RCRLMichael
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Posts posted by RCRLMichael
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5 hours ago, ThunderDragonCy said:
The front dampers should be built with no spacers inside the body, and the long eyelet screwed on the end. This gives a length of 70mm eye to eye. If the front sits a bit low with those soft springs, add a preload spacer to lift it up a bit. These are the c shaped collars on the damper parts tree.
According to the instructions, the front dampers are supposed to use the short eyelet, not the long eyelet (the long eyelet is used on the rear dampers).
I've measured the front dampers on my Racing Fighter and I get an overall length of 70mm. Centre of eyelet to center of eyelet is 63mm.
As for adding collars, I've tried that and it doesn't seem to increase the front ride height at all.
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Hello all,
I've recently completed the build of my Racing Fighter (for those who want to check it out, I'll leave a link to the video below).
The car turned out great and I'm very pleased with the results, however the front end sits a bit low. I need to adjust the length of the CVA dampers that came with my kit, however I can't find anywhere in the instructions what the damper length should be. Does anyone know the correct damper lengths, particularly the front dampers? I've checked Tamiyabase.com and they don't have the information.
Thanks very much in advance. Cheers!
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1 hour ago, Juls1 said:
I suggest DF03 alloy damper set. They are a touch longer so you get a bit more ground clearance and a bit more travel. The damping performance is superior to the CVA, very close to TRF.
Pretty much any buggy damper sets from Tamiya can be made to fit anyway. If you want to go aftermarket I’ve had a good run from gmade XD, durability is very good but they are not quite as smooth or nice as a proper Tamiya unit.
I've been looking at the DF-03 Alloy Damper Set the last few days. Expensive. But I do believe it's probably the best option for this buggie. Just trying to convince myself that it's ok to spend that money on an entry-level car.
Never considered the GMade offerings. I'll have to check them out. Cheers!
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Hi all,
I'm looking for damper suggestions for my DT-03 Racing Fighter build. The Racing Fighter kit I have came with the CVA dampers and I also have the Tamiya Spring Set Hop-Up option #53832. However, I'd like to upgrade the plastic CVAs with alloy dampers instead.
I tend to prefer using genuine Tamiya hop-up options (or TRF if budget allows) however I haven't found any direct replacements for the CVAs that came with this kit. As such, I've been looking at either going with a set of GPM dampers or a set from Yeah Racing. But before I pull the trigger on either of those, I wanted to ask here if anyone here has any suggestions for dampers.
Thanks in advance for any help. Cheers!
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13 minutes ago, Trowa Jakuard said:
Yeah, the GPM one will fit the larger plastic cup for the stock diff, but will not fit into the smaller ball cup. I just tried received mine last night and that's when I found the issue.
diff
That's exactly what I was afraid of. Crap.
I guess I'll have to order the correct Tamiya Hop Up item. The good news is I didn't have to wait for the GPM part to arrive to find this out.
Thanks for letting me know and thanks for confirming. I appreciate it. Cheers!
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13 hours ago, Trowa Jakuard said:
As a follow up, here is my DT-03 with the ball diff and the tt-02b CVD from Yeah Racing. the drive cup is the same size as a regular tt-02/tt-02B's metal dog bone cup. Unfortunately, I just looked into GPM's site and found a some issue. it lists not being compatible with kit #58374, the Dt-02 Sand Viper. looking at that kit, it appears to be using metal dog bones the same size as what would mate to the ball diff's cups....... I'm going to have to apologize. I'm very sorry I did not catch that earlier. The correct ones are the DF-02's CVDs. Again, I'm sorry about that
Just so I'm clear, you're saying the GPM Steel CVD kit #DT3264SC will NOT work with the DT-02 ball differential drive cups?
I did recently notice the ball diff instructions mention to use Tamiya Hop-Up DF-02 Universal Shaft Assembly #53791. I'm just hoping the GPM steel CVD kit is a direct replacement/equivalent for the Tamiya DF-02 Hop-Up kit.
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5 hours ago, Trowa Jakuard said:
The GPM's will fit perfectly with the ball diff, no issues. I have that axle in my hand and it fits fine into the TT-02B and the DT-02 Ball Diff cup.
Fantastic! Thanks for replying and for verifying.
Now I just have to wait for it to arrive.
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Hi all,
I've recently started my DT-03 Racing Fighter build, and I'm incorporating a number a Tamiya and after-market Hop-Up options (as one does). One such upgrade is the Tamiya DT-02 Ball Differential Set (#53863); despite being designated for a DT-02, this is listed as a upgrade for the DT-03 chassis. After assembling the diff itself and installing it into the gearbox assembly, I noticed the drive cups that came with the ball diff set were considerably smaller than the kit supplied drive cups. I've attached a photo below to illustrate this. The trouble is, this make it impossible to use the kit supplied dog bones (they simply won't fit in the small drive cups), and I can't swap the larger kit supplied drive cups as the interface to the differential itself is completely different.
Now, I do have on order a set if steel alloy CVD drive shafts from GPM (part number DT3264SC), which I purchased prior to starting this build. The reason is because I will be running a 10.5T brushless motor with a 2S LiPo in this car and it's my understanding the stock plastic drive cups and dog bones become a weak point when power goes up. However, in light of this recent discovery, my question is will the GPM CVD drive shaft set work with the smaller drive cups of this ball differential? If not, what CVDs do I need to source that will fit these smaller drive cups? Should I be looking to replace the small drive cups with something larger instead?
Any help at all would be greatly appreciated. Cheers!
Michael
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On 11/30/2020 at 3:54 AM, acprc said:
Its a head from a Tamiya FS-15S or FR-15S used on the NDF-01 range of buggies.
Thank you again for the info.
The search now begins for a correct heat sink, and carb.
Cheers!
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6 hours ago, futureworks said:
I’ve got an mage showing a diagrammatic breakdown and parts listing for the FS-12LT on an entry in my showroom on the main TC site: https://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.asp?cid=134838&id=16836
Thanks so much for the link! Very valuable information there.
Cheers!
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1 hour ago, acprc said:
Its a Tamiya FS-12LT with the wrong heatsink head on it and the wrong recoil starter. When I say wrong recoil though the recoil fitted was made by Mecoa and is the same as the FS-15LT recoil but with a HPI label.
Thank you very much good sir! At least this gives me something to go on in order to hunt down a carb and appropriate heatsink. Cheers!
BTW - any ideas what engine the heatsink is from? It certainly looks like a Tamiya unit and not some aftermarket one.
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On 10/29/2020 at 11:14 AM, acprc said:
LOL, thanks all. There isnt a guide but I can ID all of them by look. Tamiya have made a few subtle hints in the model designation to help. For instance on the NDF-01 chassis there are two different engines. The FR-15S is used on all of them except the Nitro Crusher which uses the FS-15S. The only difference is the exhaust outlet and the FR stands for Rear and the FS stands for Side. That is common across all engines Tamiya "make". They actually dont make any engines.
If you need help, please ask.
Since this is the case, do you think you can you help me identify this Tamiya nitro engine?
I bought it off eBay not too long ago, and it arrived today. It was cheap so I figured what's the harm? The seller had it listed as a vx .16 engine, which I believe is a mistake.
Obviously it's missing a carb, and there's no glow plug and the pull-starter isn't a genuine Tamiya unit (like hens teeth those things). But it spins freely when I pull the pull-start cord so I won't have to deal with the pain of getting it spinning.
But I'd really like to know what engine this is.
That way I can spend MORE money to find a car to put it in.
You know, the a$$-backwards way?
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Hi All,
Just curious if any of you here have ditched the 4 "AA" 6V battery holders used to power the servos and receiver on Nitro cars in favor of running a small, comparably sized LiPo pack?
If so, what brand/spec/size/etc... do you use? I'm partial to Venom Power batteries, but not married to them if there are better/less expensive options that are a direct fit.
And do you also use a LiPo alarm to avoid dropping below 3.5V or is that not much of an issue given the small power draw?
Michael
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6 minutes ago, Carmine A said:
Gotta warn you, it's hard to stop at just ONE of these! 😜
And I'm completely fine with this potential problem...LOL!!
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Just now, Carmine A said:
Most definitely a M05 😉
That's very good to know.
I honestly know very little about the M-chassis cars from Tamiya, other than they're very popular as a race category.
This particular one was a great deal - $50 shipped, so honestly I can't complain one way or the other. I don't know if the vehicle has bearings, or any other hidden treats the previous owner may have included (it does have red anodized wheel nuts, so that's nice), but the price it can't be beat.
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Hello all,
Well, the postal delivery folks brought me another eBay purchase today. I picked up what was advertised as a Tamiya M-05 chassis. It's a brand new roller chassis that's never been run, but completely assembled save for a steering servo, ESC, receiver, and tires. Not sure what I plan to do with this vehicle yet, but it was cheap so I snapped it up.
However, after doing a bit of searching online (as you do) I've discovered that the wheels on the model itself look to be from the Tamiya 2006 Mini Cooper S (kit #58400), which used an M-03L chassis. Now, it's very likely the seller may have simply installed a spare set of wheels they had left from a different build, but it's now raised the question: how can I identify whether the chassis I've purchased is an M-03L or an M-05?
Thanks in advance. Cheers!
Michael
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Hi all,
I'm just curious - is there a Tamiya nitro engines identification guide out there that someone knows about?
There seems to have been so many different variants that all looks extremely similar to the untrained eye - FS12SS, FS12LT, FS12FT, etc... that it would be nice to have a definitive guide to help identify an engine at first glance.
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Just now, Collin said:
Just keep in mind that nitro fuel is really unhealthy. I even dont like to get it on my skin. Just wanted to say be carefull when you use it as a cleaner.
Understood. Thank you for the heads up.
Gloves and goggles it is!
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8 hours ago, Juggular said:
That is a score.
Nitro is fun. Driving needs to be adjusted. Leave enough room to turn around. It's got brakes, but no reverse. I only have 2 Tamiya nitros. One of them is TGM-01 Mad Bison (based on TG10). You can't find it anymore, though. @acprc bought all of them
. Mine came with a cast engine head that was horrible in terms of cooling. And the worst was the RC airplane-type compact muffler. It sapped strength. But yours have good head + a tuned pipe. Those 2 alone would be like $80 worth of upgrade, let alone a full engine upgrade that would have costed like $180.
If that green stuff is residual lubricant from the fuel, that means the previous owner just left the fuel without any after-run treatment. For all we know, the engine might not even be properly broken-in! Somebody built it, ran it for 1 minute and then forgot about it for months. It got stuck, so he kept yanking the pull-start and ended up breaking the cord. Depending on the climate, moisture might not have done too much damage. All you may need is un-gunking and rebuilding. With some luck, it could be as good as new.
I don't mind using alcohol for disassembly and cleaning. Alcohol evaporates quickly. By the time you are putting it back together, it'd be gone. You just don't want to leave it in. You'd want to use something like after-run oil on the piston, crank shaft, etc. That stays in for years until you run it.
[Airtightness] Nitro engines can't have air leaking. I'm talking about air entering in through the air filter, combustion chamber, tuned pipe, back to fuel tank, and fuel line to carburetor (needle). RC fuel is fed by "push and pull." The combustion chamber would want to pull in, but the exhaust also pushes air into the fuel tank and the combustion chamber. If air leaks anywhere, it's no good.
When you are rebuilding, you could possibly get a tube of RTV gasket maker. You don't need it, but it's useful. It costs about $8 a tube, and it will last years. But more often than not, leaks are in the tanks and fuel lines. The blue silicone tube thing that's connecting the stinger sometimes needs replacing too.
[Air filter] Check the sponge. It is often soaked in oil, and the sponge crumbles to dust after a few years.
[After-run oil] I would definitely get a bottle of after-run oil. You could use other oil, but you definitely don't want stuff like WD40. WD40 displaces water, you can even replace half the fuel with WD40 and the engine will run. But long term exposure to WD40 is not good for plastic parts and gaskets. As mentioned already, exhaust pushes air back into the fuel tank, some oil can sputter back into the plastic tank. After a season, you could wonder why you need to replace the tank.
[Needle] I wouldn't worry too much about it now. It need to be adjusted all the time, so it's just something you have to experiment. Cloudy days run quite differently from sunny days. It's just how much fuel gets into the engine. Fire it up and adjust it. You don't want it so rich it stings your eyes, nor do you want it so lean it's too hot to run even before it runs. Unless you run it in rain, most fuel would have a relatively wide middle range.
[Fuel] Keep the fuel bottle airtight also. Nitro fuel is mostly alcohol. It loves to suck in moisture and ruin the fun for you. So keep the bottles wrapped in plastic bags and keep away from moisture. Never leave the cap open. I never really cared too much about nitro content. @Collin is right in that every person has a different way of running things. Each engine might recommend preferable percentage, but most engines do fine between 10-25%. However, you don't want too much ignition-power on a .12 engines. Considering that you've got good cooling fins, finned mounts and a chrome-plated sleeve (probably), I think something like 10-16% would be a good choice. Unlike electric motors, nitro engines are not designed for gunning it all the time. It's all about temperature. A cheap temperature gun is a useful tool.
Good luck!
P.S. If it's in usable condition, I'd break it in.
Tons of great information here - thank you so much for all this! It's all going to prove very useful.
I'm still in the process of figuring out exactly what I have with respect to this car (with all my other R/C projects, I get to this one when I can). But I agree with your sentiment - I believe someone probably ran this car once for a minute or two, left it on a shelf (it looks like a shelf queen...not a scratch on it anywhere) with fuel in it. The nitro fuel evaporated leaving a green goo behind; no after-run oil or anything of the sort. Someone then tried to start it much later only to find the engine didn't turn over and ended up breaking the pull-start rope, which is how it sits today.
I've ordered a replacement pull-start assembly to replace the broken one. I've also found a small part is missing, along with a couple of fasteners that I don't think were ever installed. Nothing critical, but I've ordered replacements nonetheless. I've also printed a copy of the assembly manual as well (which is proving incredibly invaluable). My next step is to remove the tank and clean out all the green goo in it that's been left behind. Not a big issue and I'm sure it'll go relatively smoothly.
The bigger issue, however, is the engine won't turn over. At least not by hand. I'm reluctant to remove the engine from the car - as I said, I've got a couple of other projects on the go right now, and I don't really want to dive head-long into this one just yet - but trying to turn the engine over at the flywheel is proving nye on impossible as it sits; I should mention, the throttle is also stuck and refuses to move as well. I'm going to guess that green goo has done a real number on what looks like a brand new engine and has gummed things up rather solid. I've removed the glow plug and air filter, and peering down either I can't see any sort of dirt or corrosion. I have been spraying tiny amounts of PB Blaster penetrating oil over the last couple of days down both the carb and the cylinder in the hopes of loosening things up, but still no luck. I'll continue to do this for a little while longer and see how that goes before pulling the engine out of the vehicle. It's also been suggested that nitro fuel itself can also be used as an effective cleaning agent which I will definitely try once I get my hands on some.
I won't lie though, despite this minor setback, I am genuinely chuffed to bits just looking at this car.
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3 hours ago, Collin said:
I would not take pure alcohol. Not if you cant oil everything after imediatly. Alcohol sucks water out of the air and can gain oxydation, also alcohol is not really good with rubber seals. I would use mild multi-purpose oil instead or some of your coming nitro fuel.
Another thing said. There is a lot of philosophy around how to run nitro cars. Some do this, some do that and I do it another way. Does not mean I am right but it works for my purpose.
Nitro fuel conains methanol alcohol as well, so it will cause oxydation inside the motor if you leave it there for "long" time. So its healthy to put something into your motor after running it. Some use "after-run-oil" I use 2-stroke full synthetic oil. Sometimes I use MOS2, sometimes some gearbox oil, just what I have next to me : ) but beeing shure the nitromethanol is out of the motor.I would not recommend 10% nitro fuel, 16% minimum. The nitromethanol it that thing what cools your motor down. You can buy excellent fuel in the U.S.
Good call on not using pure alcohol to help clean out the engine. I didn't think of the alcohol washing away much needed lubrication to prevent oxidation.
Also very good to know that I need to get the nitro methane out of the engine once it's done running. I didn't realize that was the case. I can tell you, its extremely difficult to turn the engine over as it is right now, so I have a feeling it's either extremely gummed up inside OR there's a lot of corrosion in it. Any value in pulling the glow plug out and spraying some PB Blaster into the cylinder and letting it sit a few days? Do you think that'll do anything or be more harmful than good?
The whole nitro percentage thing is a big mystery to me, so I'm going to be at the mercy of what's suggested by those of you who have come before me.
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3 hours ago, SupraChrgd82 said:
I suggest:
1) Read several nitro tuning guides to gain an understanding of needle settings.
2) Use 10% nitro fuel rather than 20% to keep the wear-and-tear to a minimum.
3) Use "after run oil" to keep the motor lubricated and oxidation-free between use.
4) Carefully rebuild the pull-start. It can be done easily if you are careful not to allow the spring to uncoil during disassembly.
Thanks so much for these great suggestions.
I agree, needle settings is something I DEFINITELY need to wrap my head around! I often see folks adjust their needle valves while the engine is running. I'm sure they're listening for something, but I'm not quite sure what that is. I guess that's where experience really does become super-important.
As for the nitro fuel percent, that's another area I am absolutely clueless about. I didn't even realize there was a difference - I figured nitro was nitro...everyone runs the same (sort of like in your garden tools). So the higher the nitro percentage, the less wear-and-tear on the engine...?
I've already ordered a new pull-start assembly, but when I pull the old one off I'll definitely try to rebuild/repair it if I can. In my experience with vintage RC stuff, the more spare parts you have, the better.
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1 minute ago, Collin said:
Does not need any specific. I use 2stroke oil because I have it already. MOS2 is fine too, anything which is not aggressiv. Just give it a good rinse with nitro gasoline befor you run it the first time then.
All this afterrun oil is just marketing in my opinion.I do have some denatured alcohol... will that work to help clean things up a bit?
If not, I don't have any Nitro so I'm going to have to visit a local hobby shop to see if I can get some. I have ordered a Nitro RC "starter set" which includes a glow starter, some T-wrenches, some screw drivers, and fuel fill bottle as well. Probably a good idea for me to wait for that before I get too far in trying to start this thing huh?
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33 minutes ago, Collin said:
Most probably the nitromethanol is gone and the oil is left. Someone tried to run it and put it away very soon. Another one tried to run it again after a while and broke the recoil starter because the oil was stucked in the engine and didnt turn over.
This is how it could have happened. So be carefull if you try to start this motor again, bevor you have done a propper inspection.You're probably right about that. I'm really glad I posted about this before trying anything really stupid like trying to run it without a thorough inspection.
I have noticed the engine won't turn over when I try to turn on the anodized blue flywheel. Most likely the engine is gummed up as you've suggested.
Thanks for the tips - I'll definitely make sure the motor spins free before trying to start it.
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Just now, Collin said:
There is still some nitor in the thank, or maybe the left over oil.
It's a strange green goo. I honestly have no idea what it is. I'm assuming it's old fuel that just broken down from years of sitting...?
Unless I'm told otherwise, my plan is to take the tank off and clean it out with some denatured alcohol soon.
DT-03 CVA Damper Length?
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