DA 85 cost me a QQ Yak 54 101

[Kevin B]

Personally, and out of respect, I think I would change the title to something less caustic than this motor cost me my airplane, at least until it is confirmed. You get a lot more bees with honey than you do vinegar. If I were DA, I wouldn't touch your stuff until the title were changed.

[bosshoss]

Awesome response form DA. Exactly why I am a lifetime customer.

Now DA-85 trials. I have had mine.

I had it in a POS Lanier Yak, it got very little air because of the cowl design. Deadsticked many times. I accused the cowl and installation, I was partially right. I was trying for that "no blurbling" tune......bad idea. At one turn orless on the low needle, and 1 1/8 on the HSN it would not blurble, run like a raped ape, ....and deadstick, anbd deadstick at weird times, when you wouldn;t expect it,....slow speed, downlines...etc. . No blurbles....though.

I sent it in, got the updates, stuck it in a 1/3 cub (albeit with 2lbs of lead on the nose, damn thing is soooo light), let it blurble....LSN at 1 1/8 HSN 1 1/4 , at it is as reliable as a Timex watch. Justlike the 50...blurbles a bit when it is unloaded , reliable , dependable.

It is so reliable ,that when I am starting , I know exactly how many flips it takes to start it.

5 flips after fart. Or 1 flip after a flight and twenty minutes rest with no choke.


I hope your troubles get straightened out with the next airframe. Good Luck. Don't give up on this awesome engine.

[swatman260]

Ok, I think I changed the title of the thread, although I still feel the engine is to blame. I just don't think it should have quit running when it did. Maybe you are right Bosshoss..perhaps it was a little too in tune. I will say that like yours, it was definately reliable to start. 5 flips after the "pop" everytime.

[bosshoss]

Well good luck. I found tht if I tolerate the blurble, it is reliable as sin. Also, as far as the Super Cub goes, the four-stroking blurble sound makes it sound scale when going very slow , flaps down. I can fly it so slow that you can almost walk underneath her.


DA told me I could go with a 28 inch prop if I want her to turn slower ,also. I get 6250 on my Menz 27x10 . I run the Slimline Pitts w/angle output muffler. I love this motor, it is the perfect fit (after a lot of mods) to my Super Cub, It ain;t ever comin' off. The 94 Lanier Yak will have to wait unitl I buy another DA-85....and I will .

Ihave 15 gallons through her, almost all in the Super Cub. I run Bel-Ray MC-1. 50:1.

My only gripe , andit really isn;t a gripe, is that it is VERY light. So , while you are standing next to your tail heavy plane with lead ignots in your hand wondering where you are going to put them.....you curse at the motor....all while smiling.

Oh, 7 1/2 gallons after the base gasket change at DA and not a hint of leaking. A #1.

[swatman260]

I just really hope that they can find a cause of all this. I'm gonna have a hard time trusting it otherwise.

[bosshoss]

I have had the same feelings, let them check it out, and scrutinize everything.

Then , stick it in a different airframe and let it blurble.

[Sukhoi08]

	Quote: Originally Posted by bosshoss
	5 flips after fart.

LoL!! Nice technical starting term there, i may have to use that at the field with the holder. Wait till it farts.... ok two flips and we are going.

As to post, suscribed. I am thinking about buying this plane with the DA-85. After this I am thinking I may have to get the 120" QQ and a da 150 with dual greeves. That baby will purr i think.

I hope they find a reason, or you find it. It sucks not knowing why it went down, i know. There is good news, if the engine is good, all you need is the airframe and internal stuff.

[crhammond]

Sorry for your loss. It happens. I have had a few dead sticks this year after 2 seasons of none. On the plus side I don't panic any more when it happens and I have got better at them. Here are the causes (luckily all mine were landable / minor dings at worst)

On my 150 one side of the ignition shorted out - that was a heart stopping deadstick in my 40% 3W Extra. Probably the best landing ever (followed by a dizzy spell LOL.)

On one of my 100's a module quit all together - both sides
One time I ran out of fuel (idiot error)
Crashed that plane and DA turned the engine around in 2 days changing out wrist pins and clips (engine had 100 gallons on it) and put in new bearings due to crash damage. This engie has survived 3 crashes now and DA has fixed it up fast every time.

On my other 100 I had air entering the fill valve (always use a 3-line I guess I didn't take my own advice )
Then on the very next flight the ignition pack decided it was just too old and went to 0 volts - got lucky and landed in some tall hay a LONG way from the field in 30k winds.

DA fixed me up fast each time this year (2 ignitions, 1 repair.) Best service bar none. When everything is working DA's run about as flawless as you could want (at least the twins do - I have heard of some 85's with issues but I don't own one myself.) One of our local guys is on his 4th replacement DA85 - but then there are 3 or 4 others who have had 0 issues. One thing is for sure - they always provide great service and try to help you out.

You have to realize that it is 100% your responsability once you takle off. Nothing is guaranteed and you need to be aware that any flight can end badly no matter how careful you are. Stuff happens, normally in batches too when it comes to me You're just lucky if you know why. I'm sure DA will find out if there was anything wrong with the ignition, needle settings, carb bolts etc. There are just a LOT of things that can go wrong.

[swatman260]

I agree that it is my responsibility. I was fortunate that none of my electronics were damaged, and I've got a good rudder and canopy, should I decide to buy another one of these planes. I will say that while the plane was flying, it flew very nice. I was pretty excited while it lasted.

[Sukhoi08]

I dont own one dessert aircraft motor, but i think my new planes will have them. great service sounds like. If i was you swatman, id buy another 101 and give it another shot. I cant imagine how pissed you might be, but atleast you didnt really get to love it then it died.

[BTerry]

	Quote: Originally Posted by crhammond
	Crashed that plane and DA turned the engine around in 2 days changing out wrist pins and clips (engine had 100 gallons on it) and put in new bearings due to crash damage. This engie has survived 3 crashes now and DA has fixed it up fast every time. DA fixed me up fast each time this year (2 ignitions, 1 repair.) Best service bar none. When everything is working DA's run about as flawless as you could want (at least the twins do - I have heard of some 85's with issues but I don't own one myself.) One of our local guys is on his 4th replacement DA85 - but then there are 3 or 4 others who have had 0 issues. One thing is for sure - they always provide great service and try to help you out.

The fixed our DA 100 twice quickly, but we had to pay for a new ignition the first time, and the repair following crash damage when the plane was shot down (dude STILL hasn't paid for it, 3 years later) cost around $400. The first ignition still works (had a faulty plug) so I guess we have a backup.

Good customer service? Sure, but it was expensive. They are very knowledgeable and turn around the product quickly, and it is a very high-quality product. However, given the cost of the engine and the cost of the service, this is exactly what I expected to receive and would have been upset at anything less.

[The_Wreck]

I have personally know of 3 instances with optical kill systems causing deadsticks. One appeared to be the motor but we happen to see the red light blink several times during the flight ultimately killing the motor. If the cutout was short enough the motor just sputtered but did not quit.

[crhammond]

Those optical kills are a mixed blessing for sure. I have found that you need to hard mount them and/or be really sure the cable cant flex. If they move they may eventually fail because the cable flexes and the optical rx will lose the signal and kill the motor. If you're lucky it will just stutter - if not it will shut off.

I lost a Python this year and QQ gave me great service the get me a new one. I'm sure you'll find the same. That 101" is a very nice airplane. Try and keep moving on. I know I always lose a lot of momentum when crummy stuff happens.

The first time I had a crash with a DA 2 years back DA fixed my 100 for free. The couple of times since then there has been a charge - but nothing excessive IMO. The ignitions are a bit pricy though and I have thought about trying a C&H but really the one in my 150 was used and who knows how old it really was or how it had been treated and the one in my 100 had quite a lot of flights on it.

[swatman260]

That is something that I had not considered. The Smart-Fly system was working before and after the crash, so I'm just assuming it was working during the flight. I have wiggled all the wires and it never flickers, but I guess it could have in flight.. The reason that I suspect the ignition is because of how suddenly the motor quit. A bad kill switch would have the same results. I''m hoping for a definitive answer from DA without having to buy a new motor. Only time will tell at this point.

[Bobalew]

I've had several dead sticks with my 85. I couldn't stand the mid-range burble so I kept leaning the low end until it was gone. The motor ran great at this setting and had great throttle response, but out of the blue it would just die once in a while. At that point i richened up the low end about 1/8 of a turn and I have never had a dead stick since. So tuning could be a factor?