Ron and Tom explain how to diagnose, disassemble, inspect, rebuild, and reassemble a nitro RC airplane engine.
Chapters
00:39 — When a nitro engine needs rebuilding
08:06 — Engine life and signs of wear
16:01 — What a rebuild restores
24:23 — Removing the drive washer and crankshaft
32:04 — Inspection and careful reassembly
40:08 — Piston rings, liners, and final checks
Episode Topics
When an engine needs attention
Compression, bearings, fuel history, overheating, and visible wear all help determine whether a nitro engine needs cleaning, repair, or a complete rebuild.
Disassembly without damage
Tom walks through removing the backplate, head, drive washer, crankshaft, bearings, piston, and liner while using heat and the correct tools where needed.
Inspection and replacement parts
The hosts discuss bearings, piston-and-liner fit, ringed versus ABC engines, gaskets, and the importance of matching replacement parts correctly.
Reassembly and break-in
Careful orientation, lubrication, clean sealing surfaces, and a sensible break-in help a rebuilt engine return to reliable service.
Key Takeaways
- Diagnose the engine before ordering parts.
- Use heat and proper tools instead of forcing tightly fitted components.
- Keep internal parts clean, organized, and correctly oriented.
- Replace worn bearings and sealing parts while the engine is apart.
- Treat a rebuilt engine carefully during its first runs.
Episode 15 Transcript
This transcript has been lightly edited for readability. Timestamps are retained.
Read the full transcript
Join-Path:
Line |
2 | … -Raw -Encoding utf8 -LiteralPath (Join-Path $folder.FullName ‘upload …
| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
| Cannot bind argument to parameter ‘Path’ because it is null.