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DLE 85

Red Raider

70cc twin V2
I just ordered a DLE 85 from Valley View. It's supposed to be here on Tuesday. I'm installing it in a 104" P51. I also ordered a couple of Bowman Rings for it. Before I ever turn it over, I'll put the new ring in it. Has anybody run this engine yet? I've read lots of stories about bad carbs coming straight from the factory.
 

Red Raider

70cc twin V2
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9481-9b2e982a35e341aff69ac9b07e7464fb.jpg
9482-5005bef378c2f75ff23349673b84bd5f.jpg


The first pic is me pulling the engine out of the box for the first time. I've been told that I have huge hands (I can palm a basketball) if that gives you a perspective on the size. The second picture shows the insides after I removed the 4 cylinder head bolts. That was no easy trick as the bolts were really snug. Picture #3 is a comparison of the Bowman ring and the stock ring from DLE. The one in the bottom of the picture is the stock ring. The first thing I noticed was the diameter of the rings. The Bowman is smaller. You can see that the gap is significantly smaller. If you look closely at pic #2 you can see the ring protruding out of the piston groove. It was quite easy to remove it. It took very little pressure to get it slip right off.
 
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Red Raider

70cc twin V2
Here's what I do. The caveat to this is just that, it's the way I do it. If any of you have input or suggestions or want to correct my procedure, please do so. We're all in this to learn and to enjoy this great sport.
After removing the spark plug and the cylinder head bolts, the cylinder should slide off easily. As the ring groove gets close the bottom edge of the cylinder wall, be careful and keep it straight. Wiggling it back and forth could scar the piston or cylinder wall, twisting it is ok if necessary. If it's an engine with quite a bit of run time, or has been sitting for awhile, reinsert the piston and use a good quantity of light machine oil to ease the process. I've got a can of Singer Sewing Machine oil that I use just for this purpose.

After you have it apart, take the ring out of the piston groove. Unless I want to keep the ring (I'm keeping this one just in case I need it in the future and because it's brand new), I don't care if it breaks, so I'm not particularly careful about taking it out. In this case, it was so much bigger than the piston diameter, it was easy to save.

Putting the new ring in is a matter of patience and paying attention. I've never broken one putting it in, but others I know have not been so lucky. The first thing I do is take my oil and fill the ring groove, making sure to get lots on the edge of the piston between the ring groove and the top. Then I pour oil all over the ring. You can clean up your mess later. I always check for the pin location and make sure I have ring right side up. You can tell by looking at the position of the pin and the relief points cut in the ring. The surest way to break a ring is to put it in upside down then have to take it off to turn it around. I start at the pin an insert one end into the groove. I apply a little pressure to the opposite end to force the ring open ever so slightly as I work it around. Keep the ring as parallel to the ring groove as you can while working it into the groove. When you get about half way around, it should just kinda snap into place. DONE, well not quite. You have to put engine back together.

Here's another opportunity to break the ring; inserting the piston back into the cylinder. Take your oil put a generous amount on the cylinder wall (all the way around), do the same for the piston. Squeezing the ring with 2 fingers, slide the piston in and the ring should follow. I never used anything harder than my fingernail to compress the ring and have always had good success with very little effort. The last thing is to use high temp thread locker on the cylinder bolts. Reinstall them like you would lug nuts on a car wheel. I usually use about 5 different steps in tightening the bolts. The first is barely seated, then go to the opposite bolt and again just barely touching the flange. Each time around the head is a little tighter until the last time when I really give it what for! A torque wrench is probably a good idea, but I don't have one of the appropriate size. And there you have it - my way of changing a piston ring.
 

Red Raider

70cc twin V2
The last couple of posts are the same thing that I posted on the build thread. I've decided to mount this engine on a test stand and run it up. When I do, I'll post a video. Probably be sometime this next week.
S
 
I just ordered a DLE 85 from Valley View. It's supposed to be here on Tuesday. I'm installing it in a 104" P51. I also ordered a couple of Bowman Rings for it. Before I ever turn it over, I'll put the new ring in it. Has anybody run this engine yet? I've read lots of stories about bad carbs coming straight from the factory.

I have a new DLE85 mounted and ready to go when the weather changes. Compression was excellent right out of the box so I have no plan to change the ring until and if I see a need for it. On the other hand, the carb was clearly defective and would have leaked fuel through the needle valve as others have reported. The needle problem was easily corrected as I had documented on several other forums so won't go into it again here. It was clearly a manufacturing defect though and no additional new parts were required to fix it. Perhaps later versions of this engine have the carb issue resolved.

I bought this engine as an experiment to see how it runs and am testing it on an old aerobatic plane. If it performs to my expectations and the vibration level is within tolerable limits, it will be moved to a scale project.

Edit because of my fat fingers!
 
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Red Raider

70cc twin V2
Hey, Truck:
I've read some of your postings on the "other" forums. My engine came from the factory since the first of the year, so I'm crossing my fingers that they got the message and fixed it. If not, I'll try to fix it, and if that's not successful, then I'll get a replacement. I know that Tom at Valley View will take care of me.
 

Red Raider

70cc twin V2
Ok, my brother came over to help me with the new DLE 85. The setup is quite robust with the mount being made of 3/4 inch plywood mounted to a steel tool stand. Just to be on the safe side, we took 2 cinder block and strapped them to the stand to make sure the engine thrust wouldn't turn it over.
 

Red Raider

70cc twin V2
Like I said earlier, the first thing I did was to replace the stock ring with one by Frank Bowman. My experience with these rings is that they improve every aspect of the running condition of the engine. Better idle, smoother transition, higher top end. And the longevity is such that I've never worn one out. I'm not saying that they turn a mediocre engine into a high performance juggernaut. They don't. But the difference is noticeable.
 

Red Raider

70cc twin V2
Aside from changing the ring, I didn't touch the engine. I mounted it on the test stand with the carb settings exactly the way they came from the factory. We went through the standard startup procedure that's recommended for most gas engines: choke closed, throttle set to WOT, ignition on. Flip the prop until it tries to start. Throttle to idle, choke open, flip until it starts. If everything is set even kinda close it should start somewhere around the 4th or 5th flip. And that's exactly what this engine did.
 
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