The evil pliers, probably caused more damage

to model airplane cylinders than any other tool.  But sometimes you're forced into using them.

Case in point is the Wen Mac .049 with a throttle sleeve.  There is no flat milled into the top fin as is with certain Cox engines and there is no way you can get a buffered pry through the exhaust ports.  So, heat and buffered pliers it is.  I have had this engine for a long time but have been avoiding it.  It's not an easy engine to deal with.  

I like the butane torch with a pencil flame that can be directed at a point rather than a heat gun which heats everything.  I'm to lazy to go out to the garage and get my leather piece and it's rain and sleet outside so I wrapped the cylinder in masking tape and directed the flame at the top of the case just under the cylinder.



 Holding it didn't work, couldn't get a grip on the engine so I chucked it up in a vice, something that I'm reluctant to do. Using pliers I got the cylinder off with minimum damage.  Doesn't matter the engine was unusable, both the roto-matic starter and the internals were castor locked and the starter had slipped a pall.  It took a lot of heat and MMO to loosen everything up.  Simple Green and hot water cleaned the internals.




Nice engine, two intake ports and lot's of compression.  And I do love that roto-matic starter.  The little 4.5/5 W/M prop bit me good on the unwind.  

Another spare engine for the W/M Skyraider which came with a standard engine but has built in features to support a throttle sleeve.  I wll keep the original non-throttled engine that came with it.




Nasty, nasty day out there today, but we need the mosture.  Forrest fires in Virginia threaten.