bad engines
 

any brand of airplane engines i should stay away from?

RE: bad engines
 

YS engines if you are a beginner. They are not bad engines, but rather a little exotic and complex to begin with. other than that most engines out there work by the same principles. I have lots of cheap chinese engines working just as good and reliable as my OS, YS and European engines.

RE: bad engines
 

Fox - I know there is some who love them, but they can be bear!

RE: bad engines
 

Anything made by MVVS......:D

RE: bad engines
 

The electric motors yes, but they used to make som very nice engines, so grab them while they are still around.
Stay away from OS though, they just peel the nickel of the cylinder walls...

RE: bad engines
 

I disagree about MVVS, I have quite a few and the only problem was the old style carbs as they were hard to tune on the 1/2 pipe. The later carb took care of that, they run about as well as a Rossi and are lighter. You must use 0-5 per cent fuel or they don't run well!
High quality and last for a long time if taken care of.
Sadly they (glow fuel) are no longer made. MVVS now makes gassers....only.

RE: bad engines
 

OS doesnt peel liners anymore. Those engines that did were the older SX and FX engines, They are now two different models past them.
Fox engines are great also.

All engine brands have had problems. some people try one brand of engine, get dud and then bad mouth them forever lol. Each brand has their faults. OS and Thunder tiger are near the top with the sport engine price range. next down for me are the magnums and ASP's. These four brands all run well.

RE: bad engines
 

i also like os. they are my favorite engine.

RE: bad engines
 

Fox engines are great engines, but many people have no patience and do not want to break in the engines first. Fox engines don't wear out fast like some engines do.  But people seem to like that instant gratification that those pre-worn in more loose engines give them. They just tend to replace their engines a lot as they wear out on them.

Considering how some people just seem to be unlucky with glow engines, I don't think there is one that'll work with those people.

But usually once a person gets one brand of engine to work OK for them, they tend to stick with it, as they have good luck with it then.

RE: bad engines
 

New or used? I would say if you dont see the brand sold new today, stay away unless you just like engines. Most engines were carb problems more than the base engines. I would stay away from MDS, and the early off brands. Most now have copied well enough for most to run OK. Beginners tend to have a hard time with SuperTiger carbs and YS tuning.

RE: bad engines
 

Ueda

RE: bad engines
 

I have found that OS engines are very good and very reliable engines. I have several that were purchased over 30 years ago that are still running strong. I also have some new engines that run and are as strong as the older ones.

Another engine that is still around and maybe not a super strong engine but a very reliable one is K & B 61.

Frank

RE: bad engines
 

Didn't know anyone else ever seen of these. Never did run mine....

As far as staying away from one brand or another, I'd say, anymore, they all pretty much run. You have to have the basics of set-up down to make any of them run. You may want to phrase your question a bit differently, such as, best field manners, simplest set-up, best power-transition- idle, reliability, lowest overall cost to own-operate, etc. They all have strengths and weaknesses

RE: bad engines
 

What made OS so popular was the ease of tuning their engines as opposed to some of the European stuff; OPS, Rossi and the others are great engines but really not a good choice for beginners. You'll notice that YS never made an FP or an LA bushed engine, just high performance stuff which in terms of temperament can be a bit sensitive on the needle valve, either high or low end tuning.

RE: bad engines
 

just go to your local flying field and see what they are flying and go from there

RE: bad engines
 

+1

RE: bad engines
 

Hi

Yep ,....................... No problem .

YDA , and JC , both pure junk , and some guy called PISTON ( Henry )

Go by youre guys at the club ,..................................... don,t think you know everything


Michel

RE: bad engines
 

Breaking in and handling glo engines have a very certain learning curve , that you are required to learn and know before you can run one long term
Do you research
In theory a glo engine should NEVER be run lean, especialy at break in time
Running lean ,with reduced oil in the fuel , will overheat and score the piston and linner and distort the aluminum cases, damaging the engine and prevent it from running well in the future
HEAT IS THE ENEMY
This I do believe is the issue with many bad running glo motors
The next is the inability of many glo engine companies to build a good carb ( OS carbs are the best ) that does not leak air into the engine
The air leak will cause high heat issues and cooks a glo engine ( need to identify this as soon as is possible )
OS in my opinion make some of the very best glo engine carbs, and many cheep engines performance can be improved if you can install an OS carb , for that reason
Do start with an OS engine until you learn what a glo engine requires to run long and short term, it does take some hands on time to do this
You need experience ( time handling glo ) before you want to play with cheeper engine quality as they will sometimes require more skill to operate sucsessfully, and are more sensative to adjustments
Plan on possibly damaging a engine until you know what they REQUIRE !
A very good glo fuel is a must
I love MORGAN OMEGA -PINK 15 % and run it in all my glo engines with with or without rings, in the manufactures recommended RPM range (which is bases on prop size )
My engines show no signs of wear when I disassemble them for inspectionreal good quailty stuff
Once you know how to set up the carb correctly and the other things to be looking for , mostly lean running and air leaks , you engines should perform very well for many many years
I have found that most times when flying -YOU WILL GET A WARNING as to what is going to happen next , you learn to identify the warning ( a noise etc ) and often react very quickly to get the plane down and save the aircraft
A dead stik is a good example that requires quick thinking to land safely
EXAMPLE : I will completely diassemble an ASP engine ( or any other cheeper engine ) before I run it or break it in to inspect the machining inside the cases
I have found bad machining in some very early engines and even metal particales inside the engine
Doing this allows me to - RETURN - the engine from were it came , before i run it and do not have that option any longer
Flying two cycle glo more than most for 23 years and loving ever minute I do
ENJOY TONY

RE: bad engines
 

+1!!

I've run and own most brands of motors. Over the years, I've flown many types. They all have been good to me. My Fox &amp; K&amp;Bengines are some of my favorites. I also have O.S., Super Tigre, MVVS, and Webra engines. Shoot, I even have a couple of old Royal .40's withinsane hours onthem,<u> </u>and they just keep running.Each has it's own peculiarities, but they all run good.

I've had two bad engines that I can remember: an early '80's Thunder Tiger .20 that just wouldn't develop any power, and a early ASP 1.08 that was the same way. I unloaded both quickly. Other than that, I've always had good luck with motors.

To the OP: The key is to find someone knowledgeable in your club to learn from. Please, please, please don't go the the local "tweaker" or racer. They will sit there and tweak that motor for every ounce of power it can develop, and in the process burn it up. My advice is to watch the guys at your club a few weeks, and see who doesn't have engine trouble, and find out what he does. Finally, stay away from full synthetic oil fuels. They are great for racers, but for sport flying, you just can't beat Castor oil. Blends are fine, just don't fall victim to the synthetic myth....

RE: bad engines
 

There's a saying at our field: "Cox and Fox, leave 'em in the box." Good advice.

RE: bad engines
 

must be a beginner in a hurry.Fox need to be broken in. I have several Fox's all run strong and relieble.

RE: bad engines
 

OS, is the best beginner engine, They fly right out of the box! Use Omega 10%.

Chris923

RE: bad engines
 

By these statements you obviously do not know any real racers.[:@]

As far as brands go, I like Thunder Tiger's .40 and .46 reall well, as well as OS .25FX.

I HATE
Meccoa! Everything from purchasing the motors to them not running worth a crud. I keep them just to throw against the wall when I get angry.
Bring on the Mods since I have been warned about bashing them so many times over the years. Thankfully I am finally in the context of the thread.
Don't buy one, if you feel compelled, just mail me the money, I'll spend it on liquor. Both of us can have a satisfied smile on our face knowing it made me happy.

RE: bad engines
 

Chuck, this begs to get more bad advice than there are bad engines. Many bad engines, (most) are more a reflection on theirs owners than the engines themselves.

RE: bad engines
 

I operated and flew my friend's Ueda .55 throughout his pilot training phase without a single, solitary problem. That was a long time ago.


Ed Cregger

RE: bad engines
 

Moki, stay away from those. Real PITA.<div>Saito &amp; OS are the real winners</div>

RE: bad engines
 

I might be temped to agree regards Fox, but as to Cox? Sounds like bad grapes from people who can't handle small engines.

As to Hobbsy's comment, I agree 50% but there has been and still is some crap on the market, and I've seen so many instances where the people who got lucky enough to buy good examples of a particular engine swear there is no problem with a brand as if their statistical pool of one or two engines tells the whole story. Like GMS for example - the crowd who have not encountered a bad carb say they're great and that other people are imagining the problem. You get people that own one, and it works, arguing as if they've tested 100 of them.

RE: bad engines
 

I like most glow engines but not real fond of super tigre but thats just me. Have a freind that loves em, I would say that OS s my first choice. I am hearing that OS is or will be made in China?

RE: bad engines
 

Cox in its day was the strongest 1/2A engine out there. The older Fox's need long breakins and the carb tunes diffiently. And yes some models, only a few, were dogs. However, the modern Fox's made today break in easily (Thanks to CNC machining), especially the ABC versions, and have a carb second to none.

RE: bad engines
 

No "bad grapes" here. I just never realized how bad the Cox engines were until I got my mitts on some Norvels. Way back when, the Cox's were all we had. That DIDN'T make them good.

RE: bad engines
 

There are no bad engines. Just bad people who attempted to operate them.
There is of course a case of a bad apple once in a while.

RE: bad engines
 

Each maker has it's personalities. I have several from most of the popular ones out there. I have a Blue head .61 Super Tigre that has more time on it then I could count. A real old Fox .40, K&B, O.S. OPS. Webra, Rossi, Cox, Magnum, YS, Jet, Traxxas, (not sure who really makes it), Tower Hobbies, Como ( total POS) Ervine, Thunder Tiger, or as they used to be know, Thunder Blunder, QA was iffy at best.

It takes a special breed of person to run Cox engines. You just need to be able to use a lot of dark magic, cauldrons, spells and sacrifices to get them to run well. I have a box of worn out parts.

Of the newer engines I have or have setup. The Magnum .61 and the .46 have been about as easy as it gets. Followed the directions and that has been a pure fun engine. Flip starts easily.

O.S. I have a few, I have had good luck and bad luck. My bad luck was the FX line of engines. Peeled like a sun burned kids back. Yet I have 20 year old FP that run fine.

I would have to say my favorite engines are Super Tigre's. Well the Italian ones any way. I (2) newer, in the past 2 years and they run fine. Easy to break in and good power.

My YS .63 has an amazing amount of power for its size. Seems there are two types of them. Ones that run without any trouble, or ones that have nothing but trouble. Mine has been great. I did have to replace the diaphragm after it started acting up.

Fox, slow to break in, lasts longer then most people. May take gallons of fuel to do it right.

K&B engines, they can run real well or fail miserably. I have not heard of any one running all synthetic oils in them. I always have some in the fuel. The AAC liners can be finicky.

I am surprised at how few people really understand how to tune an engine. I watch as they use a tach to get that last RPM out on the bench and then complain it flames out. They can not figure it out. They do not even know they just did a lean run. Watched one guy try 3 different fuels, 8 glow plugs and then figured the engine was the problem. He was running a 12X7 on a Magnum .46. Could not understand why he could not get any type of RPM out of it.

Most newer engines will serve you well. Each has its own tuning issues. you can not tune a YS like yo do an O.S. nor can you tune an O.S. like you do a Webra.

I have only had one engine I could not get to run. It was an old Como .20. Never ran over 20 seconds. Never did figure out why.


Buzz.

RE: bad engines
 

That's what they said about Vegas and Yugos, too.

RE: bad engines
 

Any brand of engine has some that aren't created equal ... Usually the less expensive the grater the chances they will be a LEMON  no mater the make if it gives U trouble just put it on the shelf and obtain another ... Screwing with a motor that doesn't start Idle and run well or consistantly first of all is not worth the frustraion. This hobby is all about FUN. If it ain't FUN it ain't worth doing. 2nd most planes are worth far more than the price of another motor. Until U become an accomplished flyer and willing to learn to keep the plane with gluiding distance of the runway at all times, Dead Sticks can be very unnerving.  But I find them much easier than powered landings ... In fact I usual y make at least 10 touch 'N' Go's per flight and the last landing I take My U'CAN-DO way up and shut it off and do aerobatics all the way down and the proof of a good landing is the least number of steps to retrieve the plane from the runway. Most times I park it right next to where I started ... Yes I brag. but doing that really takes the Pucker factor out of Dead sticks. Ever notice "LETRICS" almost all ways land with the prop stopped ... "DEAD STICK"
  Rember Runway behind U and Altitude  above u and fuel in the bottle  are some of the most useless commidities in this HOBBY?SPORT

RE: bad engines
 

So far they're all bad and all good.

RE: bad engines
 

Cox put the others out of business. The Norvels were good but not sure they were better than a Tee Dee for raw power. Yet the Tee Dee dates back to 1960. Better controlability for RC for sure, but not sure their 1/2A or .048 is more powerfull.

RE: bad engines
 

The Cox engines had their day, but that was long ago and you can't get there from here. A lot of us started on them, and many, such as myself, abandoned them as soon as we could. The Norvels had their quirks, to be sure, but were light-years ahead of Cox in most respects. My Norvels get flown regularly and are no more cantankerous than any of my other engines. That's more than I can say for any Cox engine I ever owned. It's just progress, I guess. As time goes on, things tend to get better and what was once "good" now seems less so compared to more modern offerings.

RE: bad engines
 

I had a great eXperience with Italian built Supertigre .61 (which I stupidly sold!!); OS and MVVS.
My worst experience was with GMS; a brand that tower hobbies use to sell... I'don't recall to land my poor plane with the engine running...
I have had a decent experience with a chinesse built Supertigre .90; as reliable and powerfull as the Italian 61...

Normally; just stay away from new low price brands, just pay a little bit more and get a good engine... there is my list:

Glow: OS, MVVS, Magnum, YS, Supertigre...
Gas: 3W, SAITO, Mintor, DLE, DA...

... and stay away from electric, those makes your model to become a toy!!! HAHAHAHAHA

RE: bad engines
 

I have used quite a few engines by both Cox and Fox. They have all performed their tasks in a most satisfactory manner.

It is my observation that in most cases dissatisfaction with an engine is caused by selecting an engine unsuited to the desired use or failing to understand/learn the peculiarities of the engine in question.

Jess

RE: bad engines
 

THERE ARE NOT ANY BAD ENGINES THERE > MAKE SURE THERE IS THE RIGHT FUEL LINE THE RIGHT FUEL AND GO SLOW ON SETTING THE ENGINE CARB>>