stunthanger.com
Engine basics => Engine set up tips => Topic started by: kevin king on May 26, 2024, 11:17:30 PM
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Can anyone tell me if Fox Rc long 2volt plugs will work on 35 and larger stunt engines?
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They should, depending on when they were made will determine if they are any good or not. Fox plugs toward the end were just plain BAD! I had a flying budy who came out to the flying field once with 6 brand new Fox plugs, R/C Longs I think because that's what I told him I run. They each last a total of one flight and would not relight again. They seemed to run OK, just for one flight! What kind of package are they in? That may help date them and the price. With the glow plug situation the way it is today, they are worth a try at least for sport flying.
Type at you later,
Dan McEntee
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The only engines I ever seen 2v Fox plugs being used in were on higher performance engines. That being said, I would also assume these engines were also using slightly higher than stunt fuel nitro. The 2v Fox had a heavier element and could sustain more abuse over the standards R/C longs. My only concern would be the plug cooling off due to the use of stunt fuels.
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The guy just said they were new, but really old. I will ask him for a part number or photo
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The guy just said they were new, but really old. I will ask him for a part number or photo
I don't know about part numbers and such as related to what vintage they are. The later ones were in a sort of orangish and yellow package and price would have been say, 6 to 8 bucks or so. The older ones with a red, white and blue package are mid to late 70's, BiCentennial time. Anything that just looks older than that may be OK, as I have heard that from people on the forums here. In my early days, I pretty much bought what was cheapest. As I leaned more about engines and how they run and how the plug affects that, I heard about Glow Devil R/C Longs and once I experienced those, I didn't mind price too much because I knew it was a quality plug, would give me a good run, and would last the same as 3 or 4 of the cheap ones like Fox. That was a long time ago!!
A real Fox nut would know by the 2 volt designation, I think. I don't know how long they produced those, especially when the nicad ignitors came along, and they probably would light one at only 1.25 volts. If I find the energy to get downstairs ( and more importantly, get back upstairs!!) I'll check some old SIG catalogs to see what I can find in those.
Type at you later,
Dan McEntee
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I don't know about part numbers and such as related to what vintage they are. The later ones were in a sort of orangish and yellow package and price would have been say, 6 to 8 bucks or so. The older ones with a red, white and blue package are mid to late 70's, BiCentennial time. Anything that just looks older than that may be OK, as I have heard that from people on the forums here. In my early days, I pretty much bought what was cheapest. As I leaned more about engines and how they run and how the plug affects that, I heard about Glow Devil R/C Longs and once I experienced those, I didn't mind price too much because I knew it was a quality plug, would give me a good run, and would last the same as 3 or 4 of the cheap ones like Fox. That was a long time ago!!
A real Fox nut would know by the 2 volt designation, I think. I don't know how long they produced those, especially when the nicad ignitors came along, and they probably would light one at only 1.25 volts. If I find the energy to get downstairs ( and more importantly, get back upstairs!!) I'll check some old SIG catalogs to see what I can find in those.
Type at you later,
Dan McEntee
Thanks Dan. The other question was idle bars. I've always used them. Would you ever buy or use a plug without them for stunt? Still waiting for a reply from the seller on the 2v fox plugs.
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Thanks Dan. The other question was idle bars. I've always used them. Would you ever buy or use a plug without them for stunt? Still waiting for a reply from the seller on the 2v fox plugs.
I stated using the idle bar when I was introduced to the Glow Devil R/C long, and about the same time, saw a few examples of how carbon can attach to the idle bar and grow there, instead of getting into the coil. it made sense to me that the idle bar can protect the coil to an extent, so have continued the practice for the most part. With the way glow plug availability is these days, I would use a standard for a sport model or foo-foo airplane just to save GD R/C Longs for my "good stuff"!
Type at you later,
Dan McEntee
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Thanks Dan!
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Regarding non-idle bar glowplugs...lots of people use 4-cycle glowplugs in stunt engines. I always run early Thunderbolt 4-cycle plugs in my PA .51, OS .46VF and ST G.51. I'd run them in my DS .60bb also. They look just like a regular old glowplug; no idle bar. Some 4-cycle glowplugs have an extended 360 degree shield design, but I haven't used those. You'd want to be absolutely certain that shield didn't contact the piston at TDC, but they aren't really an idle bar, either. And then, there's the OS A3 glowplug that sometimes came with OS LA engines. They work just fine.
I would note that Thunderbolt now has a glowplug called "4-cycle and Big Bore" (IIRC). Whether that is actually different than their earlier 4-cycle plugs is unknown...but I suspect they're the same exact thing. I believe Randy Smith stocks them, and he would likely know if they're same or different. I'm not into glowplug anatomy, but it'd better work! #^ Steve
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Regarding non-idle bar glowplugs...lots of people use 4-cycle glowplugs in stunt engines. I always run early Thunderbolt 4-cycle plugs in my PA .51, OS .46VF and ST G.51. I'd run them in my DS .60bb also. They look just like a regular old glowplug; no idle bar. Some 4-cycle glowplugs have an extended 360 degree shield design, but I haven't used those. You'd want to be absolutely certain that shield didn't contact the piston at TDC, but they aren't really an idle bar, either. And then, there's the OS A3 glowplug that sometimes came with OS LA engines. They work just fine.
I would note that Thunderbolt now has a glowplug called "4-cycle and Big Bore" (IIRC). Whether that is actually different than their earlier 4-cycle plugs is unknown...but I suspect they're the same exact thing. I believe Randy Smith stocks them, and he would likely know if they're same or different. I'm not into glowplug anatomy, but it'd better work! #^ Steve
I think that "extension" that you see on some 4 stroke plugs is there just to make the volume of the chamber deeper and this larger, maybe hold a longer coil, and that makes for a hotter glow plug, which is desired for four stroke engines also, and that is how they came into use on stunt engines.
Type at you later,
Dan McEntee
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I think that "extension" that you see on some 4 stroke plugs is there just to make the volume of the chamber deeper and this larger, maybe hold a longer coil, and that makes for a hotter glow plug, which is desired for four stroke engines also, and that is how they came into use on stunt engines.
This goes back a long way to the Fox "Hose Nose" 4-cycle plugs. The Thunderbolt 4-cycle plug was always our plug of choice for PA/RO-Jetts, and I may have been the last person to ever receive the "Big Bore and 4-cycle" plugs before they closed the doors (last day of operation, as far as I can tell). As far as I can tell, the 4-cycle and the later 4-cycle and BigBore are exactly the same thing. The second-best choice was the Thunderbolt RC plug (with an idle bar), but we always got a touch more power/could run it a tiny bit richer with the 4-cycle.
As with most things, Paul Walker told us all about it in the Impact article, and he liked it because they only cost 79 cents!
I preferred the Glo Devil #300 for VFs.
Brett