Time to glow again?

Started by K K Iyer, April 10, 2017, 10:24:37 PM

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K K Iyer

Hi everyone,
Glad that RCI is back.
When we lost RCI for 3-4 days, it set me thinking about earlier times.
Like before RCI.
Or before brushless motors and lipos.
Maybe 10 years ago.

All this time with engines lying around in drawers.
Maybe it's time to GLOW again.

Edit:
Try to identify the engines that are over 40-50 years old...

Zaz02

Sir,
You have an awesome collection :salute: :salute:
Owned,
Traxxas Tmaxx 3.3 ( Converting to electric )
ECX Ruckus 1/10 2WD
A maisto ROCK CRAWLER JUNIOR😁

Swapnil

Quote from: K K Iyer on April 10, 2017, 10:24:37 PM
...
Maybe it's time to GLOW again.

Iyer sir, when I started, 'electric' had just started spreading its wings. Everyone told me fuel engines were messy and difficult to work with. So, I never had a chance to fulfill my childhood dream of owning a RC fuel engine.

I wonder if you have any old unused engine you could sell me and help me get started with glow!  :)


saikat

go for it...

I see you have a super tigre .... what do you think of it ??

i have always been fascinated by supertigre and enya engines

i have never seen one in real life though.

sinGN


v2 eagle

What is the reward Iyer sir for naming the only diesel in this pic that I can't bid bcoz the eBay seller won't ship to India? ;)  ;)

Sent from my ZUK Z1 using Tapatalk
FPV with head goggles

http://ashokpkumar.wix.com/mysite

sanjayrai55

What is the point in keeping these engines lying around for so many years? Use them, or give them to me :D :D

K K Iyer

Thanks Zaz, Swapnil, SinGN, Ashok, Saikat sir and Sanjay sir.

@sanjayrai55,
You have a point. But the fact is that a few years ago, Saikat sir sold me some engines, props etc from I think his Dad's aeromodelling days. Today I think he would dismiss an offer to pay, but at that time, when he didn't know me at all, he accepted payment. And for a small amount, he sent me a lot of stuff. Besides several props, i think there were 4-5 engines.
The point is (to cut a long story short) that I see only two of them now. An OS Pet and a Fuji 0.099.

Where are the rest? God knows. Must have given them away in some fit of generosity I can't recall.

(Like the OS91 FS my brother in law sent me just 'cause he wasn't using it anymore...)
Regards.

K K Iyer

@saikat sir,
Yeah, that's a GS40 ringed Super Tigre. Made in Italy, not China. Bought in Camden in 1996.
Started for the first time in 2012.
Made some important discoveries.
1. Super Tigres need to burn 2 gallons before they settle down for a long life. So far I've not even run 5 litres in 5 years.
2. Had transition problems. After a lot of research, found that you have to remove the carb and look at it from below, to ensure that the eye shaped slot in the spraybar is pointing straight down the carb throat, and that the slow speed needle is about halfway across it to begin with. Then adjust idle. Then rotate the spraybar a bit to either side for reliable midrange transition
3. Read somewhere that even a bit of nitro really helps.

So moved the spraybar hole slightly off centre and added 1.5% nitro.
That's all it took.
Now after a two turn choke and two flicks without glow, starts first flick every time.
Never had to use a starter (or even a chicken stick).

Still running it rich enough for a long smoke trail in flight.
Its heavy. The muffler itself is about 175gms. Needed over 100gms in tail to balance.
AUW 2.75kg, or about 300gms (10%) more than with an OS.

But I like the ST GS40 so much that the OS 46AX is still in its box...
Regards

K K Iyer

Here's another one I found.
Was in a car. Last run in 1990
Before breaking the gearbox/differential housing mount.
Repairs with Mseal could not prevent slight misalignment, leading to chewing up of clutch friction material.

Does anyone recognise the carb (pic #3) and know how to set it? (Nothing on the net).
I've forgotten how, though I recall that at low throttle the clutch used to disengage, and the brakes used to engage.
And when you open the throttle it used to be off like a rocket.
Hitting the boundary wall a 100 metres away even as I cut throttle to slam on the brakes.
Skewing the chassis momentarily, just enough to break the gearbox mounting...

'One girl, one boy
Some grief, some joy
Memories are made of this...'
(Jim Reeves)

K K Iyer

#10
@swapnil
Quote from: Swapnil on April 11, 2017, 08:43:25 AM
Everyone told me fuel engines were messy and difficult to work with.
So, I never had a chance to fulfill my childhood dream of owning a RC fuel engine.

I wonder if you have any old unused engine you could sell me and help me get started with glow!  :)

A young lad in Haryana stumbled across RCI last year. Among other things, he found me.
He contacted me, and somewhat to my surprise, asked if he could visit me.
I said sure, and he actually caught a train and came here and spent a weekend with me.

Then in one year, he taught himself to fly (after crashing my model ;D) and built 6-7 electric models, all with his one emax cf2822, even did a loop and a roll.

Since I'm far away, I put him in touch with an old old aero pal in Delhi.
Who took him flying to a private farm in Noida.
Where he saw a 6' span glow powered scale Cessna.

Now he's desperate to move from depron/elec to balsa/glow.
So my friend gave him an engine
After 500 flicks, and failing to start, he has couriered the engine to me on Monday.
I expect to receive it tomorrow.

Moral: life may be hard with a second hand engine!

Will post a thread once I receive the engine.
Mine are mostly vintage, not worthwhile to part with.
Better to start with a new engine...
Regards

Swapnil

Quote from: K K Iyer on April 12, 2017, 09:29:53 PM

...
Moral: life may be hard with a second hand engine!
...


Okay, I guess I'll stay with my electrics then! :)

sundaram

Quote from: Swapnil on April 12, 2017, 10:28:39 PM
Okay, I guess I'll stay with my electrics then! :)

Surely a half flick start of an engine is desirable. However the real pleasure and sense of achievement is in getting a stubborn old one started after identify the problem and rectifying it.

There is no fun in Engines without getting your hands all greasy and weary.


Amazing collection Sir. Some youngster like me are also on the line after Sanjay Sir waiting to put those engine to some good use.  ;D ;D

johnywalker8pm

Off topic,
Iyer sir, your inbox is full... not able to pm.

Swapnil

Quote from: johnywalker8pm on April 13, 2017, 11:06:59 PM
your inbox is full...

Maybe that's for keeping people from asking about and trying to get their hands on those beautiful engines!  >:D  ;D

K K Iyer

#15
This young friend of mine, so keen to move from depron/elec to balsa/glow, was given a used Thunder Tiger GP15 by an old friend of mine. He tried for hours but couldn't it to even fire. Gave up after 500 flicks, he said. So he sent it to me. Received it yesterday.

Meanwhile I'd made wooden mounting rails and screwed them to the table, so long the base for our humble meals while watching exotic dishes in Masterchef on TV. No more TV dinners...

Charged my 11 year old glow booster that works for a few minutes. Mounted the engine.
Three drops of fuel in the carb, two flicks, connected booster.
Burst into life with the first flick!

That was the good news. The bad news was that I couldn't get it to run despite trying everything for the next three hours.

Including hunting out my 30 year old Power Panel, modifying it to run off a lipo, oiling the equally old starter, different needle/throttle settings, raising the glow current to 3.5 amps etc. No luck.

Finally replaced the plug with a new-in-box (1996) Rossi R3 plug.
Voila. Success at last.
12,400 rpm on an 8x4 Master Airscrew, and a rather fast reliable idle at 4,800.

"No fun without getting your hands all greasy and weary"

K K Iyer

Here's the pic

flyingboxcar

Iyer saab, that carb on Fuji..
The long needle is your HSN and the large serrated dial is the LSN dial. The fuel banjo and nipple do not look like original though.
If you are really into scale you should be here. www.rcscalebuilder.com

flyingboxcar

On a second thought is it possible that the entire needle assembly itself is not from the Fuji?
If you are really into scale you should be here. www.rcscalebuilder.com

K K Iyer

@flyingboxcar,
Was looking forward to a response from you!
Thanks
Got the OS Max20 to run without any difficulty. But unsilenced. The long bolt for the muffler strap is one size too big in dia. Had a hard time removing it without stripping threads in the muffler. Needed several doses of warming and WD40. Need the right bolt now.

Mounted the Fuji today. Fired but didn't run. Since it was from a car and had a flywheel, maybe 9x6 too light (tried to bite me, but I guess I'm too old a dog to get bitten so easily!) The 10x6 from my ST40 was better, but still wouldn't run. When I gave up and pulled off the fuel tube, the nipple came off the carb.

Now I'll have to choose between epoxy, mseal and soldering (by a professional). Suggestions?

The carb was there right from the beginning , ie, pre 1992. The car used to run. Forgot what I did with the low speed knob, but used to burn plugs from lack of a cooling fan...

Pics posted separately as my long posts with many pics usually hang...
Regards

K K Iyer

Pics relating to last post.

flyingboxcar

The OS screw should be easy as OS used metric. Even if it is longer screw you can always hack it down to size using a hacksaw. That is unless the worm clamp is donated by an engine from US. then chances are it could be imperial. A close look at thread pitch should give a clue.

Did a bit of research on Fuji, and I can say with almost certainty that the needle assembly is not original. BTW MECOA still sells the engine and parts, And in case you are looking for history of Fuji look here    http://www.modelenginenews.org/ad/fuji_ch1.html
All four pages and you will not find the needle assembly that is on your engine. No not even on MECOA site.

As for repairing the nipple just solder it, and you can do it yourself. Make a jig to hold everything together in correct place, clean the parts well and go on. No big deal except for alignment and making sure you do not block the passage or leave gaps.      

And here is the link to MECOA
http://www.mecoa.com/fuji/index.htm
 
If you are really into scale you should be here. www.rcscalebuilder.com

K K Iyer

@flyingboxcar,

Saw you were watching...

Am still sitting in the balcony wondering what to do...

flyingboxcar

BTW even the muffler on the Fuji is not original. But who cares as long as it fits and works.
And what do you mean what to do? Go ahead fire it up
If you are really into scale you should be here. www.rcscalebuilder.com

K K Iyer

@flyingboxcar,
You anticipated me  ;D

My 8w battery powered, and 25w irons not hot enough.

Can't find this dial type carb anywhere. Seen MECOA.

Incidentally, no clip to hold needle position.
Also, the needle and spraybar (but not the dial) rotate with the throttle barrel.

Any research/help much appreciated
Regards