to glow orange or yellow.

Bolter

Hi folks, been a while since I first posted but in the meantime I've had some success with this problem and just want to share the info.
To clarify. I didn't say I blew a plug by flipping the prop once, I heard it fire once :-)
Talked to the gurus at my LHS and they suggested using only a one cell glo-starter . It appears that I was getting some sort of a voltage spike when I used the clip from my power panel in conjunction with my electric starter also running off the panel.
Works just fine with the single cell glo-start. Tried it again with the power panel and a cheaper plug and POP! another one gone.
I had checked to make sure the voltage setting on the panel was very low, lower than I use with all my other engines. Also checked the glo plug out- nice cherry to orange-red.

It was also suggested that I replace the wires from my panel to the battery with heavier ga. wire. They seemed to think that the current to the clip may have surged just as I released the starter. Right or wrong , this is what I understood from their comments.

For now I'm sticking to using the glo-starter with single 1.2v cell, it works! I've run a gallon of fuel through the Saito and can't wait to get it in the air. Thanks for your suggestions!

Bolter

Bolter

P.S. All those plugs are trash! Too bad....

Rudeboy

So now you have to trash those plugs AND your power panel...

This indicates that the voltage regulator in your power panel is very slow... it doesn't react fast enough to compensate for the voltage changes when you release the starter contact... must be a real dog, that power panel... (if that really is the cause)