ldyte1

Hmm, it certainly is a pain in the arse engine. Just started up today, first start in about 2 or so months. There now seems to be a leak/fuel common from the top of the head. Think im just going to do the same as you haha, bash it till it dies, not worth anything on ebay is it? Also what engine do you plan to get next, i really need ideas i have no clue what engines are good to buy?!

Hi I'm looking for a nitro engine around a .28 for under £250 ideally £150 ish. Any recommendations? I have no clue which brands are good or which are cheap? I would like parts to be fairly easy to get hold of I was looking at a Picco boost .28 for £164. If that's any good.

Sorry for the long time to attach the video, here it is. After i throttle and then back off it has a high pitched pinging noise? What is that and what causes it? Also the fix?

Ok, so im back again. Over about the past 2 weeks i have done about 5 hours more of playing around with this motor. Still the same problems. Can achieve good top end but bottom end and idling is just so sporadic and all over the place, dieing out randomly, revving high and the list goes on. I have a clip of one of the problems, i'll upload soon.

Ok. Hmm. I think my best bet is just trying some different fuel. Thing is I still have over half a gallon of dynaglo left. You said you've had Mac star .28 right? What fuel would you recommend cheers?

Isn't that a traxxas savage x? I have no clue 100% but looks similar haha.

Ok, so i just got my new glow starter and glow plug. Stuck the new plug in (Fastrax N4) doesn't seem to run too differently from the os8. Same problems. Idles fine when cold. Won't idle when warm, requires increased idle or it will still (i was using the trim to increase the idle, because once i had ran it for another minute again and brought it to a stop at that same trim level it would be running too high on idle). If i try to lean out the low end it pings when revving so i brought that back to where it was. Then after getting up to temp around 110 Celsius. I feel like i can still lean the HSN more because it still feels reach top end, loooots of smoke etc. What is the maximum or optimum safe running temp for a mac star 28? Also after i have the HSN tuned or what i think is pretty decent, and up to temp i try the pinch test to tune the LSN since its smokey on pulling away and it cuts out after about 1-2 seconds max. But if i richen the LSN any more it just won't idle without nearly a 3mm idle gap. (P.s the LSN is nearly 1.5 turns out from flush with that part of the carb. EDIT: Ok so after a little bit of reading i found out that at 110 degrees my engine must be wayyyy to reach, hence the lots of smoke. But i can't get my head around something. Ok let me explain, say for instance i Lean the HSN lots to make it run hotter and leaner, less smoke etc. This would reduce the whole fuel going into the carb, correct? but then wouldn't that mean without touching the LSN there but leaning the HSN there would be much less fuel (leaner) at idle/low speed. Which is what i don't want, because from what i can understand at the moment is that my LSN already seems too lean (cutting out after 1 second). Also i've read a few things about compression and how that when the engine is hot the piston sleeve expands but the piston doesn't reducing compression in the engine making it harder to stay running, hence why i probably need to also trim the idle/increase the idle higher or constantly keep blipping the throttle to keep it running. Could this mean my engine has just completlely had it? Could i just replace the sleeve and break it in again? If not then maybe i'm just wasting more time than its worth on this engine. What would be a decent .28 and above/comparable powered engine for under £200, i have no clue what things i'm looking for in an nitro engine. Or maybe just a .21 engine would be fine for me? Just want something that's fairly easy to tune and actually bloody holds a tune! Would a hobao hyper 30 be any good or should i just steer away from hobao altogether?

How have you installed it? I presume it's a Mac star 28 since it's a hyper 7 and your posting on this thread. You should put the starter shaft into the pull start middle and then push it on? Could you maybe attach some pictures of the troubles your having? EDIT: Also you should probably start a new thread or DM me. Since your tagging onto the end of this one...

Hi I'm not to sure what you mean by metal part? Are you talking about the one way bearing starter shaft? If it's not recoiling your pull start has probably had it.

Hmm. This is my first nitro car so it doesn't help being a Mac star then. Am kind of considering a new engine if I really can't get it sorted. I would agree and say that 25% bigbang did a seem to run better than this dynaglo stuff I've got now. What brand and % of fuel a would you recommend in the Mac star? Think I might get 20% hpi. When I took the head button off to replace it (it was threaded) I believe I might have lost or not put back one of the 2 shims that was there. Should I look to getting another one? Also this engine was already used and broken in before I had it. The car was I brought used with this engine because as a newbie I didn't really want to break in a engine but if I got a new engine I now a would feel confident to do that. Ahh I see. I have noticed turbo plugs online but didn't really a think about it. I might start pre heating my engine actually because when its cold the symptom of the pullstart slipping seems to be getting worse.

Yep, fuel is a pain. As for plugs I will definitely a stock a some if this new one helps! Maybe that as many as you since I only have one nitro haha. Yep, as for the new fuel I might try some 20% then. Turbo? How can you tell if your engine is a turbo? ? Might try and get some hpi or optifuel 20% then. I agree I had it turned pretty reasonable once and it did have good pickup and a alright top end. As I said got a second igniter on the way, lipo one too hopefully a should be good. haha, I'm considering brush less if it keeps going at this rate! Lol. ta, thanks for the help.

Ok, thanks for the info. I think i might just try getting some 16/20% fuel then. Since i've got an N4 plug on the way. Problem is i can only get fuel online since my nearest model shop recently closed down and the next nearest one is nearly 20 miles, i'm not driving that just for fuel.

I see. Well for safe measures i'll just try this new Fastrax N4 plug when i get it. Yeah, i have heard of the macstar 28's reputation. Out of interest what brand of fuel did/do run in your MacStar 28? As well as the glow plug?

The plug is no more than 2 months old, since the plug i had in it before i'm pretty sure had it since i just couldn't get it started with it. On the side of the old plug it said "N4" i don't know or couldn't find which plug that was so instead i got a similar plug in temperature and it is now a OS 8 plug, which i believe is a medium hot plug same as what i think the "N4" plug was. I did try to get a mccoy mc9 since thats a recommended one. Couldn't seem to be able to source it anywhere here in the UK though. I am using 25% nitro. The same stuff that is recommended on that manual. (25% nitro Model Technics Dynaglow). I've just re-read that part of the manual "Keep between 10 and 20% nitromethene content for running and first use. The single most popular reason for engine failure or unreliability is poor or wrong fuel. These fuels have been tested with our engines and we are confident of their performance." And noticed it also says keep between 10% and 20% for running as well as first use, i thought that was just for first use, must have mis read it. Could this be a cause of most problems. Thinking about it most of this hard tuning has been since i switched fuel, because before i was using 25% model technics big bang i believe it was called. I just thought i would order the dynaglow since its a recommended one. Really could be the fuel i suppose. But saying that surely i would just have to use a colder plug and high nitro and it should still run ok in this engine? Since hotter plugs are generally for lower nitro concentrate, if im correct in saying that? I know but mine won't even idle for 5 seconds with stalling, not giving you enough time to take off again. I'll attach a video so you can see my problem. Thanks, i'll have a look at this video and try it. Few other things to add, i've ordered a Fastrax "n4" since i assume that is the plug i had in it before i died, seem to run well with that, i compared the pictures and it looks similar to my old plug so must be that. Also i've ordered a prolux lipo glow start since i think mine is just not giving enough amps. Is it possible that a poor glow starter could bed in a glow plug wrong and ruin it from the start?

Hey i have same issue, did you get anywhere with this?