stunthanger.com
Engine basics => Engine set up tips => Topic started by: Don Chandler on August 28, 2015, 05:45:45 PM
-
Does smoke in the air effect the peformance of a stunt engine, and if so, what would the symptoms be?
-
If you're upright and breathing then I suspect your engine will be, too.
-
Just trying to narrow down some problems I have been having flying here in North Calif. this summer. All my engines are sputtering and losing power overhead and in outside manuevers. Not a problem untill this summer. The only common denomanator I can think of is the smoky air here this summer.
-
I'd highly doubt that it has anything to do with whatever smoke is in the air, at least the stuff the airplane is inhaling.
-
I'll say it. Fuel is a much more likely source of the problem. :o Steve
-
Or a lean sag in the Summer heat if the engines are overheating. When it got hot here, I had to cut some more cooling vents in one of mine. A little more nitro might cool it off if running richer isn't an option. I agree with the others, the amount of smoke it inhales is so miniscule I don't imagine it being a problem.
Rusty
-
Or a lean sag in the Summer heat if the engines are overheating. When it got hot here, I had to cut some more cooling vents in one of mine. A little more nitro might cool it off if running richer isn't an option. I agree with the others, the amount of smoke it inhales is so miniscule I don't imagine it being a problem.
Rusty
I think Don is referring to a recent issue. In his area, 100+ highs are very common in the summer, and I know his engine ran pretty well a few weeks ago when it was about 104. So I doubt it is merely heat, meaning the smoke is a reasonable question.
However, I don't think so. I would be looking into a fuel issue. His engine seemed *very unhappy* last Sunday. For at least one flight, the issue was pretty clear, muffler issue, but it was running *very squirrely*. Without examining the entire system in person, I would be inclined to find some known-good fuel, replace the glow plug, clean out the entire system from tank to NVA, replace the fuel filter, THEN see what happens.
Interestingly, I had my first significant engine problem in many years this weekend at the same contest Don had all his issues. My glow plug went open. I hadn't had an outright plug failure in maybe 30 years. I have had taters, excess frosting, and performance loss, but not an electrical failure where it would not glow. Even more interesting, it wasn't failed on the open end where it normally does, it was right where the element goes into the electrode. It was moderately frosted with a typical small brown spot near the weld (where it doesn't get so hot) and I picked up some power when replacing it (after about two years), but nothing extraordinary.
Brett