Engine trouble video

[spunkmyer]

Yep Gate88 and crash-alot are members of our club I will let them look at it at the weekend. Problem with me is I do not understand quite what does what etc with the engine mixture even though you guys have advised me. I know my way around a car engine but this is a little different.

[Dedcalm]

the main needle (that you can adjust with your fingers) looks after the fuel/air mixture at mid to high RPM. The idle needle (which you adjust with a flat blade screwdriver) is for idle mixture.

The problems occur when people mess with the main needle when having issues at idle and the idle needle when having issues at mid to high throttle... seen it a 1000 times on both planks and helis.

I can't remember the last time I had to adjust my idle needle - probably the 1st time I flew the heli back in 2004! I adjust the main needle a couple of clicks richer or leaner depending on weather and engine backplate temp.

As has been said if you dont fancy timkering a bit to learn how it works then get one of your club mates to show you and help set it up As for it being a 'black art', no its not as its just a logical process of adjusting and flying but some are better than others

[Tom Burgess]

Not sure what GX-5 is but its is Model Technics duraglo 10%

Ouch, slightly better than GX-5 but still full of castor. You would be better off with a synthetic blend, Optifuel 12 for example.

Anyhow, your still rich and it will be a lot better when you have leaned it a little

[spunkmyer]

Ouch, slightly better than GX-5 but still full of castor. You would be better off with a synthetic blend, Optifuel 12 for example.

Anyhow, your still rich and it will be a lot better when you have leaned it a little

To be honest its all they had at the time and I needed some fuel to fly that day. I will defo get some opitfuel when this stuff has gone as im only hovering at the mo.

[trillian]

Sound

Just regarding the sound, it seems fine actually. I wouldn't expect it to idle a lot lower than that.

[tonystevens]

just to throw another spanner in the works,
are you aware of the 'third needle'?its hidden behind the carb rotor arm,you have to take the arm off to see it.this should be set so that when your idle screw is flush with the carb body and with carb fully open there should be a gap of 1mm between the idle needle and the third needle when looking down the carb.
apparently this is factory set for warmer climate and when i checked mine it was way out.
i'd use this as your starting point and then tune from there.
im using a redline in my 600 and had lots of trouble tuning and had even given up on it and put the os back in but had another go with it after reading about the hidden needle.
i'm no expert by a long shot but i tried the above and it worked for me,and have had no problems with it since.
get some optifuel aswell

[spunkmyer]

just to throw another spanner in the works,
are you aware of the 'third needle'?its hidden behind the carb rotor arm,you have to take the arm off to see it.this should be set so that when your idle screw is flush with the carb body and with carb fully open there should be a gap of 1mm between the idle needle and the third needle when looking down the carb.
apparently this is factory set for warmer climate and when i checked mine it was way out.
i'd use this as your starting point and then tune from there.
im using a redline in my 600 and had lots of trouble tuning and had even given up on it and put the os back in but had another go with it after reading about the hidden needle.
i'm no expert by a long shot but i tried the above and it worked for me,and have had no problems with it since.
get some optifuel aswell

Cheers I will look at that over the next few days.

[Made2Fade]

Low end is rich, lean the low end until it ticks over nice an smoothe

agree 100%... nothing wrong here but that

[tonystevens]

you will obviously have to take the engine out to do this but i would definately have a look at it.there is a link on this somewhere in more detail but i dont know how to add a link. if you do a search on the engines forum you should find it.

[spunkmyer]

Just copy and paste the link from the the interent broswer in to the message body before posting

[crash-alot]

Hi Mike,

As others are saying. Use a flat screwdriver and turn the idle screw 1/8th clockwise to lean the idle. If it idles ok then increase the throttle until the heli get light on the skids.

Try to keep the engine going like that for at least 30 seconds. Then drop the throttle to idle. use trim to keep it from dying.

Now pinch the fuel line and count the seconds until the engine wants to die. If it takes about 5 seconds before it dies then its about right for now. If it is like 10 seconds then turn the idle screw another 1/8th turn clockwise.

Run the engine again for 30 seconds so that it is light on the skids. Do the pinch test again. See if you are closer to 5seconds. Repeat the process until you achieve this.

When your engine is idling correctly, you can start looking to tune the high speed needle. Which we can chat about when you are ready.

Jaco

[spunkmyer]

Cheers Jaco. I will give a go on thursday morning and let you know.

Cheers

[tourerjim]

Tourerjim, not sure I'm understanding your post ?

Spunkmyer's engine is rich on the low end, hence it's running "lumpy" on tick-over, it even looks like it is spitting raw fuel. He needs to turn his low end needle clockwise to lean the low end, so that the rough tick over smooths out.

There's no point in flying until you have got a good reliable tick-over, otherwise the engine will cut every time you drop the throttle, which is one of the symptoms Spunkmyer seems to have.

ar yeh thats what I was not sure on what you were saying but yeh I agree with you but I cant really go by the oil spitting out I always run on the rich side of the fuel then turn screw in click or two at a time then fly her each time to check crankcase temp.

[tourerjim]

Hi Im as using 10%

For heli's think its best to be on at least 20% anything less cause more wear on the piston ring in a very short time because the screw needs to be leaned more hence affecting piston ring lubrication when you think the speed engine has to run at.