Engine Doctor

Ive put this engine on another thread previously but just found this resurected thread so here goes. Well after trying to move on the internals for the Boddo Mills and getting no interest even at cost to cover postage I decided to buy a mini mill and make a new Crankcase. First pic is the new case mounted in my acient lathe a Myford ML2 . Old but still does the job. Pic i made a mount for the case as it would have been al ost impossible to hold. Pic 2 is of the case being fitted to cylinder and tweaked for fits etc. Pic 3 is the case ready for final polshing before being anodised. Its really quite a pretty little engine but wont win any prizes for power output ! As said earlier the CS range were at one time made quite good repos of old ED and Olivers etc engines but this DB commission was not included in that . The crankcase was some kind of rubbish alloy and the crankshaft was / is made ftom a bit of rebar ! The marks around the web are unmistakable. The spinner is also made from some alloy concoctionsimilar to the original crankcase but will have to do for now. The anodising on spinner is flaking on it already but heyho as some alloys are just not suitable for taking anodising. Happy new year to all on the forum.

Cant remember them being sold . Certainly look like a re badged far east offering . It say one piece crank so possible upgrade from ASP etc who used pressed in big end pins.

Good to see your still an IC enthusiast 👍

Hi Rapide. The tubes for control rods can be a so and so to fix as few if any adhesives will stick to them. I wrap the ends and any midway support areas with masking tape applied firmly and then lightly coated with cyano to prevent the adhesive drying out. Just one or two winds. Then once ibstalled through the supports or the side of fuz just apply a drop of cyano and jobs done. Provided both ends are fixed securely then the control will be sound. Thr middle support if used doesnt have to be glued, just supported so as to take load off the end fixings. Same applies to control snakes on bigger models. Good luck with build.

The Saito 40 is the way to go. The 30 fs would fly it ... just IMO with no reserve power. As you say it built like a tank , proper old school. I havent weighed mine but it flies really well. 👍

Merry Christmas and a happy healthy new year. May all your landings be good ones. 🎄🥳

Hi Comper . Heres my Elf just after its first flight. Ive now found some blue wing bands that look a bit better. Re the tail fin area , My plan is not the BB plan as that was somehow lost after fuz was started so downloaded a plan from Outer Zone . Same plan form but some slightly different build techniques . It suggested a smaller fin for 4ch RC . I wish I had gone for the 3ch sized fin , Slightly taller and wider . BB one might already be bigger ? Other mods include wing struts fixed using poppers as used on the Panic and carbon bottom wing dowels. Good luck and enjoy the build . Next flight , when ground dries out a bit I must try for some flying pics,

Hi OMF. If you want the 148 analouge equivalent then the 3003 is the modern equal. Beware though of any sold on line as loads of fake copies around. Usually recognised by the price ....... like 4 for £15 ish inc postage ! Just looked and they are still selling them 🤬 . Only buy from good source or get some good used 148's from a club mate, they are pretty bullet proof. The Digital servos are good for 3D flying or bigger models and have very strong holding power but as a result use a lot more current and IMHO for general flying are just OTT. Seems these days most thing have to be " Turbo" or "Digital" to be considered any good 🤔.

I have the 60 inch 4 ch version power is an OS 40 fs . Great in the air but a pig on the ground , loves to ground loop . If I ever built another I would increase fin/ rudder area . Great looking model.

Apply many light coats of primer, allow to thoroughly then rub down. High build primer fills imperfections quicker. Make sure that any primer you use etches/adheres onto surface well before starting . You could dip it as suggested but it will take a lot longer to cure and may run and sag.

Double edged sword as the seller also also looses any comeback from a dodgy buyer and there are plenty of those about . If in any doubt whatsoever don't enter into any dealings on BMFA, FB or Gumtree unless you can collect in person and still beware . Personally I have bought and sold on the BMFA site and never had an issue .

Hi Graham . On a decent model like the Spitfire your building I would definitely fit a separate power supply for radio and servos and use a Opto ESC with no BEC If your esc goes down you still have control of surfaces and retracts etc

If you get the connector close ennough any fine adjustments can be made at the clevise on the elevators ?

Have you checked the motor to esc bullet connectors. I had a motor with same / similar problem and found that one of the bullet typ connectors was not conducting very well where the spring grips the male plug.

Thers' always a collector for anything . One mans rubbish and all that. There is a veritable gold mine of spares in that pile of engines if not some good runners.

Aha! Thats where all the blooming engines went 🙂

I stripped mine down after a couple of years good use due to fail to start . It was amazingly clean in the burn chamber hav8bg besn run until then on red diesel and the gauze was also good . It turned out to be crap in the kerosene id bought. Id ordered a spares kit but didnt use any so kept for next time together with an inline filter. Just tip i found its worth using a Mr Funnel to filter your fuel . They remove all water and debris often found in kerosene pumps . Red diesel if your lucky enough to find it is also usually ok altnough a fine sediment can settle out from it or even from ehite diesel. The stuff in the kerosene wa s like a brown rusty coloured bacteria . This can also grow in diesel fuel if left for long periods so a decent filter certainly helps. The day it lets you down will be the coldest and most inconvenient of days according to sods law 😉

Google engine offset calculator and from that you should be able to work out the measurment for 1.5 deg of side or down thrust.

H8 Chris My heater runs off a 10+ year old car battery charged up after a days running. Its an AGM battery so very similar to a liesure battery, with no issues or pulsing LED's . Could you have a poor power supply to heater ( ie too thin gauge wire or a faulty/failing leisure battery unable to supply the current ) in your camper ? The fuel pump shouldnt draw enough power to cause current fluctuation from a good supply unless thats faulty . If I forget to charge the battery i just leave charger on while heater is running.

If you can insulate the area you need they could be left on pretty much indefinately provided you have a big enough tank and a reliable power source of course.

No it can still move and negate or alter the elevator rudder settings. A mod with a wooden locating beam will be a better option . With that , unless the bands snap completely it wont move enough to make it uncontrolable.

You need more rubber bands on that tail plane Gary or better still fix it permanently or at least on a locating spigot do it cant move in flight. We had a Majestic Major ( big j 60 ish) die at the field when the tail moved !

Yes fired up fine . I now run it on kerosene / heating oil as it cheaper than diesel . No adjustment needed. I use mine in a double garage and set it to 25 c it usually goes to idle after a couple of hours then speeds up if the temp falls. In very cold or windy weather it generally runs at full speed and uses about 3 ltr of kero in 6 hrs or so. The beauty of these heaters is that they dont cause any condensation as all exhaust is expelled outside.

Think of the portal as similar to your precious computerised Tx . If your like me you only use a fraction of its functions and capabilities😉.

It must be all to do with the short days and horrible weather as this moan occurs each year . The AGM's on wet gloomy nights dont help obviously haveing to make financial increases to sustain our clubs. Without the BMFA and possibly the LMA model flying would I feel be just a distant memory . They offer sage advice and practical help where needed . In our clubs case they offered advice when obtaining Certificate of Lawful use / limited planning permission and practical advice and encouragement when Andy visited our site as a large solar farm was being built next to our site, and without any additional cost to our club. Without them having a good relationship and negotiating good insurance rates other insurers would i feel have milked us out of existance with higher premiums. Dont forget any insurance company who will still cover our hobby is only competetive due to the BMFA negotiated rates. Also remember the often overlooked personal accident and club equipment cover included that other insurance companies would laugh at or charge the earth for and god forbid you have a claim!. Stop knocking the BMFA they have a hard enough job as it is and lets face it a £5 increase isnt the end of the world ; its not even a pint of beer or ten fags for those folk who inhabit the downwind part of the pits😉 and £47 a year is only half atank of fuel Carry on like this and we will score an own goal / shoot our selves in the foot or whatever euphamism you like to use . Get positive and back those that stand up for us and our hobby. Hindsight has 20/20 vision through rose tinted lenses . Stop harking on the past and lets move forward in positive way