REDCAT earthquake 3.5 nitro rc car

[TomTom2022]

A friend of mine gave me a redcat earthquake 3.5 nitro rc car that has been sitting in his garage for about 2 years and I have been trying to get it to fire up and it won't start but it sounds like it wants to turn over and I put a new glow plug/ spark plug in it and it wants to turn over but I stopped cause I don't want to flood the engine but I also noticed that there is a bit of gas coming out of the exhaust tip and the engine cooler cause I'm trying to start it with a cordless drill is there any other way I can find out why it won't start at all

 

[Greywolf74]

A friend of mine gave me a redcat earthquake 3.5 nitro rc car that has been sitting in his garage for about 2 years and I have been trying to get it to fire up and it won't start but it sounds like it wants to turn over and I put a new glow plug/ spark plug in it and it wants to turn over but I stopped cause I don't want to flood the engine but I also noticed that there is a bit of gas coming out of the exhaust tip and the engine cooler cause I'm trying to start it with a cordless drill is there any other way I can find out why it won't start at all

I'll address your question directly in a minute but Id like to start out first by saying, if that kit has been sitting in a garage for 2 years, the very first thing I would do is tear down and cleaning of the entire kit. Inspect all bearings for free and smooth action, replace any rusted screws and/or parts, inspect all gears for damage and excessive wear, and then tear down and clean the nitro engine. This does a couple of things. It not only ensures that you have a good clean and problem free platform to start with but it also teaches you about how the kit is put together and how it functions.

If you just want to try and get it to fire up then look up the manual for that kit (or sometimes you have to look it up from the engine manual) and find what the stock carb settings are for the low and high speed needles. Once you have those set back to stock then make sure the carb has about a 1mm idle gap. Assuming that theres no other issues that should get it to at least start. From there you can use something like THIS nitro tuning flow chart to help you tune the engine.

 

[TomTom2022]

I'll address your question directly in a minute but Id like to start out first by saying, if that kit has been sitting in a garage for 2 years, the very first thing I would do is tear down and cleaning of the entire kit. Inspect all bearings for free and smooth action, replace any rusted screws and/or parts, inspect all gears for damage and excessive wear, and then tear down and clean the nitro engine. This does a couple of things. It not only ensures that you have a good clean and problem free platform to start with but it also teaches you about how the kit is put together and how it functions.

If you just want to try and get it to fire up then look up the manual for that kit (or sometimes you have to look it up from the engine manual) and find what the stock carb settings are for the low and high speed needles. Once you have those set back to stock then make sure the carb has about a 1mm idle gap. Assuming that theres no other issues that should get it to at least start. From there you can use something like THIS nitro tuning flow chart to help you tune the engine.

I have already took the engine out to see if there is anything wrong and it looks like everything is still like new but my only problem is that I gas spitting out of the exhaust tip and the engine cooler but it sounds like it wants to turn over though

 

[Greywolf74]

I have already took the engine out to see if there is anything wrong and it looks like everything is still like new but my only problem is that I gas spitting out of the exhaust tip and the engine cooler but it sounds like it wants to turn over though

Its normal for fuel to come out of the exhust pipe if its being cranked but it isnt starting up but fuel should not be leaking from anywhere else. You'll need to investigate the other leak and try and determine whats causing it to leak. Some pics of where its leaking from around the engine might help clue us in and might make it easier for us to help you.

 

[TomTom2022]

Its normal for fuel to come out of the exhust pipe if its being cranked but it isnt starting up but fuel should not be leaking from anywhere else. You'll need to investigate the other leak and try and determine whats causing it to leak. Some pics of where its leaking from around the engine might help clue us in and might make it easier for us to help you.

Ok I will get a few pictures of where it is leaking from when I get to my friends shop

 

[TomTom2022]

Ok I will get a few pictures of where it is leaking from when I get to my friends shop

I'm going to send you a picture in a few minutes or so

I'm going to send you a picture in a few minutes or so

Under the engine cooler is where the fuel is spitting out of and under the bolt where you can use a drill it's leaking a little bit of oil

 

[TomTom2022]

Its normal for fuel to come out of the exhust pipe if its being cranked but it isnt starting up but fuel should not be leaking from anywhere else. You'll need to investigate the other leak and try and determine whats causing it to leak. Some pics of where its leaking from around the engine might help clue us in and might make it easier for us to help you.

So the first picture is where the fuel is leaking out of and I have a little bit of oil coming from the bolt where you can start the with a drill

 

[Greywolf74]

@cbaker65 @gandalfnz You guys have any idea why fuel would be leaking out between the cooling head and the block?

 

[TomTom2022]

We do not that's what I would like to try and figure out why it's doing that and hopefully someone is able to help me out and point me in the right direction so I can get it started and driving again

 

[Greywolf74]

We do not that's what I would like to try and figure out why it's doing that and hopefully someone is able to help me out and point me in the right direction so I can get it started and driving again

Cbaker65 and gandalfnz are both really knowledgeable about nitro. Hopefully once theyve seen I've tagged them they can help provide some additional info. I'm semi-knowledgable about nitros but electrics are more my wheelhouse.

 

[gandalfnz]

Ah, my FIRST EVER NITRO car was a redcat like this.
Did you own this car from new, or purchased second hand?
Did you check the bolts that hold the cooling head, are the tight?
Did you remove the cooling head at all, to see if the shim is in there, and if there are any hairline cracks in block itself?
Are you sure the leak is from under the cooling head, and not spraying from the exhaust silicone/coupling?

 

[TomTom2022]

Ah, my FIRST EVER NITRO car was a redcat like this.
Did you own this car from new, or purchased second hand?
Did you check the bolts that hold the cooling head, are the tight?
Did you remove the cooling head at all, to see if the shim is in there, and if there are any hairline cracks in block itself?
Are you sure the leak is from under the cooling head, and not spraying from the exhaust silicone/coupling?

I got it for free from a friend of mine cause it was sitting in his garage for 2 years but I checked everything and I put a new one way barring and I tried to start it with my drill but it sounds like it wants to turn over but there is a little bit of gas coming out of the bottom of the engine cooler

 

[gandalfnz]

I got it for free from a friend of mine cause it was sitting in his garage for 2 years but I checked everything and I put a new one way barring and I tried to start it with my drill but it sounds like it wants to turn over but there is a little bit of gas coming out of the bottom of the engine cooler

I see, please see the rest of the questions I asked in the previous post, just to be more clear in process of elimination.
With second hand nitros, you never know what you are getting.

 

[TomTom2022]

I see, please see the rest of the questions I asked in the previous post, just to be more clear in process of elimination.
With second hand nitros, you never know what you are getting.

I didn't see any shim i don't even know what the shim looks like and I didn't see a hair line crack and I did see the fuel squirting out of the exhaust tip and under the engine cooler

 

[gandalfnz]

I didn't see any shim i don't even know what the shim looks like and I didn't see a hair line crack and I did see the fuel squirting out of the exhaust tip and under the engine cooler

When you remove the heatshink, can you take a few photos please, of the engine block from the top, and the bottom of the heat sink?

 

[TomTom2022]

When you remove the heatshink, can you take a few photos please, of the engine block from the top, and the bottom of the heat sink?

So I finally got my nitro rc car to start but it doesn't stay running/ idle it runs on high idle and then it shuts off

 

[gandalfnz]

Hi.
Wish I had something positive to say about this car, sorry. Engine is very good, the rest not so much. But will do my best to help.

So the leaks are still present, did you put the needles to factory?

 

[TomTom2022]

Hi.
Wish I had something positive to say about this car, sorry. Engine is very good, the rest not so much. But will do my best to help.

So the leaks are still present, did you put the needles to factory?

There are no more leaks and I put the needles back to factory

 

[gandalfnz]

There are no more leaks and I put the needles back to factory

Whats your idle gap at 1mm?
Throttle linkage set up correctly, so when in neutral carb slide returns back to idle gap only, and does not move back further when you apply brake?

 

[TomTom2022]

Whats your idle gap at 1mm?
Throttle linkage set up correctly, so when in neutral carb slide returns back to idle gap only, and does not move back further when you apply brake?

Like the gap has to be flush with the linkage or whatever it is called