Beginners guide to nitro?

[graemevw 823]

The truck version wasnt out when i was looking at them. The cars look great though, fast too!

[Hobbimaster 190]

2 hours ago, Re-Bugged said:

I never realised Nitro came that small . But these guys seem happy with their's . Like you say though you need a very flat expanse of area to run in.

https://youtu.be/TKnbQgFRCro

Kyosho had a mini inferno at one time.

 

[DK308 219]

I've run a bunch of nitros over the years, and I have some good experiences with Thunder Tiger. That being said, their nitro stuff is pretty much out of production unfortunately.

If I were to purchase a nitro right now, especially as my first nitro, there's no doubt that this would be my choice.

https://www.horizonhobby.com/product/cars-and-trucks/losi-brand/nitro-cars-and-trucks/8ight-t-nitro-rtr--1-8-4wd-truggy-los04011

It is well built, it's affordable, the engine is actually not bad, and it's easy to fix.

I have quite bad experience with the HPI nitro cars, as I have also had tons of tuning issues with the engines. Add to that HPI is out of business and parts are very hard to come by. Traxxas nitro? No way, not a chance in badword I will ever step my feet into that snake pit.

If you prefer a buggy rather than a truggy, I'd go with either of these.

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/kyosho-inferno-neo-3-0-readyset-t1-blue/rc-car-products/431738

or this

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/kyosho-inferno-mp9-tki4-readyset/rc-car-products/434491

 

As for tuning. Well, fact is that you have to learn by doing. But there are some things that will make life easy.

Rule number one. Do not take things apart that does not need taking apart!

Make sure your fuel is good, use a proper brand fuel. Use a fuel with 25% nitro and 12-16% oil. Don't go below, don't go above.

If in doubt, use an OS #10 plug rather than an #8. An 8# is usually a very safe plug to run, but if in doubt about the temp of the day, use a #10 if it's hot.

Make sure your airfilters are good.

Spend time setting your throttle linkage and use a feeler gauge to set your initial idle screw positions. I know exactly how many turns I need to turn the idle screw on my engines to set 0.3, 0.5, 0.8 and 1.0mm gap in the carb. Don't assume things, measure when you can.

When doing the first startup, make sure you're at the factory settings for breakin.

After breakin, if anything acts up set the engine to factory settings and go from there,

If your system is "sealed" and you got compression etc. it's usually a faulty plug or an air leak that prevents your engine from running.

Before staring up, don't be afraid to prime the engine. Do the following. Plug the exhaust with your finger and pull the starter till you see fuel fill the line going to the carb nipple. Remove your glow plug, open the carb and put a bit of fuel into the venturi using your filler bottle. Pull the starter 8-10 times fast with a rag over the hole for the plug. Reinstall the plug and reinstall the air filter. Set your idle screw so that there's a 0.5mm gap in the carb intake. Put on a FRESHLY CHARGED glow igniter. Your new engine will most likely fire within a few fast short pulls of the starter. If it almost catches but not fires, tighten the idle screw a half turn in to open the carb a bit more. Once the engine has run for a minute, reset the idle screw by loosening it half a turn. You can let the glow igniter stay attached for this first minute when the engine is first fired up and until you have set the idle. A new engine can be a bit moody at first so a bit of help from the glow igniter is not a bad thing. It will not hurt anything.

Get a proper infrared temp gauge and follow the break in procedure as suggested per the manufacture. Use your temp gun too much rather than too little. Keep it between 180 and 230 F for break in. It may run a bit hotter once broken in and tuned properly. 240 F is not a bad place to be.

Remember to let the engine sit and warm up. No need tuning on an engine that is cold.

Once done running, you need to follow a few easy steps to keep things running smooth.

Step 1. Detach the fuel line from the carb nipple and attach a small syringe. Pull what ever fuel is left in the tank out, so make sure the level of the syringe is lower than the fuel outlet of the tank , i.e making it possible to drain the tank completely. It's easy, and takes a few minutes at most.

Step 2. Retach the fuel line to the carb nipple.

Step 3. Get your afterrun oil ready and remove the air filter. You can purchase "dedicated" afterrun oil, but I have used Marve Mystery Oil spray for years with great success.

Loosen your glow plug without removing it completely, just a single turn is enough. Spray a healthy bit of oil into the open carb intake, reinstall the air filter and pull the starter 20 times fast.

Close the throttle again, re-tighten the glow plug and call it a day.

Nitro does not have to be difficult or hard. The steps you take prior and after running, are actually pretty quick, and they will make sure it's always pretty easy to run your car.

And lastly. Make sure your engine is never at top dead center or at it's pinch when cooling down.

[Peter_B 997]

9 hours ago, DK308 said:

I've run a bunch of nitros over the years, and I have some good experiences with Thunder Tiger. That being said, their nitro stuff is pretty much out of production unfortunately.

If I were to purchase a nitro right now, especially as my first nitro, there's no doubt that this would be my choice.

https://www.horizonhobby.com/product/cars-and-trucks/losi-brand/nitro-cars-and-trucks/8ight-t-nitro-rtr--1-8-4wd-truggy-los04011

It is well built, it's affordable, the engine is actually not bad, and it's easy to fix.

I have quite bad experience with the HPI nitro cars, as I have also had tons of tuning issues with the engines. Add to that HPI is out of business and parts are very hard to come by. Traxxas nitro? No way, not a chance in badword I will ever step my feet into that snake pit.

If you prefer a buggy rather than a truggy, I'd go with either of these.

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/kyosho-inferno-neo-3-0-readyset-t1-blue/rc-car-products/431738

or this

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/kyosho-inferno-mp9-tki4-readyset/rc-car-products/434491

 

As for tuning. Well, fact is that you have to learn by doing. But there are some things that will make life easy.

Rule number one. Do not take things apart that does not need taking apart!

Make sure your fuel is good, use a proper brand fuel. Use a fuel with 25% nitro and 12-16% oil. Don't go below, don't go above.

If in doubt, use an OS #10 plug rather than an #8. An 8# is usually a very safe plug to run, but if in doubt about the temp of the day, use a #10 if it's hot.

Make sure your airfilters are good.

Spend time setting your throttle linkage and use a feeler gauge to set your initial idle screw positions. I know exactly how many turns I need to turn the idle screw on my engines to set 0.3, 0.5, 0.8 and 1.0mm gap in the carb. Don't assume things, measure when you can.

When doing the first startup, make sure you're at the factory settings for breakin.

After breakin, if anything acts up set the engine to factory settings and go from there,

If your system is "sealed" and you got compression etc. it's usually a faulty plug or an air leak that prevents your engine from running.

Before staring up, don't be afraid to prime the engine. Do the following. Plug the exhaust with your finger and pull the starter till you see fuel fill the line going to the carb nipple. Remove your glow plug, open the carb and put a bit of fuel into the venturi using your filler bottle. Pull the starter 8-10 times fast with a rag over the hole for the plug. Reinstall the plug and reinstall the air filter. Set your idle screw so that there's a 0.5mm gap in the carb intake. Put on a FRESHLY CHARGED glow igniter. Your new engine will most likely fire within a few fast short pulls of the starter. If it almost catches but not fires, tighten the idle screw a half turn in to open the carb a bit more. Once the engine has run for a minute, reset the idle screw by loosening it half a turn. You can let the glow igniter stay attached for this first minute when the engine is first fired up and until you have set the idle. A new engine can be a bit moody at first so a bit of help from the glow igniter is not a bad thing. It will not hurt anything.

Get a proper infrared temp gauge and follow the break in procedure as suggested per the manufacture. Use your temp gun too much rather than too little. Keep it between 180 and 230 F for break in. It may run a bit hotter once broken in and tuned properly. 240 F is not a bad place to be.

Remember to let the engine sit and warm up. No need tuning on an engine that is cold.

Once done running, you need to follow a few easy steps to keep things running smooth.

Step 1. Detach the fuel line from the carb nipple and attach a small syringe. Pull what ever fuel is left in the tank out, so make sure the level of the syringe is lower than the fuel outlet of the tank , i.e making it possible to drain the tank completely. It's easy, and takes a few minutes at most.

Step 2. Retach the fuel line to the carb nipple.

Step 3. Get your afterrun oil ready and remove the air filter. You can purchase "dedicated" afterrun oil, but I have used Marve Mystery Oil spray for years with great success.

Loosen your glow plug without removing it completely, just a single turn is enough. Spray a healthy bit of oil into the open carb intake, reinstall the air filter and pull the starter 20 times fast.

Close the throttle again, re-tighten the glow plug and call it a day.

Nitro does not have to be difficult or hard. The steps you take prior and after running, are actually pretty quick, and they will make sure it's always pretty easy to run your car.

And lastly. Make sure your engine is never at top dead center or at it's pinch when cooling down.

Thanks, that's exactly the kind of info I was after

The fuel you remove from the tank - is that reusable, or just discarded?

How do you tell if the engine is top dead centre?

Living in the UK it is unlikely that the temperature will be really hot. Does that affect the choice of plug?

[Jonathon Gillham 4607]

1 hour ago, Peter_B said:

Thanks, that's exactly the kind of info I was after

The fuel you remove from the tank - is that reusable, or just discarded?

How do you tell if the engine is top dead centre?

Living in the UK it is unlikely that the temperature will be really hot. Does that affect the choice of plug?

That was useful info eh

Yep tip the fuel back in the bottle, at least thats what we all do.

You can actually feel where the piston is when you turn it over by hand, it moves pretty freely when in the middle of the stroke and gets harder to turn at either end. At least thats how mine works, someone who knows better will probably tell me thats the opposite...

I have a starter box rather than pullstart. The only thing I would say about pullstarts is i see a lot of people asking where they can buy them as they break all the time. The starter box does the same thing as far as clearing or priming the engine.

Can't help on plugs, i just buy them from the guy at the track who always has the right ones

[DK308 219]

3 hours ago, Peter_B said:

Thanks, that's exactly the kind of info I was after

The fuel you remove from the tank - is that reusable, or just discarded?

How do you tell if the engine is top dead centre?

Living in the UK it is unlikely that the temperature will be really hot. Does that affect the choice of plug?

Well it can get plenty hot in the UK for a colder plug. But what you can do is simply determine a safe point at which you switch to the colder plug. For me, that's usually around 25C. A #10 is not so cold that if you're a wee bit cold, it will cause all kinds of issues. However, a plug that is too hot will make your engine detonate and that will hurt it. It can also lead to tuning issues. 

If you keep things clean, just put the fuel back in the bottle. I rarely have to pull more than 10 ml so I usually just discard to stay on the safe side.

Pullstarters can be reliable. I have starters that are 25 years old. One way needle bearings don't like oil, so keep that out of it and clean it occasionally. Make sure you don't pull your cord too far. More that 10 inch pulls are of no use. If you feel it getting really hard to pull like if the engine is flooded, just remove the plug, put a rag on top, and pull fast 5-6 times. Reinsert your plug and fire up.

When I see a broken pull start it's usually due to A oil and dirt, B pulling way too hard on a flooded engine.

As for placing the piston. Here's an easy way.

1. Remkve your glow plug.

2. Insert e.g a CLEAN antenna tube into the hole. 

3. With your finger, turn the flywheel till you see that antenna tube stop going down. It rests on top of the piston, and when you turn the flywheel, the tube will go down with the piston.

4. When it's all the way down, mark the flywheel with a sharpie or something else that won't come off. Mark your flywheel at 12 o'clock.

All you have to do in the future is to put your flywheel mark at 12 when your engine stops, as this mark is at bottom dead center where there's no pinch and no risk of a piston sticking.

[mtbkym01 4008]

Another very important factor which I don’t recall being mentioned yet is to pre heat your engine if possible (extremely important for break in). The easiest way is with a purpose made engine heater, but depending where you are running you can use heat gun or hair dryer to get some heat into the engine

https://www.ebay.com/itm/SKYRC-Engine-Heater-For-Nitro-GP-1-10-RC-Cars-On-Off-Road-Touring-SK-600066-01/131748080247?epid=672055457&hash=item1eaccc2a77:g:SSIAAOSwxp9W4SDi