WattTheHeli

[WattTheHeli]

No that is not a question. I am an RC heli enthusiast and WattTheHeli is my online persona so I figure why mess with watt works? (Promise not to do that again)

I have a stock 4 speed 76 280Z that I am trying to breathe life back into and as a result I have been surfing the Z forums. I am pretty much a lurker but I am not afraid to ask a question if the answer eludes me. I join every forum I see but I am pretty sure I am going to make this one my home when it comes to posting. I dig the personalities I am seeing here. I prefer to be on a forum where questions are met with answers instead of snide comments.

History of the car: The cam shaft on my Z froze due to clogged oil passages years ago and was replaced or repaired by a local small time mechanic. It froze again so I took off the head, cleared the oil passages with wire, carburetor cleaner, and any other chemicals I had on hand as well as compressed air but the damage was already done to the cam shaft bearings. The car ran but nowhere like it should. I parked it 10 years ago and decided that is long enough.

I picked up a head from a junk yard that has a different oil delivery system to the cam shaft than the one before. The old head had a rail that dropped oil on the rocker arms where the new head pumps oil right through the lobes. I cleaned it up and made sure it was oiling properly. I drained the old gas from the tank and put in 7 gallons of premium and cranked it up. In no time I heard a ping in the valve cover and shut it off. Long story short the residue in the gas tank was gumming up my valves badly and quickly. I pulled the head about 4 times while figuring this out each time cleaning the super gunk from the valve stems and intake manifold with MEK.

I dropped the gas tank and cleaned it with MEK too. Then beat on it with a rubber mallet to remove at least a cup of rust flakes. I then went overboard and flushed it with muriatic acid which cleaned it right down to the metal. I noticed it was rusting right back up because the metal was so bare so I have a solution of gas and oil in the tank and have been rotating it in hopes that the oil will seep into the metal and protect it.

I am now going over the electrical connections. I have rewired the injectors and have verified that they are all working. The fuel line has been flushed with MEK and I am currently running the fuel from a glass jar.

Well that’s me. Glad to be here and thanks to all of you for your knowledge.

Chris

[zhead240]

welcome aboard.

post some pics when u get time. how's the rust condition?

[cygnusx1]

I have been hovering a 3D capable Micro RC heli for a couple of years now. I just can't bring myself to fly it around. I can see it cutting off my head. I am primarily an RC Plane pilot. Welcome aboard.

[WattTheHeli]

I have been hovering a 3D capable Micro RC heli for a couple of years now. I just can't bring myself to fly it around. I can see it cutting off my head. I am primarily an RC Plane pilot. Welcome aboard.

Nice to know there is another RC type on the forum Dave. To be honest I have spent more time on the forums and the sim than I have with the real thing but I have had a blast. I bought a very cheap 400 size that was plagued with glitches. By the time I realized there was no fixing it and upgraded my Tx and Rx to a DX7 I began a remodeling project which has taken all of my spare time during the day. I am getting plenty of sim time in the evening but can’t wait until I can do it for real again.

I am pretty sure I have all of the vacuum and electrical on the Z piped and wired correctly now. The FSM is a huge find. I feel like I am becoming one with my machine. I was patient and did not try to crank it until I rewired the injectors, repaired the air regulator, and with the help of epoxy putty and a soldering iron put new leads on the thermal transmitter and vacuum control valve.

It cranked and ran with no back firing but is only firing on three cylinders. I checked the resistance on all of the plug wires and they are fine. The three that are not firing are getting spark but not as much as the three that are. When I pull a plug wire off of one that is hitting and put it back on I can hear the pop pop pop of the arc, but not on the three that are not hitting. I set the air gap against both sensors in my distributor but still only hitting on three. Any thoughts on the matter would be appreciated.

Regards,

Chris

[TomoHawk]

Welcome. I've been involved with R/C for about 20 years, but my stuff is all on 75 MHZ

[WattTheHeli]

My heli came with a 75 MHz Tx and it was a nightmare. The belt driving the tail rotor runs through an aluminum shaft and static electricity builds up and causes the servos to twitch madly. This results in the heli slamming into the ground which means back to the bench to build it again.

The Tx I have now uses spread spectrum technology and it binds to the receiver so the receiver only accepts signals from the Tx it is bound to. You gotta love technology. It is as solid as a rock in a hover now.

Chris

[TomoHawk]

Aircraft are required to operate on the 72 MHz frequencies. You probably made a type there. I'm still using 75 MHZ as it's just fine for my stuff.

[olzed]

I remember several years ago, my brother in law decided to get a helicopter.It had a rotor span of nearly a metre. He flew it tied down, about half a metre from the ground for quite a while, then when he thought he had it sussed, he cut the string, and had another go. He got it about a metre into the air when it lurched sideways and destroyed itself against his house. Don't think he ever got another.

[WattTheHeli]

Aircraft are required to operate on the 72 MHz frequencies. You probably made a type there. I'm still using 75 MHZ as it's just fine for my stuff.

You are quite correct sir.

@ olzed... when they crash there is usually a lot of damage. You have to LOVE to tinker to fly one of these things.