Ok, so i have some trouble with my engine. Everything has been running fine, but have been having alittle trouble with my engine lately. Its some cheap china rip-off of O.S. but its called S.C.

.36 sized engine and still breaking in. Usually it will fire up nicely and be spinning in the right direction. But lately for some stupid reason, the engine will fire in the WRONG direction causing everything to spin in the wrong direction. Blades, tail and paddles all reversed. The engine sounds really really noisy and it making a terrible clicking/ticking noise. When i have the engine off, and spin it by hand, i can hear the noise every compression stroke. Something is not right. At first, I though it might be too rich, as with my plane engines...I would start the RIGHT way but if too rich or too cold the engine would kick in reverse and I may have to give it some gas or lean it out so it would kick-in the right way.

Im just hoping this is the issue because I can see its spitting too much excess fuel. Even with leaning her out it will still start in reverse. Ive checked the starter motor and that is defiently starting the right way. Tried new fuel, still nothing. Leaning out does nothing. Yet to try a new plug but how could that do anything?

Im running the engine on a Caliber .30 the engine will only set one way and if everything fits and screws on one way, then there must be an issue with the engine or something. I think the engine is running in reverse because when I was feeling to see if it was getting cooled by the fan, the air felt very weak (as in the fan was running backwards and not blowing the correct way). This has never happened before so I'm looking for ideas...

Getting some cash together and will be buying a new engine soon. Possibly an O.S 32 or 37

THANKS for ya help!!!

Get the OS .37szh easy to tune and has tons of power. It is practically broken in at the factory, so you run it rich for a tank or two and let the horses loose.

Now you current engine. It is hard to imagine that with the starter going in the correct direction the engine would fire and rotae in the opposite. Not questioning your intelligence just seems impossible. An engine can spin in either because there are no gears forcing it in one particular direction. With that said I really don't have an answer for the rotation issue.

Get the OS and be happy.

I've had my Thunder Tiger engines run in reverse in my heli's before - Usually just too rich - To get it firing in the right direction I would reduce throttle until it just about died and it would fix itself.

An engine firing up in reverse means the low end mixture and sometimes the high end needle are too rich. Start it in the normal direction, get it cleared out by throtlling up a little and then while holding the blades pinch the fule tubing going to the carb. It should run for 5 seconds and die. If it dies right away you're too lean, if it takes longer than 5 seconds you're rich. The best way to check top end mixture is to fly it and check temperature on the back of the head, 200-220F is good. You can use the spit test to test temp, spit on the back of the head, bubbles is good, sizzles or pops off is lean, does nothing is rich. Or you can tie it to a bench and get under it take it to full throttle and adjust the top end needle till it peaks and back of a few clicks.

I Strongly reccomend you do not do this! My Opinion....This can be very dangerous - Test Fly, Land, and readjust as necessary.

In the old days we would hold it above our heads by the skids to tune them.... I'm lucky I lived with some of the things I did... Tying it to a bench and being under the bench is fairly safe. safer than how close many poeple fly to themselves and spectators, especially doing 3D. I agree flying it and checking temp is best though, that's what I said in my post....

Evan you've been around too long buddy! I listen to Ralph Delusio when he tells me stories from the old days, holding the heli by the tail boom to feel which way it wasnt to go to trim it out, tinkering with the needle while its tied down etc. Yikes!

The problem is more than likely the low end needle is too rich.

i can basically hold my fingers on the engine all day long its that cold when running. Even when leaning out, everything still seems to be running backwards. I am seriously just thinking of dumping the engine for an O.S or TT because its giving me nothing but trouble.

That means it's still rich....

Just my 2 cents worth but with a clicking noise when rotating by hand could mean a bad 1 way bearing or loose in the clutch and or a bad rod to piston connection or a bad bearing in motor allowing too much for and aft movment. Make sure you have the proper plug in . A #8os is what I like. Make sure your plug is not touching the piston. Pull the motor, check it out. if it is clicking by hand out of the heli then I would send it to manuf. Also check everything connected to the motor at the heli. Make sure you don't have a tail belt twisted as it will click and have a ruff sound and feel. yes rich will cause backward running, a rich low end mix will have a rattling sound at idle and mid range and you will swear the motor is comimg apart. Check that noise out for sure.

JIM

Nah the tail and rotor are spinning in the same direction, so i dont think the belt is twisted. The blades should be turning counter-clockwise, according to the main rotor and tail but when the engine starts, everything is running clock-wise (or the heli's counter-clcokwise). If that made sence...

Everything has been built properly it. Thats the only thing I havnt done, was change the Glow plug as that is a size A3 ( i know...totally wrong for an engine this size!) and the engine is still spitting raw fuel out of the exhuast. Engine hasnt been right since day one, so im thinking of tossing it but before I do I will try leaning it out ( it will lean out fine and the richness stops) but still running backwards or atleast I think it is because everything is running in the wrong direction!. Will try a new plug I guess.

Anymore suggestions?

Thanks guys!

While a #8 would be prefered, i run A3 on all 40-50 size plane engines without problems. It actually helps with high nitro content.

The Main Blades should turn CLOCKwise and the tail blades turn toward the back when facing the tail. The motor and tail are the only thing that suppose to be c-clockwise. If the tail it turning clockwise you may still have belt twisted. Sound like you may not have a big problem after all. Now put the blades on correctly. Paddles and tail rotors also. The motor is still rich. turn the low end screw clockwise to lean out the low and mide range Do it a little at a time. all heli motors run rich to keep cool and will have a lot of smoke coming out the pipe and that is normal.

As a note most model helis have a clockwise main blade rotation and most full size (real heli ) have a c-clockwise rotation. There are always a few exceptions.

JIM

My kit came ARF, When looking at the Main blades and the paddles, they are both facing the RIGHT way. Unless the factory has mounted my paddles the wrong way which I highly doubt and hope not. When fitting the tail rotors, I double checked to see if they are the right way. When spinning the main blades, everything else seems to "cut the air" in the same directions so meaning that everything is right. If there was something wrong, that would mean if had to change everything! since everything is in the wrong direction.

Noticed something last night...the 2 screws that screw my fan mount onto the clutch shaft have came off. Thing is, the fan is not free spinning and seems like it is stuck to the shaft. I might have to disassemble the engine mount and take it all out and give it the work over. Im trying to get this heli up and running but I just keep running into more problems.

So everyone is saying that the blades and everything should be turning clockwise and not anti-clockwise? Put it this way, if I stand at the tail and the tail rotor 'forward' (which would be clockwise if looking from side), the main blades are turning anti-clockwise (if u were looking it from the back). Is this right? Like I said earlier, everything seems to spin the right direction so it might be an engine fault...

DUDE! Why are you complicating this so much??? Look at it this way...If you're looking at the rotor from above the heli, as if you're looking down on it and it's on the ground, the main rotor should turn clockwise, that is, the same direction as a clock (THATS SIMPLE) The tail blades should be turning so that the tail rotor closest to the main body of the heli is traveling upwards into the rotor wash of the main rotors.

Or - Looking at the heli, from the right side, the tail extending to the left and the main body to the right, the tail rotor should be turning counter-clockwise, or opposite of clockwise, or anti-clockwise as some of you call it.

I'm guessing you have that down. I've read this post before, I'm just stunned it's not solved yet, and I'm sorry I didn't have time right now to read everyones response so If I'm repeating something already said that's why.

Lean that sucker as far as it will lean out, then try to start it? Did you check your exhaust for tightness? Maybe check to see if your muffler is clogged and there's too much pressure on the fuel tank forcing too much fuel in? I dunno!

I hope you're listening to everyone when they're telling you to lean the low end needle. Heck - I think you should lean both of them...Just start like this...

First set the needles to the factory starting point. If you don't have that informatiuon

Ok, checked the manual and it says that my blades, tail and paddles are facing the RIGHT way. When i look from the top of the heli I see that the blades NEED to turn anti-clockwise (which is they travel left). Manual is saying that everything fine. I'll wait till i get home and i'll try again with something. Thanks for your help guys anyways, sorry to be a pain!.

But is there anyone on here that owns or has seen a Caliber .30 in operation. You will see what i mean by the blades having to turn the opposite way...

Unless they changed something the Caliber spins the same direction almost every other model I've ever seen spins, and that is a right hand rotation. The tail rotor should throw dirt towards the front of the heli if it hits the ground.

Yes I have 2 that turn the other way, one, a Kavan Jet Ranger from 1970, and a Logo 10 I reversed the motor and auto gear for a scale build I'm working on. Most other models spin clockwise.

I'm puzzled as to why hitman's manual would show counterclockwise rotation.
Right here on RCUniverse you can go to the review page or for-sale ads and see Caliber photos that show the blades set up for standard clockwise rotation.

Hitman you are still not listening. Your blades should rotate toward the right, (Military right) as you look at it from above. When looking at the right side of the heli with the nose to your right and tail left, the tail blades will rotate toward the left c-clockwise.

Can you post the page of the directions and pictures? I would like to see for myself. What page are you looking at so I can PDF the manual.

When you are looking over the top of the heli with the nose facing you the motor rotation will be c-clockwise. Glade you found the clicking with the loose screws. Locktite them back in.


JIM

Ok guys, I have sorted the problems. I was giving EVERYONE a panic attack and I apologise. Sorry but I havnt been thinking right this week and I totally forgot that the blades (and the way they are setup) are meant to spin the way you's are all saying. Im so stupid some times and i really apologise. I really need some sleep because Im so not thinking right and it only came to my attention last night.

This was my mistake: I kept thinking that it cant be setup because when I look at the blades, paddles and tail, the "sharp / pointed or slicing the air way" are not even meant to be travelling that way. I had a heart attack thinking that the pointed tips on the blades or paddles needed to be turning clockwise. Cant believe I was so stupid, but thats what you get for not thinking straight.

Did any of that make any sence? Sorry guys!!!

No problem Brother. Be happy to help anytime. Now lean that motor out a little at a time so you will have power but also have a good consistant idle at the same time. Check the engine temp after each flight. I usually hold a finger on a backplate screw. If I can hold it there a few seconds then the motor is fine.

JIM

I forgot to say to be sure to use HELI fuel. Airplane fuel does not have enough oil.

JIM

Thanks dooleyje and all of you. Feel like an idiot but its good as goal now.