OS 2-Stroke Engine Reliability
 

I have used small OS 2-stroke engines for many years. With no scientific records
kept, I have an impression that the .15LA and .25 LA seem more likely to suffer
flameouts in flight than the .15CVA and .25FX engines. Does anyone else have any
experience on this issue?

P.S. Please don't bother to tell me that every model must have the heaviest, most
costly engine that can be bolted to the firewall. Sometimes the LA engines are just
the right size.

RE: OS 2-Stroke Engine Reliability
 

I have a Twinstar with 2 os 25's la plane wrwcked due to flame out, no longer will buy these engines. GTNKICK

RE: OS 2-Stroke Engine Reliability
 

You could well be in the wrong company here old chap.
These forums are driven, maintained and supported by folks that believe in the "if it isn't the biggest and most expensive it's crap" syndrome... newbees most of them.
Fortunately there re still a handfull of us that don't necessarily buy into that none sense... least not for non competitive flying.
The LA's are just what they where strategically designed to be... a simple, cheap, no brainer of a hobby engine.
Anyone that has problem opperating a LA engine must be a living example of the "no brainer" part of the OS strategy.
They work just fine. I have never seen or come across and engine that is just so happy under adverse conditions.
I have a first gen', day one LA.46... years old, that's in a fun fly. It's hit the ground crank first... onto concrete when I was learning to hover, so many times my ego has blanked it out!
It's used every sort of fuel, some with water, some with any old type of oil available and even some that didn't even have oil in it at all!
It's been in a lake, cover in snow, frozen in an ice clump, it's never been after run oiled ever... it's internals are full of rust... and it still runs f...ing great!
The secret is the running in part. Read the instrcution and al will be well.
Mind you, there a many paople out there that will tell you that those exact instructions were written by an idiot... be warned.
Enjoy your purchase.

RE: OS 2-Stroke Engine Reliability
 

Dave,

I do not think one version is or less reliable engine, they are about the same. The LA versions are sleeve bearing engines and the FX series is ball bering engines. They are both ABN engines. The FX series engines are more powerful, will probably turn up more RPM for a given prop. FX series cost more.

Hope this will help you.

Cheers,

Chip

RE: OS 2-Stroke Engine Reliability
 

We have quite a few LA engines in our club. They are not the most powerful engines, but they all have one thing in common: They start and run. EVERY time. Very simple and very reliable. I have a 25LA that I bought in 1997 (my first engine). It has survived three major crashes (plane totaled) and is still in use quite often. It has plenty of power for relaxed flying with my Balsa USA Stick 40. The air-bleed carb can cause flameouts if not set properly, but a little tweaking should make the LAs run just fine. Obviously, they are not in the same league as Irvines or OS FX/SX when it comes to carb precision or power, but that's not what you paid for when you bought an LA...

RE: OS 2-Stroke Engine Reliability
 

Please let me rephrase my first squak, now I have your attention, these 25's run great on the ground after a couple circles around the field one quits in the air, and then hang on shes coming in. Any suggestions on the tuneing of this one.

RE: OS 2-Stroke Engine Reliability
 

My personal experience is that the 40LA is more prone to dead sticks than the 40FX. I don't know why, I have spent hours trouble shooting my 40LA. I must be a member of the no-brainer club. My most reliable engine is a ringed Enya 50SS followed by OS and Thunder Tiger ABN ball bearing engines.

RE: OS 2-Stroke Engine Reliability
 

As the original poster stated, the LA engines (and their FP predecessors) are ideal engines for many applications. They're as reliable as anything, lightweight, fairly inexpensive, require virtually no maintenance and are about the easiest things in the world to adjust.

Where we get into trouble is expecting a bushing engine to perform reliably with fuels (specifically, oils) that are insufficient for the engine. Fuel often tends to be purchased on price alone, and little regard is given to the suitability for the engine in question. Bushing engines need oil, often times the more the merrier, and many of the "popular" brands of pretty colored fuels simply don't have either the quality, or quantity of oil present to make these things work correctly.

Strange that bushing engines were the standard in modeling for decades, and with the advent of modern manufacturing they are perhaps in their highest state of development ever, yet despite all this people flail and flounder with their operation. Huh?

Granted, there are some folks that would have difficulty operating a light switch, but I digress...

Run fuel that actually has a full serving of oil in it (20%+). Especially when the engine is new. If yours doesn't have a full oil compliment (probably not), then add oil to make it correct. Easy to do, and almost always gets your bushing LA/FP/Etc engine happily on it's way.

RE: OS 2-Stroke Engine Reliability
 

G'day Mate,
The main differences between the "LA's" & the "FX's" is the LA has plastic backplates, which can come loose easily, so check that it is not loose, & the FX has a metal backplate which won't come loose.
Also the FX has a 2 needle carby, where as the LA has an air bleed carby, the FX usually stays in tune better than the LA, because the air bleed hole is on the front of the carby & can get dirt stuck in the hole, causing problems. And of couse the LA is a plain bearing engine, while the FX has ball bearings. They are both good reliable engines, but all the LA's have the problem with the backplate.

RE: OS 2-Stroke Engine Reliability
 

Well stated, 'Race.....for some reason people think that an individual that
purchases an engine, and reads the instructions will have a good result
running that engine....(yeah right) very funny. :eek:

RE: OS 2-Stroke Engine Reliability
 

Well Dave, I just happen to believe that a simple, easy to use bushing engine is quite often the perfect engine for a newcomer to the hobby whose time is better spent learning to fly rather than troubleshooting engine problems with absolutely no idea of what to do next.

Instructions are instructions, and are generally best if actually read. However, directions to use a "Quality fuel containing X% of oil" is a pretty open ended deal. Define "quality", and "X%" of WHAT oil? It makes a difference, and I'm amazed at the overwhelming number of rather skilled flyers in this hobby that haven't a clue about what their using. It's all about the nitro content right? Everybody knows that big nitro = good flyer. Even folks who don't know what nitro is. OK!!!!

Fortunately, there are still companies that offer fuels that meet the needs of varying engine types. Sig, Powermaster, Coopers, S&W, etc. Unless the purchaser knows what they want...it's unwise to assume the hobby dealer will steer you straight as it's unlikely that they understand the differences. Kinda sad actually. Brightly colored fuels sell better than ugly, albeit properly formulated blends. This is no small part of the reason I've been mixing my own fuel. The majority of my engines are those that prefer (and specify) that fuel contain a certain oil package, and I just challenge you to go to the LHS and buy a fuel like that. Here in the land of cheap green oil? No dice. I make my own, to my spec and I'm happy. That's me however, and I wouldn't expect others to do that unless they really wanted to.

Seems that the real emphasis is on saving paper towels, and less so with a fuel blend that will show a motor at it's best.

I shake my head......

RE: OS 2-Stroke Engine Reliability
 

This is the type of person I was refering to earlier Dsegal
Scary[:o]

RE: OS 2-Stroke Engine Reliability
 

---------------


You won't believe this, but I agree with you in most respects. However,in the USA the LA .40 & .46 are waaaay overpriced for what you get. The smaller LA engines are over priced too, but they run so sweet that it is hard to fault them. One can buy a seriously more powerful engine for the same or less money (forties) in the USA. I am not aware of the pricing structure elsewhere in the world. In the USA, the Super Tigre GS-40 kicks the LA's butt. Yes, this is just my opinion - of course.

When I flew fun fly models, I was on the fence between the current (then) plain bearing engines (FP & GP) and the more expensive .32 sized ball bearing engines (OS and Webra). I ended up going with the .32 (OS) size for one reason only, better throttling and instantaneous response. The plain bearing engines just didn't have the latter. But they were within shouting distance, I'll give them that.

RE: OS 2-Stroke Engine Reliability
 

The key to successful engine running is simply having one of the experienced
Fellas at the field show the new owner how to tune the engine. Just reading
the manual is not going to replace a few minutes hands on practical training.

I am a fan of OS engines. The LA series are great engines for what they are.
They are a perfect....no fuss first engine. They look good, and are easy to start.
The power is adequate for the job they are intended for, which is going to be
powering a new owners trainer around in a slow circle.

It's easy to describe, but to show the owner how to peak the engine, then
back the needle out until the engine slows down some is all it takes. The sight
and sound are better than volumes of reading. That's all it takes, really, to run
just about any glow engine. ;)

FBD. :D

RE: OS 2-Stroke Engine Reliability
 

I USED to be a fan of OS engines, I only bought OS, no matter what the price. Problem is, every one of them peeled its cheap nickel lining very quickly, even though I ran good quality oil fuels and always ran rich. I grossly overpower my planes, so the engine is usually not operated at full power for more than a few seconds.

When I found out that chrome was much better than Nickel plating, and that OS did not use it to save a few bucks, I was pissed. OS cost me hundredes and hundreds of dollars in replacing engines just so they could make a few extra bucks profit by using cheap nickel instead of chrome. I am very angry at them, I hope word gets arond so that no one buys thier engines. It is well known that OS engines peel thier linings yet they do nothing to fix it, although they will sell you a new piston and liner for almost the price of a new engine... I have no use for corporate greed and I dont think they deserve to be in business.

JettPilot

RE: OS 2-Stroke Engine Reliability
 

Jett Pilot, maybe you could get Dave to allow a "sticky" of the fact that you ruined every O.S. engine you owned. It would save you having to post this on every thread concerning O.S. engines.

RE: OS 2-Stroke Engine Reliability
 

I did not ruin, and never said that I ruined them. Its a well known FACT that nickel liners are not durable and that they are cheaper than chrome. O.S. Peeling problems are well documented here in the forum, just do a search on "O.S. and Liner" and you will see that it is a huge problem with OS engines.

As far as you trying to twist around what I posted to say that I ruined them, very dishonest and you obviously have an agenda rather than being instrested in the truth.

JettPilot

RE: OS 2-Stroke Engine Reliability
 

Back to the topic at hand here.
The 15LA and 25 LA are just fine for the job they are intended to perform. The only people that I have seen have problems with the LA engines were the ones that refused to use a suitable fuel such as 10% nitro with a healthy supply of castor in the mix, and those that try to tweek the needles too much, and those that insist on using an unsuitable prop, the list goes on and on. Frankly, I can say the same for many other engines out there as well. Bottom line is the LA engines are inherently reliable and durable when properly fed and adjusted and proped and pluged. They do not and never will have lots of power but they were never intended to. Keep in mind that I am not a huge OS fan, but the LA series does what they were intended to do.

Other engines that fall into the same category are the Thunder Tiger GP series. I know they make the GP 25 and not sure about the 15, but they are equally reliable. Enya used to have some bushing SS engines that were small, I had a 25SS and 30SS that were great, could not kill it.

Hope this puts this thread back on topic.