Official 3DRCF Review of EME 55V2 and accessories from Mile High RC

[Bipenut53]

Hello everyone,
As many of you know, I picked up a used 3DHS 89" AJ Slick and I was in need of an engine and accessories to complete the airplane. First off I put the airplane together without any equipment installed and weighed it, the airframe came out right at 10 pounds. This gave me a good starting point to make my engine selection decision. I weighed many options including the EME 70 twin, same engine as in my Extreme Flight Extra, the EME 60, and the EME 55V2. My goal was to keep it as light as possible to keep the wing loading down and make it as "floaty" as possible. So after thinking long and hard I decided to go with the EME 55V2 because of the low all up weight of 3.4 pounds including muffler and ignition. That would mean, if I did my math right the airframe with engine and all accessories should come out to around 17 pounds, perfect for what I wanted in this airplane. So here is a short description and specs from Mile High RC:

EME55 V2 is the easiest engine for plug and play. The factories attention to timing on this motor is outstanding and very noticeable, resulting in noticeably better general running and great smooth operation. EME has recognized the short coming of other motor lines and really steeped up quality. Make sure to check out some of the subtle but effective nuances incorporated into this motor. Such as a longer throttle arm on the carb resulting in smother operation and saves servo wear. The mount design allows for shorter stand off's resulting in less vibration, less stress on servos and other components. Are you aware of the reed block mod on the popular China motors, to get smooth air in to the engine? EME is and they designed the reed block in a manner to allow smooth clean air flow.

Specifications:
Displacement: 55.6 cc (3.392 cu in)
Bore: 1.77 in (45 mm)
Stroke: 1.38 X in (35 mm)
Weight: 3.4 lb (Engine - 2.8lb, Muffler - .22lb, Ignition - .26lb)
RPM Range: 1,350-8,500
Output: 5.5 hp @ 7,500 rpm
Requires: unleaded gasoline, oil, ignition battery & propeller
Includes: electronic ignition, muffler, spark plug, gasket, bolts, machined aluminum standoffs, throttle arm extension & mounting template
Suggested Propellers: 22x8, 22x10, 23x8 & 23x10


So I ordered pretty much everything I needed from Mike at Mile High RC, one thing to note here is from the first email to him about what I wanted to do, he was extremely helpful. I had several conversations, including on the phone, with him and when I placed the order, they had the shipment in the mail the next day. It was all very well packed and arrived without any problems, even though the postal service did the best they could to damage the parts. The outer boxes were pretty damaged by the time they got here but the contents were in perfect shape!! Here are a couple of pictures of the way I got the boxes





So I was a little nervous about my parts before I opened the boxes, no need to worry!! Here is a few pictures of what I got and as you can see there is no damage at all to the parts!!






Thank you to the crew at Mile High RC for the attention to detail on packaging my parts!!!

 

[Bipenut53]

One of the Nice things that I really like about ordering EME Engines from Mile High RC is the fact that they include a NGK CM-6 spark plug along with the engine.



That is a very nice touch because they know most people will purchase a CM-6 to put on the engine instead of the original spark plug that comes with the engine. Another nice touch that EME does is that they include a drill guide decal for getting the engine mount holes exactly right.



So what I do is I take a very fine felt pen and extend the center line markings on the decal all the way to the edges so I can line it up properly on the firewall.




At that point on my used Slick I had to plug the holes in the firewall. Easy enough to do, I drilled out the holes to match the size of dowel I have here in the shop. I drilled them, plugged the holes with the dowel cut to the same thickness of the firewall and tapped them in place and used CA to make them permanent




From there I put the decal on the firewall and drilled the holes. I then got the engine ready to go on the airplane. I always test fit everything first, Here you can see that I put the standoff's on the engine. Another nice thing about this EME engine is the shorter standoff's. Less chance of flexing while the engine is running.



I then test fit the engine to the firewall




Once satisfied with the engine mounting and spacing for the cowl, I take it all apart again and then use red locktight on all the mounting bolts. On this engine I chose to use a servo for the choke along with a throttle servo.






After I was happy with the engine mounting and got the locktight on I prepared the ignition ready to mount. I like to use plastic wire loom on the spark plug wire to keep it from chaffing and ruining the plug wire and possibly the ignition itself due to high resistance.






Once that is done I mounted the ignition to the side of the motor box and fastened the plug wire to the bottom of the box with a large wire tie and an ear cut long for a mounting screw. I wanted to mention that this ignition is rated from 4.8 volts all the way to 12 volts. No more need for a regulator on this ignition if you were running a single battery source for receiver and ignition with an Optic kill switch with a BEC.






I then mounted the Aeroplus 16 ounce fuel tank in the airplane. This is the first time I have used this fuel tank and I dont think it will be my last. It has a metal cap on the front and has all brass fittings with very nice barbs to hold fuel line.





I then mounted the Star fuel dot, red one of course! lol






So then it was time to check CG and figure out where I needed to mount the batteries, turns out they need to be right next to the fuel tank, the two life batteries on pilots left side of the tank and the ignition life battery is mounted to the pilots right side of the fuel tank.






At this point I have everything mounted in the airplane as it is going to fly minus fuel, I put the airplane all the way together and it came out at 17 pounds and 7 ounces. I am very happy with that!!


Ok so now it is time for first run, you can see the video of the first run below. I am using a Star 3D prop the size is 22x3D A it is a very nice prop. I had to make the top end richer by about a half a turn and I lowered the idle set screw so the servo is mainly in charge of idle speed. Once I got everything dialed in I was getting 6900 rpm on the top end and it was idling at 1900 rpm. I used an infrared temp gauge and the hottest I saw was right near the exhaust port and it was reading no higher than 219 degrees. At this point I am very happy with the numbers I saw so I can put the cowl on and get ready for its first flights. First impressions of this engine is it should be great for this airframe and should be able to pull it around with authority. I am excited to see how this combination is going to work out. I will have some flight video when it happens. I need to thank Mile High RC for the excellent service and [MENTION=4379]cam4569[/MENTION] for holding the airplane.



[video=youtube;-bf4T4b-uXg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bf4T4b-uXg[/video]



Boy I like the throttle response already. It is a very strong running engine! Stay tuned for the first flight!

 

[Bipenut53]

Well I got out and was able to fly the 3DHS AJ Slick. What a great airframe. This is the first time I have flown a Slick and I really do like it. I need to do some learning on this airframe as you will see in the video. I did some sloppy flying, partially due to me not knowing the airframe and partly due to the wind I had to deal with and the landing in the video you will see was not the greatest. The way this airplane is set up, it is very floaty, not always a good thing in the wind but wasnt horrible.

So the EME 55v2 engine I bought from Mile High RC is a great engine. I love the shorter standoff's this engine uses, it really makes for far less flexing at the standoff's. The prop I used is a Star 22x3D A prop and seems to be a great match for it. The prop bolt pattern is the same as the DA 50 and the DLE 55. The bolts that hold the prop on are one mm larger than a standard 55cc engine so you need to keep that in mind after you get the holes drilled using the prop drill guide. I think that is a definite plus in the fact larger diameter bolt equals a better clamping force on the prop. I checked the prop bolts after both of my flights and they did not loosen up at all. The muffler is the same mounting as the DA 50 and DLE 55 so if you wanted to get a smoke muffler for this engine you could easily. The Rcexl ignition is good to 12 volts, another positive thing as well since you will no longer need a regulator for the ignition if you are using lipo batteries to power the receiver and ignition using a Optic kill with a BEC.

The engine has great power right out of the box, a minor adjustment on the top end needle valve was all that was needed, and that was a half turn richer. The throttle response is great and has no flat spots at all. A true Walbro carb helps that out tremendously. This engine is the real deal and at an affordable price. It will hover my 17 pound airplane at just under a half throttle and has plenty of punch out power out of a hover. Negative G's will not kill the engine at idle, it just keeps purring along. If you are looking for a 50cc engine, I will strongly encourage you to give some serious thought in the EME 55v2 engine from Mile High RC. The warranty period is 18 months from the date of purchase, if you need repair after the warranty period or if you have crash damage, all you have to do is send it back and Mile High RC offers cost on parts +10% with no labor charge to fix any after warranty issues or crash damage. Now how great is that?? Mile High RC has fantastic customer service as well!! If you have an issue or question about your order all you have to do is email them at sales@milehighrc.com and they will get back to you as quickly as possible, every time I have emailed them I have gotten a response before the end of the day west coast time. I really cant say enough good things about the engine or service I received from Mile High RC!!

So here is the video of one of the flights I got today, keep in mind this was only my second flight with this airplane and the landing was a bit to be desired so please ignore that lol.



[video=youtube;uwEG3vfzi_4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwEG3vfzi_4[/video]

 

[AKNick]

Dude nice! I've been hearing a lot about EME, nice to see a little more in depth review of the company and this powerplant!

 

[Bipenut53]

Dude nice! I've been hearing a lot about EME, nice to see a little more in depth review of the company and this powerplant!

Thanks [MENTION=3929]AKNick[/MENTION]! Yes there is more to come, one of the really nice things about this engine package is their attention to detail. Inside the book are the normal decals but on top of that there is a decal for drilling the engine mounting holes! Just stick it on the firewall on the center lines and there you go, you can see clearly where to drill!

 

[AKNick]

I haven't seen that fuel tank before? Have you used that one before? I'm curious

 

[Bipenut53]

It is an Aeroplus fuel tank. It is 16 ounces or 500ml as you would order it. This is the first time I have used them. I really like it, it has a metal cap where the fitting is for the carb and all the fittings are brass with really nice barbs. I do think I will be using these in the future.

 

[Bipenut53]

I got everything mounted and even got a first run video.... I cant wait to fly this airplane!

 

[AKNick]

Good Update [MENTION=3348]Bipenut[/MENTION] !
I like the full length engine run and tuning.
So I've heard that it's good practice to put the wings on during a ground run for a single cyl gasser for vibration dampening - is this a myth or just with the smaller gassers?

 

[Bipenut53]

Thank you! Well I do normally put the wings on, but I have seen it done this way many times, honestly I don't know what best practice would be or is.... You do have a point about vibration dampening.... Maybe someone will fill us both in lol