Alpha Plus .21 5 port

Since may 2009 we saw the first announcements of a new engine brand on the WorldWideWeb.
The brand name Alpha Plus was unknown to us and we were curious where it came from.
We found out that Alpha Plus is originated in TAIWAN and we contacted Marina Huang the PR lady at Alpha Plus to get some more information.

She told us the designer and founder of Alpha Plus is the former designer of the GO engines.
Mr. Liu has a lot of knowledge about building engines.
So if you see some things that might look the same then your correct.
However the engines external and internally differ and are not made in the same factory.

One main things Alpha Plus tries to achieve as new brand name is to offer reliable and well performing engines at a low price tag.

Currently Alpha Plus offers car engines but their website also has a boat and a helicopter section for the near future.
But what about this 5 port engine we review here.
Beside the .21 (3.5 ccmm) 5 port engine there are also a 7 port .21 and a 5 port .28 engine in the program all equipped with turbo heads.

Some things that caugth or eyes when we received the engines are:

* Nicely packed and airtight sealed.
* Carburator for buggy and truggy use design with idle speed needle at correct side.
* Three air inlet venturies as standard.

We missed the user manual as these engines were one of the first shipments.
But you can download it here.

We will see and first unpack and check the engine visually.

* The real engine performance and fuel economy can not be judged by looking at it.

What we think of it?

Paco Raap

BREAKING IN THE ALPHA PLUS 21BT5PA (F850)

We were waiting, after a winter with a lot of snow, for a nice day to break in the ALPHA PLUS 21BT5PA (F850) engine.
14 degrees Celsius and the sun was shining. Finally the summer is coming!
Headed to our home track MVW Purmerend.

Some other statistics:

Tornado 25% nitro fuel
EFRA 2062 HongNor muffler
OS MAX P3 glowplug.
JVD clutch with 4 x 1.0 mm springs
HongNor X2 CR Buggy
Xceed Stardust C1 tyres
HongNor airfilter

We used the paintstripper (carefully) to heat up the engine to a solid 90 degrees Celsius.
Pressed the engine on the starterbox and the engine immediately fired up. There came enough smoke and oil out of the exhaust.
No need adjusting the needles so far. Meanwhile the engine ran at a steady idle speed.
We wanted to run one full tank of 125 cc at idle speed, and after 20 min. the engine stops. We let cool down the engine with the piston in the bottom of the sleeve.
After 15 min. waiting we refueled the tank and heating up the engine again. Started the engine, and let the car on the track for his first laps with a rich needle setting. No high revving but just moderate revs.
The engine temperature was between 100 and 115 degrees celsius measured at the glowplug during this first break in.
We repeated this heat cycling for another 7 tanks of fuel.

Then it was time to see how the engine performed when we started to tune it to near race speed.
The needles on the carburator are easily to turn and the engine responds nicely on the adjustments made.
We used another 3 tanks of fuel and slowly got near the race tune.
Engine temps around 115 to 120 degrees Celsius measure at the glowplug.

A week later we want to see how the engine runs on a race adjustment. But at the first run of the day, suddenly the engine stalls without any reason after 3 min.! After inspection of the engine, the glowplug was dead. I decided to place an extra 0.1 mm shim under the head, and of course a new glowplug. After placing the shim under the head, the engine gives no problems anymore!

Our first opinion of the Alpha 21BT5PA (F850) engine at race speed is:
Smooth running engine with a good balance of bottom power and topspeed!

We'll keep you informed about the long term performance of this engine during the 2010 season.

PERFORMANCE

During the break in period, the ALPHA PLUS 21BT5PA (F850) engine gives the TWF8 test team a good feeling over the speed and reliability! We build the engine in the Hong Nor X2 crb racing buggy for his first race. But before the engine was started it tokes a while. The piston was stil clamping in the sleeve! After heating up the engine with the paintstripper (carefull), the engine starts without any problem. The rest of the day the engine runs fine.

The ALPHA PLUS 21BT5PA (F850) engine runs fine for 3 races without any problem.

Including races and testing the car, we used for aprox. 8 liters of fuel, as suddenly the engine sounds not so well as before. Also the engine flames out a couple of times for no reason. This was a new situation we did not expect, because it came suddenly.
After inspection of the engine, we found out that the conrod bearing on the crank-shaft side shows some play!
We send the Alpha factory an e-mail with our experiance so far. They respond with an explanation that they are working on that, and they send us new conrods.
After replacing the conrod in the ALPHA PLUS 21BT5PA (F850) engine, it runs fine again!
Up to the next race!

Fred Steenman

Finally the 8th and last race for the Dutch Nationals Buggycup. For me it was just the 3th race of the year due health problems. I had run the first 2 cup races but had let go the next 5 races.

Saturday, the first of October, I arrived around noon at Waterland racetrack of MVW in Purmerend, Holland. For me it was a half year ago when I had a transmitter in my hands, so I definitely need some practice! After some laps on a wet and slippery track, trying to get back the feeling with my car.

Later in the afternoon the track was drying and my lap times were decreasing! After 70 laps of practice I found a good setup for the car and I was driving like before. Very happy with the car and engine.

Sunday morning, a very early rise and direction to the MVW track. As expected the track was quite humid.

For the start of my first heat of the day, my engine will not fire up! Very odd, because Saturday the engine was running fine. Quickly changed the glow plug and the engine was running again.

At 10.00 hours started my first qualifying heat and it was again searching for grip. It results in the 19th fastest time so far. After the 2th and 3th heat I could not improve my first result.
Unfortunately many other cars were faster in qualifying after 3 heats, so I dropped to place 34 overall, not such a good result!
Luckily I‘m not a qualifier but I'm a racer! So I trusted on that. Starting in the 1/8th B final on spot 5! The start was ok and after a clean race, with one extra tank stop, I finished in second place behind Matthijs Jansen, earning a spot in the 1/4th B final.

For the start of my next final, the engine will not fire up again, installed again a new glow plug and the engine fires up! Did even hear a strange sound from the engine, but no time for engine change. With a little fear if the engine will keep running, the race started.

From the 8th spot with a super drive to the 2th spot on 6 sec. behind Matthijs Jansen, suddenly my engine was losing power! This happened in the last 5 minutes, and became progressively worse. The last laps I was keep full throttle and even then the car went just over the hills. In the last minute of the race the engine stalls! No ½ final I thought. But I had enough laps for finishing on the 4th spot and placed myself in the ½ final! Great!

I had to change the flywheel, clutch, muffler and engine mounts to my spare engine. Change-over the flywheel gives me a lot of stress so I lost valuable time.

Then Fred Steenman offered me his Alpha Plus F850 engine, which was nearly complete, just had to transfer clutch bell from 14 to 13 teeth.
Paco Raap offered to help as time was running out, and I was to stressful.
Finally the Alpha Plus F850 engine mounted on my Kyosho mp9 and I was just in time to start from the pits at last.
The first meters once a good feeling, and what a bottom power!

Unfortunately, we had no time to test the brakes, which was not working! I had no brakes.
After some adjustments on my transmitter, the brake balance was fine again.
Then I had at least the first 10 minutes to get used to the Alpha Plus F850 engine, as this engine has much more power than my old engine.
After these 10 minutes I got the motor and it went a bit better, unfortunately a lot of time lost and the top 5 was
long gone. By a mistake of my pit buddy I had to drive the last 9.5 minutes on one fuel tank, but this was also not a problem.
Still ultimately drive to the 7th spot, and no final race! If I had that engine all day…….. but that's racing.

Many thanks to Fred and Paco for their help and providing me the Alpha Plus F850 engine.
After the race I was very impressed by the engine and did not actually return him, but keep him J .

Fred and Paco once again: many thanks for everything and Alpha for the super engine,

Floor Beekman.

	We received the engine 07-10-2009 from Alpha Plus from Taiwan.
	The engine and all parts in a nice box.
	The contents of the box.
	The Flashy Alpha Plus decals included.
	The exploded view of the engine and spare parts.

THE ENGINE
	The engine is nicely packed in an airtight plastic bag. So no debries can enter the engine during shipping
	The engine viewed from the rear. The crank case is black anodized not for the bling factor but for reducing the engine temperature. All holes are factory covered by rubber sockets.
	The engine viewed from the front side. All holes are factory covered by rubber sockets.
	The engine viewed from the right hand side. All holes are factory covered by rubber sockets.
	The engine viewed from the left hand side. All holes are factory covered by rubber sockets.
	The carburator intake has one O-ring at the bottom of the crankcase inlet. An extra O-ring at the neck of the carburator ensures an air leak free mounting without using any extra sealing materials. The carburator can accept different colored and coded venturies. 7.0 - 8.0 - 9.0 mm come standard with this engine so you can alter the power and torque charateristics. The idle screw is at the correct side of the carburator for easy buggy and truggy usage.
	The rear cover has no special treatments and is airthight by the use of one O-ring. Do not forgrt to put the piston in the highest postion when you remove the rear cover!
	The seperate head button is ready for accepting TURBO plugs. There is no glowplug with the engine how ever Alpha Plus has them available in the program. I case you cant lay your hand on the original ones you can use OS MAX P3 and P4 plugs too. An optional head button for STANDARD plugs is available too. The head button as it came on the engine with 2 x cupper head shim washers. The extra head shim washer is not displayed in this picture.
	The rear cover removed and the first look at the internals. Do not forget to put the piston in the highest postion when you remove the rear cover! Everything nicely oiled from the factory.
	This engine is equipped with an ABC engine piston liner set.. The (B)ronze liner is a 5 port design with two extra bypass ports in combination with the (A)luminium piston. The brass liner has a (C)hromed layer that is lapped and rectified. Lapping is making 45 degrees angles scratches on the chrome surface that will enhance lubrification and sealing. A small groove assures a correct placing in the cranckcase and prevents rotation of the liner. The head is fixed with a 4 bolt pattern using hexagon screws using a 2.5 mm hexagon tool.
	The left hand side of the liner. Clearly visible the tear drop cut outs.
	The exhaust port with some moderate cut outs in the top corner.
	The right hand side of the liner. Clearly visible the tear drop cut outs.
	The aluminum piston with asymetric bottom skirt. Two oil grooves in the top of the piston. Top surface is flat no extra domes or whatever. The connection rod is knife shaped and has one oil hole for lubricating the cranckpin. One hole of the large +2 bypass ports clearly visible.
	Lightend by many holes the head is light but has enough cooling charateristics. Alpha Plus brand and type logo are laser edged in the top of the cooling head.
	The 14 mm cranck shaft has a small TURBO cut out and the leading edge of the counterweigth is made in a cutting flow design. No extra counterweight or balance inserts. The carburator entry is square and there are no putties used to flow the cranckshaft. No special treatments of the crank pin.
	The two piece carburator neck clamp. No small O-rings to seal them.
	The extra webbing and the heating ribs at the bottom of the engines in combination with the black anodizing are there to lower the working temperature of the engine.
	All the parts of the .21 5- port engine.

THE CARBURATOR
	The carburator is a 2 needle composite design with a metal throat.
	The idle screw is fitted at the correct side for buggy and truggy cars.
	It accepts venturi inserts to change the general air intake from 6 to 9 mm. Venturies with 12,75 to 13 mm diameter can be used.
	It accepts venturi inserts to change the general air intake from 7 to 9 mm. This engine comes with a all 3 color coded venturies available 7.0 - 8.0 - 9.0 mm insert as standard. Venturi measurements: Outerdiamter 12,75 mm - 13 mm
	In case you are looking for those figures.....
	In case you are looking for those figures.....
	In case you are looking for those figures.....

	The engine at first sigth is nicely machined and no debries or metal parts from the production process were found. Also the neatly looking and machined composite carburator has the idle screw at the correct side for use in truggy and buggy cars. Also the standard three venturies are a nice feature.
comment by

J	The first impression of this engine out of the box is OK.
J	Parts and engine are nicely machined and assembled.
J	The carburator is a good design with the idle screw at the correct side of the carburator neck.