LA 46

[Andrew Saunders]

My blue LA 46 needs a new piston and liner. Is the blue 46 and the newer silver 46 the same and accept the same parts?

[Paul Taylor]

Yes and yes. I highly recommend you let Randy Smith set it up. Just got one back and it is a tight fit. 

What kind of fuel are you running?
What caused you to need a P&L?

[Andrew Saunders]

The engine is old and low on compression. i have two guys here in my club that can do the work on it. One of them being Byron barker. Ill probably let Mike who helped me build my new plane set it up.

[Steve Helmick]

Have you checked the cost of the new P&L vs. the price of a new engine? It's almost 50%...making me tend to think that it's better to just buy another engine, either new or used.    JMHO, Steve

[Brett Buck]

Have you checked the cost of the new P&L vs. the price of a new engine? It's almost 50%...making me tend to think that it's better to just buy another engine, either new or used.    JMHO, Steve

   Certainly seems like it to me. If you wait around Tower will have a 2-fer sale at a good discount.

    Brett

[Steve Fitton]

just out of curiosity, how many flights did it take for the fit to go away?  I had an LA liner go away in as few as 350 flights, and have seen another one go even sooner.

[Andrew Tinsley]

LA46 P/L do not seem to last very long. 400 flights seems about the average before they get worn. I expect that a lot of people will say they last longer than that, but mine didn't! They seem to become difficult to hand start (lack of compression) then you can use an electric starter and they will run a little longer and after that they won't start at all.
The electroless nickel plating is very thin and soft and simply doesn't last like a true ABC. My replacement liners were out of round too (one was two thou and the other 3 thou out of round) that was measured with a proper bore gauge too. It didn't seem to give a problem after fitting, but it didn't make me enthusiastic over OS supposed good machining.

Andrew.

[Mark Scarborough]

Guys before you trash OS,, remember this is an entry level engine,, its like what 75 or 80 bucks,, what do you really expect,, it works,, works well, and when it wears out ( after 400 or 500 flights,, ) buy a replacement and move on,, OR go buy a PA for 400 or 500 and never worry about anything,, except stuffing it in the pavement,,

[Brett Buck]

Guys before you trash OS,, remember this is an entry level engine,, its like what 75 or 80 bucks,, what do you really expect,, it works,, works well, and when it wears out ( after 400 or 500 flights,, ) buy a replacement and move on,, OR go buy a PA for 400 or 500 and never worry about anything,, except stuffing it in the pavement,,

Good advice given that many people never get 500 flights in their entire career of sport flying. I checked, and a 46LA is $84. Say a RO_Jett 61 is $400, that means the break-even point is about 2000 flights.

  If you don't like that one, to get 400 flights on an $84 LA would cost you $234 in fuel, optimistically. So the hardware costs are bordering on negligible fraction of the total.

    Brett

[Steve Fitton]

I wasn't complaining about the short p&L life on the LA, I totally understand.  I was just curious if the lifespan issues we saw were similiar to others experience.  In defense of the LA, I smashed more of them into the ground by far than I ever wore out.  At 70 something bucks, it was a cost effective way to fly.

[Andrew Tinsley]

Yes I understand that the OS LA 46 is a cheap entry level engine that doesn't last all that long. However there are cheap entry level engines like the TT GP 42 that has a GOOD ABN P/L that will outlast the LA46 by a good margin. So if TT can do it at the price, I find it odd that OS can't!
I have worn out two LA46s and a third is on its way out. My TT GP42s are as good as ever and they have far more time on them than the LA 46s that have worn out. A fluke? I don't think so.

Regards,

Andrew.

[Mike Greb]

Back in the late 70's and early 80's  I would have loved to have a motor as inexpensive as the LA 46 that would last for 300 flights.

[Steve Helmick]

LA46 P/L do not seem to last very long. 400 flights seems about the average before they get worn. I expect that a lot of people will say they last longer than that, but mine didn't! They seem to become difficult to hand start (lack of compression) then you can use an electric starter and they will run a little longer and after that they won't start at all.
The electroless nickel plating is very thin and soft and simply doesn't last like a true ABC. My replacement liners were out of round too (one was two thou and the other 3 thou out of round) that was measured with a proper bore gauge too. It didn't seem to give a problem after fitting, but it didn't make me enthusiastic over OS supposed good machining.

Andrew.

When I flew CL Speed, I eventually came to the conclusion that Super Tigre replacement parts were rejects, and not worth bothering with. Andrew's experiences with OS replacement parts indicates the same. I got word that EVO parts don't interchange from one to another.  I think the right path for most of us is to buy a new engine when one wears out, or is pounded into the asphalt.  That's my observation from 55+ years of running glow engines.  Steve

[dennis lipsett]

When I flew CL Speed, I eventually came to the conclusion that Super Tigre replacement parts were rejects, and not worth bothering with. Andrew's experiences with OS replacement parts indicates the same. I got word that EVO parts don't interchange from one to another.  I think the right path for most of us is to buy a new engine when one wears out, or is pounded into the asphalt.  That's my observation from 55+ years of running glow engines.  Steve

Steve,
I can't say that the statement on Evolution parts is quite true at least in my opinion. I have ordered parts to fix a few engines for friends and had no problems with fit or performance after repairs. However I did get a P/l set that looked like it had been dropped and I had to knock the piston from the liner. Horizon replaced it immediately at their cost and all was well with the world. I have always found that Horizon goes to whatever lengths to make sure that their customers are treated well.

Dennis