Introduction to Nitro RC Engines"What YOU need to know for choosing the best Nitro RC Engine
Two Stroke vs. Four StrokesThere are two types of nitro RC engines used with radio controlled airplanes. There are two cycle (2-stoke) and four cycle (4-stroke) nitro RC engines. A 2-stroke RC engine fires every time the piston reaches the top of the cylinder. A 4-stroke fires every other time.
Four-stroke nitro RC engines produce more torque at lower RPM’s compared to a two-stroke RC engine. This means that four stroke will use a much larger diameter propeller than a two-stroke engine. Back to Top Ball Bearings vs. Bushings
I've never had a bushed engine and don't have a picture to show you. A bushing is nothing more than a bronze or brass disc with a hole in the center for the shaft.
It is easy to tell if a nitro RC engine has bearings or not just by looking at it. Take a look at this O.S. 46AX engine to the left. The area highlighted red is where the bearings sit in the housing.
If you look at this O.S. 46LA engine to the right you can see that the housing does not have these places for the bearings. Back to Top Ringed vs. ABC Nitro RC Engines
When the top of the sleeve expands the piston will fit perfectly with the sleeve at both the top and bottom of the sleeve. When the engine is cold the sleeve only seals with the piston when the piston is near the top of the stroke. This can make ABC engines a little more difficult to start, especially in cold whether. ABC engines are more tolerant if you accidentally run the engine slightly too lean.
The benefit of an ABC engine is that the break-in time is a lot shorter. An ABC engine will tolerate the occasional lean run, as where a ringed engine will be damaged immediately with a lean run. The benefit of a ringed engine is that it can be rebuilt relatively cheap. A ringed engine will tend to hold its maximum power longer than an ABC engine which slowly decreases in power as the sleeve and piston wear. If you’re new to the hobby I recommend getting an ABC engine. It is much more forgiving and easier to break in. It’s worth noting that just about all four-stroke engines are ringed engines. Back to Top Nitro RC Engine Sizes
For example, the Hangar 9 Arrow 40 would require at least a “40 size” nitro RC engine. The size of the engine corresponds to the displacement of the cylinder.
Since a four-stroke RC engine has a lower power to weight ratio you will always need a slightly larger 4-stroke engine then the actual size of the airplane. A 40 size airplane may require a 60 size four-stroke engine. Go by the recommendations of the airplane manufacturer when sizing the engine. Back to Top Accessories Needed for Nitro RC EnginesTo start your nitro RC engine you must have some means of spinning the propeller. You can either use a chicken stick or an electric starter to flip the propeller. But never ever use your fingers unless you are wearing thick leather gloves. These engines won’t hesitate to put a gash in your fingers! Trust me I know! If the carburetor settings are off you may be flipping that prop with a chicken stick until the end of time before it fires! Everyone has days when their engines just won’t cooperate even with a 12-volt starter. An Electric starter really is a necessity when flying glow-powered airplanes. Save yourself the headache and go ahead and order one ... You will thank me later! Secondly, you will need a way to provide power to the glow plug. You can use either a glow igniter or a glow plug clip. Both an electric starter and a glow plug clip require a 12-volt battery. Most people buy a flight box which houses the 12-volt battery and power panel. The power panel clips to the 12-volt battery and supplies power to the starter, fuel pump, and glow igniter. If you stay with the hobby you will definitely have a flight box like everyone else. When I started flying my goal was to get an airplane in the air with the least amount of money possible. It was hard enough convincing my wife to let me buy the airplane, radio, and engine! So I got by for a little while with a glow stick, electric starter, and a hand fuel pump. I had an old 12-volt car battery that I used to power the starter. This was not exactly an optimal set up, but it got me by until I could save money to buy a flight box, power panel, and a 12-volt battery! Back to Top Operation & Maintenance of Nitro RC EnginesA nitro RC engine will last you a lifetime if properly operated and maintained. On the same token, the engine could last a very short time if not cared for properly. The life span of your engine is in your hands. Breaking in the EngineJust like any other type of engine, nitro RC engines need to be broken in. While very close tolerances are held when the parts of these engines are machined, a break-in process is needed to allow the moving parts to be “mated” with one another. During this process the piston and sleeve wear together to conform with one another. ABC engines typically require a shorter break-in time than ringed engines. Some engines such as the Evolution Engines Trainer Power System are broken in at the factory. Regardless of what type of nitro-powered engine you have, it is absolutely critical that it be broken in properly. This critical first step will have a great impact on the life of the engine! Here you can find more information on how to break in your engine Back to Top Tuning the EngineThe most important thing to know about nitro RC engines is that they are cooled and lubricated by the fuel. You, the operator, determine how much fuel is going to the engine by adjusting the needles valves. If the needle valves are adjusted too “lean”, the engine is not getting enough fuel for lubrication and cooling. The quickest way to destroy an engine is to run it lean! If the needles valves are adjusted too “rich” it means that too much fuel is going to the engine. When the mixture is rich the engine may not run at all, or it will with a lot less power than it's capable off. The mixture should always be slightly rich to be completely sure it doesn’t lean out while in the air. Finding that sweet spot where it's not too lean and not to rich is called tuning your engine. Here you can find more information on how to tune nitro RC engines. Back to Top Storing the EngineAt the end of each day at the field you need to make sure all of the fuel inside the engine has been burned. When the glow igniter in place, flip the engine over until it no longer fires. This is easy to do with an electric starter. ![]() If you will not be using the engine for an extended period of time (over a month), it is a good idea to run some after run oil Back to Top Where to Buy Nitro RC EnginesIf you know what you're looking for, which you do because you have read this page, you can generally save quite a bit of money by shopping on eBay. Just be cautions and make sure the seller has a good feedback rating, especially when buying used engines. Below are nitro engines currently on eBay. They are arranged by manufacturer. Make sure to click on View all at the bottom of each to see the entire selection. and start bidding now! You may also like...
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