nitro engine air filter?

[heliadict1212]

I have a vigor with a ys-st2 .61 engine (this is my first nitro heli) and was wondering, do they have an air intake filter?, if so where the heck is it and how/when do I need to clean it. My instruction booklets say nothing about a filter but I would think it be a completely neccesary thing to have.
Anyway thanks in advance, this is probably the most newbie question on the forum right now lol.

[Slackocaster]

you should some kind of filter cage that came with your heli. its made of rubber and plastic. The rubber side goes on the carb with a zip tie. regards to oil... use yamalube form yamaha motorcycles. make sure you work in the oil and work out any excess.

[heliadict1212]

I bought this heli used and have flown about a gallon of fuel through it so far and it has no air filter:shock:. I just pulled off the intake shround and there was nothing. So where can I order the filter? Does everyone use a filter?

[Slackocaster]

it probably got wrecked in a previous crash. DO NOT FLY WITHOUT A PROPERLY INSTALLED AND OILED AIR FILTER! If your heli sucks up any foreign debris it will hurt the motor over time and may even end up making it stall mid flight. Not a good Idea. Take your bird to a hobby shop near you that has parts for your bird and nitro motors. they should have a filter boot and filters for it.

[WayneBrown]

WTF?
You don't need no stinking filter, they degrade engine performance dramatically, and are a PITA to service.
Here's a scenario for you;
Start the heli, set it on the ground, no downwash to stir crap up, no filter needed.
Spool the heli up, downwash stirring crap up, and blowing it OUT and away from heli.
(besides the fact that the engine FAN is above the engine, in itself making it harder to get damaging material injested, but the centrifigal force of the fan will disperse most larger particles to the outside of the shroud. Remember the carb inlet is inside the shroud, at the CENTER.. )
Need for a intake filter is nil. You do need a fuel filter, and should never, ever run without one.
Engines I've seen from the Middle East, and other desert regions with sandstorms and duststorms have no accelerated wear that can be detected after several cases of fuel.

[BarracudaHockey]

it probably got wrecked in a previous crash. DO NOT FLY WITHOUT A PROPERLY INSTALLED AND OILED AIR FILTER! If your heli sucks up any foreign debris it will hurt the motor over time and may even end up making it stall mid flight. Not a good Idea. Take your bird to a hobby shop near you that has parts for your bird and nitro motors. they should have a filter boot and filters for it.

Been flying helis on and off since the late 80s and thats the first time I've seen that, in caps no less :)

I haven't been running an airfilter in all that time either, lubed or otherwise.

[Slackocaster]

sorry guys... did not want to mislead you. I am a noob to helis but have 15+ years in nirto buggies and truggies. I have seen alot of dead motors in my day. I have not built a nitro heli though, onlt a trex 450. but if i did, you can bet your ass that I would install an air filter of some type that would fit in the shroud. Even a couple peices of pantyhose elastic bannded tight around the top of the intake. If you do care about the longevity of your motor then you have to admit it's not a bad idea. as for the capital letters....my mistake and I did not want to scare you guys.

[MarkD]

sorry guys... did not want to mislead you. I am a noob to helis but have 15+ years in nirto buggies and truggies. I have seen alot of dead motors in my day. I have not built a nitro heli though, onlt a trex 450. but if i did, you can bet your ass that I would install an air filter of some type that would fit in the shroud. Even a couple peices of pantyhose elastic bannded tight around the top of the intake. If you do care about the longevity of your motor then you have to admit it's not a bad idea. as for the capital letters....my mistake and I did not want to scare you guys.

There really is no need for a filter on a heli or plank TBH. They fly in the air away from the ground and shite, whereas your buggs are in a constant dust storm with no way out

A huge difference - and may I add. Fitting a filter will reduce the power output on these small engines