Running Engines in winter

Bad battery....not enough CCA's

How cold is too cold? I cranked my widow up today without much issue. 35 degrees at the time. Used two D-cell batteries.

[quote="cribbs74"]Bad battery....not enough CCA's

Ron scores again, but it's not necessarilly COLD cranking amps (CCA) because the problem cold occur in greater than cold temperatures say room temperature.

The battery may actually appear normal until load is applied to it. A starter draws something like 650 amperes and that is a lot BTW.

A battery with a dead cell or low on battery fluild can't pull that large a load even if 12V are indicated.

Solution: replace the battery no matter HOW "new"

BTW, it wouldn't be difficult to transpose this problem into a glo engine scenario. The principles are the same.

SuperDave wrote:Voltage is a measure of electrical power.

Amperage is a measure of a power source's ability to perform work.

Troubleshooting: The lights on an automobile illuminate as they should but the engine won't start (the starter,power cables, wiring and solinoid are fine)

And the cause of the problem is???????????

(A lot of people have spent a lot of money needlessly trying to fix this problem)

*Wattage is the measure of electrical power. Power=work
*Voltage is electrical potential or force.
*Amperage is the amount of electron flow(current) that a given voltage will push through a given resistance.
*Current is proportional to voltage and inversely proportional to resistance.
*With a supply of a fixed voltage and a load of a fixed resistance, a current equal to the voltage divided by the resistance will flow.

Current(amps)=voltage/resistance
Power(watts)=current x voltage or current squared x resistance

I paid a lot of money to know that.

Rusty:

Yes and your wrestled to grasp the concepts.

True learning does not come easily nor should it.

V
---
I | R

Admin wrote:That is a good idea! Using yarn. Just last week, I was talking to someone who bought several of those single fin car glow heads for use in the winter. A few years ago, I met a guy at the field that ground the fins down on the cylinder and head of a Black Widow and the engine was only ran in the winter. I used to just wrap a hand warmer around the cylinder for about 5-10 minutes before starting the engine but that basically just made the engine easier to start and didn't help anything once it was flying around up in the air.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/COX-KYOSHO-GTP-VINTAGE-R-C-RACE-CAR-PARTS-GAS-POWERED-GLOW-HEAD-/110985801828?pt=US_Character_Radio_Control_Toys&hash=item19d744f064

Its only supposed to make it to a high of 8°F tomorrow, perhaps if I find the time (don't hold your breath), I could start an engine for fun.

I have heard, that these 1 fin heads work well in winter.

But please refrain from hording them, let me some for my Cars

When I used to race Cox TeeDee pylon models in the winter (years ago) I found 3 things needed.
1. Absolutely a good battery or 'glow driver' arrangement.
2. More nitro runs HOTTER, so I used 25% nitro minimum & often 40%+
3. I used an oil mix of 3 to 1 synthetic to castor oil, which was better (less sticky in the cold).
4. I sprayed a "shot or two" of diesel "starter fluid" (diethyl ether) into my litre fuel bottle.
Try not to use a can (if possible) as condensation tends to form inside & makes for watery fuel
which runs very poorly.
A bit of ether can certainly help starting & retain engine heat in the winter.
Sometimes the starter fluid was used as a 'prime' during starting, & it helped.
We used 'Ace' electric starters which probably helped a lot as well. Those with no feel
about flooding and such would occassionaly damage their motors though, so some care is necessary...
Good Luck!

Cheers, Paul

Wait, so what was this about adding a bit of petrol to the glo fuel?

Petrol has a better vapour pressure than methanol at low temps, I think.

As long as it is around or above freezing I don't really change anything (other than the needle setting) but pure castor fuel does get very thick...

How can I register, won't accept my email address????

BION wrote:How can I register, won't accept my email address????

BION, at the bottom of the page, click the "CONTACT" link and ask your question there.
Rusty

SuperDave wrote:JB:
Then there is Ohm's Law with which to deal.

Huh? "Ohmmmmmmmmmmm" Very Zen I must say.

then there is its reciprical for conductivity MHO...

"mmmmmmmmmmmHooooooooooo" Zen indeed! :-)

George

Back in the ancient days of iron/steel engines and mostly all-castor fuels available, sometimes we would use the propane torches to warm the heads, then flip like crazy in hopes it would start (starters were unheard of in those days except big ones for speed planes).

Sometimes the torch would ignite fuel on the plane and would cause an alcohol fire...which is slmost invisible in daylight. Sometimes an engine would backfire and cause a fire also. Sometime you would only detect that the plane was burning when the paint started bubbleing. Hazards of winter handling. The point being...be VERY careful and be safe!

At my age (71) i now realize why some of the old guys used to sit in their car and watch while we young pups would struggle to get in a couple of flights.

True story...one of my friends had just been launched (CL) when a VERY heavy snow started. None of us could see the plane and he had to fly by feel. He could see about fifteen feet of the lines and knew it was out there somewhere.

In those days we were using two "doorell" batteries in parallel as booster so we had the amps. Oh, and most of us were still using alligator clips as the "Kwik-Klips were just coming out (I know, I know...bunch of old farts! :-) ).

George

I had mentioned this last Winter.. but can't find the thread. The "packet-type" hand-warmers are great for keeping in your coat pocket. Strap one or two around your starting battery box.. make a "wrap" for your engine cylinder.. and keep it on until your ready to light the plug. You could even wrap your handle. They're available in a variety of sizes.. are cheap.. last up to 10 hours and are bio-degradable.