What is a glow engine?
Although there are many types of model airplane engines, the 2 stroke glow-fuel powered is the most common. Sizes available for the sport pilot range from .010 cubic inch to 1.50 cubic inch displacement and higher. The plastic, control line airplanes you see in most toy stores are usually powered by .049 engines and are considered quite small by most modeler's standards. .25 to .60 sized aircraft are the most popular.How does it work?
The glow engine is unique in that it doesn't use a standard spark plug to ignite the fuel air mixtue in the combustion chamber. Instead it uses a glow plug with a special element that contains platinum. To start a glow engine a battery is attached to the glow plug to heat the element up red hot. The engine is then started and the battery removed. The engine can continue to run without the starter battery because the glow plug then continues to "glow". Hence the name. It doesn't glow just from the heat of running though. The heat of compression along with a chemical reaction between the platinum element and the methenol based fuel causes ignition. It actually operates more like a diesel engine than a spark ignition engine.
Although castor oil is the traditional oil of choice, many fuels now contain synthetic oils or maybe a blend of castor and synthetic. Castor oil is very good at protecting a model engine but over time can leave a build-up in the engine called varnish. It also gets baked on the outside of the engine leaving a brown coating that is difficult to clean off. Synthetic oils overcome these disadvantages but may lack in protecting the engine at extreme temperatures due to the fact that they can vaporize. A castor/synthetic blend is a good way to get the best of both worlds.What is meant by Schnuerle Porting?
Some engines are advertised as being schnuerle ported. This means that there are multiple (usually three) bypass ports in the cylinder which allow fuel up into the combustion chamber. On a non schnuerle ported or "loop scavanged" engine there is only one bypass port which is opposite the exhaust port. This may result in some of the fuel passing over the piston and right on out the exhaust port. With schnuerle porting the fuel arrives from different directions and converges at the center of the cylinder which allows more fuel to be burned, hence more power. Most newer engines use schnuerle porting.
What's an ABC engine?
Model airplane engines many times come in ringed and ABC versions. The ringed engine has a piston ring to create the piston-cylinder seal that is needed for compression. An ABC engine has no ring. The ABC stands for Aluminum, Brass, Chrome. It means the engine has an aluminum piston that is running inside of a Brass cylinder that is chrome plated. The ABC engine has the potential for more power and requires very little break-in. It is, however, less tolerant of dirt or dust that may be ingested by the engine.What Does Glow Plug do?
Glow plugs come in many shapes, sizes, and brands. Many of your major companies for glow plugs are Fox, O.S., & McCoy. Glow plugs come in long, short, hot, warm (and that only a few types). These tiny little plugs are one of the most important part of the engine running process because the fuel is burned by this little gadget. It is always important to carry extra glow plugs in case of emergency.
Recommend brand & type : O.S. No.8 / No.5
What is Glow Fuel?
Fuel comes in all shape bottles, colors, and blend %. Generally, the more nitro methane in the fuel the faster and more powerful your vehicle will be, but be careful because some engines can only run 15% or lower before they wear out. Most racing vehicles use a 20% or higher blend of nitro methane, only because they are racing their vehicles, not recommended for ordinary Joes! Many companies make their own fuel. Those companies include - Baron, SIG,Duratrax, Traxxas, HPI, Trinity, O'Donnel, and many many more. You have many selections on the market today.
Recommend Brand / Percentage : Baron / SIG : 15-20% with good percentage of oil
What is this Nitro car glow engine stuff?
The main part of the vehicle, the Engine! Without this guy, you wouldn't be able to move your nitro vehicle. The engine is made of many parts, a starter (usually), a cooling head, a carburetor, exhaust system, piston, and many other parts. Engines also come in various sizes including .12, .15, .16, .21, and many more. Most vehicles have .12 and .15 engines already installed, but some come with a .21. You will usually only see stocked .21's in 1/8 scale cars, but some 1/10 scales come with one. Also most 1/10 scale vehicles come with .12 or .15 because the vehicle is either really light weight or is a beginner's vehicle. You can find many companies that make engines, but the most popular is O.S. because they usually build some high quality engines for all general use, but if you need a pure racing engine, get either Navorosi or Picco, they are the best, but get the right fuel to run them, as they cannot run in any fuel like the O.S. They are usually reasonable on price, too. Try one for your self some day.
Recommend Engine / Displacement for 1/10 on-road car : O.S. CVR/TR/CV - .12/.15
Racing Engine : Novarosi / Picco / Megatech with .12/.15
Recommended RPM / BHP : 30,000~36,000 / 1-1.2 bhp (More RPM/ Bhp the better)
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