Hi all, I am new to this hobbie and have a Trainer with an SC 40 2 stroke glow plug engine. Can anyone give me any tips on starting and tuning this engine. I have a chicken stick and an ellectric starter. Thanks. Andy.
Open the HS needle about 2 turns. Open the throttle fully, put your finger over the carb opening, and turn the prop through compression 3-4 times. You should see fuel being pulled through the supply line. This primes the engine. Close the throttle to idle (about 1/32" - 1/16" opening. Attach the glow plug lighter. Apply the electric starter by firmly pushing the rubber cone against the spinner or prop nut. The engine should start. When it's runing, take the glow lighter off. Gradually close the HS needle until it's in a smooth slightly rich 2-cycle mode. Break it in at this setting for 2-3 tanks of fuel, then fly it and finish the break-in in the air. When it's broken in you should be able to lean it out fully.
To adjust the idle after it 's broken in: turn the screw about 1/8 turn at a time. To lean the idle, close it, to richen, open. Pinch the fuel line at idle. If the engine dies immediately without picking up speed, it's too lean. If it runs a long time then slowly picks up speed, it's too rich. If it picks up speed quickly then starts to die, it's about right.
My last suggestion is to get with a local club. It's hard to diagnose engine problems without actually being there. Dr.1 Driver "There's a Hun in the sun!"
I hate to sound like an ass, but have you read the instructions yet? Most of them give you a pretty good basis to start from.
Starting......
Firstly let me say that I have NEVER used an electric starter, so YMMV but it is not a necessary Item.
Start out by reading the engine instructions on setting it up, and if possible, get some assistance until you are totally familiar with the engine.
My starting technique (assumes that engine is broken in) is fairly simple.
1 fuel up 2 open throttle fully. 3 put finger over carbie 4 crank engine over 4-5 (number may vary with engine) times, drawing fuel into engine 5 remove thumb from carbie and give 1-2 quick flicks of the prop to get the fuel up into the top of the engine. 6 attach glow driver, and set throttle back to Idle position (less than 1/4) 7 use chicken stick (or hand flick) and engine will fire. 8 remove glow driver and go carve up some sky.....I use this simple procedure and find that I usually get my engine running in just 1-2 flicks of the prop, I don't whack on a starter and have it crank the hell out of an engine, trying to get it to suck the fuel in.
A simple prime, start, fly works for me. I never used to bother with a chicken stick until a prop bit me, left me with a nasty cut and severe bruising!.
If you have never started an engine without your electric starter, you should try this, you will be surprised at how easy it really is. (and the added bonus is you don't need to lug around a 12V battery just for your starter!) Even if you intend to use an electric starter, you probably want to try this method and become familiar with it, as sure as Sh*t, one day you wont be able to use the electric one for some reason or another.
The other suggestions here are also quite useful in the tuning, but I just gave you the rundown on a simple, reliable starting regime.
Bob in Aus
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