I am running 15% cool power right now and some of the old timers told me I should be running a mix with castor oil. I am just wondering if someone can tell me what the difference is. I have to drive 200 miles to get cool power and it's 16 bucks a gallon or I can get 15% 18%castor blend fuel only 100 miles away and its only 14.95. If someone can explain to me what the difference is and why I would really appreciate it.
Thanks,
Jason

I'm assuming you are a beginner with a 30 size ABC engine here.

Castor oil can withstand higher temperatures than most of the synthetics. This give you a bit more margin for error if you set the mixture too lean. It also manages to stay coated on the guts of an engine better, which helps prevent internal rusting.

On the downside, castor leaves the muffler and cylinder coated in brown gunk, which bakes on and is very hard to remove. One engine I had needed to be disassembled every few gallons to remove the gunk from the cylinder. Ringed engines can get the ring stuck in the groove if you don't ensure the the gunk is removed by using after-run oil.

Used regularly, and run dry after use, an engine won't rust if the all synthetic oils are used. For long-term storage, after-run oil may be necessary, however. I have plenty of engines that have never seen castor in their life, and they just keep going until they wear out.

In you case, I'd go with the castor blend, just because it's easier to get. I don't mind having brown, gunky mufflers, and the cleaning out is pretty easy if your engine is easy to remove. You just pop the head, pull out the liner and shin it up with a piece of Scotchbrite.

The castor guys are NUTS!!!!!!!!!!! Cool power heli blend, Tower Hobbies purple heli blend and Wildcat 30% heli are all very good fuels. My old os 32 has had over 100 gallons of synthetic lubricant fuel pass through it and it still runs strong and looks good internally. Any body that would reccommend castor fuel for a heli does not have a clue as to what they are talking about. They have become a self appointed expert by listening to some one else that does not have a clue or burns less than a gallon of fuel a year.

Fred

I have always been told thst the synthetic fuels allow for better cooling, which is important inhelis since we do not have a prop blowing air past the cylinder. I have always used heli fuels with synthetic oil. I get it once a year at the Toledo show, and it is pretty cheap, and since I transport it, no shipping costs.


Go to the manufaturers site for fuels and ask them what the difference is, I would think they would know the best, and the guys at wildcat are extremely honest and helpfull, he even told me the first year I bought their fuel that if I did not like it he would make it right with me. I did like it, and have used nothing else since.

I didn't want to get into a fuel war here, but helis run on synthetic mainly because it is much, much cleaner. The higher engine temperature of the heli engines burn castor oil into a crud that is hard to clean,. In the "olden" days of the metal lapped cylinders, castor was the premier lubricant. It is no surprise that the old timers are talking about castor.

Either fuel will work for your engine. Synthetic is cleaner and does not gunk up the engine. Neither castor or synthetic is required for good running or long engine life. I burn 80 or more gallons in helis per year, and I wouldn't think about castor because of the mess. If I only burned 5 or 10 gallons, I wouldn't care that much.

Synthetic is almost a must for heli engines,heli engines run hotter than plank engines,and all the synthetics out there have oils that withstand the heat and wear that heli engines get.
15% CP is fine for your 32,the only way youll ever tell you ran 100% synthetic is how clean the engine will be after youve run a few gallons thru it,w cp 15 youll see a slight green tint from the dye in the fuel,run castor and youll see a lot more than tint.
Planes run good w castor,if thats what they prefer,but like the rest of the gang indicated, castor leaves crud all over the place,but most important, wont take the heat like 100% synthetic fuel will.todays synthetics also have additives to give better lubrication,lubricant adhesion,and anti rust and foaming agents.
Do yourself a big favor,stay away from castor based stuff....

I agree, No Castor!

Rick

Thanks everyone for your suggestions, I ran a gallon of castor blend through my heli when I first started and it turned my pipe all brown, then I switched to cool power and I have ran probably 8 gallons of that and I havent had the problem of the brown caking onto the pipe. I have been flying planks for many years and had never really gave the fuel any thought and the other day I was out showing an old timer the heli and he told me I really should run the castor blend fuel's, so I started to think about it and I wanted to know, so thanks everyone. I was a diesel mechanic until just a year ago when I broke my back and it made me unable to be one and I found out then that synthetic was always better then regular oil but when the old timer told me that I thought maybe he knew something I didn't.

Thanks again,
Jason