It drives me bonkers. I am competent working with wood. Maybe I’m tooting my own horn but I’m passingly handy with electronics. Most of that’s plug n’ play but whatever. If I had my way and could go back in time and do it all over again… I’d get three trade tickets: mechanic, millwright, and machinist. That’d probably cover me for anything I want to do. But… I suppose those guys never really know it all either, and have to spend some time hemmmming haaaaawwwwing and wondering what in hell is wrong and what to do about it.
I got the old bearings out of the OS 55 engine and the new ones in. As per the experts, I heated the block in the oven and put the bearings and the crank in the freezer…and they went together pain free. I’m putting in an order for new gaskets, bits and bobbins and should have it running and ready to fly in short order. The only thing that bothers me is that there’s some lateral play with the crankshaft…it will slide back and forth inside the bearings a bit…? Everything still spins…but should it play like that? It’s very slight…but enough to bother me. Some stuff with engines is normal…other stuff can be catastrophic. I lack the experience to make the judgement…and there’s only one way to get that judgement… the hard way.
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Fortunately there’s OyTube and there’s a lot to be learned there! These engines are really quite simple but daunting at the same time. They typically run at 8000 - 12,000 RPM when they’re in the air. These tiny machines remind me of Rolex watches. They are elegantly simple, and yet precise machines that are a pleasure to behold even when they are still.
That is, of course…until ya run ‘em a few hours. The exhaust is oily schmaggish vapour that sticks to EVERYTHING. When I’m done flying for the day my plane had to be wiped down because it’s covered in exhaust residue, bugs, dust and grass clippings… in use… these things are messy, sticky and gross. But I can see the breath taking beauty that sleeps within. They may run like the hearts of mice…but they fly with the souls of lions and kings.
Nobody seems to see that beauty beneath the oily gunk and crud that forms on them… but they must sense it. Blog visitor Greg told me he has one but he can’t bear to throw it away or sell it on Fleabay. He’s offered me an old .60 engine that has been sitting in his plunder gathering dust. He hopes that with some TLC maybe I may get it flying again. I totally understand his viewpoint and sincerely appreciate the donation, Greg. If it’s possible - I will get it running. It will go into immediate service on the Turd Bird Ugly Stik I built. It’s running an old .46 OS now and a little more horsepower would smarten that bird right up!
It’s hilarious. The other day I was having an early morning pipe with Flapz on his new acreage… and he found an old engine in his garage that he’s been carrying around for 40 years…
We *think* it’s an old Thunder Tiger .25…? The only markings on it are “TT”. In time I will build a plane for it if I can revive it… but priorities!!! Ya wouldn’t think it but even a retired retarded stubfart must prioritize!!!
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It seems to me that often all these things need is a nice refreshing bath in a cool, fragrant fluid solvent, and then some refreshing massage with a tooth brush to clean them up. I’ve seen dozens of them revived that way on OyTube. They only come apart if they don’t tune. I went after my .55 with Kroil, carb cleaner, and brake cleaner… but the best thing for it was finally a good long soak in methanol nitro fuel…the fuel it actually runs on. I got most of the gunk and carbon out, and all the exterior services clean in an hour!
It is my fondest wish that the Reclusium will one day stop resembling Possum Lodge and take on the appearance of a modern hangar, with floors clean enough to eat off of, and housing patriot thoroughbreds. Maybe it’ll happen one day…
I worked with a bunch of machine repairmen in a stamping plant and their mantra was "sloppy machines will run but overly tight ones will not."
ReplyDeleteThat lateral movement is called end play. It’s caused by variations in manufacture and just good ol’ wear from running. The prop is trying to pull the crank through the engine when it’s running so the front end of things wear faster. There’s a limit to how much you can have. If it’s really sloppy, I’d be concerned. I haven’t been inside one of these little engines in 50 years; I don’t remember what was in there. When you dissassembled Number 5 was there a bearing at the forward end of the crank where the prop shaft exits the case? There may also have been a thrust washer or shims in there to take out the end play that were stuck to the case and came off in the wash.. Check your parts breakdown if you have one and see if those are shown. Alternatively, you could shim the crank at the forward end. It’d be a serious PITA to do. Drop me an email if ya like…we can brainstorm it. trykflyr@icloud.com
ReplyDeleteHowever nasty the fuel burns and the castor oil leaves Gakk on everything, the smell of a screaming two stroke is good enough to make cleanup worth it.
ReplyDeleteLOVE the olde engines. I used to fly Control Line back in the 80's. A Fox 35 ran on 28% castor oil fuel. You absolutely HAD to wipe the airframe down after each flight. And the smell of that stuff... nothing like that smell in the air when you were at a contest.
ReplyDelete"...with floors clean enough to eat off of, and housing patriot thoroughbreds. Maybe it’ll happen one day…"
ReplyDeleteYou're really thinking ahead, Glen... Like to how the place will look after you die and the house is cleaned up for sale!!!