McCoy 35 Carb Venturi Insert
I have bought 5 [u]McCoy 35[/u] engines for cheap for restoration in hopes of getting one "good" one for a Stirling Ringmaster. I don't think any of them are configured as manufactured. What a guy won't do to relive his youth of the 60's. Yes I am a fossil, and yes I can still crash um. On to the meat of this discussion. Were all of the [u]McCoy 35[/u] engines equipped with a Carb. Venturi Insert or was this something that was only model year specific? Were these possibly removed by young owners in hopes of gaining higher performance because they may have appeared to restrict the carb. throat? Bigger opening=more power-NOT ! Not without proper fuel aspiration that is! Maybe they were just lost when engines were taken apart by "novice mechanics". Only 1 of the 5 engines has an insert. I could fabricate some more true venturis for other engines if need be and if they all came with inserts if that indeed would make them start easier and run better. Any insights would be helpful!
Posted on: 8/6/2012 4:11 PM by Author "astronomer1" in the forum "Glow Engines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11183359

RE: Buddy Box Setup
I failed to mention in my post that the receiver I am using is a Berg 4L which has Transmitter Signal Recognition(TSR). It also has a built in failsafe that can be turned on or off. I turned the failsafe off and the problem still exists. When I setup a Futaba receiver, everything works properly. The Buddy cable is good or the Futaba receiver would not work. I think the Berg 4L receiver's TSR circuit is the problem. The receiver sees each transmitter (4 vs 6 channel) as a different signal type and in turn ignores the 4 channel slave. As a result, the slave/student radio can't operate the Berg receiver. The 6 channel radio is the one that the Berg Rx recognizes because it is the master Tx. That is just my guess as to what is going on. What I have to probably do is use a setup where each transmitter is identical and everything will be OK with the Berg ultra light receiver. Another option is to use a Futaba FM receiver that doesn't care how many channels the transmitter has.
Posted on: 3/19/2012 8:47 PM by Author "astronomer1" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11007785

Buddy Box Setup
I have two Futaba transmitters that I want to use in the "Buddy Box" mode. One is a FP-T4NBF and the other is a FP-T6NFK. Both are old but that works for me on a limited budget. I have a Buddy Chord (FUTM4410) that plugs into each transmitter. I want to use the FP-T4NBF as the (Master Instructor's radio) and the FP-T6NFK as (Slave Student's radio). I can't seem to get this setup to work on the bench. The T4NBF (Master) operates 4 servo's fine. When the (Master) trainer switch is toggled to hand off control to the (Slave), the signal goes away and the servo's stop working. I have tried this setup with the (Slave) both turned on and off and nothing works. What am I doing wrong? Any information that you pass on will be very helpful.
Posted on: 3/16/2012 7:44 PM by Author "astronomer1" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11003420

TAIL WHEEL for 1/2A
I want to have a STEERABLE TAIL WHEEL on the plane that I am building. The plane is an ACE Whizard kit that comes with a metal skid that I think will make taxiing less than easy. See attached picture for kit's setup. It would be highly appreciated if anyone could give me any ideas, sketches, or pictures on how to implement a safe, lightweight and durable setup. All of the tailwheels that I see for sale are for larger planes, are too complex, and not easy to homebrew and scale down for a 20oz. 1/2A plane. I also solicit any pro’s and con’s of a steerable tail wheel vs a fixed skid on this size of plane. Thanks in advance!
Posted on: 2/13/2012 6:19 AM by Author "astronomer1" in the forum ""1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10956674

Flex Point Hinges & 1/2A Planes
Are these hinges intended to be used on 1/2A planes? The ones I am referring to are Klett Plastics, Polypropylene Flex Point Hinges, RK-4, Small as shown in the attached sketch. Are they superior to CA hinges of similar size? By the looks of the instructions, installing them is essentially the same as CA hinges. The only difference that I see concerning installation is the use of epoxy as the adhesive instead of CA glue. I’m trying to decide whether to use CA hinges or Flex Point hinges. I have both types on hand. Which hinges are the best?
Posted on: 2/4/2012 10:36 AM by Author "astronomer1" in the forum ""1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10943585

RE: Fiberglass Mat How to Identify
My reference to Fiberglass Mat should have said Woven or Cloth type fiberglass. Weighing a 4" x 5" (20 sq. inches) piece resulted in 2 grams or roughly .07oz. 20 sq in is about 1/7th of a sq. ft. Therefore, 7 x .07oz.= .49oz/ sq. ft. or rounded off = .5oz. or 1/2 oz. per square foot. Is this how the fiberglass cloth is rated or specified. Weight per Sq. foot? Will one layer of this work for reinforcing a foam wings epoxied joints on a 1/2A plane. (ACE Whizard)
Posted on: 1/26/2012 2:46 PM by Author "astronomer1" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10929316

Fiberglass Mat How to Identify
How do you determine what weight Fiberglass Mat that one has? Other than reading the label which only states in my case it's use, other information about the material I have is lacking. It is woven material like cloth and not "woven rovings". I assume (dangerous thing), that 1oz is lighter than 2oz. Is this the weight per sq. foot? That being the case, I suppose I could weigh a 10 sq. inch chunk and multiply the weight by 14.4 to get the weight per sq. foot. The lightbulb just lit. I think I have answered my own question. Forgive me! Sometimes I have to talk to myself to get an answer to a question that I have. Big problem is the back talk that I get when I do this!
Posted on: 1/26/2012 6:26 AM by Author "astronomer1" in the forum "Questions and Answers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10928487

RE: Tarno Carb Adjustable Air Bleed That Works!!
Mr Cox: I agree with your comments. They spurred me on to do a little rambling about the theory behind my modified, Tarno Carburetor and it’s adjustable air bleed that does work. I agree that unmodified “Antique� Tarno Carbs. are probably not worth the money or tinkering time because their stock performance has a lot to be desired. They are quite heavy to boot. Other Carbs. and setups work as well as or better which I mentioned in my original post. Examples include: latter day COX TD05 RC Carbs. and throttle ringed/venturi necked “Dickybirded� TD 049/051 setups work very well. “Dickybird� TD setups work best for me due to their simplicity/reliability, light weight, and good performance. (≈5.5-6K to 19+K RPM) For me, modifying a Tarno is another story. Tinkering presents challenges that my retired and atrophying engineering brain needs to keep its 65 YO clock wound. Take note, most of what I say concerning the reasons for my enhanced Tarno Carb.’s performance is opinion which is not thoroughly analyzed or provable. My experimentation did however result in a useable carburetor. (I’m thinking about using the previously shown modified Tarno TD.051 engine on an Air Boat rather than a 1/2A Plane because a boat won’t crash if the engine quits). I have a TD 049 that is “Dickybirded� and will work fine for the ACE Whizard I am building. (≈5.5-6K to 19K RPM) This particular Carburetor running at 5800 ASL after being modified, has smooth transition, fairly high Idle speeds, (≈7K RPM but slow enough for bringing an RC plane down), and lower High-end, (≈18K, again, high enough to fly most 1/2A RC planes). The unmodified carb., ran at (≈ 10K idle to ≈18K high end, with ragged transition). I don’t know whether the throat as you mentioned, has a larger opening than an exit. I never paid attention or measured it. That would seem to be backward and not according to “Hoyl� or “Murphy�. I do think that when the barrel is closed the pressure around the fuel bar gets lower. This causes more fuel to be sucked resulting in a richer mixture that is out of the ideal combustion range (steicometric** [spell??] ratio). The volume of intake air is also reduced adding to the rich mixture like a choke on an old time car. This results in very poor performance, loading up of the engine, and eventual engine stoppage. This is contrary to what you want to have happen in an RC carburetor. A relatively constant fuel/air **ratio throughout the carb’s. range of operation and a little rich at idle is the ideal in my opinion. A slightly rich idle will facilitate a smoother transition to full throttle. Without being able to control this pressure in a stock Tarno carburetor, performance is significantly compromised. I think the pressure at the fuel nozzle gets lower as the barrel is closed due to higher acceleration of the air in the carb. throat. (Bernoulli’s principal) Try the experiment shown below and do some ancillary thinking while blowing on the spool. Think about acceleration and air pressure and why a venturi or any other airfoil works. Consider why the piece of cardboard doesn’t just blow out of the spool when you blow harder. To counteract the much richer mixture at idle, and the lowered pressure in the carb. throat, as well as higher suction at the fuel nozzle, the air into the carburetor must be better controlled. A closed Air Bleed creates a richer mixture—Open Air Bleed causes leaner mixture. This is done by providing an air bleed opening which results in increased carb. throat pressure and a leaner mixture due to less fuel being drawn thru the fuel bar. Getting the sweet spot for any given carburetor requires adjustability. “Voila� the adjustable air bleed.
Posted on: 1/19/2012 5:45 AM by Author "astronomer1" in the forum ""1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10916749

Tarno Carb Adjustable Air Bleed That Works!!
The links will get you to 3 pictures of how I made an [b]adjustable air bleed on my old Tarno carb.[/b] so it will run reliably and be safely used on an RC craft. The details are as follows to a disassembled carb.: 1. Original air bleed hole enlarged to appx. twice the original size and de-burred both inside and out. 2. Carefully flatten face of carb. using #400 wet /dry sand paper on a flat glass surface. 3. Drill and tap a hole on flat face of carb. for a 2 x 56 screw. Not a thru hole but appx. 3/16" deep. Requires two tap styles for threading. One a plug tap to start and finished with a bottoming tap. Exact position not measured, but was positioned by eye. 4. A small sliding/rotating "door" was fabricated from a scrap piece of aluminum, appx.3/32"x1/4"x3/8". One end was rounded and drilled for a tight 2x56 clearance hole for a 2x56 screw. The mating face of this little widget was carefully flattened using #400 on a glass surface. This was done to insure a good seal against the carb. face. 5. A 1/4" long 2x56 Pan Head Phillips screw and a lock washer secure the widget to the carb. and allow adjustment by slicing the bleed hole very precisely. This whole setup must have a low profile to avoid being hit by the prop. Unfortunately it can not be adjusted with the engine running. Screw must be tightened well to avoid loosing setting due to vibration. [b][u]Result:[/u][/b] 7k to 18K at 5800' ASL., Hi-Comp 1 gasket head, and Sig 25% fuel. Produces low enough idle, smooth transition and adequate full throttle. Good enough for 1/2A RC flying with 5x3 "Rubber Duckie" prop. The results are steady and repeatable which is contrary to what I was getting with an unmodified stock carb. In all, it now works as well as the latter day RC.05 carbs sold by Xenalook and X Model Engines. Only major downsides to this modification are: New Tarno's are no longer available, carb is heavy, two taps and two drills needed are expensive, and stock carbs are hard to find and are usually quite expensive. Revisited RC.05 carbs. and "Dickybird" throttle sleeve/venturi modded engines work better in my opinion from my own experimentation and are significantly more economical. [b][/b]
Posted on: 1/17/2012 7:44 AM by Author "astronomer1" in the forum ""1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10913249

1/2A FUEL TANK SETUP
I am in the process of building an [b]ACE Whizard[/b] and I am at the fuel tank setup stage. I want to be able to fill and drain the tank without disconnecting any fuel lines. I also want to safely be able to do the Mixture Pinch Test. I want to do it without having to open up anything on the plane in order to squeeze the fuel line with my fingers, a hemostat, or a needle nose pliers. I also want to be able to kill the engine as needed. The engine is a well running [b]“Dickybird .049 TD throttled special�[/b]. 4.5K to 17K on a good day at 5800’ ASL. The attached rough sketch conceptually describes how I plan to do the installation. The sketch is a TOP VIEW of the fuel tank and compartment. The tank will be isolated with foam from the airframe to help alleviate fuel bubbles. The Output Line is clunked with a shaved down sintered bronze clunk (Du Bro) for filtering and has maximum freedom of movement for optimum fuel pickup in all or most normal flight attitudes. The Fill/Drain line is tipped with a short piece of metal fuel tubing on the internal end. It is trapped by pre-loading it in the lower right corner of the tank with a slightly long and not so flexible piece of fuel line. This is to keep it out of the way of the Output Line clunk and allow draining the tank in one predetermined position on the ground. Nose up and to the right would work in this setup if a syringe is connected to the Fill/Drain Line to suck out the fuel. Sucking out fuel works better than shaking and the residual fuel can go in the primer bottle fore use later. I plan to use a short 4x40 or 2x56 screw for a Fuel Dot, whichever fits best. I would appreciate any suggestions that meet my requirements with this type of tank installation. I have never used a three line fuel tank setup before and don’t want to get involved with unnecessarily disconnecting fuel lines and etc.
Posted on: 1/13/2012 5:34 AM by Author "astronomer1" in the forum ""1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10906492

Throttle Sleeve, ACE OR COX Setup??
I am building an ACE Whizard using a Dickybird TD.049 engine that is working very nicely. 5.5K to 18K RPM. I am having a problem with the servo pushrod binding whether I use a Z-bend or a small nylon clevis with fuel line keeper. On the test stand, I’m using a piece of .032 safety wire and actuating it by hand and it wants to bend. I want to use ridged piano wire with the servo. What is the most effective way of hooking up a servo pushrod to an ACE or COX throttle ring? I have tried using Z-bent piano wire keeping the Z-bend tang as short as possible but it still binds with the throttle ring and the pushrod wants to fall off. The small Nylon clevis with fuel line keeper, binds either at the fuel line keeper part or the end of the clevis where I have filed it shorter in an attempt to eliminate binding. I am afraid to file more for fear of further weakening it. Perhaps the attached sketch will help further illustrate my problem. Sorry about the crudeness of the sketches, it is the best I can do using Microsoft Paint.
Posted on: 1/8/2012 5:22 AM by Author "astronomer1" in the forum ""1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10897534

What Kind of Foam
I am in the process of covering the [b]FOAM WING[/b] of a new [b]ACE WHIZARD[/b] 1/2A kit that is now made in China. I don't know what the foam wings are made of. [b]IE:[/b] [b]EPP[/b](Expanded Poly Propylene) spell?, [b]EPS[/b] (Expanded Polystyrene), or for that matter some other foam material. I think that the original Whizard's wings were EPS. The reasons I want to know about the material include the following: [u]Heat tolerance[/u] (for selecting various covering materials), [u]Adhesive resistance[/u] (old style 3M77, Epoxy, CA, Kicker, etc.), [u]Paint resistance[/u], [u]Hi-Nitro 25% glow fuel[/u]. and [u]Various other Adhesives[/u] and anything else one can think of like Strapping tape & Packing tape that may get on the surface. I could probably go through an extensive test program of a bunch of materials listed above but would rather be flying. If I had a sample piece of the the latest Chinese foam wings from someone's unfortunate crash, I would be willing to experiment. I want to keep things simple with a minimum of time and $$$ investment in my undertaking. I hope that some of you fellows who read this post can relay some empirical information on to me about foam wings.... One last thing. This kit, like I said, is made in China and is of very good quality like a lot of other products from the Far East. A lot of good stuff is coming out of China so let's not be too prejudice. Japan went through a similar image process. Main difference is that Japan started from WWII ashes and had no World Wide Web (WWW.), or Sam Wall and a lot of other retailer's to help enable their efforts. Just a "Rant". Don't mean to step on any toes or get evicted from this forum. Don't let this keep you from passing on some information. Regards, Astronomer Bob
Posted on: 12/21/2011 6:33 AM by Author "astronomer1" in the forum "Tips & Techniques"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10869604

McCoy 35 engine restoration
I want to know the age of a [b]McCoy.35[/b] engine that I am restoring for an old Stirling Ringmaster C/L kit and some other details. The only obvious thing I know that is obvious is the glowplug location on the head. This one has the glow plug centered and perpendicular to the head. The block has a flat spot at the spraybar attachment point. No Lightning Bolts \/^\~~^ on the block. No baffle provision at exhaust output. A tapered restrictor of sorts fell out when the spraybar was removed (need to know it's re-installation orientation and whether this is some sort of owner modification and it's function). Don't remember one as a tinkering adolescent. This engine was a miss-assembled basket case for $5.00 a couple of years ago on the bay. I would have attached pictures but my camera is on the fritz and I don't know how to upload pictures from my Jail Phone/Anchor Ball and Chain.[>:] Sorry about the short Cell Phone rant. My phone uses highly convoluted logic to operate and use and is seriously not very user friendly/useful. When McCoy's were being flown, they had pay phones and people knew how to write and draw etc. as well as how to research stuff in a library. My camera is marginally operable when it is working. [sm=devious.gif]
Posted on: 12/13/2011 6:33 AM by Author "astronomer1" in the forum "Glow Engines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10857216

RE: TD .051 conversion to TD .05 followup of cloning
Mr. Cox thanks for posting my diagram. It should make my long winded post a little clearer. Has anyone else noticed some play in the .05 carb. throttle shaft and carb. body or am I just chasing my tail? Either way, my low tech. modifications seems to have improved things and they are easy to do. I have not tried this engine without a muffler. I have however tried it with the muffler fully opened. It seems to work best with some back pressure from a restricted muffler. Noise difference is NILL. That is part of what makes these little COX engines appealing to me. I will keep posting more results of the things I'm going to try in the future if I can get caught up with the rest of my life. Same Old Same Old! [:o] I just tried to upload the image of my diagram. Click Click and it worked. Must have been something funny going on last night like too much Castor Oil on my fingers making my mouse a little slippery or the numerous interrupting trips to the lew from eating a Big Mac without washing up.
Posted on: 9/29/2011 9:01 PM by Author "astronomer1" in the forum ""1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10741443

TD .051 conversion to TD .05 followup of cloning
[image][/image]Bare with me since this is a rather long post about the trials and tribulations I went through while trying to get my new TD.05 RC Carb. working reliably. I made a posting a while back concerning cloning a TD .051 into a TD .051 RC. Well, I finally have succeeded, I think. I have the little beast running quite well. Full Throttle—around 17,000 (less than plain TD .051). Idle as low as 4,500. Idles best at 6,000 with very smooth and reliable transition. Fuel tank must be positioned carefully as this carb. apparently has marginal fuel draw for good idling and full bore operation.. Did not get it running at high end of an un-throttled TD but good enough for me. What it does while flying is still up for speculation. I made some minor modifications to Bernie’s .05 RC Carb. which is a good product. It was not working well enough for me. After much playing around, I suspected that I had a slight air leak at the throttle shaft acting like an uncontrolled air bleed. This was indicated by less than smooth idling and relatively un-responsive Air Bleed adjustments along with ragged transition to full bore. The rule I followed is: Air Bleed OPEN- MIX. LEAN., CLOSED- MIX RICH. Proper setting makes for good idling and smooth transition to full throttle at the cost of screaming full throttle. Open causes higher pressure at fuel nozzle and less fuel draw. Closed causes lower pressure and more fuel draw. In other words, low pressure/partial vacuum draws more fuel. I read that somewhere and it sounded good if you believe Bornolies (spelling) principle. Look at this from the standpoint of the volume of air going past the fuel opening in the throat of the carb. That principal is what makes airplanes fly and carbs. work. Good enough for me! I may be completely wet about this, so feel free to correct my reasoning. To fix this uncontrolled air leakage into the throat of the carb., I removed the throttle arm and fiber washers. I then installed a very small O-Ring between the throttle arm and the throttle body. The O-Ring had to be stretched a little to get over the splines and the shaft. A .015� flat washer, the thinnest I could find, was then put between the control arm and the snap ring. The throttle shaft had probably close to .010� of radial slop between it and the throttle body. The “O� Ring obviously will not remove the tolerance buildup/slop between the carb. shaft and carb. body but it did seal it. This app apparently removed the air leak. This immediately resulted in much smoother idling, high end and a happy engine. Another modification that I made was to replace the Air Bleed Screw with a socket head screw for easier more precise adjustment . I formed a flat end on the screw using a fine file against the chucked (not F%$@*+ up) screw on my drill press. I also put Teflon tape on the Air Bleed and Idle Stop screws to make them fit better and not vibrate out in spite of their tension springs. All of this screw stuff is probably not necessary but I like to fiddle with things. The whole lash-up is summarized as follows: 1. COX .051 TD engine shimmed out to zero SPI like a TD .05 RC. Going to study operation with/without SPI when I’m bored another time. 2. Standard Cox Babe Bee muffler with opening set about 1/8�. Not the one with the short stack. I will try one sometime later for less oil mess and any performance change. I’m going to try some muffler vs SPI experiments at some later life also. 3. Small O-Ring between Throttle arm and Carb. Body. The O-Ring needs to be stretched over the Throttle Shaft. This makes its profile slightly thinner. Seems to abate the uncontrolled air leak. One of Bernie’s needle O-rings would work here. 4. A very thin Alum. large pattern washer between the Control Arm and the Snap Ring . This tightens things up and prevents ware between the Snap Ring and the Control Arm due to vibration. 5. High Comp Head and 3 head gaskets. 6. SIG 25% fuel. 7. 80deg. day at 5400ft. ASL 8. Home made electric starter. 9. Lots of patients! Attached is a rough diagram of what I did. My camera no workie up very close. Now that I have this COX Carb. working (at least today on the bench), I think I’m going to attack a Tarno Carb. on another engine (TD .049). I’ve had for years. It never did idle well with the Tarno. The Tarno inspired me to do the O-Ring mod. on the COX. as the Tarno uses an O-Ring on the throttle shaft in the same location maybe to eliminate leakage and to tighten things up and make the throttle arm servo saver feature work. I think it’s air bleed is too small and obviously it’s not adjustable, thus the poor Idle and insidious fuel spitting and poor transition to wide open. In my opinion, it’s fuel spitting indicates a very rich mixture at idle. My next installment will follow up on the COX Carb. and how it performs in the wild blue on a plane. Tarno progress will appear in a later installment also. Sorry gentlemen for getting a little verbose with this post that is probably of limited interest to most of you. I just thought I would share the fun in hopes that it will be of some help for some of you. For some reason, I can't get my sketch uploaded. Bummer! A picture is worth a thousand words. I think there are a thousand words here.[image]
Posted on: 9/29/2011 7:57 AM by Author "astronomer1" in the forum ""1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10740224

RE: McCoy.35 Needle Valve Source ???
For all who responded to my post concerning McCoy .35 Needle Valves, a hearty thank you is in order! Soon, after I get my needles, test my engines and build my Ringmaster, I'll be in nostalgia hog heaven flying my noisy McCoy. I already feel like a kid again waiting for Christmas.
Posted on: 9/7/2011 4:24 PM by Author "astronomer1" in the forum "Glow Engines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10706243

McCoy.35 Needle Valve Source ???
Where can I get a couple of genuine McCoy .35 needles? I am in the process of restoring two engines. I found an old un-built Sterling Ringmaster kit in my brother in-law's basement, snatched it up for a bottle of scotch and will put it together if I can get the engines completed. Such a deal! As a teenager in the early 60’s, I had a Ringmaster & McCoy .35 which I loved because of all of the noise it made, its control line tension and the ease of fixing crash rash. It was quite a step up from the COX Babe Bees and solid wingers I had been flying on fishing line. I’m an old codger now in need of some nostalgic Ringmaster flight time. Please help if you can!
Posted on: 9/7/2011 6:15 AM by Author "astronomer1" in the forum "Glow Engines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10705437

.051 Cloning to .050 Tee Dee RC revisited
Yesterday while tweaking/cloning my .051 Tee Dee that now has a .050 RC carb,a funny incident occurred. The engine was running well (Good idle of about 6k and a 17-18K top end). Suddenly, the engine came to a screeching halt in about 1 millisecond. Out of reflex I tried to turn the prop. No turnie of the prop. My next thought was that I must have a broken Rod or Crankshaft. I took the crippled engine to my shop, removed the Cyl. and Muffler and all was well, no broken rod or crank. Thank god or satan except the Crankshaft still wouldn't turn. Ah, maybe the Crankshaft journal is frozen. I removed the Prop Plate. Got out my handy-dandy COX 1530 Universal Wrench with Colet Spanner to remove the Carb body and voila the collet was not contacting and clamping the Carb. Body. This is where I concluded that the Collet had loosened itself and wound up against the Prop Plate thus rapidly stalling the engine. Moral of the story, periodically tighten the Carb. Body Retainer Nut (collet) so that it stays put. Check out the attached drawing on the other site (RCgroups.com) for a visual rendering of what happened. I couldn't get it uploaded to this site. Won't take .bmp files. Has anyone else ever had this sort of thing happen on a Tee Dee? Would Blue Locktite on the threads help alleviate this problem?
Posted on: 9/3/2011 12:27 PM by Author "astronomer1" in the forum ""1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10699786

051 Tee Dee Cloning to a .050 Tee Dee R/C
[b]Background:[/b] I’m trying to turn (clone) a .051 TD into a .050 RC using a new carb. from Bernie. The carb. seems to work fine but I can’t get it to idle as slow as I’d like. I am using an old standard COX muffler. The prop is a COX 5x3. Engine runs well but the idle is a bit high 5-6K. I live at 5000’ above sea level. I would like to get it to idle at 3-4K if possible. I have several questions which are as follows: 1. Did the .050 TD RC have SPI ? My .051 TD has .004� of SPI and screams with the normal intake setup. 2. Is this SPI the reason for not being able to get a slow idle? 3. How should the air bleed be setup and is it critical how it is set for low idling? 4. Could the size of prop. influence idle speed?
Posted on: 8/22/2011 7:17 PM by Author "astronomer1" in the forum ""1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10682633

Semiscale Cub from Thailand
Is this semiscale Cub kit worthwhile? It is on the Bay(270784909477) for $60.oo plus $18.oo shipping. Looks nice to me. I just want a few opinions.
Posted on: 8/17/2011 8:08 PM by Author "astronomer1" in the forum ""1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10675471

Tell me all about W style .049 glow heads
I have acquired 4 W style element .049 glow heads. I ran one on a TD .051. I misplaced my Tach so I don't have any empirical data. By ear the engine runs essentially the same whether a #325 or a #? W plug is used. The only thing that I notice when hooking my starter battery to each one, off the engine, the W plug glows very brightly. Tell me all that you as my curiosity Is killing my cat.
Posted on: 7/20/2011 11:07 PM by Author "astronomer1" in the forum ""1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10631442

RE: Tee Dee .05 RC Instructions
Thanks everyone for your replies and the excellent scans of the TD .05 RC instructions! I have never been let down by this forum. Great pool of knowledge. Bob
Posted on: 7/12/2011 1:14 PM by Author "astronomer1" in the forum ""1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10618133

Tee Dee .05 RC Instructions
I posted this same post on the other RC group and decided to put it here also in hopes of getting some more information. To get on with it, the meat of my post is as follows: I just acquired a .05 RC carburetor from Bernie at coxengines.ca with the intent of putting it on a TD that I have along with a COX muffler. This TD does not have SPI which I understand is quite unusual yet desirable for intake throttling with a muffler. Getting it running should be a “no brainer�. In any case does anyone have a set of directions that they would copy and send to me? Better yet would scan them and post them here on this forum for others that have a .05 carb. that they are playing with. Other Questions: 1. What kind of top end RPM to expect with 5 x 3, 6 x 3 Props? 2. What to expect for idle? 3. Will this perform as well as a throttle sleeve? I have used them and have had good results. 4. On this same engine I have played with a Tarno Carb. with poor results even after adding an adjustable air bleed. Will the COX carb’s adjustable air bleed help the idle and transition from idle to full bore?
Posted on: 7/10/2011 5:18 PM by Author "astronomer1" in the forum ""1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10615225

RE: Cylinder Numbers for COX Babe Bee
To everyone who responded to my question about Babe Bee Cylinder numbers. Thank you very much! I think that I'll keep the #1 two bypass port, SPI cylinder on my Bee and let it scream at 17-18000 RPM and use it try to lift one of my sailplanes. Considering that I live at 5140' ASL this engine is performing quite well. Here where in Colorado, most engines suffer from a 20% or thereabouts loss in power. The other Babe Bee #2 cyl., SPI, Single Bypass that I have only puts out max. of 10-11,000 RPM. Both engines were using Sig 25%. They were run about 10 min. apart at 85 deg. so think that my comparison tests are reasonably accurate. The Screaming Babe Bee does however consume fuel much faster. That stands to reason as for any internal combustion engine, more Horsepower =Less or poorer Fuel economy. SUV's that can be seen from the Moon regardless of what they say, get worse Fuel economy than a Volkswagen Beetle.
Posted on: 7/6/2011 12:41 PM by Author "astronomer1" in the forum ""1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10608784

Cylinder Numbers for COX Babe Bee
I know that this has been discussed more than once. What cylinder number/numbers were used on a Babe Bee? Joe Klause's COX article and others do not mention Babe Bee cylinders. I have one that has a #2 with 1 bypass port, SPI and it runs well but not real fast (12,000 rpm, 5x3 prop). I have another Babe Bee that has a #1 with 2 bypass ports, SPI and it screams (17,000 rpm 5x3 prop). Any information will be appreciated.
Posted on: 7/1/2011 7:16 PM by Author "astronomer1" in the forum ""1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10602136

RE: New Website for Cox Products
Businesses like yours, [b]Matt[/b], and [b]Bernie[/b] and all of your support people are to be commended for keeping this hobby alive. May your businesses have a long and fruitful success! [;)] Regards, Bob
Posted on: 6/19/2011 6:38 AM by Author "astronomer1" in the forum ""1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10581578

Series 190 Production Engine Backplate ???
I think the attached picture is of a Series 190 Production .049 Engine which uses a C clip read retainer. How is this type of backplate mounted on an airplane? There are only four screw holes for mounting it to a crank case. I acquired this along with a bunch of other COX parts in a Bay auction for cheap. What I want to do with it is experiment with different reeds and venturi drillings.
Posted on: 6/11/2011 7:03 AM by Author "astronomer1" in the forum ""1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10567991

RE: The unofficial Home of all that is Nitro Vee...
Precision Carbon Filled Props by Graupner can be found at OffshoreElectrics.Com . They are about $5.oo, don't need sharpening and balancing and work just fine. The come in various sizes. Look-up the specs for the Octura X440 and find the equivalent Graupner propeller. Hope this info gets you where you want to be.
Posted on: 6/7/2011 5:26 PM by Author "astronomer1" in the forum "Speed - RC Nitro Boats"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10562162

RE: Cox Tee Dee 049 High Performance Cylinders
Bernie and other COX .051 TD Cobblers The information in the attached Web Page may provide some food for thought about Exhaust ports, SPI, Bypass and booster ports. http://www.ancientalley.com/ancient/rhinebck/gnome/gnome.htm Just kidding! Enjoy! :)
Posted on: 5/18/2011 7:52 AM by Author "astronomer1" in the forum ""1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10527260

RE: Cox Reed Valve FAQ
I have been annealing glow head gaskets, COX and others, for lots of years and have been able to get a lot more mileage out of them. I do it by hanging the washers on a piece of coat hanger wire and heating with my gas range. Could use Propane torch. 3-4 Cox washers should be hung together so they do not melt as easily when heated. I then heat them briefly until they have a bright orange glow like a glow plug element. I then very qiuickly dip them into a glass of cold H2o. Heating takes at most 10 sec. lest they melt. They become discolored but otherwise there does not seem to be any other ill effects. Has any one else used this practice? Now on to the next question. Which is better to use on a COX engine? Phenolic or Stainless Thrust Washers. Other than longevity, I lean toward Stainless though they are hard to lap if necessary to the needed thickness on a flat surface and fine emery paper. Phenolic washers are very easy to lap. Until recently, I have only used Shim Washers to adjust crankshaft end play. Now I find it imperative to use washers to reduce wear with the use of my home made cluged together electric starter.
Posted on: 5/15/2011 5:02 AM by Author "astronomer1" in the forum ""1/2 A" & "1/8 A" airplanes"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10520787