210cc Solo engine

[daffy1029]

Hi,
I have installed 30mm Mikuni carbs on my Solo's from a 1991 Indy Lite Polaris sled. It was a dual carb set-up on a 340cc fan cooled 2 stroke engine.
The engine starts easily, idles nice, and revs up to 5500rpm with no problems whatsoever. The plugs are a light chocolate brown. The original high speed jets were #160. I am up to #360 jets, and it runs close to 1400 degrees which is hotter than I like it (the probe is about 2.5" from the cylinder, which may show a hotter temp). Yet the plugs show a light chocolate brown colour. My question is, why should there be such a difference in jet sizes from a 340cc engine which is like, 170cc/carb and the Solo 210cc engine for one carb? Thanks Daffy

[lazairkid]

Hey,
Daffy,
Have a Question to.
When you are in your lazair and you throttle up, do yours or Tyler's lazair
pivot from nose wheel and tail like what I see in the you tube videos.
My Manuel said for a good CG the tail should wt 30-35lb with full fuel
and me in it. I have 28lb.
The only way I can get the tail up is holding the brakes.
At full throttle I can not hold the plane with brakes and feet. 95lb thrust each.
I fixed my carb problem and the one engine producing more thrust than the
other at the same rpm, I swapped the props now both engine run the same rpm
and the same amount of thrust.
I have made 3 small flights down the runway and things are looking good so far.
Lazairkid

[ehill9587]

Lazairkid, What was the final secret with the carbs and fuel lines with the solo 210s. Eric

[daffy1029]

Hi Lazairkid
If you have a nose wheel, then yes it is very easy to end up on your nose because the main gear is further back. I upgraded to a wide undercarriage back in 1986 and it's further ahead now, and more weight on the tail. But with the brakes on, it's still easy to get tail into the air at high power settings. If you have the nosewheel type undercarriage, then you might want to add a little weight to the tail. I had to do this to my plane before I switched to the wide gear. In my case it made the plane fly hands off at around 40-45mph (back then I had no trim tabs).
I am getting 90lbs thrust now on my Solo engine at 28 pitch setting on the prop, and at 6900rpm (2.5:1 reduction, 44" dia prop). I may go to 30 pitch to get the rpm's down a little. I want to cruise more than I want power.
The picture shows the small aluminum tank I use to get rid of any air in the lines before going into the carb. So I need two fuel pumps, one to fill the aluminum tank from the main tank and another pump to fill the carb from the aluminum tank. Seems to work. No bubbles at all going into the carb. Daffy

[ehill9587]

daffy1029, what is your current climb rate and power settings with your current set up. I'm up at 5200 ft and looking for power plant info for my lazair project. thanks

[daffy1029]

Hi ehill9587,
I have been playing with these Solo engines now for over a year, and had nothing but problems, mostly with carbs, and air in the fuel lines. I hope I am finally getting close. I have had these engines on the test stand running very well, only to be disappointed when mounted on the plane.
If you want something that will work for you at that altitude, and to have a little extra power, I would look for used JPX engines (proven engines, but hard to get parts, as they don't make them anymore) or the 185cc Rotax engines with or without redrives. If you weight about 175lbs, you should be able to get close to 700FPM climb at 2500ASL with JPX, or close to 400FPM with the Rotax 185's. Of course the Rotax will give you a longer range.
If I can get the Solo's working right, I hope to get at least 500FPM climb. Daffy

[ozzie]

hi, just wondering what airspeed you are climbing at. thats a lot of total thrust compared to my old pioneers.

ozzie

[daffy1029]

Hi ozzie,
I can't remember for sure but I thought it was around 25 mph. 5.5hp for Pioneers compared to 14hp plus reduction drives, does make a big difference in thrust! My guess is 30lbs thrust/engine for Pioneers compared to 80-90lbs thrust for Solo's. But your Pioneers will keep you in the air much longer on less fuel. Daffy

[daffy1029]

[uscgairdale]