Babe Bee runs well until glow clip is removed

[mrmoosy]

Hi, I have a Babe Bee that starts and runs well until the glow plug clip is removed. The motor immediately stops. I have tried various nv settings but the problem persists. Any help appreciated.

[balogh]

Hi mrmoosy

Welcome to the forum.

One reason maybe a too rich fuel/air mixture that causes the glow filament to cool excessively, leading to flameout. Does the Bee reach its peak rpm before you remove the clip? If the engine is "4-stroking" i.e. does not fire in each cycle that is a typical sign of rich fuel setting.

[Cribbs74]

The platinum has worn off the glow element. So once the clip is removed the catalytic process doesn’t work.

In short, buy a new glow head or try another one.

[Kim]

I HATE it when the platinum goes away !!!!!!

[balogh]

I thought the filament is made of platinum alloy rather than platinum plated?...but I may be wrong. At least I have never experienced glow head failure other than a blown filament. As long as the filaments were intact and glew orange they always worked fine...

[andrew]

This video is pretty representative of the impact platinum has had on this hobby.

https://youtu.be/FSdBB1vBDKY

[RknRusty]

Well Hello, Andrew, one of my longest time forum buddies, and I haven't seen you in a coon's age! I hope you're doing well. I'm a Geezer now too, who would'a thunk it could happen, Lol.

Anyway, I think you, Andras, and Ron are right. Some are solid platinum or alloy, and some are plated. I suppose the fuel could be depleted of its methanol. Nitromethane alone won't catalyze the platinum to incandescence. But I would guess Mister Moose would have run this fuel in other engines, ruling that out. Ethanol can work, but not as well. I'd guess 99.9% that the glow element is coated with a contaminant or stripped of its Platinum plating.

Welcome to CEF, Moosy.
Rusty

[GallopingGhostler]

Suggest trying another glow head from another engine if you have it. If you don't, buy a couple new ones and try those. Could be the rare element coating on the heating element wire has degraded to the point it no longer sustains catalytic action (why car catalytic converters run very hot). Some time back I recall that Leroy Cox had quality assurance problems on a few lots of contract manufactured heads with substandard wire.

I bought a dozen NOS Swanson Fireball Red hot standard plugs a decade ago that would only work a short time, then petered out. I heard that they had a similar problem in certain years. Yet I have a 1966 model Enya .09-III TV that came with a venerable Enya #30 plug, still works like new years later.

[fredvon4]

Four basic conditions cause this...
Too rich
Lack of compression*---too many gaskets or loose head**.
bad platinum
Poor fuel

One and four combine often enough to be checked first

*....... I have badly worn our .049s that will still start and stay running with the electric finger.... so low compression is not the real sin if Glow head and fuel are good


I lit off a finger tight head that ran ok but started getting erratic...silly me chased the needle....until the head blew off...and I swear the prop free wheeled for about a full minuet....grin

[GallopingGhostler]

..

[RknRusty]

Did it pump a geyser of fuel out of the top while it spun down?

[fredvon4]

Yes sir and some in my eyes as I recall

[GallopingGhostler]

Yes sir and some in my eyes as I recall

Humorous now, but I hate getting glow fuel in the eyes, nasty stuff.

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