gasser winter storage

[jeffros1805]

its that time of year that I hate when it gets cold, windy and rainy.......and heli flying is few and far between.

I have a question... Is there any storage/maintenance/precautions I need to perform on my gasser for a few months of non flying? Its stored inside, gas drained, carb cleared.

thanks

[lperagallo]

jeffros,

Says you're located in western Miss. You aren't going to fly for a few months? I'd love to have your winter weather! I fly all winter as long as I can stand the cold. But if you must hang it up for a while, drain the tank, gas goes bad in about 30 days. blow out the carb gently to get the fuel out of it also otherwise you risk gumming it up. Remember to take care of your batteries depending on the type you have.

You could also add fuel stabilizer, and if you do don't forget to run it a little to get it in the carb.

Winter is a great time for full breakdown and heavy maintenance. Give you a chance to clean everything and inspect all links, bearings, servos and gear. Also check the tape on the Gyro. I always replace the tape once a year in the spring.

Well its raining and 32 degrees so I guess I'll have to practice what I preach and do some maintenance today.

Lou

[jeffros1805]

Well the weather does dip to 40 degrees (yea call me a wimp), but mostly its rainy and windy. Today its 76 degrees but blowing 20+. Im burning coleman fuel so I think the shelf life is pretty long. I always drain all the fuel from the tank and pump the primer untill its empty followed by a quick start up (runs 10 seconds). I dont think I need to do anything else (maybe pull the plug and a few shots of oil in the cylinder). Ive owned 2 stroke everything (jet skis, snow mobiles, etc) and Ive always drained the fuel for storage longer than 1 month.

Guess it will be ok but thought id as.

[rbort]

Nothing to do except exactly as you do every day. Push the primer bulb to purge out the carb, and empty the gas tank. I've been flying gassers for just over 10 years and gas motors don't rust like nitros do. I never had a carb gum up on me and I also have airplanes that sit for months (all winter sometimes) and no problems.

I will say however that I use Gas. I know that Coleman fuel or equal is more of a detergent and there isn't much oil in the engine when you shut them down. Bruce Hanson told me this that when he opens those motors up they are less oily than ones run on gas. Anyway, that being said it may not be a bad idea to put some oil in the motor for storage.

-=>Raja.