RCGF Updates

RCGF updated their website! Sweet look. By the way, saw they are selling the 15cc Beam Mount side muffler engine for $209, the rear muffler for $199. That's the same price as the 10cc. And a 30cc TWIN is coming. Check it out!

I have had great luck with these engines, except for the 10cc on the Stik. I think it's a bad carb... The need to re-tune it every time I start it suggests this, and the curious way it runs at times, like there is a fuel flow issue. Joe Nelson thinks its the carb too. I finally decided to change it. I went to the RCGF website yesterday and it must have been while they were updating it as the website URL could not be found. Gave me a fright that it folded! Nope, as noted, new site. But since they were closed at the time, I went looking for what to buy. As I looked at Google pickings there was a discussion on RC Universe about carbs on these RCGF and similar engines being too big, like 2-4 times too big, and that this made them run  inefficiently, rich.

** RCGF-USA uses only Walbro carbs now.**

"I would offer that the carb that comes on the 10cc rear exhaust engine is a Walbro clone with a 10mm or so venturi, that is 3-4 times the size it needs to be. To get good throttle response requires a super rich low speed mixture. After many hours messing around trying to civilize this engine, it was discovered that if you slowed the throttle opening using the same process you would on wing flaps or gear doors, allowed for a dramatically leaner low speed mixture.

Those with automotive hot rod experience might relate to a comparison of having a 1050 Holley carb on a 302 small block, using mechanical secondaries. When the carb is opened quickly there is a complete loss of vacuum causing the engine to fall flat on it's face. In the caes of the 10cc RCGF, slowing the carb opening allows the engine to maintain vacuum, resulting in a much more desirable acceleration.

Worth noting is the slow carb opening is not noticeable in use, and the engine handles nicely, much like bigger rear carb engines, and flip starts easily."  ~ AHICKS

Going smaller might lead to loss of WOT RPM, but better and more linear power. The stock carb is 10mm, and the discussion was bringing that down to 7.1mm using a Walbro WA-80 carb. Well, I could not find one... I even wrote Walbro (they are not making them anymore but are thinking about it... and would need a run of 40 before they reopened the line; email with Walbro). The WA-80 supposedly is a perfect retrofit for the stock Chinese one (which, by the way works just fine on the Sukhoi RCGF 10cc). So I bought one of the only two available new, on eBay for $35.

While I do like the Evolution 10cc, I still have lost my heart to these RCGF engines. Hopefully this solves this problem with the Stik's RCGF 10cc. I haven't tried running it since the other day when I finally got her re-tuned again. Her high idle shouldn't still be an issue... We'll see.

The other suggestion I have seen for these really small engines is brought up again by AHICKS:

"Worthy of note, when installing the Walbro carb, many advise the use of some sort of thermal break between the engine and carb. I laminated about 1/4" if fiberglass scraps together with some CA and carved one out from that. A stack of gaskets may work as well, or, see what happens without!"  ~AHICKS

I don't have any materials that I know of to make this thermal break, so will try it without it... Not sure this is a thing?

SCUTTLEBUTT:  Well this is interesting...  VVRC used to be a drop shipper for RCGF-USA (You order from VVRC, but the product is sent from RCGF-USA). RCGF-USA makes these engines in China, but the company is US owned. There were issues with the molds they used in the early years. RCGF-USA developed their own molds for these engines and have solved the QA issues, and now produce great engines at great prices. More importantly, they have always offered personal, outstanding customer service. You talk to the owner, not an employee. I have used VVRC in the past and am disappointed in their aggressive and inflammatory posting. I don't know where Tom is getting his RCGF engines, but if they are from those old molds, buyer beware... I would not buy any RCGF product from anyone but RCGF-USA.