RCV replacement parts and service
 

I was the proud owner of an RCV .91-CD untill a few days ago, and I think my recent disappointment needs to be answered. My engine started and ran fine. It had descent power and sounded cool! It was an ideal engine for my Hangar 9 AT-6. Unfortunately, my AT-6 met its demise after about 8 flights. The engine was not even broken in yet. In the crash, my muffler caught the ground, as any inverted 4-stroke engine would have. The lug that the muffler screws into broke off. If you look at the engine, you will notice that this metal lug has a very thin wall and would not take much impact to break it. I contacted RCV customer support to get a price on the upper crank case housing. They informed me that I can't just get the housing, I have to purchase the assembly which includes the housing, cylinder, bearing and retainer. Grand total, $110.00 + shipping. That is nearly half the price of a new engine for a part that I feel is likely to break in something as minor as a landing gear failure. I think that RCV owners and future owners need to be aware of this, and I would like to know why I can't just get the housing. With manufacturers like OS, Saito, and YS making all parts available to the consumer, Why does RCV feel they need to soak the consumer?

The LHS owner was in the process of becoming a RCV distributor until I told him what happened to me. He felt the risk of carrying these engines may be too high if he was going to have to tell customers that they had to buy an expensive assembly rather than just the part they needed. He is reconsidering his distributorship.

Can RCV please tell us why all individual parts are not available? If they feel that the hobbyist can't handle the disassembly and assembly of the upper crank case, something is wrong with their thinking!

Andy

RE: Disappointed in RCV replacement parts
 

I'm not RCV, but did it ever occur to you that the case and cylinder might be fitted to each other, making the replacement of only one part of that equation non-viable? I am curious what RCV support will have to say about this, but it makes a bit of sense to me.

(Still craving a 120SP . . . one of these days!)

- Tim

RE: Disappointed in RCV replacement parts
 

The cylinder spins within the bearing, which could be fit to the upper crankcase. It shouldn't be any tougher getting the bearing out of there, than it is getting the bearing out of any other model engine.

RE: Disappointed in RCV replacement parts
 

But isn't the rotary valve a direct interaction between the cylinder and the upper case? That is more the fit I was thinking of . . . and a bad place to have leakage . . . .

- Tim

RE: Disappointed in RCV replacement parts
 

It appears you are correct. I have received word that a rep will be calling me. In the e-mail he did say that they have to be sure that there is a good fit around the valves. He said that there may be other repair options available to me that he will discuss. I will keep you posted. I would very much like this to end up a success story and a positive thread. I am not here to bash, though I believe my original post did show a lot of frustration. I truely hope this will be a posting that is helpful to others. I will keep you posted!

RE: Disappointed in RCV replacement parts
 

Hi

We at RCV have kept up with the communication on this thread and hope this posting goes some way to explain our spares policy.

The two part casing on our 91CD engine is machined as one to ensure accurate sizing and alignment so we can only offer this spare as an assembly. Also when its supplied for customer replacement we have adopted the policy of including the cylinder and bearing to ensure that the valve fit and therefore the performance of the rebuilt engine is not impared.

We are able more often than not to effect a rebuild in our own workshops and in our various overseas repair centres (such as BJ Models in the US) without having to replace the cylinder.

Our after sales and spares policy at RCV has been designed to help our customers get the best out of our engines and get them back in the air as quickly as possible.

I hope this helps to explain our policy.

Kind regards

Stephanie

RE: Disappointed in RCV replacement parts
 

I do wish this would have been explained to begin with, as it would have relieved a lot of frustration. I had even suggested a manufacturer repair in my third e-mail to customer service, to keep from having to replace everything, especially since the engine only has about an hour of run time on it and shouldn't have any signs of wear. I am relieved to be getting some answers, and have high hopes now. I will keep everyone posted on what happens, and do hope all this helps!

Andy

RE: Disappointed in RCV replacement parts
 

I have eddited the title of this thread, to more closely reflect what the content of this post is becoming.

RE: Disappointed in RCV replacement parts
 

***UPDATE***

I received a phone call from Bill Jenson at BJ's Engine Repair Service. Bill explained several options for me, including the insertion of a bushing to receive the muffler elbow, or trying to mate the original cylinder to a new crankcase half. The bushing repair would, of course, be the cheapest route, but being as anal as I am, I told him I would like to try to repair it like new.

I was very impressed by Bill. His enthusiasm for this sport carried in his tone of voice. He also said that he has been approached by a company that has a flex pipe that they would like him to sell, that would work on most 4-Stroke engines. He asked my opinion on such a product. I told him that I thought it sounded great! A flex pipe may have saved me from cracking the lug that the muffler elbow screws into. Anyway, I just thought I would let you know that there are some decent options out there. I will keep you posted. I hope to get my engine boxed up and in the mail in the next day or two. Waiting for payday!:eek:

Andy

RE: Disappointed in RCV replacement parts
 

***UPDATE***

I have recieved word from Bill, at BJ's Model Engine Service, that my engine is about ready. He has some tweaking to do, to get the idle a little lower. He was unable to put in a bushing, due to the extent of the damage, and had to replace the upper case half. I would just like to add, that I think RCV has wisely chosen their repair service provider. Bill Jensen appears to be a gentleman in every way possible, and I would not hesitate to use his services again! While the repair ended up costing me more than if I had purchased the parts myself, there is value in knowing that someone with real knowledge on these engines is making the repair for you. That is worth the additional money!

With that being said, I would like to add a few more comments on the RCV-CD engines. I hope no one will take these statements as bashing, as they are not intended that way. I only hope to offer a lesson to RCV current owners and future owners. This is a novelty engine, in my opinion. The engine develops adequate power, but on average, about 1000RPM less than its competition. I was aware of this when I bought it, so I am not complaining. The novelty of the design was worth it to me, at the time. One of the things that sold me on the engine was the fact that their were no valves to adjust, and no lifters or valve covers to get damaged in a crash. These idea's were presented to me, in my research, as bonuses. I am now wiser than that. Over the last 10 years, 4-stroke engines have quickly dominated our club. There are only two RCV engines, and the rest, ...well, I am sure you can imagine! We have a few Pro Bros, and you know what their favorite engines are. Anyway, to the point! I have witnessed a lot of crashes in the past 10 years. Many of them were very violent! You know how those Bro's are!:D their 3D flying puts their aircraft in harms way on every flight. As bad as the crashes have been, none of them came close to doing the damage that my crash did to my RCV 91CD. While I do feel that this is do to a weakness in design, I do believe that there is a way to reduce this weakness. Please don't think that this weakness is my opinion. I now know that this is common damage to these engines, from crashes ranging from landing gear failure, to spinning a plane in. It is my opinion that if you are going to fly this engine, you need to use a flex pipe or one of the swivel extensions, to allow your muffler to swing out of the way on impact. I think RCV should either supply these with their engines, or beaf up their engines around the exhaust port. I have a few other beaf's, but I will stop here, since this is what this thread was started for.

There is no more novelty left in this engine for me. I am not sure if I will use it, or sell it. I have no desire, at this time, to risk this kind of damage again! I am paying for this repair, not because I particularly want the engine back, but because Bill worked hard on this engine, and the man deserves to be paid!

I hope this post will be allowed to remain, and that users of this engine will take my advice on protecting their muffler connection. I also hope that RCV will look into strengthening the weakness in an otherwise neat and unique engine.

Andy

RE: Disappointed in RCV replacement parts
 

Just out of interest, I have had the same problem with OS's. i.e. the manifold breaking the boss upon a not too hard contact with terra firma.

Stuart

RE: Disappointed in RCV replacement parts
 

Ya know, I really can't say that there isn't a possibility that it is just the luck of the draw on how the muffler hits. I can only say that I have seen crash after crash, with other engines, and all that was broken was the prop. Of course, there are a lot of guy's that can't seem to tighten their mufflers down enough to keep them from swinging.:D