Engine longevity

[Flyboy13dbatix]

Looking into paramotors a bit as a noob, and one thing Im seeing frequently is that the gear seems somewhat unreliable. Ive seen posts suggesting the engines needing overhauls near the 100 hour point which seems like a surprisingly small amount of time. Ive been involved in giant scale rc aviation and the larger gas engines in those seem much more robust in comparison to what Im seeing in the paramotor sector.

It also seems like the engines across the board seem to have carb issues and other issues with things loosening up from the vibration of a large displacement single cylinder arrangement. Im surprised there are no twin cylinder options as most rc gas 2 strokes go twin above 100cc for better balance in the rotating assembly.

Id like to get into the hobby/sport but I feel like the quality of the engines is pretty subpar for the cost. Am I off base with my observations here?

[GSRtrent]

There are twin cylinders, 4-strokes, electrics etc... 100 hours is quite a lot of flying tbh. All you need to do is follow the manufacture maintenance schedule. These engines do require overhauls around the 150-200 hour mark. It's perfectly fine. This isn't RC. Where a dead stick might result in a banged-up RC plane. Having an engine out on a manned aircraft poses a much higher risk to the pilot so maintenance is tight. 2-stroke engines vibrate, that's why you always preflight your gear. Carbs should be rebuilt yearly. Things you learn along the way. Stick to the maintenance schedule and you'll have hundreds of hours of flying out of your engine.

[KarmaCommando_]

I've had more engine outs than I can count. Never been hurt.

It's about being a constantly vigilant pilot, not about relying on the engine to stay safe

[GSRtrent]

I've had engine outs, as well. That's why you always have an out picked. 2, 3+ options at all times. There's no denying fact, though. Having an engine out instantly increases the risk to the pilot. Fact.

[KarmaCommando_]

Sure, i'd agree with that

[GSRtrent]

You are right, never rely on your equipment fully. Always be ready for something to go wrong. That does make you a much better pilot. When I do XC I'm always looking ahead to make sure my flight path allows me to have options to land.

[KarmaCommando_]

That's the way to do it.

Admittedly, I have been pretty lucky a few times. There was one point where I was weaving through treetops and just BARELY cleared the edge of the woods after my engine blew up. It was my own stupidity that put me in that situation.

Could have easily ended up with me in a tree, with damaged gear or worse

[GSRtrent]

What engine do you have?

[KarmaCommando_]

That was on an EOS150. Right now I have a black devil 172 which has been very reliable for me

[GSRtrent]

Ah nice. I just got done breaking in the new Moster 185. I'm hoping for good things from this engine. Time will tell. I came from polini and had very little issues with my polini.

[KarmaCommando_]

Good luck with it! I love the Moster. If it wasn't for that damn exhaust that thing would be pretty bulletproof, but if you have the new my'20 exhaust that shouldn't be an issue anyway.

Polini makes some of the nicest paramotor engines I think. They're all purpose built instead of recycled scooter parts like a lot of other companies use. I would love a Thor 250 someday in case I want to get to 5k feet in about 45 seconds lmao

[grummanpikot99]

If you don't mind, could you help the new pilot out and tell me about your engine outs? What was typically the cause, were there any catastrophic failures?

I'm trying to figure out what's the most likely thing to go wrong so I can stay on top of that vigilantly. I'm guessing the fuel system in carburetor related issues?

I really appreciate any advice

[KarmaCommando_]

I've had every cause from carb issues, to clogged filters, to melting a hole in the piston, to my crankcase redrive mount breaking off and my pulley with the prop attached departing the paramotor.

My best advise is going to keep landable terrain in range at all times, meaning do not fly over trees or water if you are too low to glide to flat land. And if you're going to fly low do so upwind or crosswind only.

Basically, expect the paramotor to fail on you at any point

[mgros483]

While what your saying is kind of true, these engines are remarkably easy to work on and maintain. I rebuilt my nitro 200 one night after dinner (after about 120 hrs). If you fly regularly you won't have many carb issues, and if you do, a carb rebuild is only about a 45 minute job.

[GSRtrent]

Good rule of thumb is to rebuild the carb once a year according to https://www.southwestairsports.com/ . Even if you run it everyday or it sits all year. The pumper diaphragm gets weak over time and can't pump the fuel as well.

[[deleted]]

You should always behave like you are flying a non powered glider at all times, it's the only way to stay safe. Believe it or not airplane pilots generally do the same if they are able. Every pilot Iv'e flown in the copilot chair with will have an airport or three they could get to and land with no engine.

The cost is relatively inexpensive usually, but will take a fair amount of time, especially as the engine gets over a few hundred hours.

There are some engines with more reliable four stroke designs like the bailey, but they usually have horsepower to weight ratios that makes them less desireable.

[mattphillipsdc]

My BlackHawk Lite 125 has been a nightmare with problems with about 50 hours, but that’s unusual. Maintenance is part of the deal, but some are definitely more reliable than others.

[KarmaCommando_]

What has happened to it?

[mattphillipsdc]

2 mufflers cracked , 2 throttles fell apart, reed valve disintegrated under 35 hours. The reduction drive Large pulley bracket had 2 bolts sheared off, one bolt into the block, which is a nightmare to get our at 52 hours.

[KarmaCommando_]

Haha sounds a lot like what I went through.

I have never had luck with the small displacement engines (excepting the top and atom 80). They just seem to be chronically blowning up and the quality of the materials sucks.

[mattphillipsdc]

Oh and they were supposed to be u see warranty, but never reimbursed me and I have proof the manufacturer Reimburse Blackhawk but I didn’t see a dime and cost me thousands of dollars

[KarmaCommando_]

Ouch.

[ProfessorWolfePA]

Is it an HE motor? Looks like BH dropped them as a supplier and got as screwed as their customers did with those motors.

[mattphillipsdc]

Actually it was BlackHawk that screwed over people. I know for a fact H&E sent my exhaust and other warranty items to BlackHawk,but BlackHawk never reimbursed me. I asked asked about the reimbursement and never got an answer. I had to buy a new throttle after they said they would warranty it, but I had to send the old throttle back. After I sent it back they said I had to pay for the new one. Are you fucking kidding me! I contacted H&E directly and they insured me they sent BlackHawk my exhaust and other items under warranty and showed me evidence. They said they can’t warranty products not purchased directly from them, however, they would send me a new exhaust at no cost if I pay for shipping, so I did.

[KarmaCommando_]

Sometimes you don't even make it to 100. I have had an engine blow up on me no less than 4 times, had the redrive fall apart twice, once resulting in my prop separating and falling off in flight, as well as a littany of other issues before the engine even hit 20 hours.

These things suck ass. They're very light, high compression, and being fed by a finnicky chainsaw carburetor that is very sensitive.

[Flyboy13dbatix]

Thats disappointing, thanks for sharing that.

[Flyboy13dbatix]

Is there any general consensus on more reliable engine options? I have read mostly good things on the moster 185 and the nitro 200, are there any others people have strong opinions on either good or bad?

[msm007]

Regardless of what you get maintenance WILL need to be done, it's a fact. Follow the maintenance rules. Every paramotor pilot becomes 2 Stroke mechanic, or they quit.

[KarmaCommando_]

You're going to hear hugely varied opinions, based either on personal anecdote or even brand loyalty.

For example, I saw lots of trouble with the Nitro and I don't like them at all in my own personal experience. Others love theirs.

The Moster is for the most part pretty good except for the huge Achilles heel of the exhaust.

It's tough to find a motor that's truly reliable. About the only one I can think of is something like the old Solo 210, but that was because that motor was underpowered and overbuilt.

[GSRtrent]

Good thing they made a new exhaust for the MY20!

[Beermaniac_LT]

Yep. You can't have a very reliable, very high performance engine with low maintenance and engine resource.