A collaboration - Kim, Jacob, and a Cox Mercedes.

Some time ago Kim sent me an original (not plastic) vent-less back-plate for my incomplete 5cc stunt tanked Mercedes engine but still lacking the extended needle common to these.  Then a week or so ago Jacob hooked me up with an ebay Golden Bee that had one in place of the standard needle.  BIN I jumped on it for a very reasonable price.  

Fast forward to yesterday, a frustrating day if there ever was one. (See Ok Cub adventure) The Mercedes engine was already clean so I added the extended needle, filled the tank and flipped.  Ran off the prime and that was it.  Think over and over!
 
Sum Ting Wong.... so I removed the tank only to find it dry.  WHAT! I filled it until fuel ran out the bottom tube...or so I thought.  Put it back together and tried again.  Same thing.  Fool me twice.  So I looked closer, the fuel running out of the bottom vent was actually fuel from the poor fitting fill tube running down the outside of the tank.

Removed the tank again, dry.  

So I blew compressed air through the top tube finding it blocked with fuel goo.  These Mercedes engines due in part to the confined engine space get hot with spent castor all over the place and if not properly cleaned after use can cause nightmares.

Took a wire and cleaned the goo out of both tubes and blew out with aerosol Remoil and compressed air and put it back together with new gaskets and filled the tank.

Same thing. Ran off the prime.  Checked the tank only to find fuel leaking out around the bottom overflow tube.  

That's it. Grrr..  I replaced the whole back end with a vented backplate and standard 5cc tank flipped and it ran like a Cox engine should.  Reassembled as a Mercedes engine and retired it.  I cleaned the Golden Bee, my first ever favorite Cox engine but did not run it.




Thanks Kim and Jacob, but in a losing cause.  Maybe some day I will find a way to seal those tubes so they don't leak.  But I did gain a Nice Golden Bee out of it.  Second one I have out of about 8 that have a natural case.

Mercedes engine shown in proper configuration.