CLEANING AN ENGINE
                                                        AFTER A CRASH

A round table discussion following the October 11, 2007 general meeting of the Southern Eagle Squadron resulted in the following recommendations for how best to clean up an engine that has undergone a ground-plowing crash.

Sport Aviator, the AMA on-line magazine, has a fine instructional article “ Bad Day At The Field”, by Frank Granelli in the Flight-Tech ( How-to) articles section.  This article describes in detail how to disassemble and clean the engine.

Round table discussion made the following recommendations on best cleaning solutions they have used.

• Best washing solution is hot water with Dawn Plus dish washing soap.
• Model fuel ( 2-stroke) is also an excellent wash, since it applies protective

Lubrication and does not require additional water removal process.

When using water – based solution, careful drying is essential, and can be accomplished by compressed air or hair dryer.  The article above recommends drying each removed part immediately after cleaning to prevent rusting.

Also, when using water based solvent, after-drying lubrication using WD40, machine oil, or After Run Oil is recommended.

Discussion of how to clean an engine of burned-on fuel/oil residue suggested two techniques:

            Soak in 2-stroke engine fuel for 30 minutes, then brush with a toothbrush.

            Soak in antifreeze ( hot ) in a Crock Pot.

These recommendations were made by experienced flyers who have used them and found them to be satisfactory.  This documentation is intended to serve as a guideline to novice

RC flyers in the club.

Documented by Jack Hostetler

10/13/07