Sandy - Maybe

LAST EDITED ON Apr-10-04 AT 10:14 PM (CDT)
 
Well we got a break in the weather this afternoon and my older son and I got to put up a number of flights on his Flight Streak Trainer.
The only problem with our flying site is the city put a layer of sand in a area of our site. At the end of our flight session my son landed in this area of the field. The plane hit a rut in the sand and flipped. The bottem and around the engine was covered in sand. I saw a few grains of sand around the vent. Not sure if sand got all the way down in the enging but I do not want to take a chance. Is there way to boil out the enine without taking it all apart? I do not feel to good about taking an engine apart. This is a Black Head McCoy .19 and is a good starter and runner. Would the Crock pot thing work?
I need help!

Thanks
Paul

LAST EDITED ON Apr-10-04 AT 10:28 PM (CDT)
 
You should only need a crock pot treatment for an engine with badly burned fuel/oil encrusted on the exterior. For loose sand and/or dirt, do the following:

DON'T TURN THE PROP!
Remove the engine from the model.
Remove the glowplug and rear backplate.
Under a HOT faucet, flush the outside and inside of the motor thoroughly.
Shake out the excess water (having the backplate removed helps).
Re-oil the engine with a good after run lube (I happen to use automatic transmission fluid from an auto store).
Go flying again.

All engines will ingest some dirt and grit over their lives. Taking apart an engine unnecessarily may cause as much harm as not cleaning it.

You can also get those rubber type air filters which slide over the venturi to help keep unwanted debris from the innards of your engine.

A muffler on the exhaust does the same for that opening.

Dirt can also get into the engive via the fuel. Use a good fuel filter.

Don't crock pot it, you would have to fully take it apart if you did.
Don't rotate it till you at least flush the intake with it pointing down to wash loose sand out of the venturi.

Easiest way to ensure you get allthe sand out is to remove the rear cover, glow plug, spray bar/ needle assy, and muffler if you have one.

From the rear cover opening flush the crancase with solvent or alcohol, then flush the venturi, and finally hflush the exhaust port.
Then rotate to open the port in the crank below the venturi, flosh the crank out, then rotate slowly felling for grit, flush the cylinder out through the open exhaust, and through the glowplug hole.

Rotate againg, flush one more time with solvent , oil it up and put the cover, needle and plug back in. I've done this at the feild and only takes about 15 min.

I assume since it happened on landing you did not suck anything in, flushing it out as described is just my advice.

OK, I have the engine off.
Wish me luck!

Thanks
Paul

Thanks Scott and Bill,
Yahoo! No more sand! I followed your instructions and now my old McCoy is ready to go again. Only problem is I did not count the clicks when I pulled the needle out. So now I have to find the sweet spot again.

Paul