Engine Doctor

Dont take any chances Jim . Take battery out to recharge .

No the power to the servo is as per battery unless a regulator is fitted , usually fitted when a lipo pack is used. Most servos are fine on 5 cell Nihm check the servo spec . JR servos were well known for letting the magic smoke out if powered by a freshly charged 5 cell pack. Erflog. If using NiMh battery try to get the pre charged cells as they dont self discharge like ordinary NiMh . Dont buy anything with capacity higher than 2,300mah . 2000mah is ample for a few flights The cells with higher capacity are not as robust and drop voltage more under load . If using digital servos then think about Sub C pack as digital servos can draw a higher current than AA cells can handle.

Hi Erflog a lot of the glowstarter/ glowsticks came with low output wall wart chargers that wouldnt charge the battery enough, usually the 120 mah ones. The 300 mah were much better and gave a decent charge. Owners would stop useing them due to thinking the battery was dead when it was the rubbish chargers they came with.This modern idea that everything needs to be USB compatible is getting annoying and i cant see is giving a "c" or"sub C " a decent charge. Do you know whate the output is of the USB thingy ? If you have a imax6 or similar then use the adapter intended for glowsticks usually included Charge at a rate to get the battery just warm . It wont hurt the NiHm battery. Better still a constant rate charger like we used some years ago will charge it just fine on an overnight charge.

I have an Fx with the chrome shedding problem in my spares / junk box and parts prices to fix it , if they were available are just too high. Stick to an SF . They are good dependable engines made before OS out- sourced the plating to Taiwan . I think it was down to polution laws and like many businesses around the world OS moved the process to a country who dont worry about poluting the planet . Anything later than SF are prone to the chrome peeling issue . Not sure about the larger engine range though. I have a OS 160 AX to strip and clean and fit new bearings and hope cylinder is OK . You cant tell by feeling compression as in early stages of chrome peeling the compression will stil feel fine. If it must be an OS for you , ask if you can remove head and check around top of cylinder aand cylinder walls before parting with cash. We refer to it as chrome as in ABC construction but its called Nickasil plating so assume its a type of Nickel. Ive never sèen a ASP, SC etc with peeling chrome, even MDS got it right although they both had other issues.

🤞Fingers crossed

If it looks about right it generally is 😉

I think they do but only last a short while . The conspiracy theorists would say that its all planned and in the event of civil unrest all communications apart from battery powered radio sets , could be controlled at the flick of a switch 😟. So perhaps it was a genius who approved it 😉

Easy mistake to make Jim. The multi leads can be problematic. As a rule i dont charge Tx's on a smart charger through the jack as there is usualy circuitry that prevents the smart charger from reading the voltage. Hope you get sorted for Sunday. When i came back to RC in the late 70's there were a few popular brands around all on 35 meg. It was common practice then to mix and match the tx's , rx's and servos. Unlike today the cost of the radio was comparatively high so if type A would work with type C or B we would use it. Everybody seemed to know about the differences in polarity between the brands and modified the wiring and ctystals accordingly . Futaba, JR , Hitec and Sanwa were the main players then an JR and i believe Sanwa had the different charge polarity although back then they also had a different sized jack plugs that couldnt be used on another makeof Tx. Sanwa used to wire thier servos differently , a simple fix and JR servos would burn out if more than 4 cell packs were used. Hitec were generally easily interchangeable with Futaba unless you conected a Futaba and Hitec tx with a Hitec buddy lead. It would instantly blow components on the buddy board mount in the Futaba tx . How did i find out ? When the magic smoke came out ! I was assured by a LMS that the Hitec lead was compatible who then denied saying that . Simple fix and Ripmax sent a pack of the components FOC to change, very helpful . All surface mount then and easier to replace. I stick mainly to Futaba now with FrSky 2.4 module and recievers and tend to remove Tx batteries for charging.

Its called progress. 🙃 Although I can still call local number without dialing the area code.The worlds turned upside down 🙃

Hi Jon . Bits are on their way. Royal Mail second class Im affraid but shouldnt be too long.

Hi Jon no just pay postage to Macmillan charity or similar ?

Good luck wigh tesf flights Bonzo . EPP foam isnt harmed with most solvent based paint but do a check first odinary Polystyrene foam just melt with most solvents but takes artist water based acrylics well then a coat of Rpnseal waterbased clear to seal it. As I said I thought mine was a Lidl glider , just plain white. Obviuosly not . Anyway it all a bit of fun.

Well done Bonzo Moon. I like your video👍 I bought a cheap SH foam glider from LMS for £6 as I was bored after Christmas and the field was cold and muddy . Thought it was a Lidl jobbie but looks a bit different to your model. I stiffened the wings with carbon strip 1mm x 5mm and tail with 1mmx 3mm and fitted a 5mm carbon rod wing joiner. Elev servo was mounted under the centre of wing and some snake inner was use for the snake outer and 28g piano wire used for the snake , Horns cut from 1mm paxolin . The motor I used is way over the top at 2750 Kv but hey that's what the throttle is for . Battery is a 1250 3s fitted in a slot cut in the fuz opposite the wing servo . Test flight after a quick test glide and increasing Elev throw was excellent. Vertical performance is a bit OTT for a light foamy . All Painted now in bright red . I used cheap aerosols from local shop . Pics later . Great fun per £ as most stuff came from the spares and scrap box total cost was £14 inc the £6 for the plane . If anyone can identify the plane. It was just white foam with a two piece wings that plug in and a giant ball bearing in the nose . PS Dont excuse the untidy workshop its always like that ☺️

Hi Jon. I found both the heads . They are just the heads with no valves etc , is that ok ? E.D Tha Alpha head has good exhaust but broken rocker mount and valve cover mount. PM me your address again and I can put in the post .

Good on Mr Bean. He told the truth unlike all the Ministers , Green Alliance and manufacturers who either live in a different world to most of us or in the case of manufacturers are being blackmailed into forcing EV cars on to customers by the EZV law BoJo introduced that came into force on the 1st of January 24. What will motor manufactuers do when the public refuse to buy the 18 % of EVs the law demands , dump yhem in a gield as is done in China. The Green alliance and the House of Lords are blaming Rowan Atkinson for the drop in sales ! How desperate are they ? Dont they realise that the buying public have a brain, or most do . EV s have a place but should not be forced onto the driving public until we have an infrastructure that can cope. Dont forget that our electricity generating can just about cope at peak times due to our governments poor planning. A prolonged cold snap puts a enormous strain on our grid and charging EVs will be the last concern if it were to happen. A longer transition is required . We keep seeing claims of a "new wonder battery" in the press and in the media but where are they. Do they really exist or are they carrots to keep the dream alive ? If a fraction of the effort and money spent on incentivising and promoting EVs was spent on sorting the NHS we might be a happier healthier nation with acceptable waiting lists . I also listen with interest how EV owners are now complaining about the dissapearing incentives to buy and looming road tax , no surprise there as no income to tax revenues from fuel sales. Imagine if purchase tax and Vat were charged ontop of charging an EV , who would buy one then ! Personally I dont trust anything a politically motivated person tells me as all their promises are either lies, flawed or turn into a handfull of dust that seeps away.

Hi Jon . Not sure if it still in the scrap box but replaced the heads on an OS 90 fs and an Alpha 72 . Both heads had busted exhaust monts. Ill look tommorow and get back . E.D.

Yes leave the Irvine in the trainer and keep the Enya for your Calmato .

Look at GC piston rings here if you decide to fit one . His product are excellent and fairly priced .https://gcpistonrings.com/

Only change one thing at a time. As already said go to a lower nitro fuel first and go as weak as you can on main needle for max performance at full throttle then read adjust air bleed idle mix if neede .If poor idle persists sort out poor compression as this will cause poor combustion and poor idle. Valve clearance or carboned up valves and ports all contribute to poor compression and running .Also check bearings for rock especially the rear bearing . Hold prop and try to rock it back and forth. Any movement will indicate a worn bearing that wil affect the valve timing causing poor idle and a slight loss at top end. Always change both bearings. I belive that most , if not all FS 26 engines had bronze bushes for cam bearings and they are unlikely to be worn. One other thing to check first . Make sure it has the correct main needle. A friend bought a nearly new looking OS 26 FS at Wings and Wheels a while back for £30 . It had good comp and felt like nearly new. It would run flat out but not idle and needle had to be screwed right in for it to run atall. It turned out to be a defective needle valve and the actual needle had been pushed out through the brass part. Simple test put a piece of fuel tubing on fuel nipple and blow through it while screwing in N V . It should shut off completely. If it doesnt fit another NV. Dont give up it can be sorted but decent compression is vital.

Laser as already said may be a bit too heavy , carb position should be ok if fitted upright or side mounted but have issues if mounted inverted . TT Pro OK . OS AX ? Good until chrome comes off cylinder liner, Enya 50 good solid bullet proof engine, Irvines OK. Electric👎 Jmo before the electric police come after me 🙂. My choice would be the Enya .

I agree with Jon .Having refurbed 100s of engines i can honestly say that the budget bearings from SB are fine. You can pay 3 or 4 times the price for high end brands and they will last probably the same sort of time and will rust just the same if not looked after. Budget normal clearance bearings work fine in all of our engines and I only use high end brands if sizes are not available in the budget or lower end range or owner specifies branded bearings. And if you take the manufacturing tolerances of budget engines like SC,ASP, Magnum into acount the budget bearings used are probably the highest spec part in the engine.

Hi Dave . Great bikes the Nortons . First bike was a BSA Plunger framed Shooting Star Later fitted with a Golden Flash 650 engine . Cost the grand sum of £7-10s-0d later moved on to a BSA Rocket Gold Star amongst others . Great comradery at the Chelsea bridge Cafe.

What's the argument ? Surely its irrelevant whether you build and fly or buy and fly, just get over it and enjoy the hobby and the company . If you cant get on with somebody then talk to someone else . Its a bit elitist and comparable to asking if a person passed their test on a synchro box or an auto car are they a real driver : because I passed on real car with a crash gearbox with no power steering . Come on and pull together as divided we fall an together we achieve and its an argument for arguments sake

Yes early learner but motorbike were still more important 😉

You omitted Persistent fiddlers . Those that wont listen. Those that should never bet let loose near an engine of any type. And of course those that seem to come from the plannet Argue. 🙂