The very first thing to do is oil your engine with sewing machine or 3-IN-1 oil and re-lube after every 5th or 6th engine run. Next, balance your prop. Paint the light tip with white or black plastic paint to balance and to use later as a visual aid. Install the balanced prop on your engine, with the piston at “Bottom Dead Center” and the painted prop tip pointed downward. ALWAYS FILL your tank with the painted prop tip downward. The reason for this procedure is to help prevent loading the tank with the piston in an upward position, allowing the check ball valve to be open. If that should occur, the CO2 fill will blow out through the cylinder head and probably damaging all of the “O” rings in the engine.

When filling your tank, keep your charger pointed downward and the engine tank below the charger. This is one thing that is absolutely necessary if you want a good (liquid) charge. Under normal flying conditions and temperatures (USA), you cannot get a “full liquid” charge in a CO2 tank due to the physical properties of the gas itself. Under normal flying conditions and temperatures (USA), unless you cool and fill your tank properly, the charge is mostly in a gas form, resulting in a short run. Thus, the more liquid CO2 in the tank, the longer the run. The maximum a cooled tank can be filled with a liquid charge is about 65 to 70 percent of the total volume, i.e., a 5cc tank filled with a maximum liquid charge of 3 to 3.5cc's will be 3 to 3.5 grams heavier, than when empty. Liquid CO2 weighs about 1 gram per cc. The only sure way to know how much CO2 is in your tank is to weigh it. Three of the most common ways to cool tanks are: chill the tank in ice water; spray the tank with “Freeze It” electronic component coolant; or put a regular charge in the tank, start the engine, and while the engine is running, refill the tank until the tank and line frost up. The latter method requires a large filling tank and if not careful, can freeze up the engine. Ice water cooling recommended for most users. Adjust your engine's rpm (1400 to 2000 rpm), so that your model has a strong, but gradual climb. This phase of the operation will require experimentation and will change as the temperature changes.

Leaks are the “Achille Heel” of a CO2 system. The best way to check for leaks, is to submerge the entire CO2 setup in a large bowl of water, after filling the tank. Even the smallest leak will show up and the water will not harm the engine. For this reason and easier filling, you should have a engine mounting system that is removable. Hope this information will help make your CO2 experience more enjoyable.