V-TWIN---MAYBE V-4

[Brian Rupnow]

I remembered that I had a couple of sets of cleaner wires for cleaning oxy acetylene tips with. I finally persuaded a 0.018" wire to pass thru the blocked tube. If I didn't clean it right now, I'd probably pick up the same carb in six months and be puzzled all over again when it didn't work.

 

[petertha]

Mesh fuel filters & tank 'clunk' filters come in a variety of flavors in the RC world. Highly recommended to avoid those problems.
BTW pushing wire through to clean the passages can sometimes cause more damage depending on the spray bar & needle valve area because you risk driving the debris into passages which are even smaller yet.

 

[Ghosty]

Petertha,
The one in the middle is for methanol only, they melt when used with petrol. The blockage could also be because of the oil used, some oils attack brass.
Cheers
Andrew

 

[petertha]

That's a very good point, thanks @Ghosty. The examples I showed are intended for methanol fuel. But they do make ones for gasoline as well, so confirm before you buy.

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Thanks guys.---Brian

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Last week I ordered two new Traxxas 4033 carburetors from Ebay. Had a terrible time logging in to Ebay, so I bought and paid for them as a "Guest". When the sale was completed I thought it kinda weird that I didn't get a confirmation nor a tracking number. Next day I asked goodwife to check and see if the Visa had been charged.---It had. Carburetors were supposed to arrive today, but nothing showed up here. I called Ebay, and they had no record of a sale being made in my name. After pounding my head for a while, goodwife said "Did you talk to Ebay American or to Ebay Canadian"? Uh, no--I didn't know there was an Ebay Canadian. So, I chased down a phone number in Canada and called it. Got a very nice young lady who found a record of the sale (Hurray!!) and she said they would arrive here on the 30th of Sept. Then she said that since I bought them as a guest instead of logging in to Ebay, I wouldn't receive a confirmation nor a tracking number. I asked her what part of Canada she was in, and was told "Florida". Wait!! What?? I called Ebay Canada, how come I got someone in Florida? She told me "That's how the system works." I'm not getting older, I'm going insane!!! Florida in Canada. Aw Jeez, I shouldn't have got out of bed this morning!!!

 

[ShopShoe]

Brian,

You're lucky she was in Florida, not overseas. I also have come to understand that some telephone support is provided by inmates in prisons sometimes.

I'm enjoying your saga of this project.

Thank You for the updates.

--ShopShoe

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Yayyyyy--My new carburetors showed up in my mail today!!! They look awesome on the engine. I have never built anything before with dual carburetors. Tomorrow I will make up some linkage and gas lines, and say a prayer to the small engine gods and maybe I'll have a runner.

 

[SteamChEng]

Yayyyyy--My new carburetors showed up in my mail today!!! They look awesome on the engine. I have never built anything before with dual carburetors. Tomorrow I will make up some linkage and gas lines, and say a prayer to the small engine gods and maybe I'll have a runner.

Excellent! Best of luck on the final few bits, Brian! We're all looking forward to seeing (and hearing!) it run!

 

[Brian Rupnow]

YES!!!--Engine is up and running on it's own. Both cylinders are firing, and both carbs are pulling up fuel from a Tee just at the discharge side of the fuel tank. Should have a video up sometime soon.

 

[Brian Rupnow]

And yes kiddies, we have a runner. Obviously I have some tuning to do, but this is very heartening. I have a strange arrangement of linkages on the carbs, temporarily, but thats because that is the setting where it runs best right now. I will post a better video when I get the final tuning sorted.---Brian

 

[stevehuckss396]

Congratulations Brian, we'll done sir.

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Thanks Steve--Not long after taking that video I wanted to change the sparkplug on the right bank, as it seemed to be misfiring. I took the old plug out, put new plug in, tightened it just a bit---and the top twisted off the sparkplug leaving the threaded section still screwed into the brass head. Oh Poop!!! Checked my easy outs, and didn't have the right size. On Monday I'll buy the right size Easy out, but to be truthful I've never had much luck with easy-outs. I may have to take the head off and try to get the threaded section of plug out. There is a ton of work in making one of those heads.

 

[GreenTwin]

Nice work.
Runs like a champ !

.

 

[stevehuckss396]

Take a drill bit just a hair bigger than the hole and try to drill it out from the inside. I would be shocked if it didn't break loose and zip right out.

 

[Jojo]

Congratulations Brian!
I admire your ability to design and create so many engines.
I finish my engines at the rate of one every 3 years or so!

 

[Badhippie]

Brian
Excellent work you stuck with it and figured it out. Very nice engine

 

[Brian Rupnow]

The lord loves me!!! I modified a nasty old Easy-out that was bent all out of shape, and the broken off spark-plug end come out easy peasy. I have never liked Easy-outs, and have never had much luck using them, but today it worked like a charm. I didn't even have to take the cylinder head off the engine. I started to silver solder some brass/bronze parts together to make a decent looking spring return bracket for my throttle linkage, and couldn't get enough heat out of my oxy acetylene rig to make the solder flow. My oxy acetylene rig is only about 50 years old, and has served me well, but the regulators are frozen at a low pressure setting, and turning them higher doesn't change the strength nor size of my torch flame. New oxy acetylene rigs seem to cost between $500 to $600 dollars here in Ontario, but you can buy replacement regulator sets for about $75 each, and I need two.---Will talk to my welding suppliers tomorrow about it.

 

[Gordon]

The lord loves me!!! I modified a nasty old Easy-out that was bent all out of shape, and the broken off spark-plug end come out easy peasy. I have never liked Easy-outs, and have never had much luck using them, but today it worked like a charm. I didn't even have to take the cylinder head off the engine. I started to silver solder some brass/bronze parts together to make a decent looking spring return bracket for my throttle linkage, and couldn't get enough heat out of my oxy acetylene rig to make the solder flow. My oxy acetylene rig is only about 50 years old, and has served me well, but the regulators are frozen at a low pressure setting, and turning them higher doesn't change the strength nor size of my torch flame. New oxy acetylene rigs seem to cost between $500 to $600 dollars here in Ontario, but you can buy replacement regulator sets for about $75 each, and I need two.---Will talk to my welding suppliers tomorrow about it.

You can buy rebuild kits for the regulators for about $25/$30 US. The diaphragm gets brittle and will not work. Ask your supplier.

https://www.amazon.com/Victor-SR250D-Regulator-Rebuild-Diaphragm/dp/B06W5JZL4Z/ref=sr_1_2?gclid=CjwKCAjw7eSZBhB8EiwA60kCWwUN8Ns8qsSFaj8ALzIbPcu875cJOF6ZLzxbkEyyRfUDdebDS15OVxoCTwgQAvD_BwE&hvadid=192825101466&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9051962&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=17818618193630061880&hvtargid=kwd-301599975723&hydadcr=11987_9729879&keywords=victor+regulator+repair+kit&qid=1664754630&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIzLjY2IiwicXNhIjoiMy4yMiIsInFzcCI6IjIuNTAifQ%3D%3D&sr=8-2

 

[Steamchick]

Hi Brian, I admire your fortitude as well as your engine expertise. I have a couple of engines that have beaten me by becoming "show" models, not runners! - May be one day I'll fix the issues - if I ever find what is wrong.
But you stuck in there and made it happen.
Great stuff, and a great engine!
Now make a Hardly Able-to style frame, forks, gearbox, etc. and have a model motorcycle a very small person can ride... ?
It is a beautiful job!
K2