Fuel Mixture

jbanes1961 Wed Oct 30, 2019 12:03 am

Hi all,
Will a fuel mixture containing 22% oil (11% castor, 11% syn) be alright to run in a Babe Bee, as opposed to the 20% recommendation, and what is the downside of running too much oil?

Oldenginerod Wed Oct 30, 2019 1:40 am

@jbanes1961 wrote:Hi all,
Will a fuel mixture containing 22% oil (11% castor, 11% syn) be alright to run in a Babe Bee, as opposed to the 20% recommendation, and what is the downside of running too much oil?

22% is just fine. (Some may disagree). Too much oil can rob a little power, although it can improve power in a worn engine by raising the compression. Oil, particularly castor, can also help cool the engine.
So don't be concerned about that %. Personally, I mix around 25% oil, only because I use a buggy fuel and need to bump the oil up to this level to get enough castor in it.

Downside?? Mess, mess and more oily mess. Castor, over time, can build up varnish, but with that much synth lube you should stay clean as a whistle.

jbanes1961 Wed Oct 30, 2019 2:06 am

Ok sounds good. Do you mix your own fuel?

Oldenginerod Wed Oct 30, 2019 6:30 am

@jbanes1961 wrote:Ok sounds good. Do you mix your own fuel?

A while ago I had the opportunity to purchase castor and nitro in bulk from a supplier when I was interstate on holidays. A local fuel merchant stocks Methanol for a local go-kart club, so I was able to get a drum cheap. I can mix up whatever ratios I want, but I don't have synth lube, so it has to be full castor, which gets messy.

We don't have a local hobby shop, but a nearby chain toy store carries some R/C gear. Every now and then they have a %-off sale so I grab a (US) gallon container of buggy fuel, which is all they stock. It's 14% nitro and 18% oil, mostly synth, so I just add castor and nitro to bring it up to what I want, using an on-line calculator. This gives me the advantage of having some synth without having to buy it separately. I must say, even if I mix my own from scratch to the same ratios, the re-blended buggy fuel seems to work a lot better.

jbanes1961 Wed Oct 30, 2019 7:48 am

Ok, I'm always out to save a buck if I can. Thought maybe mixing it myself would save money in the long run. I'm thinking the nitro might be hard to come by. But I'm sure somebody here knows where to get it. Guess I will just stick to the pre mix for now....thx

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