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43 of 43 found the following review helpful:
 Wonderful model, puzzling flaws May 09, 2010
By Dan P. Ellis
"nathandaddy"
After reading the reviews, I ordered this with some trepidation, but I really wanted an educational model of an engine. I built it with my 8 year old son in a few hours, although I ended up doing more of the work. I found the pieces to be pretty good, and the process of screwing the screws into the plastic was a good compromise between ease of assembly and robustness of the resulting joins (but having a good-quality screwdriver of the right, small, size makes a big difference). The directions were adequate but a bit hard to follow at some points - it certainly helps if you have some idea how a real engine works so you can see what it's trying to do.
The puzzling part is that when we got it running, it was clear that the valve opening and spark firing made no sense. As reported elsewhere, it turned out we needed to resolder the wires to the electric motor in the opposite polarity to make the engine spin in the correct direction (fan spins clockwise when viewed from in front). That made the valve sequence more plausible, but I had to rotate the distributor cap far beyond the suggested range to make the spark plugs fire at close to the correct time. And after reversing the electric motor wires, the firing order became 1-2-4-3 (instead of the expected 1-3-4-2). However, this is a valid firing sequence, and it appears to be consistent with the cam assembly specified in the instructions. Perhaps the model was designed for a non-north-American firing order, but then someone decided to reverse the electric motor to get the "expected" firing order (at the cost of many other aspects)?
On balance, I still think the model is really good, and I probably learned more as a result of trying to puzzle out why it wasn't behaving the way I expected. However, I worry that kids all over the country will build it as specified, then spend ages trying to make sense of a model that, until modified, doesn't properly reflect 4-stroke operation.
23 of 23 found the following review helpful:
 Full scale Engine Builder Mar 18, 2010
By P. A. S. Lust
"Ford_Doctor"
My daughter needed this for a school project and I build full scale engines for a living. This was fun....BUT not for an EIGHT YEAR OLD to do! Predrilling many holes and tapping the casting for the screws was time consuming(really help overall quality). Using a hardened tip phillips screwdriver is A MUST! Also, using different types of lubricants really helped. Leave out the head gasket and you can see the funtioning motor much better, better lighting too.
Camshaft and rocker illustrations and the assembly directions don't agree. (I also write some auto-tech literature). Obviously written by someone who is non automotive technical.
Make sure mating surfaces are sanded smooth and lubricated. Bundle the wiring and paint some of the colored parts... it makes it look much nicer. GOOD LUCK!!!!
21 of 21 found the following review helpful:
How to fix it Jan 29, 2011
By SEMC
I'm not going to take the time to repeat all these valid complaints. There is a lot of talk here about what is wrong with the engine but not a whole lot on how to fix the problems. It's great that motor-heads are pointing out the technical problems and we thank them for it. But the common person wants straight to the point answers! That is what I will focus on here.
Lets start with the correct firing order for the US, 1-3-4-2 instead of 1-2-4-3.
You need to move the cams. Note that the "-" next to the letter is the direction the line on the cam will face. The directions call it a groove...it isn't a groove. While assembling this you will have the gear on the shaft in your left hand. Note I put some periods in there for spacing since Amazon doesn't allow multiple spaces.
(GEAR) -H -B .. D- C- .. F- -E .. G- -A (OPEN END OF SHAFT)
If you hold the rod flat side up:
H points away from you
B points towards you
D points up
C points down
F points down
E points up
G points towards you
A points away from you
Some cams are the same as the others so it is possible to move some letters around and still have the same result. However that is how I did it.
Correct the spark plug order so it fires when it is supposed to do it:
#1 plug goes to #1 cylinder.
#2 plug goes to #3 cylinder.
#3 plug goes to #2 cylinder.
#4 plug goes to #4 cylinder.
Fix the motor rotation (if needed).
As stated in previous posts you might need to reverse the wires on the motor. Do not remove the motor from the housing. Plug in the motor and look at the gear on it. If it spins counter-clockwise then it is good. If it spins clockwise then you need to reverse the wires. It will require soldering.
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
 Motor-(Doesn't)-Work Mar 06, 2010
By E. Karplus
This was a gift from a friend, their intentions were good but the gift turned out to be a big disappointment. The toy has tremendous potential as it does show many of the features of an internal combustion engine, and has a nice tutorial in the manual. My son had no trouble following the instructions, although there were errors in the manual about the camshaft alignment we were able to figure out the correct way to set things up. However, from the beginning it was clear that this toy was made from very poor plastic castings and was not likely to run smoothly. In spite of multiple efforts to fix the poorly made parts and make them work properly, the motor still jammed every time it went around and after only a few turns the electric motor started to overheat and burn out. So the net result was a pretty big disappointment, now we have a plastic model that doesn't run unless you crank it by hand. I build electrical and mechanical components for scientific research equipment and feel confident that it was not for lack of skill or understanding that we had trouble with this toy, I would not recommend it to anyone who expects to have a running model when they are done working on it for a few hours! The box says 'Smithsonian Institution' but in the fine print says it was from National Science Industries, Ltd. and directs you to [...]. We have not been able to get to that web site.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Excellent for the 10-year old gear head Jan 06, 2011
By Cat
We bought this for Christmas -- with some trepidation -- for a 10-year old boy who loves, LOVES cars and airplanes and won't stop asking how the engines work. Now he knows.
Based on the other reviews, I imagined a frustrating, time-consuming, parent-intensive project, but ultimately, a visible model engine. When my son started the project late one evening, scattering parts across the living room floor, I feared days (months?) of clutter, small parts underfoot, and ultimately, abandonment.
That was two evenings ago. I can now report that the project is finished, and it works well. All by himself, with NO parental involvement, in a few hours after school and after his homework, my son has a completed sparking, turning in-line four.
For a child who has no passionate urge to build an engine, I am sure this is a difficult project. For a 10-year old with some mechanical ability, a screwdriver, and an intense interest in engines, it's a snap. And as the parent of such a child, a no-brainer of a gift! For such a child, I definitely recommend it.
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