psyctrance

Quick questions for Ergo 60 owners.

I had to auto this weekend (Which would have been gread had I not had to land in a field, 100ft away, nose in, and on the only tire rut for a 100 yards), which resulted in a tip over.

After some quick detective work I discovered the clunck line had come off in the tank, and it simply ran out of gas.

When I tried to take the line out of the tank (Getting the tank out is a marjor pain the ***** BTW) the line had become so brittle that it would crumble under any pressure.

I use AeroTrend Medium Blue Silicone tubing, and have for years. I am also running Cool Power 30% for fuel, which I have also used since starting helis. However, I have never encountered this problem before.

I would appreciate any insight to this issue. Has anyone else experienced this? What could I do to prevent this in the future? Has anyone use neoprene(sp?) instead of silicone? How ofter do you inspect the Clunck line?

Due to the design of the frames it is obvious that the tank was not intended to be removed often. Does anyone know of a better way to check this line?

Thanks for everyones help in advance.

Furyflyer2

My Feedback: (117)

The best line is (Pink) Prather line. I have it in models that are years old. I run only WC 30% and the stuff holds up better than anything else I've tried.

psyctrance

Thanks for the recomendation. I only had the heli since summer, and have put 5 gallons of fuel through it. I had planed to rebuild it this winter, but I guess I get an early start.

Have you ever tried Neoprene? I hear it works for Gas and Nitro.

Furyflyer2

My Feedback: (117)

Never tried neo but it tends to be to stiff.

psyctrance

Thanks for your help, I'll try some of the Prather stuff.

Scotty740

I use AeroTrend blue and haven't had a problem with it. I do change it every winter though just to be on the safe side. I've used Prather too and it seems to hold up just as well. None of it is in bad shape when I change it but, I do it during the winter preventive maintenance I do on all the helis. No more time than it takes do change it's better safe than sorry.

Ergo60

My Feedback: (1)

I change the clunk line EVERY year alnong with the main shaft bearings. It is my insurance policy against this happening. It is called Preventative maintenance, with the emphisis on the Preventative part. I have seen the tank line get hard as a rock before, and that is why I just replace it. Fuel tube is cheaper that the crash dammage.

psyctrance

Hi Ergo,

That is true, I just didn't expect it after only 5 gallons of fuel and 6 months time.

Although after the crash I did discover the main mast bearings were notchy, so I will be replacing them also. In addition, I will be adding the KSJ Thrust bearing block to hopefully extend the life of the radial bearings.

Due to the design of the heli, and the nipple location it is a bit tough to inspect on a frequest basis. Has anyone tried relocating the nipple going to the carb for easier access?

Thanks.

2Vigors

AeroTrend Small Blue Silicone is GREAT - extremely flexible; however, all tubing MUST BE replaced regularly.

I replace mine about every 6 weeks or so in the Summer.