Combustion Engines Don't Work

[iamchairs]

I can't figure out if I'm doing something wrong or if it's bugged.

So I'm trying to make an oil rig to pump oil from a gyser. I put a pump just above the gyser and I'm going to pump it to some tanks. I also want to pump some of it to a refinery and pump that to my engines so the rig works autonomously.

The pump

I've got wooden waterproof pipes connected to the pump and cobblestone waterproof pipes going from the pump to the tank and the refinery.

It's connected to a stone conductive pipe.

The refinery

I've got a wooden waterproof pipe connected to the refinery (opposite the pipe connecting to the pump) and cobblestone waterproof pipes connecting to each engine and a tank on the side so the excess fuel goes to the tank. It's connected to a stone conductive pipe. There is also a redstone engine connected to the wooden waterproof pipe (I guess I need this to pump the fuel out of the refinery)

The engines

I've got 3 combustion engines all on switches to turn on and off. They are connected to a wooden conductive pipes and the wooden conductive pipes are connected to stone conductive pipes going to the pump and the refinery.

When I turn the engines on they are inconsistent in their behavior.

1. Sometimes they start moving but no electricity flows.

2. Sometimes they don't move at all, no electricity flows, but after a while they start heating up and I turn them off.

3. Sometimes they start moving and one starts conducting electricity. I usually have to remove all the conductive pipes and put them back in in the same configuration to get them all to conduct electricity.

I've considered they may be working but it's a graphical bug- however if I leave it for going for a while (nothing moves) they will all heat up and my fuel tank doesn't get any fuller.

What on earth is going on?

In the screenshot the pump is gone because I'm just trying to debug this one piece.

[iamchairs]

Have Fuel

Has oil. Connections look good.

[watiu]

I often have a similar problem. Everything is correct, the engine has fuel and water being pumped to it, but the pipes just don't do anything. No electricity flows. It seems completely random at times. I usually need to destroy all the pipes (luckily it's not very long) and when I replace them, it all decides to work. Only to load the game up and have them not work again. I try to avoid Buildcraft because of this.

[plowmanplow]

The problem with conductive pipes is a know issue with the version of BC included in Tekkit 1.0.6. You would likely be much better off just upgrading to 1.1.5 (RC) since it seems pretty stable. Additionally, once you are advanced enough to makes pumps, combustion engines, etc. you should abandon BC pipes all together and switch to Thermal Expansion's Redstone Energy Conduits and Liquiducts. They only require 2 machines and a small bit of power to make and are not all that expensive.

[Ironmoose]

what plowman said. BC waterproof pipes and conductive pipes are so buggy as to be unusable atm

[plowmanplow]

what plowman said. BC waterproof pipes and conductive pipes are so buggy as to be unusable atm

well, that, and the fact that they suck syphilitic monkey arse compared to Thermal Expansion transport mechanisms.

[Madzai]

well, that, and the fact that they suck syphilitic monkey arse compared to Thermal Expansion transport mechanisms.

But TE mechanisms are't cheap. It's not starting tool. Same goes for almost everything in Tekkit. A lot of basic stuff is buggy(tnx, BC) or nonexistent(no cheap alternative to PRC, no simple timers? seriously?). And to start working with advanced stuff like LP, AE, biofuel, Galacticaft stuff you need at least basic working sorting system, or it quickly escalate into logistic nightmare, but it's kinda hard to make with only BC stuff. It feels like there is a gaping hole between the most basic stuff and "high-end" stuff.

[Shoe]

Just out of curiosity, try replacing your conductive stone pipes with conductive gold. I can't for the life of me remember what it was but I had something which refused to work without gold pipes and I've never had a problem with them.

It feels like there is a gaping hole between the most basic stuff and "high-end" stuff.

I've said that before and entirely agree. "Use redstone conduits" isn't realistic advice for someone trying to power their first pulveriser/furnace setup.

[plowmanplow]

I've said that before and entirely agree. "Use redstone conduits" isn't realistic advice for someone trying to power their first pulveriser/furnace setup.

Every "new" TekkitLite and TekkitMain map I've started like this:

• Go mine for some goodies
  
• Make an AE Grinder
  
• Make furnace
  
• Grind/cook just enough stuff to make 3 steam engines, a few pieces of conductive pipe, water pump pipe and a couple TE machines
  
• Hook up machines, pulverize/cook/smelt the rest of my goodies and never make another BC pipe again
  

This is not "end" or even "mid" game stuff. Even tesseracts are relatively easy to get early on if you use your minium stone.

[Teraku]

But TE mechanisms are't cheap. It's not starting tool. Same goes for almost everything in Tekkit. A lot of basic stuff is buggy(tnx, BC) or nonexistent(no cheap alternative to PRC, no simple timers? seriously?). And to start working with advanced stuff like LP, AE, biofuel, Galacticaft stuff you need at least basic working sorting system, or it quickly escalate into logistic nightmare, but it's kinda hard to make with only BC stuff. It feels like there is a gaping hole between the most basic stuff and "high-end" stuff.

Tekkit now has a small mod made by sct, called Simple Power Systems. It features a makeshift battery box, as a low-end replacement for the Redstone Energy Cell. KingLemming was also working on a cheaper alternative to the Redstone Energy Conduit.

It's being worked on, just be patient.

[Madzai]

Tekkit now has a small mod made by sct, called Simple Power Systems. It features a makeshift battery box, as a low-end replacement for the Redstone Energy Cell.

I'm using RC of Tekkit right now. SPS looks promising but it's bugged yet (some weird things like negative MJ values... or BC pipes to blame... again) and it's kinda illogical to lose Makeshift upgrades every time you move battery.

KingLemming was also working on a cheaper alternative to the Redstone Energy Conduit.

It's just great. Bugged conductive pipes makes my head ache.

It's being worked on, just be patient.

I'm not asking for anything, i'm grateful for that we already have in Tekkit and all hard work modders done to release new version of Tekkit. But i just have a feeling what BC isn't the best mod for a start with all it's everlasting bugs...

[Dewfire]

Starting off I honestly just found it easier to put a Steam engine directly on each machine with a lever to turn it on as needed until I was able to make 10-12 Energy Conduits. I completely avoid the conductive pipes.

[plowmanplow]

BC Gates are another item that "looks" expensive, but really isn't once you factor in the minium stone. Sure making gates with one laser is SLOOOOW, but they are amazingly useful for reducing your resource usage for power before you have an overabundance of coal/lava/charcoal/biofuel.

[TokiWartooth]

I did all of my midgame with engines attached directly to devices, until I could afford conduit, as bc conductive pipes have never worked properly for me, and early game your power needs are generally small anyway, you don't really need a network to replace.

Early game should be all by hand anyway and AE's hand grinder is really nice for facilitating that.