Engine tips and Glowplug guide

[Samari]

Here I some engine tips that I found on the internet that should help you guys out:

"#1 You got your new engine. Dont go cranking on the needles to find out the stock settings. I see so many people damaging their needles especially the lsn needle trying to base it out to find how many turns out... THERE IS AN EASIER WAY! put a black mark on the housing that lines up with the flathead cut on the needle head. Put a black dab of pen on that side of the needle head so they line up. Count turns out to flush and write it down . Thats right you dont need to bottom the needle out anymore. If you have a set of calipers you can measure the depth the needle sits from flush and make note of it on a piece of paper. Do this for both the hsn and lsn. take the carb out and flush it with nitro/cleaner. Flush the needle housings too. Blow it all out with compressed air.

#2 you now have your needles sitting in front of you on a clean piece of paper. Check that the orings are good and not torn/damaged. If they are busted replace them. I know this sucks but the fact is that some(many even expensive engines) have damaged orings from the factory. If they are good grease the ring and the threads on the needle body with some heavy duty grease. reinstall the needles counting turns in from flush so that the two black marks line up. (remember you wrote them down on that piece of paper) Here is a link to sealing your carb.

http://www.savage-central.com/ftopic10172.html

#3 take your engine completely apart and clean it, flush it with nitro/cleaner untill you are sure there is nothing in there. Flush it again. Here is a link to how to take apart an engine

http://www.savage-central.com/ftopic10171.html

#4 Spray everything down with quality oil. ARO (afterrun oil) is great but expensive. Lots of guys I know use WD40 for lubing the engine for rebuild. Spray the bearings and turn then with your clean finger. They must be smooth, if they arent flush em again until they are smooth and then lube with ARO. Lube the crank pin, rod bushings, wrist pin, piston sleeve inside and out and slide it all together. DONT FORCE ANYTHING!

#5 seal the engine with high temp rtv. There are a bunch of articles in the engine sticky section about sealing an engine. they are also linked above.

OK you are now ready to install the engine. Bolt it into your truck and set the spur gear mesh properly. It should have a tiny tiny bit of play, it should spin freely wthout making a grinding noise and stopping suddenly.

Set the linkage up. Be carefull not to pop the throtle linkage ball onto the carb slide when the slide is out. you can damage the slide. The linkage ball should be connected while the slide is closed. Take a look down the carb venturi. make sure you set your idle gap more than 1mm. For breakin i like to have it at almost 2mm so the truck is harder to stall.

Phew ready to start that baby up!

#1 You need a HOT PLUG for breakin. If you dont have a HOT PLUG you will be swearing and covered in blisters and sweating from anger. Go back to the store and get a HOT PLUG.

#2 ready to start it right? nope. flood the engine. Thats right flood it! You see you have all that afterun oil sitting in there from when you rebuilt it this will make any engine hard to start. Take the pressure return line off the exhaust pipe nipple, hold the carb open and blow into the return line. This engine will fill with fuel. Take the glow plug out and point the engine away from your eyes. Turn it over until no more fuel sprays out. Your engine is washed free of all that extra oil and will start easily now.

#3 You NEED to have the engine PREHEATED (Yes you NEED to) Heat it up with your moms best hairdryer. She will never know. well maybe, but you needed it right, so it is ok.

#4 Heat that baby up until it is too hot to touch. crack the plug open a quater of a turn, slap the glow plug heater (you have charged batteries in there right?) prime the engine until gas gets close to the fuel nipple (not all the way to the carb and crank it over with the wheels off the ground.

a) the engine starts beautifully you tighten the glow plug and you do your breakin procedure (you read up on breakin right?)

the engine starts, tighten the glow plug, and it revs crazily (adjust the idle down counterclockwise until it doesnt race like mad) If the idle screw wont bring the rpm down turn the lsn screw out counterclockwise until it settles down. It takes some time before the adjustment settles in, turn a little at a time and wait 10 seconds, adjust more. Do your breakin, (you read the breakin methods right)

c) the engine starts but dies again almost instantly even with the glow plug ignitor on. (i)see the tricks and tips of starting a new engine below)

d) the engine refuses to catch and wont start(ii)see tricks and tips below)

TRICKS AND TIPS:

1) Have a friend with you for breakin it helps if you are new. Maybe he or she knows nothing about nitro but extra hands help alot.

(i) the engine starts but bogs out and stalls. usually means it is tooooo rich! DONT TOUCH THE NEEDLES. Start it and have your friend pinch the fuel line just above the carb nipple. when the engine starts to rev up let go of the line. Tighten the glow plug and start your breakin. If it tries to stall whille you are tightening the plug have your friend pinch the line again. When everything is tight have your friend let go of the line and do your breakin. This is by far the easiest and best trick to start a rich engine

without messing with the needles.

(ii) a) The engine wont start it seems flooded or so rich it wont catch. Pull the plug again and pinch the fuel line and crank it over until no more fuel sprays out. reinstall the plug preheat the engine and try again.

It still wont start even with the trick mentioned in (i) Check those glow plug batts..... they charged? Ok they are charged.

-Is fuel getting to the engine? (pull the fuel line of the carb nipple and turn the engine over. Does fuel come out of the line? If not plug the exhaust and try again. still no fuel? there is a problem with pressure or fuel flow. maybe a blocked nipple or a pinched line you need to check all the connections in the fuel line to make sure they are flowing freely. If fuel comes out reconnect reheat and retry.

-still no dice? lean the lsn needle a half turn and try again. (if it catches and runs you can fatten it up again for breakin) If it still wont fire up pull the plug and check that the glow plug heater is making the coils glow brightly. charge batts or replace plug if not. try again (engine is preheated right?) Still wont start and has been getting flooded. lean the lsn another half turn. Try again. still no? Get your friend to pinch the line and try again."

If your engine still wont start something else is going on and you need to post in the forums to ask us for help which we will gladly give you.

For a guide on taking dismantling your engine please see here.

[Tamiyacowboy]

McCoy's Glow plugs, with heat ranges and applications.

MC-4C: 4-cycle engines

MC-55: The MC-55 is considered a hot plug and is designed to run on fuel with a low nitro content. Applications for this plug would be planes, tether cars, etc.

MC-59: Like the MC-55, the MC-59 is considered a hot plug. The difference between the 55 and 59 is that the MC-59 is designed to run on fuel with a higher nitro content (low to medium nitro content) than the MC-55. Applications: Boats, planes, heilcopters, and cars.

MC-8: The MC-8 is a medium to cold plug, deisgned to run on fuels with a medium to high nitro content. Applications: Boats, cars, and planes.

MC-9: The McCoy MC-9 is considered a cold plug and is designed to run on fuels with a medium to high nitro content. Applications: Cars, boats, ducted fan and Giant Scale planes.

MC-14: The MC-14 is a hot plug, designed for helicopters and 4-stroke engines.

From reading just these bits of info on McCoy's plugs, you can easily see that general rule...if you're running fuel with a high nitro percentage, you should be using a glow plug that's considered to be a "cold" plug. Conversely, if you're running a low nitro content in your fuel, you should be using a "hot" plug.

novarossi glowplugs

10001: R1 Extra hot from .8 TO 2CC

10002: R2 Hot from2 TO 3.5CC

10003: R3 Medium from 3.5 TO 6CC

10004: R4 Cold from 6 TO 10CC

10005: R5 Extra cold for nitro fuel and RC

10006: R6 Cold for nitro from 10 - 13CC

10007: R7 Cold for nitro from 13 - 15CC

10008: R8 Super Cold for nitro from 15-30CC

10010: RC Hot for RC from 2.5 TO 6CC

10020: RC Cold for RC from 6 TO 15CC

10011: G1 Hot for R15 Speed

10022: G2 Medium for R15 Speed

10033: G3 Cold for nitro fuel from 18%-30% for R15 Speed.

10044: G4 Extra cold for nitro fuel from 30%-15% for R15 Speed

10055: G5 Extra cold for nitro fuel from 50%-70% for R15 Speed.

guide to OS glow plugs

Type Stock No Description

P8 OSMG2698 Cold enough to outlast the hottest "heats". For Turbo head engines.

R5 OSMG2694 A racing plug so durable it can survive leaner needle settings and high-nitro/high-rpm 1/8 scale racing.

A5 OSMG2693 Slightly "cooler" than the #8 and ideal for the constant "on/off" throttle action in 1/10 and 1/8 scale racing.

P-7 OSMG2695 An all-season, medium-heat plug for Turbo head engines.

#8 OSMG2691 A medium-hot plug for 1/8 scale racing and most .12-21 car, boat and truck engines.

P-6 OSMG2696 A hot choice for all .12-.21 Turbo head engines.

LC3 OSMG2700 A long-reach hot plug created for the Traxxas TRX 2.5 (.15) Racing Engine and other 1/10 scale off-road engines.

A3 OSMG2690 A hot plug with the longest life and lowest cost of any O.S. sport plug. Great for beginners and .12-.15 engine break-in.

P3 OSMG2699 An ultra-hot plug for the 18TZ and other Turbo head engines.

hope this helps you all choose the best type for your buggy or truck

TC

[Ziggy122]

The OS guide is alot easier to understand

OS plugs are VERY good

[rush evo dude]

wow! that's basically what i did samari, and guess what, my car turned out great! it's running fine now, very fast, and i love it! That helped alot mate. Ta Ta Ta Ta Ta!

Rush evo dude

[Tha_Vibe]

all this info is helping me greatley

[Havoc87]

Never had a look at this but its very useful, cheers guys.

[spinksyjunior]

i always wondered wot all the plugs were for

[xtract]

Broke in and tuned my mach .28 engine with the OS A3 cause thats what came with the kit now what do i use? I'm using 25% nitro and its cold here in aust at the mo, 13deg days and will the incorrect plug danage your engine in any way or just affect performance?

Edited June 22, 2007 by xtract

[martin]

Broke in and tuned my mach .28 engine with the OS A3 cause thats what came with the kit now what do i use? I'm using 25% nitro and its cold here in aust at the mo, 13deg days and will the incorrect plug danage your engine in any way or just affect performance?

Get an os 8 plug mate one step cooler than the a3 hot plug and it should last longer mate, generally os8 is the alrounder mate in nitro big block engines,

marty

[Leeeeee]

so wat would i use for a savage then?? in the O.S glow plug catagory

[Zizzle77]

Sorry to bump an old thread, but it's a sticky so I guess it doesn't matter!

Anyway... I managed to blow my glow plug today! Like an idiot I managed to connect the +ve and -ve the wrong way round for the glow starter and it took me a while to realise! so by that time the glow plug was dead! Anyway, the only making on the glow plug is R4, which is this (clicky), is there an cheaper plug than this? Will it be any cheaper at my lhs? Thanks Note: It's a meduim cold plug.

Edit: Do I need the same plug? It was the one that came with the car.

Edited September 30, 2007 by rok.my.sox

[vworley]

Sorry to bump an old thread, but it's a sticky so I guess it doesn't matter!

Anyway... I managed to blow my glow plug today! Like an idiot I managed to connect the +ve and -ve the wrong way round for the glow starter and it took me a while to realise! so by that time the glow plug was dead! Anyway, the only making on the glow plug is R4, which is this (clicky), is there an cheaper plug than this? Will it be any cheaper at my lhs? Thanks Note: It's a meduim cold plug.

Edit: Do I need the same plug? It was the one that came with the car.

You could look at www.planethobby.com. They carry the NovaRossi plugs at cheap prices.

[Zizzle77]

Thanks, but I'm all sorted with an OS #08 now. works beautifully

[Leeparker]

Hi

Ok I have read the tips and hints. I have just bought a VRX-2 nitro with a go engine.

I was told it would come ready to run but at the mo I just cant get it to run... Ok I got it to run BUT when ever I took the glow starter of the glow plug then the engine would stall straight away!

I checked that the glow plug glows when connected to the glow starter. It does grrrr. (i have oredered a new one just in case)

Any way I have now been trying and it just will not start

Please Please Please help me as I just wont to get this thing going.. I understand i have to break it in for a while.

Hope some one can help me

Cheers

Lee

[jamezy27]

sorry but new to this whole forum thingy,

i gota rex x nitro 25 and need a new glow plug for it because

wee car wont go anymore and when a stick the plug into

the starter it wont glow up!could any1 tell me where and

what type too buy?

[Dazzle]

Heya Mate, Try clicking ---> Break-in Guide Helped me alot on my 1st car

[topgearmad92]

Hi

Ok I have read the tips and hints. I have just bought a VRX-2 nitro with a go engine.

I was told it would come ready to run but at the mo I just cant get it to run... Ok I got it to run BUT when ever I took the glow starter of the glow plug then the engine would stall straight away!

I checked that the glow plug glows when connected to the glow starter. It does grrrr. (i have oredered a new one just in case)

Any way I have now been trying and it just will not start

Please Please Please help me as I just wont to get this thing going.. I understand i have to break it in for a while.

Hope some one can help me

Cheers

Lee

HI

i have the same car as you it ws my first car and mine did the same thing and the glow plug that came with the car was a A3 and it should be a os8. the engines on these cars are very tight when new aswell and when i got mine all the setings was wrong so had to change them and after spending 1 week on a cold garage floor it fired up and if i was you i would change the sevos for better ones when the standard ones break because they are stupid lol and also they are very strong when they come to crashing into curbs and walls

[catt5678]

hi people i have bought a nitro 4x4 monster truck bought cant seem to tune it properly can anyone give me tips please must be doin somethin wrong thanks ian

[Kandy_Man]

Edited June 1, 2008 by Kandy_Man

[Kandy_Man]

Here I some engine tips that I found on the internet that should help you guys out:

"#1 You got your new engine. Dont go cranking on the needles to find out the stock settings. I see so many people damaging their needles especially the lsn needle trying to base it out to find how many turns out... THERE IS AN EASIER WAY! put a black mark on the housing that lines up with the flathead cut on the needle head. Put a black dab of pen on that side of the needle head so they line up. Count turns out to flush and write it down . Thats right you dont need to bottom the needle out anymore. If you have a set of calipers you can measure the depth the needle sits from flush and make note of it on a piece of paper. Do this for both the hsn and lsn. take the carb out and flush it with nitro/cleaner. Flush the needle housings too. Blow it all out with compressed air.

#2 you now have your needles sitting in front of you on a clean piece of paper. Check that the orings are good and not torn/damaged. If they are busted replace them. I know this sucks but the fact is that some(many even expensive engines) have damaged orings from the factory. If they are good grease the ring and the threads on the needle body with some heavy duty grease. reinstall the needles counting turns in from flush so that the two black marks line up. (remember you wrote them down on that piece of paper) Here is a link to sealing your carb.

http://www.savage-central.com/ftopic10172.html

#3 take your engine completely apart and clean it, flush it with nitro/cleaner untill you are sure there is nothing in there. Flush it again. Here is a link to how to take apart an engine

http://www.savage-central.com/ftopic10171.html

#4 Spray everything down with quality oil. ARO (afterrun oil) is great but expensive. Lots of guys I know use WD40 for lubing the engine for rebuild. Spray the bearings and turn then with your clean finger. They must be smooth, if they arent flush em again until they are smooth and then lube with ARO. Lube the crank pin, rod bushings, wrist pin, piston sleeve inside and out and slide it all together. DONT FORCE ANYTHING!

#5 seal the engine with high temp rtv. There are a bunch of articles in the engine sticky section about sealing an engine. they are also linked above.

OK you are now ready to install the engine. Bolt it into your truck and set the spur gear mesh properly. It should have a tiny tiny bit of play, it should spin freely wthout making a grinding noise and stopping suddenly.

Set the linkage up. Be carefull not to pop the throtle linkage ball onto the carb slide when the slide is out. you can damage the slide. The linkage ball should be connected while the slide is closed. Take a look down the carb venturi. make sure you set your idle gap more than 1mm. For breakin i like to have it at almost 2mm so the truck is harder to stall.

Phew ready to start that baby up!

#1 You need a HOT PLUG for breakin. If you dont have a HOT PLUG you will be swearing and covered in blisters and sweating from anger. Go back to the store and get a HOT PLUG.

#2 ready to start it right? nope. flood the engine. Thats right flood it! You see you have all that afterun oil sitting in there from when you rebuilt it this will make any engine hard to start. Take the pressure return line off the exhaust pipe nipple, hold the carb open and blow into the return line. This engine will fill with fuel. Take the glow plug out and point the engine away from your eyes. Turn it over until no more fuel sprays out. Your engine is washed free of all that extra oil and will start easily now.

#3 You NEED to have the engine PREHEATED (Yes you NEED to) Heat it up with your moms best hairdryer. She will never know. well maybe, but you needed it right, so it is ok.

#4 Heat that baby up until it is too hot to touch. crack the plug open a quater of a turn, slap the glow plug heater (you have charged batteries in there right?) prime the engine until gas gets close to the fuel nipple (not all the way to the carb and crank it over with the wheels off the ground.

a) the engine starts beautifully you tighten the glow plug and you do your breakin procedure (you read up on breakin right?)

the engine starts, tighten the glow plug, and it revs crazily (adjust the idle down counterclockwise until it doesnt race like mad) If the idle screw wont bring the rpm down turn the lsn screw out counterclockwise until it settles down. It takes some time before the adjustment settles in, turn a little at a time and wait 10 seconds, adjust more. Do your breakin, (you read the breakin methods right)

c) the engine starts but dies again almost instantly even with the glow plug ignitor on. (i)see the tricks and tips of starting a new engine below)

d) the engine refuses to catch and wont start(ii)see tricks and tips below)

TRICKS AND TIPS:

1) Have a friend with you for breakin it helps if you are new. Maybe he or she knows nothing about nitro but extra hands help alot.

(i) the engine starts but bogs out and stalls. usually means it is tooooo rich! DONT TOUCH THE NEEDLES. Start it and have your friend pinch the fuel line just above the carb nipple. when the engine starts to rev up let go of the line. Tighten the glow plug and start your breakin. If it tries to stall whille you are tightening the plug have your friend pinch the line again. When everything is tight have your friend let go of the line and do your breakin. This is by far the easiest and best trick to start a rich engine

without messing with the needles.

(ii) a) The engine wont start it seems flooded or so rich it wont catch. Pull the plug again and pinch the fuel line and crank it over until no more fuel sprays out. reinstall the plug preheat the engine and try again.

It still wont start even with the trick mentioned in (i) Check those glow plug batts..... they charged? Ok they are charged.

-Is fuel getting to the engine? (pull the fuel line of the carb nipple and turn the engine over. Does fuel come out of the line? If not plug the exhaust and try again. still no fuel? there is a problem with pressure or fuel flow. maybe a blocked nipple or a pinched line you need to check all the connections in the fuel line to make sure they are flowing freely. If fuel comes out reconnect reheat and retry.

-still no dice? lean the lsn needle a half turn and try again. (if it catches and runs you can fatten it up again for breakin) If it still wont fire up pull the plug and check that the glow plug heater is making the coils glow brightly. charge batts or replace plug if not. try again (engine is preheated right?) Still wont start and has been getting flooded. lean the lsn another half turn. Try again. still no? Get your friend to pinch the line and try again."

If your engine still wont start something else is going on and you need to post in the forums to ask us for help which we will gladly give you.

For a guide on taking dismantling your engine please see here.

i thank you greatly this has answered all my problems

cant take into action yet as someone has my nitro rc car just checking if everythings okai and trying to fix my problem

[Koutsouk]

which OS plug do you guys recon for the Hot Greek weather? Its for a Savage X 4.6.

My closest shop has OS plugs

[martin]

Heres a quick guide of os plugs mate, either an a5 or an r5, over here an os 8 plug is ideal, but where you are a cooler plug will be required.

marty

[pitchshifter]

OK, so I've just burnt out 2 glow plugs running in hot weather. One was the original one that came with the car (lightning 10 sport with 2.5cc engine), and the other was a spare OS 3 plug. Both of which I understand are hot plugs designed for beginners and breaking in the car.

I have tuned my car pretty well I think and it runs very well, and gets very hot obviously. Am I ready for a cold plug or do I need to stick to medium plugs? And also, do I still need to have a couple of hot plugs for cold weather?

I was thinking of getting HPI R4 or OS No8, any reccomendations?