General Nitro questions

[stokke]

And to kill it, you will lower your trim tab until it closes the carb and kills the engine.

So you use the trim lever to adjust the idle speed also?

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Also, the throttle hold curve would not be 0-0-0-0-0 as on an electric, but maybe 5-5-5-5-5 to keep the engine from dying?

 

[Tony]

Yup, you sure do. On my DX8, I set the subtrim to the idle that I want (about 3000-3500 RPM) and I use the RT button as the kill switch. I think the DX7 should have somewhere in it that it will say "Throttle Cut" and you should be able to assign a switch to it. I'm not sure though on teh DX7s.

 

[stokke]

Thanks Tony. What nitro do you use on these things? I see I can choose between 3 types: 15N18O - 23N22O - 30N22O

 

[Tony]

Didn't see the second part of that post above. My Hold is 0 straight across and it doesn't die. It just goes to the lowest setting as given by the throttle stick.

And I have never seen those letters/numbers before. But the fuel we use is atleast 22% oil, 20-30% Nitro, Helicopter fuel. Make sure it's heli fuel. Airplane fuel will burn up the engine because of the reduced oil content. I think it's 18-21% vs the Heli's 21-24%. I myself run 20% Nitro with 23% oil. I see no need to run 30%. But with the way you fly your other helis, you may benefit from 30%.

 

[coolgabsi]

Yes to get the max power out of that small engine, you should use 30 percent. I run 30 percent too..

and I know y'all have a throttle hold curve.. in my radio just like marius said, I program 7.5 percent on the hold to make it idle.. and to kill the engine either I pinch the line, or I use the trim in normal mode. My trim on the radio for throttle is mechanical.. for the reason it makes it easier to kill engines. As I dont have a throttle kill switch like I had on my DX6i.. i dont know if dx8 has it or not.

If DX8 has a kill switch then I would program the HOLD to wherever the engine idles, barely moving the blades if at all. The percentage might vary from mine to tony's to yours, but that doesnt make a difference. you need to start small .. and increase the percentage to make sure you dont start too hot.

With Ikon you wil have to calibrate throttle end points, so wait till that is done to set anything up anywaz.

People debate on pinching the fuel line. Some say its good to leave some fuel in there, so kill it with throttle kill switch or trim. Some say it is not good at all the pinch becasue its stresses the bearing. Some say it is good to pinch as you empty the fuel out of the heli and prevent a hydrolock next time you fly, and blah blah blah..

I pich sometimes.. and kill withtrim sometimes. LOL Engine is stil going strong. .. just letting you know, cause these are things you will see pages and pages of debates on

 

[stokke]

With Ikon you wil have to calibrate throttle end points, so wait till that is done to set anything up anywaz.

How is this done on a nitro? When calibrating end points on the electric, you just use servo travel and wait for the motor to beep - so what's signaling the end points?

Some say its good to leave some fuel in there, so kill it with throttle kill switch...

I have the DX7S, so I do have a spare channel. Can a "kill command" be programmed into the IKON? And wouldn't a "kill command" just do the same as if you were to trim down on the tabs?

 

[Tony]

Gaba, on the DX8, I can use the RT, LT buttons as well as the Hold and Trainer.

Stokke, you should be able to click yoru wheel in your model and scroll down to the 3rd menu that should say Throttle Cut. In there, you will program your % and what switch. I'm guessing you can put it on the trainer or hold button/switch to kill the engine.

 

[coolgabsi]

On the ikon with nitro it's actually easier. First you calibrate the throttle channel on Tx with the ikon without the bird

Then in governor menu you can increase and decrease the low and high throttle points by looking at your servo open and close the carb... Nitro throttle calibration is so easy cause the motor is off and you can see on the carb what is 100 percent throttle or not

Once you have it... We can guide you through it ..

Have you placed an order yet?

Fly safe!! have fun!

 

[Westy]

hey all .... I am really thinking hard about getting a Gaui NX4

tossing up with that or electric Goblin 630

Question:

how long do the motors last? What nitro fuel or ratio can you use?

any other engine maintenance apart from mixture adjustment?

 

[Tony]

The richer you run the engine, the longer it will last. 20% heli fuel for sport flying, 30% heli fuel for 3D flying. Keeping it clean and free from dirt and oil.

There is a post on page 2 where I outline the fuels.

 

[Westy]

how long do you have to run them super rich while they are running in? how long do you run them in?

 

[Tony]

Just go out and fly them around. First couple tanks, don't beat on them, but you need to get some heat in the engine. About 170ºF or so. After a couple-three tanks, start leaning it out until you get to somewhere between 190ºF-210ºF. The hotter you go, the less life you will have of the engine, but the more power you will make. I try to hit somewhere between 190 and 200.

 

[stokke]

Have you placed an order yet?

Fly safe!! have fun!

No. I see the NX4 will cost be about 1200 bucks to get in the air, so I'll have to sell the 450 first. The moment the 450 goes, I'll place the order

 

[Westy]

Just go out and fly them around. First couple tanks, don't beat on them, but you need to get some heat in the engine. About 170ºF or so. After a couple-three tanks, start leaning it out until you get to somewhere between 190ºF-210ºF. The hotter you go, the less life you will have of the engine, but the more power you will make. I try to hit somewhere between 190 and 200.

Cool thanks for that.

I have a really good quality Laser (infrared) temp gun! .... so that will not be a problem at all

How long do the motors actually last from new without a rebuild?

 

[coolgabsi]

Cool thanks for that.

I have a really good quality Laser (infrared) temp gun! .... so that will not be a problem at all

How long do the motors actually last from new without a rebuild?

Weary the motors don't die for years .... Like years if tuned right...
The only thing that needs changing is bearings. Every once a year or so, it's recommended to change out the motor bearings front and back. Or whenever needed.

Nitro motors don't die. They can be stored for years literally and brought back out , fueled and powered up and they fire up. There isn't a shelf life to them

My os-55 motor is been running for a year. It didn't need a bearing change when I last changed the bearings. I saw that I was running a bit lean but that was because my muffler wasn't sealed properly.

Like tony said, you run the engine lean And the life if the engine is a couple flights. If you run it tuned just right or rich, all you might be doing is replacing the bearings every year or so..

Rc-bearings is a website that makes bearings of all sizes. Their bearings last longer than the Japanese bearings that come installed in the engines. For a new motor it won't matter, but still, Rc-bearings bearings will last you longer and they don't have metal shields that come off and destroy stuff.. So I use them from the get go. On the new 91 I acquired, I changed out the bearings to Rc-bearings right away. And the awesome part is while OS or any Japanese bearings cost 17++ bucks each, Rc-bearings sells it for 3bucks to 8 bucks ... So it's a very cheap part that you replace once in a while

On my field, I have some people that have been flying their nitro engine for last 5 years. And have not hurt it.. They have changed the bearings twice in that, and their engines sing and make amazing power.

Fly safe!! have fun!

 

[stokke]

What is a "Gryphon Auto Booster"?

 

[Tony]

It's an on board glow igniter that you activate with your Tx instead of pushing a button on the heli.

Gryphon Auto Booster Remote Operated Glow Igniter (GAB-5500) (GAB-5500) - HeliDirect -- Best

 

[stokke]

What's a "Hot start"?

Lining is the stuff that has to do with the clutch right? Does this have to be changed out often?

 

[Tony]

Hot start is going to depend on your definition. And unless your clutch is not holding that well, you should have to replace it very often. Once a year or so I would think.

 

[stokke]

It's an on board glow igniter that you activate with your Tx instead of pushing a button on the heli.

Gryphon Auto Booster Remote Operated Glow Igniter (GAB-5500) (GAB-5500) - HeliDirect -- Best

So it's the same as an "Automatic Glow Starter" then?

Hot start is going to depend on your definition. And unless your clutch is not holding that well, you should have to replace it very often. Once a year or so I would think.

I'm doing my research before getting this thing, so I'll just "fire away" as I go along and take advantage of your knowledge