shaunrbell

My Feedback: (4)

So the BME 115 doesn't work, oh well they'll figure it out. So finally I get the new reed block, things should be good. Well first you need to grind about 3/16 of an inch off the block and reeds, but there's more. Now the bolts are too short. Well, I'm not one to over tighten but just a slight amount of pressure and the bolt breaks off in the case. This really is a bad joke for so much money. Don't get me wrong, I fly jets as well. It's just that a company that thinks it can pull off this bull is insane. No other industry could someone get away with this kind of poor engineering.

Shaun

rcairflr

My Feedback: (44)

I am assuming you have the old BME 115 designed and sold by the previous owner of BME.. I don't own one but from what I have read here on RCU is that the redesigned BME 116 is doing very well. Maybe you should have sent your engine into BME and let them do the mods. Also if I had an old BME 115 I would be very happy that someone took over the company so that I would have support for my engine. The new owners of BME took on a big task cleaning up the previous owners mess and I applaud them for that and wish them success.

altavillan

My Feedback: (1)

Why would you need to grind off 3/16"? And after grinding off 3/16 shouldn't the bolts be too long?
You don't sound to adept at engine work so sending it to BME might be a good idea. Wish the reed block I recieved free from the new owners was too long then I wouldn't be making an aluminum plate that has stuffers going down into the crank case. ( I want all the power I can get) I could of just milled the outside down 3/16 to recess in instead.

krayzc-RCU

My Feedback: (31)

i think i had to add a spacer on mine to cover one item being thinner than the other. i don't really recall the details from this year ago deal....

Tired Old Man

My Feedback: (1)

If one is converting the old 115 with the new reed block the instructions note that the old reed block must be disassembled. The old reed block has to separated into it's three separate components, reeds and two block slices. The thin slice of the old reed block is used with the new large reed block.

Agreed, I found the screws included with the new reed kit that attach the reed block to the engine to be a little short but they worked. In the kit I was sent they are the same length as the screws that originally came on the engine. The screws that attach the carb to the block were also a little short but it was not difficult to cut down two longer screws to obtain a better thread depth.

I've have had all three of the 115 reed blocks in my hands and there is no difference in height between the original one and either the new plastic or the new aluminum one. Once assembled they all work out to the same block heights. No grinding was required.

RTK

My Feedback: (1)

Not picking on ya but,,,,,,,,,,,,,, You are one to over tighten bolts, they just don't break off all by themselves.
If the bolts were not the correct length you could have called them and had more shipped, or gone down to the local auto parts store, etc and purchased a few if you were in a hurry, then ask for reimbursement. I can't remember what bolts I used with the new reed block I received, there were two different sized reed blocks used on the original engines. I have both.
Again now, why did you need to grind 3/16th off of the reed and reed block...................

tkg

My Feedback: (1)

OK lets have a show of hands, so to speak
How many people who upgraded their 115 to the new intake have had problems????

Antique

My Feedback: (4)

I would really like to see the size of the arm on the person who can break off a 10-32 steel bolt in an aluminum case...
I'll take that old POS off your hands....Price ??

RTK

My Feedback: (1)

Actually, I beleive all the reed and carb bolts are aluminum but you still would have to twist them damn hard to break them.

altavillan

My Feedback: (1)

Carb bolts are aluminum, Reed block bolts are steel. I fear the reed cage crushed or will get wiped out when the motor is turned over. There's only about 3/64" clearance when done right. Taking off 3/16 from the reed block kinda guarantees the next post will be evan more IRATE[>:]

RTK

My Feedback: (1)

Depends which version, hell I've had many since it's first conception Some counter sunk some not

shaunrbell

My Feedback: (4)

Actually, maybe not 3/16. More like 3/32. And the bolts were aluminum, not steel. That for sure was my fault, but it didn't take much to snap off. So now it's drilled out and tapped to clean out the threads. Everything's fixed and ready to mount up in the plane. I really shouldn't have said BME is a joke, but they did let a lot of customers down with the 115. If you buy a Chinese knockoff you know there's going to be a few issues, you get what you pay for. But buying from a reputable American company, the only thing you should need to know is how to tune the engine and fly lol!

Shaun

altavillan

My Feedback: (1)

Did you check for clearance between the crank shaft and the reed cage? With the angle of the reeds they can open and contact the crank so they need slightly more room than you might think. Best to call BME and ask how much they recomend.
And good luck with the engine yer gona love it.

shaunrbell

My Feedback: (4)

I pushed each reed as I turned the crank. You're right, they do need a little more clearance than the block.

Thanks,
Shaun

Tired Old Man

My Feedback: (1)

Shaun,

The 115 did indeed let a lot of people down, which is why the 116 was released after the new owners bought the company from the original owner. Unfortunately it took a change in company ownership for the issues with the 115 to be resolved. The good part is that those issues have been corrected and that the new engines do not have any similar issues.

flaminheli

What chinese knockoffs are you referring to? Someone that sells you something and then disappears is not reputable. Isn't that what happened to BME before someone else purchased the headache from him?

Tired Old Man

My Feedback: (1)

Since you may be in the process of setting up your first 50cc plane you may not be aware of BME's history so some background may be in order for enlightenment. The "disappears/not reputable" is not warranted. It implies that a business failure was intentional and designed to deceive and abscond with funds. What follows may illustrate that BME is quite reputable.

Although the original owner of BME failed, he had been in business developing, producing, and supporting his products for many years before he lost the business. There were several reasons that the business failed, most of which were never discussed in various RC internet forums. The reality is he did not simply dissapear, but he did ultimately let his customers down after the 115. Many other businesss have followed a similar path before and after that time. It's simple luck that our discount store buying habits and lack of foresight hasn't forced other high quality engines into a similar fate. BTW, the only "headache" that BME ever had was the original 115 induction issue. Up to that point they had been producing light, powerful, and reliable singles and twins for many years. BME has much longer engine history than any of the current eastern imports that have played a large part in undercutting the sales of domestic engine manufacturers. Please don't use a lower price/reasonable quality arguement to bolster the position of the eastern imports. That dog will stop hunting in the very near future.

Fortunately there were others that were interested in buying the business and contnuing the product line. They had no responsibiloity to resolve the issues with the 115 yet they elected to do so. They also refunded deposit money to customers that faied to receive a new design that was not released due to severe financial hardship. Agreed, doing so increased the customer rapport they would need grow the business, but they ate the costs of time and resources to fix the 115 issues while improving the original design to turn it into a powerful and high quality product. They also managed to re-tool and re-design other engines and put on the market those that had been promised but never delivered by the previous owner. Many difficult trials and tribulations that someone of weaker resolve would not have done.

As for the "knockoffs", one might want to take a closer look at some of the products to see what they are getting and view the history timeline of the various "knockoff" manufacturers. There isn't much of a history with all but 3 of them (SPE, 3mm/TOC, and DL) and we have no concept of how long they intend to remain in production. They don't do much in the way of advertising and tell us little in the way of their long term intentions. They leave all that up to their dealers to vocalize, with much being left to conjecture. So for now they remain an unknown where continued support is concerned. There have been several "knockoff" manufacturers that have quietly faded away since they reached the market in only the previous couple of years.

R/C engines are not BME's only product line so there is now the means for the company to continue generating revenue when small engine sales are low. That permits them the ability to remain in business during weak economic times. Don't be too quick to fault the new owner of BME for the failure of the previous person. BME is doinbg more than they were required to do while still turning out powerful and reliable products while developing new to expand the product line. If you look at the state of the current auto industry that may be more than we might be able to depend on with GM and Chrysler. BME is taking care of business without benefit of a taxpayer funded bailout[8D]

Tired Old Man

My Feedback: (1)

Thanks RCU, I still don't have permission to edit my posts. When do you folks figure you've punished me enough?

Referencing my previous post, it's notable that even with some of the more current eastern imports you may not receive the support you should have. An example is my recent attempts to order parts for an engine in need of repairs due to a crash. They were difficult ot locate and once received did not fit the engine due to design changes made by the factory in the short period of time since the engine was released. That fails to note the deplorable quality of some of the new parts. Cylinder head fins are not supposed to have numerous hols in them other than where the head screws pass throguh the fins. Nor should the pistons slam into the cylinder crowns with correctly dimensioned heads. I can see adding one gasket but not two or three to obtain a usable squish band. Support is not just having someone "in business", it also requires that you can obtain what you need and what you are provided is functional.

flatspinjim

My Feedback: (3)

Thanks for clearing up some of the history of the BME engines. The 58 is going to be my next engine and I have heard lots of good about it, but some of the service issues had me a little concerned. Seems like the new owners are doing all they can to clear that up.
Make me feel better now.

flaminheli

First off, me building my first gasser has nothing to do with it. I was around these forums when everyone was pissing and moaning about BME. Some people had sent him money for an engine that they never recieved and some people had sent in engines for repairs that were never made. He could not be reached by anymeans possible. I did not make referance to the new owners in my previous post, just the old owner, which was not reputable after his dissapearance. I don't care how any of his problems came to be or what happened to him. He should have returned everyone's money and engines and explained to them what his problem was.

Rcpilot

My Feedback: (78)

This one's locked.

Manufacturer bashing.