mikenlapaz

A friend loaned me a OS max FS 61 engine to try on a project. muffler was off and there is some fine dirt/heavy dust in carb. He says run it but... I'd rather clean it Internally a bit before turning it over.

Is there any thing seal or gasket inside that is not compatible with 1) gasoline which I have or 2)kerosene which I would have to locate.

Thought was to brush clean exterior, remove carb and and plug, submerge in plastic container, let it soak then vibrate closed container on a palm sander. Drain, flush, and air dry and lub with abit of Marvel Mystery Oil.

This is my first glow engine experience, more familar with 2 -cycle gassers. Thanks

William Robison

My Feedback: (3)

Mike:

Definite no-no on gasoline, and kerosine wont cut the normal deposits. Acetone or ketone (methyl ethyl ketone or MEK) both work fine, ketone slightly safer. Or plain laquer thinner.

You could also use one of the organic aromatics; toluene, toluol, or xylene.

This gives you a variety, see what you can find down there.

Bill.

piper_chuck

My Feedback: (12)

This may disappoint you, I'm not going to recommend an exotic solvent. I've always had good luck with plain old rubbing alcohol. Buy the 90% strength, it's got less water. You can let it soak for a while, but not long term. Once you've got the carb out, look closely inside the engine. If there's any sign of dirt in there you may need to disassemble it to be sure you get it clean inside. It's really not necessary to do the vibro-cleaning. Just put some alcohol in, spin the engine a bit, and then pour out the alcohol. The goal is to free up the bearings and piston. Same cleaning for the carb. Since it's dirty, you may need to strip it down, clean it well and then reassemble. Once you've got everything clean, put it in the oven for about 10 minutes at 250 degrees to evaporate the alcohol. Take it out, and oil it up well. Once it's cool, reassemble the engine and put it in the plane.

mikenlapaz

OK no gas.
Plain old rubbing alcohol. Buy the 90% strength - Nope not here. The local medical type alcohol is made from sugar cane and has a high water content. It is drinkable.

MEK or laquer thinner is available.

Got a post going on trying to download service manual for engine maybe it will have some do and don't as well.

Back to shop and the gasser till I get more info.

ArayRC

My Feedback: (30)

Denatured Alcohol works great. you can get it at any good hardware store.

But it will not work well with baked on fuel residue.
this is where stong solvents like acetone are needed.

Gene Chernosky

My Feedback: (182)

No need for ANY solvents...you've probably had this one all along...why not simply use plain glow fuel?? It is mostly methanol and will clean up most any dirt/residue left on/in the engine...with the exception of burnt on oil.

I would NOT use anything stronger than methanol on ANY glow engine that is fully assembled. Once it is tore down completely then use whatever you want on it...mineral spirits, methanol, lacquer thinner, acetone, MEK, Toluene, Xylene...even gasoline. Keep in mind EVERYTHING mentioned is somewhat flammable...so be VERY careful!

piper_chuck

My Feedback: (12)

Hmmm, definitely a different brew than what we've got. Ours is definitely not drinkable, will lead to blindness and death.

mikenlapaz

The local medical alcohol is 70% cane with an additive that would harm you but taste, BAD.

Gene Chernosky: local glow fuel "imported" nomally by glow owners. Add 50-75% to your local cost and it gives you an idea of what the retail would be here.

The engine is not gummed up inside or out just fine dirt dust.

Gene Chernosky

My Feedback: (182)

Glow fuel would still be the easiest IMO...you do have some...right? You might use an ounce or two to do the job...that's not too bad is it?

If this seems to be too difficult it might be a good idea to give the engine back to your friend and stick to gassers.

bako

coock it in antifreeze for 2 hours

RCPilot100

My Feedback: (4)

The antifreeze solution suggested above this post works.

There used to be a product available called Sunbeam Metal Clean - made for electric frying pans - that really worked. I had a can of it and it would clean anything. It eventually ate its way through the can and I had to throw it away. In the meantime, it was banned.

I then came upon the method of putting antifreeze in a crockpot and putting the engine in it overnight. I was skeptical but tried it. Next day the engine came out looking like it was brand new. Give it a try - you won't be disappointed.

Dan

mikenlapaz

Thanks to another member, I now have a owners manual pfd, know there are only 3 O-rings and their locations and have schematic of interior. Thank to all for the input, have enough to make informed decision.

jaka

Hi!
There is no liquid that will clean your engine! Neither aceton, methanol, or any other liquid will make the engine as new inside. This is my 30 years experience of working with glow engines.
So my question to you is ...what is it you want to accomplish with "cleaning your engine".
Do you only want to make it turn free...then just heat it with a heat gun and pour in some lubrication oil, glowfuel or whatever! It isn't that important as long as it lubricates the engine.

Or do you want to clean it...really clean it! Take away the black carbon deposits...Then you have to take the engine apart and clean everything by hand in preferable acetone.
The black residue on piston sides has to be very carefully removed by just taking an ordinary writing paper soaked in gas (pure stuff not the stuff you use in your car) or acetone and just twist the piston in your hand so that the carbon deposits is removed...paper functions as very fine sanding paper..a very tedious thing to do but necessary if you want your piston clean.

The carbon deposits on top of the piston could be removed by a sharp nr 11 X-Acto knife blade or just wet sand it away with 800 paper.
The really important thing beside the piston fit in our engines is the ballbearings...those has to be removed and changed if the engine has been lying for many years and you have used Castor oil. Of course they could be freed up with just heat or lubricating oil but the risk is that the balls inside the bearing are just sliding inside the bearings and do not turn. An engine can turn freely by just oiling it but the risk is that the crankshaft just slides on the inner surface of the bearing because the balls are not turning because of old oxidized castor oil.

Regards!
Jan K
Sweden

mikenlapaz

jaka
This is turning into an informative thread, at least for someone new to glow engines. Thanks for sharing.
As stated in 1st post:
"muffler was off and there is some fine dirt/heavy dust in carb." Muffler has been off and same fine stuff visiable in exhaust port. The engine does not have heavy baked-on fuel residue on the exterior; The top of piston , sleeve,and muffler manifold show only slight dark discoloration. No build-up. I was looking to loosen this material and flush it out without a major cleaning and possibly damaging the gaskets when removing.

On glow engines when replacing gaskets, do you use anything else on the surfaces or gaskets for a better seal? RTV or shellac gasket sealer etc? Lacking a gasket set, what is a good substitute material? They appear very thin. The OS manual is lacking in the 'care/maintainance section'

Flypaper 2

I never use that last half in. of fuel in a jug because of water, dirt, contaminants. i pour it a plastic storage thingy about the size of a brick, with a sealable lid. Let it soak for an hr. and take a brass wire brush to it to clean the outside. To clean the inside, I only take the back cover off and clean with a paintbrush. May have to do the soak thing a couple of times, but it will come up like new. Just cleaned up my first RC engine that had been sitting around since the 60.s looks like new and sits with my collector engines.

jaka

Hi!
OK!
If your engine is just lightly brown or tan colored inside ...just let it be!
But if you feel that the crankshaft is hard to turn or it doesn't feel smooth when you turn it ...then the ballbearings are probably bad and are better replaced with new ones.
I have seldom seen any "gaskets" in modern engines and if there are any they are often made of paper so you certainly don't have to be afraid of any liquid having bad effects on them.
As for O-rings in carbs, as long as you don-t use any petroleum based liquid you can use most things for cleaning like acetone or methanol

Regards!
Jan Karlsson
Swedish MVVS distributor

mikenlapaz

jaka Is it possible that the items described as gaskets in the OS owner's manual (between located between the case and !) the cyliner liner or head and 2) the rear cover plate are nothing more than a dissimilar metal 'gasket' relying on different temperature expansion rates to create a seal?

These forums are GREAT! It continues to amaze me, as I can remember using 3 cent stamps and party line phones.

Flypaper 2

Mike :
Is that one long ring and two shorts?

mikenlapaz

On the wall, had to stand in a chair to use the mouthpiece with it pulled down! Amazing what this generation has produced.

maidservicetoday

That sounds like quite the setup! It's incredible to think about how much technology has evolved. We've come a long way from those days to the smartphones and digital assistants we have now. It's fascinating to see what each generation contributes to progress.

Outrider6

My Feedback: (2)

Unfortunately, with the lack of any vetting at all for new members, we get more new trolls here than we do legitimate hobbyists. And they typically start out necroposting in their first post, usually with some generic and completely unrelated BS like this. Is it the new(ish) AI bots?

This could be a good forum, with just a little bit of attention given to it.

maidservicetoday

I understand your frustration with the current situation. It does seem like we're seeing an increase in posts that detract from the quality of discussions. Implementing a vetting process for new members could help reduce the number of trolls and ensure that genuine hobbyists feel welcome and encouraged to participate.

As for the issue of necropsying and unrelated content, it might be worth considering stricter moderation or community guidelines to maintain the integrity of the forum. Additionally, if AI bots are contributing to the problem, it might be beneficial to explore ways to better identify and manage them.

This forum has a lot of potential, and with a bit more attention and care, it could become a vibrant and valuable space for hobbyists. Let's work together to make it better!

Regard

Jesse Open

Prepare for the first on topic comment in nearly two decades!


The last four forgot to mention anything about cleaning solvents.

My favorite for engine work is Xylene. Low evap rate.

For clean up on covering, Rubber Cement or Contact cement clean up solvent works well.

As always, do your homework. Look up and follow safe use instructions.

the Wasp

My Feedback: (1)

it's a Dirty Job but someone gots to do it.

let me say.
hot antifreeze works great and slick. but it's a missy job!
you got to get the Anti off the engine, another missy job!
then you got to use WD to get the shine back, another messy job.
then you got to empty and clean the Crock, another messy job.
It's a messy job.
I feel I won't use antifreeze again.

I have a WatterPick just setting here, hmm, I wonder. for smaller engines, 50s and smaller, or for parts. I wonder how well it's pump will hold up to Xylene hmm.
drill a hole in the reservoir, cut the hose and J&B the hose in the hole. and I have a Xylene pulsing engine/parts cleaner. but for how long