Cranking and running Norvel engines

I just checked one I had at the office --- it was oriented the same as Rusty's original.

Ramblings:

Since the hole is nearer the bottom of the rod, when placed on the right (looking from the back), it will have fuel/oil forced into it from TDC to BDC. The case will have it's maximum mixture load during this cycle; the rod will be displacing fuel/oil/air as it moves along the side of the case; being on the right, this section of the rod will have maximum velocity and consequently maximum packing of lube; at this part of the cycle (firing), the top of the rod journal will be pressed against the crankpin, so any slop will be on the bottom of the journal and would be loaded with lube.

That's ma' story and Ah'm stickin' to it. Realistically, given 300 revolutions/second, it probably doesn't really matter where it is.

Hmmm, wish I had one that hadn't ever been taken apart. I neglected to imagine it turning with the cylinder on its side as in a beam mount. I can see the sense in it being on the right side now. It may actually not matter. I think I'll ask over at the NV Engines forum. I may get an answer in a month. Thanks for the replies.

After searching, the answer seems to be that the oil hole could come from the factory facing either direction. Someone from Sig claimed that when they sold them, they usually assembled the piston and rod with the hole as I have positioned it, on the leading edge of the sweep. That's the way it is on my MP Jet and, iirc, the Thunder Tiger too.

EDIT: The Admin at the NVengines.com forum also says to put the hole on the lead edge of the sweep. Meaning, if you hold the engine with the cylinder vertical and look into the back, the oil hole should be on the left side of the rod.

Rusty,
FWIW...Today, I opened the back plate on a NIB Big Mig .061 Rev Lite, a used non Rev Lite .061 AME, and a new AME ZEUS early short case .049 and all three had the oil hole on the right side of the con rod looking from the back of the engine. I'm 100% sure that engines #1 and #3 were never touched by anyone but me since they left the factory...Maybe this adds to the controversy or not ????
Steve.......

Controversy, well Damn! That it does, Malibu.
I can see agreeable arguments for putting it on either side. If it's on the trailing edge and running as a sidewinder(which almost all do), the pressure created as the rod end and hole pass through the puddle starting 45deg before BDC(assuming there is one) would force oil into the hole. My previous premise is, if it's on the other side, as it sweeps it picks up any incidental oil that it encounters during every tangent its rotation.

Who the hell knows. Maybe that's why they come from the factory, or so I hear, both ways. Maybe someone is doing a secret study to see which ones blow up first. Funny thing, I've never heard of a Norvel blowing up.

Hahaheehee, they're coming to take me away hahaheehee... to a wonderful place where every day is a beautiful day hahahee hee...

RknRusty wrote:.......If it's on the trailing edge and running as a sidewinder(which almost all do)...

But, .... There's a large number of us who run these engines w/o throttle on RC's where the engines are usually mounted upright.

Oh yeah, forgot about you dudes. Sorry about that.
I suppose it's possible that the ones shipped with a carb had the hole on the left and the ones shipped with only a CL venturi had the hole on the right. Somehow I doubt that and I don't think we'll ever know.
As of now, all of mine are on the left, and I'm not going to the trouble of changing them. Especially since it involves beating on the piston with a hammer and a piece of music wire to re-stake the pin after pressing it out... hahaheehee...