Big-Chris

Just got one off a mates mate. It wont start, only slutters, what I am doing wrong, could someone give me the correct procudure for starting it, not got a clue.

Pody

mj

remove the glowplug and place it in the battery starter- check it glows bright orange.

check the fuel pipe that runs between the exhaust and the fuel tank is not blocked or full of oil. this pipe puts a posetive pressure into the fuel tank to feed the carbs when the engine is running. also very importly, you need to make sure the carbs are primed before attempting to start the car - you can do this three ways, but whichever you use don't overdoo it as too much fuel will cause "hydraulicing" in the crankcase and you can damage the starting mechanism or snap the conrod ( if it starts locking up, remove the gowplug and give the starter a couple of pulls with the car upside down):

1. check the fuel tank for a small priming button. if you have one press it repeatedly till you see fuel entering the carbs
2. take the pipe of the silencer and blow down it untill you see fuel entering the carbs.
3. put your thumb over the exhaust outlet and pull the starter about 3 or 4 times - this hasd the same effect as blowing, as all the compressed gas from the engine will pressurise the fuel tank.

also check the rubber o-ring on the tank lid is clean and intact - if this knackered your tank will not pressurise enough to feed the carb.

how old is the fuel - it doesnt last forever.

check compression - is it nice and notcy a TDC?

check the air filter is clean and oiled.

check the carb position when starting - 2-3mm open is usually enough.

if you have no compression check the head / heatsink is tightened down, and also check the copper washer that seals the glowplug in.

is it a pull / drill start start? if so you will find there is a one way bearing connecting the cog of the start mechanism to the crankshaft - check this has not become oiled up to the point is slips on the shaft.

find the make and model of engine and search the net for the reccommended carb settings. I have found the forums on www.radiocontrolzone.com to be pretty good.




post up the make and model of the car.this will give us a better idea.

did you see it running before you bought it??

dhorwich

just bought one of these today and getting it delivered on monday....

Any tips or hints about them... i.e what fuel do i use and where can i get it...???

this is the one i bought..

Focus RS..! they didnt have an impreza..! it was only £179..! everywhere else on the net was £250.

my new nitro R/C car

Dan


[Edited by dhorwich - 1/18/2003 7:40:35 PM]

dhorwich

found some info here

Dan

mj

get some model technics 5% for running in, 1 liter is enough, make sure it runs rich and smokey.

when thats gone get some 20% blue thunder and lean the engine off its - a trial and error process, always make sure there is some smoke at full chat - and let battle commence

if you look round on the net there is the spit test - basically gob on the heatsink and count the time before it dries, i cant remember how long though - its a crude way of checking the engine temoperature.

some of the lads i know like to let the engine cool down before refilling - but i find it easier to top up while the engine is still running, not done mine any harm.

ps,

when running in i do this :

1 st tank - just over idle. bodyshell off and the car off the ground

2nd tank - not over half throttle - bodyshell off car on the ground and moving

3rd tank - keep it under full throttle.bodyshell off

4th tank - its all yours - but make sure it's still rich

5th tank - use full throttle.

6th tank - lean off a tadger if required.


do not run the car at full throttle with the wheels off the ground for more than a couple of seconds, at any stage.

remember to go easy the first few taks, its very tempting to see what it will do, but there is nothing worse than tw@tting your new toy with the shell off.

make sure you check your radio range - i spent nearly £600 sheets a while back on a 1/5 th scale 22cc car and did not do this - very annoying when the new pride&joy hits the kerb at 40+ and bends the chassis on its maiden voyage.



[Edited by mj - 1/18/2003 8:13:40 PM]

dhorwich

This sound as though its off to be fun...!!!! the scoob will be put on the back seat for a bit..!! how is the mixture adjusted..??

Thanks for the info..!!!!

Just one last thing i dont know to much about R/C cars but is the one ive bought ok as an entry level car..??


Dan

[Edited by dhorwich - 1/18/2003 8:17:02 PM]

Big-Chris

Not sure of the make, hopefully there will be some pics at the end of the post. It is a 1/10 scale 4wd. Motor(the part where you pull the starter) has these numbers on it TIWAN85452, USA5322040, also where the airfiler is it has these details, V15.
There are two screws next to the airfilter, are these to do with the mixture?

All pipes look to be connected ok and there is no oil, just fuel.
Guy I bought it from gave me this fuel that came with it and said it has to be run in with this stuff, its hardly been used. (I never seen it in use but he is ok). I have got it to move about 10feet but then it cut out.
I also noticed that it is a bit tight when pulling the starter lead, this normal?

Should be going to a local meet tommorow, need to get a wee bit of practice in, dont want to look like a right knumpty!!






Pody

mj

I'm not sure what model it but it looks in good nick - how much did you pay?

it may be a thunder tiger,or protech, you should ditch the tyres they look too hard a compound.

to lean it off you turn IN the small slotted screw in the brass sleve by the air filter - do it 1/8th of a turn at a time.if you are going to a meet let someone there help you out.

it should motor on though - it has a 2 speed.

the priming pump is just behind the tank lid

Big-Chris

Cheeres mate, paid 50 quid and my old nokia 8310 that he had been after, also gave me about 6 shells, all painted and still to be cut out, and a massive bottle of fuel!

Only had to go buy a Glow starter, got a rechargable HPI one, any good?

Pody

SecretAgentMan

That does look like an older HPI RS4, but in very good condition!
I second the glow plug (get some new ones in the proper heat ranges - the hobby store would know what to do).



/J - trying desperate NOT to get drawn back into RC.

AceCobra1

Hi man,

I got a HPI RS4 Nitro 3 Type SS. Got a Wasp .12 drone and can't bloody start it !! Annoying as hell... Checked everything...

Plug Glowing

No fuel leakage

Using Dynaglow 10

No flooding in engine

3 turn @ high needle 3 turns @ low needle and 1 turn at idle...

Doesn't do anything !! I Managed to start the car about 5 times but it last no longer than 5 seconds each time :P Annoying...

Primmed it until fuel clearly enters cab. Cab. opened about 2 mm...

What is wrong do you think ?

Hiya Dan. I was actually thinking of getting the car you bought off ebay myself ! I don't think I am going to get it as I just bought this car which cost me a bomb :P £300 from ebay as well... bad choice... mine is not for a beginner and look at me having ****loads of problems !

The kit you bought is indeed a beginners kit. You will need a lot of hopups to make it go quite fast I think. Not sure what top speed it has but the engine I have has 1.25 hp and 34,000 RPM Good enough for me ! Top speed around 55 - 60 mph so I am going to race my friend who is going to be driving his real car sometime

Hope ya enjoy ur kit and have no problems like me :P

Anyone can help ?

Cheers,
Terence.

mj

ace

try keeping the glow starter on for a bit longer - you might have the wrong plug in. lots of the lads i see keep the starter on for 20-30 seconds till the engine has warmed slightly.

check the tank holds pressure - it sounds like the five seconds you are getting may be the fuel in the carb / line -

take the fuel pipe of the carb and pinch / block the end. take the fuel pipe off the silencer and blow down it - see what happens.

Badger Stuffer

I'm thinking of buying a RC but want a petrol one and would preffer a off road version as there is loads of places round here to go.

Does anyone know any sites with cars and prices?

Cheers in advance....

beemerboy

Erm, i think you'll find its better to run your car in with the same fuel as you'll be using full-time!!!

We use Model Technics Dyna Glow / and Dura Glow 16%

Run it rich (smokey on idle for a full tank)
then run it round a car park varying the throttle between idle and 3/4 power for another couple of tankfulls.

let the car cool down for 10 minutes and then run it again, varying the power for abnother couple of tankfulls.

that should do it, depending on the engine, on a new car, the needle valve should be open by about 2.5 turns (but check the handbook)

dont wind this needle in too much or your **** te engine up.
(believe me, i've done a few myself!!)

look aftre your car and regularly check screws etc for tightness, a good drop of threadlock is a must on all mounting screws and engine mounts!!!

good luck

BB

[Edited by beemerboy - 1/21/2003 12:55:10 PM]

mj

jase,

everyone's going RC mad - new forum required?

if i were you I'd get a car with a subaru bodyshell, and make sure you keep it away from any lakes

beemerboy

Just to back up my point, see below
taken from model technics themselves!!

Nitro
Nitro Methane (CH3NO2) is what gives you extra speed. We recommend no less than 10% Nitro for model cars. The higher the percentage of Nitro, the faster your model will go

Badger Stuffer

LOL @ MJ

I want a off road one as there is miles and miles of Army common here to play on.

I found This and I am seriously thinking about getting it.

Will it be any different if ordered from the states. Will I have trouble getting parts, etc?

Badger Stuffer

OMG

beemerboy

ace, are you using MT quickfire fuel.

see below

QUICKFIRE
QUICKFIRE is a fuel specially formulated for pull start engines. Pull-starting is a very convenient way to start an engine, but many modellers experience problems in getting the engine to run. This is mostly due to the difficulty with pull-start engines of sensing whether the mixture in the cylinder is too rich or too lean. Model Technics have combated this difficulty with QWIKFIRE Fuel which opens up the explosive limits at both the rich and lean ends. This gives the modeller the best possible chance of a quick and easy start. This quick starting has not been achieved at the expense of power. QWIKFIRE Fuels have been optimised for both high power and easy starting. Contains 13% EDL and 5% Castor.

Failing that the carb seals could be worn, check you have a washer under the glowplug, make sure filter is clean (wash it in fuel) and oil it.
make sure you aren't using old fuel!!

mj

jase,

some truck vids

Badger Stuffer

mj

new toy alert !!!, look for the triton Vs victory clip - fekin rapid.

beemerboy

Mmmm boats....
Not tried any yet but i guess would have to smoke and make noise!!! at the very least!!!!

dw

...dont get me tempted!! (got to buy the wife a new dishwasher, this month!!) boohoo!!

BB

sillysi

I allways take the air filter off and squirt a bit of fuel into the carbs before the first fire-up of the day, works for me.

Si.

mj

I've already succome to the temptation, cars are aa mint crack - but the boat in the clip looks quicker than a my fusion - and i thought that was quick.

dhorwich

mj,

Just got my car going today but having a few problems...

I can get the car started but as soon as i take the glow starter out it stops, it didnt do this the first time i started it last night but now when i try it stalls.. i leave the glow starter on for as long as possible but if i remove i stops..

Also the car now only runs when the pipe from the exhaust to the fuel tank is disconected..??? this cant be right...

I am using dynaglow 10% fuel.. its a pull start car.

Also do they make a mess..?? as there seems to be like oily stuff coming from the exhaust and dripping out, am i damaging the engine or something... I thought this was going to be easy with it being a ready set...

Plus the engine doesnt weem to be getting that hot...

Dan

[Edited by dhorwich - 25/01/2003 11:23:16]

mj

i could only think its running mega rich - try turning in the screw in brass sleve in (clockwise ) 1/8th of a turn at a time - make sure you still keep some smoke coming out of the exhaust though.

as for pipe between the exhaust and tank, dunno it seems odd.

dhorwich

mj,

Got it going in the end after warming it up with a hair dryer.... does cold weather affect the idle, as it seem to idle high even if i unscrew the idle adjustment right out it still ticks over high..??

There was smoke, so thats ok...

Im getting a bit pi**ed if with having to charge the glow plug up for 14hours, is there any quicker chargers than this...

Plus when i first got it going early today, when i pulled back on the accelerator it would stop but the engine would stay running, but now it stalls when i do it... any ideas..??

Thanks in advance...

Dan

mj

dan, yhm.

big chris, some stuff i found on http://www.nitrorc.com/ that may be of help.

Glow Engine Tuning Basics
by Matthew Parrish

Understanding Your Engine
The first and foremost consideration when attempting to tune your glow engine is understanding the basic parts and their functions. By understanding the fundamentals, you can better tune your engine for maximum performance while at the same time, expanding the life of your engine.

Carburetor

The carburetor is the mechanism that mixes fuel and air in very specific proportions and passes it on to the engine through the vacuum intake. The natural operation of the engines causes of flow of gases to pass through the engine (through the carburetor) and out the exhaust manifold and on to the pipe or muffler. The exact mechanism for this is unimportant for the scope of this tutorial, however it is important to realize that air and fuel pass into the engine by this vacuum method. Depending on how you adjust your carburetor, you can either adjust how much of this gas/air mixture reaches the engine and to what proportion of gas to air passes on to the engine. By reducing the amount of fuel per volume of air, you are making the mixture "lean" and by increasing the amount of fuel, you are making the mixture "rich".


The two types of carburetors are slide and barrel. The old-style barrel carburetors still dominate the market because of their simplicity in design and because of the tendency for designers to hang on to legacy design. These have been around since the beginning of glow-fuel planes. They control gas/air flow by rotating a barrel with a hole cut in either side that allows varying amounts of gas/air mixture to flow through the carburetor as the hole opening enlarges to the venturi (air shaft down the center of the carb body).


Idle-Speed Adjustment
This is the most basic and easy to understand part of tuning your carburetor. This spring-tensioned screw limits the closure of the barrel aperture. Although this doesn't affect the mixture of the fuel it does affect the idle speed. The more closed the aperture is, the slower the idle, the larger the aperture, the faster. As you close this aperture up and the idle speed decreases, you will eventually (sooner than later) stall the engine out. In order for the engine to run, it must have enough inertial energy built up in the engine and flywheel to carry it through the entire ignition cycle. Generally speaking, you want to adjust this down to the slowest idle, just before it begins to stall.


Low-End Mixture Adjustment
This adjusts the fuel mixture at or near idle. Some engines lack this low-end mixture valve for reasons of simplicity, however this makes accurate tuning difficult.


For barrel carbs, this mixture valve is generally found where the throttle-arm pivots. Some are countersunk, others are clearly visible from the outside. On slide carbs, they are generally found on the opposite side of the carb from the throttle slide shaft (has an accordion billow type rubber boot over it) next to, but below the fuel-inlet and high-end mixture valve.


High-End Mixture Adjustment
Also known as the Main Needle adjustment, this is the primary fuel mixture adjustment. This is generally found on the top end of the engine, typically next to where the fuel line goes into the engine. Some are flat-head screws like the low-end mixture, others are hand adjustable valves.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuning Basics


It's important to understand that there is a reputation for glow-engines to be difficult to tune. This is a common error in thinking. With a little bit of know-how, tuning a glow engine can really be a simple, pain-free process. People that don't properly understand the basics can easily become frustrated by what should be a simple, straightforward process. Here's how you do it:

Dialing it In

For the purpose of this tutorial we are going to make some basic assumptions. First, we're going to assume that the rest of your car or truck is properly functioning and that you have everything ready to go. Second, we're going to assume that you are able to start your engine and that it at least runs for a second or so.

The first place to start with dialing in your engine is to make sure that you have your idle-speed properly adjusted. Your engine manual should give you specific instructions on setting the aperture gap to the minimum size. It's important that we get this resolved before continuing on. If your engine can't get enough air/gas flow then it won't start/run. A clockwise rotation opens the aperture and increases the idle RPMs, a counterclockwise slows it down.


Second, you should tune the low-end mixture valve. This is done before the high-end (main needle) adjustment because an improperly adjusted low-end can affect the high-end performance. Like most mixture valves, clockwise rotation will "lean" the mixture and a counterclockwise will "richen" the mixture.

To determine whether the low-end mixture requires tuning, allow the engine to warm up completely, and then allow it to idle, uninterrupted for one full minute. If the engine continues to run after the minute is up then your low-end mixture is correct and you're ready for the high-end adjustment. If it dies on you then there are two possibilities; either you are running too rich or too lean. To determine which is the case you must listen for how the engine dies in its idle test.

If the engine's RPM's rev up at the last second and then the engine dies than you are running too lean. To correct this, turn the low-end mixture screw counterclockwise (out) 1/8 of a turn (always make adjustments in 1/8 turn) and retry the idle test.

If, on the other hand, it begins to wind down and you notice a change in how the exhaust sounds in the last few seconds, then your engine is running too rich. To correct this, turn the low-end mixture screw clockwise (in) 1/8 of a turn and then retry the idle test.

Once you have passed the idle test and are able to idle for one full minute (after first warming the engine up, of course) you are ready to continue on. You may have to repeat the above process a few times until it is properly set. Remember, only adjust the screw 1/8 of a turn. It's far too easy to go too far with the adjustment. Setting changes don't always take effect immediately. You may have to run your engine for a few minutes for the full effect to take place.

Now that you have dialed in your low end, any carb mixture problems can be isolated to the high-end (main) mixture adjustment.

Acceleration is the tell-tale sign of how to tune your high end. If you hit the throttle and it takes off suddenly but then suddenly dies or loses power then you have your main mixture set too lean. Try backing (counterclockwise) the main mixture needle out 1/8 of a turn and retry. If it bogs immediately when you hit the throttle (sounds like it's choking), then it's most likely running too rich. Try leaning the mixture out by screwing the main mixture valve in (clockwise) 1/8 of a turn.

The more accurate way of really dialing in the top-end is to take the engine's temperature. A properly tuned engine should run between 210° and 220° Fahrenheit. This can only really be ascertained by using and infra-red thermometer such as the type used by automotive mechanics. On-board or direct-transfer types that measure the heat from the head are inaccurate because, assuming the head is properly dissipating heat, it would reflect a lower than accurate temperature as a majority of the heat energy would be dissipated from the exposed surface of the head. By "looking" at the temperature near the core (actually, area immediately surrounding the glow plug) the temperature can be more accurately read.

The cheap but easy alternative would be to drop a bead of water down the head on the glow-plug and see whether it boils off. If it slowly simmers than it probably is running right around 212°. If it boils to quickly then it's probably too lean and needs to be richened. If it just sits there and doesn't boil at all, then its running too rich and needs to be leaned out.

An engine that is running too lean will run hotter and exceed the 220° degree limit. This can significantly reduce the life of your engine. Although it may be tempting to run your engine as lean as possible (does give a short-lived performance boost), this should only be done if you are very wealthy and like swapping engines out every race. There is no quicker way to kill and engine, honest. This is simply because as you lean the engine out, it gets less fuel to the engine, and more importantly, less lubricant. Since glow fuel is the only means of lubrication for your engine, the lack of it means certain death to your powerplant.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few final do's and don'ts...

Give your adjustments time to take affect. Remember that most adjustments won't be immediately noticeable. You need to drive your engine through it's full range for at least a minute. Make sure you make adjustments in 1/8 turn adjustments only!
Always run on the rich side. It's far better to take a slight performance hit than to turn your engine into a paper weight. Running too lean may give you a temporary thrill, but it's short lived. Your engine must get the proper amount of lubrication at all times.
Changes in temperature affect your tuning! Whenever the outside temperature changes you will most likely need to re-adjust your engine. Warmer temperatures require a leaner setting where colder temperatures require a richer setting.


I hope that this info gets you on the right track. If all fails, it's always a good idea to get expert advice from the vets down at your local track. However, be aware of the guy that's too eager to give you advice on how to get that extra performance boost out of your engine. Unless he or she plans on buying your next engine, I would be weary of any such advice.

Good luck!



[Edited by mj - 1/28/2003 8:17:09 PM]

[Edited by mj - 1/28/2003 8:22:20 PM]