End of day maintenance, how?

[RCDad]

Ok, as you all know I'm net to nitro. I've read enough to know you can't leave the fuel in the engine. How do you drain it? And I'm supposed to put WD40 in the engine also right? Where?

 

[a dawg]

just dump the old fuel out and i like to let mine run after that to burn all the fuel up. you can take the plug out and blast a little wd-40 in there. in the carb too.

 

[Tarant]

what I do is drain any remaning fuel in the tank and then try to start the engine it might run for a few seconds then die.it burns all fuel in the engine.then remove the glow plug and the carb and spray a good shot of wd40 in the glow plug and carb openings then turn the engine over pull start or electrice starter thetip the engine upside down and turn it over do this about 2-3 times, spray, turn over, tip upside down , and turn over.
use wd40 if you plan to run your engine the next day or sooner, otherwise you might want to us After Run Oil.

 

[RCDad]

Do you just turn the car upside down to drain the fuel?

 

[robmob]

Make sure all the fuel is burned, clean the area around the glow plug with some compressed air, remove the plug and put a few drops of after run oil in the hole (don't use wd-40), turn the mill over a few times and after making sure piston is at the bottom, put the plug back in. Now make sure tha area around the air cleaner neck is clean using the compressed air, remove the cleaner from the carb and put a couple of drops of after run oil into the carb neck, open and close the carb a couple of times then put the air cleaner back on. Other things to do are cleaning air cleaner element and checking for loose screws and broken parts.

 

[Tarant]

NO!
most of the time if you just turn the car upside down it wont get rid of the fuel it is best if you burn the fuel out. their could still be oil that can gum up the engine

 

[RCDad]

Well its below zero outside, no way in hell I'm going out there to burn the remaining fuel out

 

[robmob]

If you don't, the unburned fuel can gum-up the works which will lead to problems when you go and try and run it the next time.

 

[joneser4u]

Do you have a fuel bottle? I take the line off the carb press it into my fuel bottle filler tube, squeze the bottle and let off and it sucks the fuel back outa the tank.

 

[RCDad]

I got the fuel out of the tank but I didn't try to burn the excess out of the engine. I did shoot some wd40 in there though.

Thanx to everyone that gave advise!

 

[vbgagnon]

I'd say get some after run oil. WD-40 doesn't have what the aro has. The aro traps the moisture inside the engine so it doesn't rust! Well worth the few bucks, instead of a rusted up pison and sleeve!

 

[Plaidfish]

my understanding is this:
As the remaining fuel evaporates it leaves the oils contained in the fuel in your engine....as that dries up it turns very gummy and clots up.....(the nitro was keeping this from happening)......if you use After Run Oil it will trap a lubricant in with all the oils and prevent them from drying out and turning gummy.....this was esplained to me by a guy who's been flying planes for over 30 years......If Ronnie says it, I believe it!!!

WD-40 is not a lubricant it is a degreaser, good for cleaning and temporary lubrication....I wouldn't want to leave something metal w/ only a coat of WD-40 on it

 

[Ryan with savage]

WD-40 is not a lubricant it is a degreaser, good for cleaning and temporary lubrication....I wouldn't want to leave something metal w/ only a coat of WD-40 on it

From WD-40 website

"PRODUCT INFORMATION
WD-40 protects metal from rust and corrosion, penetrates stuck or jammed parts, displaces moisture, and lubricates just about anything. WD-40 is also great when it comes to cleaning grease, grime, and other marks from most surfaces."

So probably better than aro then.......

 

[Plaidfish]

I've used WD-40 for years, I was raised by mechanics and I have EXTENSIVE experience with this crap, and it is a cleaner first and foremost...the viscosity of this stuff is very minimal for lubricating....it will dry out very quickly compared to a true oil....if you are just cleaning and leaving it for a few days, even a few weeks it will definately do the trick....but I always say why use temporary patches if you can use the real thing....I just hate to see people use this stuff for lubing things like bike chains and then wonder why it's dry in a day or so....talk to any mechanic (any respectable one anyway) and ask if they would lube any engine parts with this stuff and see what they say

 

[Collegedub]

Problem with WD-40 is it's not hygroscopic, it merely displaces water (in a trapped cylinder, where does that displaced water go?). Once the WD-40 breaks down, and it will, the water will attack the cylinder anyway. ARO is hygroscopic and traps the water in its molecules to prevent the rust. Use WD-40 if it's a nightly thing and you'll run it tomorrow. Anything more then a few days and i'd use ARO.

BTW, hygroscopic means "water absorbing". Just a FYI.

-Alan

 

[rocknbil]

ARO is hygroscopic and traps the water in its molecules . . .

It's not the ARO that's hygroscopic, it's the FUEL. ARO, like WD-40 and automatic transmission fluid, is extremely strong at RESISTING moisture emulsification, not "trapping" it. The idea is to coat the internals and drive out excess fuel so that any condensation that would be caused by the fuel cannot come in contact with the metals.

Tarant is correct in that you should run an engine dry at the end of the day. Invert the vehicle and empty the tank, but put the glow start on it and burn all the remaining fuel out of the tank.

Next look at this comment:

. . . .put a few drops of after run oil in the hole (don't use wd-40), turn the mill over a few times . . .

Many people do this. But it's unnecessary. One, you possibly expose the engine to even more dust even if you clean the glow plug hole well. Two, constant unnecessary removal of the plug dents and scratches the gasket and will lead to premature compression loss. Three, any ARO you put down the glow plug hole will blow out the exhaust port as soon as you turn it over as you describe. And four, for the real reason you don't need to do this - How does your fuel find it's way into the combustion chamber? Through the carb. A sufficient dousing of ARO in the air inlet combined with a few cranks of the engine is MORE than enough to get plenty of ARO into the piston and sleeve.

Also a large misconception is "a few drops." I'll quote OS engines: "When you use after-run oil, 2-5 drops are next to useless." You need to drive out excess moisture and insure complete coverage of the engine internals. A few drops is a waste of time; you need to use at least half a teaspoon.

Lastly, the WD-40 argument: Plaidfish, I also was a grease monkey and have used WD-40 all my life. Yes, it is a water displacing oil, and got it's name from being the 40th formula they concocted for that purpose (see their website.) Many people do use WD-40 as an ARO.

However. WD-40 **also** contains solvents and acids. Acids are caustic. This means they can and WILL cause mocroscopic etching on aluminum and steel surfaces over time. Since the primary purpose of ARO is long-term-storage, this is why WD-40 is not the best choice for ARO.

Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) is by nature water-displacing oil. Marvel Mystery Oil is a paraffin-based lubricant known for it's cohesiveness. The absolute best and cheapest ARO you can use is a 50/50 mix of MMO and ATF. About five bucks will mix you up a triple-lifetime supply and you won't have to worry about being conservative with it. This mixture is also recommended by OS as an ARO substitute.

 

[joneser4u]

WD-40 will be fine RCdad, if your storing the car indoors in a temp controlled enviroment? I use good ol' 3in1 and have never had problems. Have used WD and it did fine. As long as its indoors, if it somewhere where moisture could form inside the engine from variating temps, go with the ARO, if its indoors just use the WD.

 

[Ryan with savage]

I've used WD-40 for years, I was raised by mechanics and I have EXTENSIVE experience with this crap

Oh well done, with your extensive use of CAPITALS too, very CONVINCING.

Personally I just love the smell of the stuff.

 

[Collegedub]

It's not the ARO that's hygroscopic, it's the FUEL. ARO, like WD-40 and automatic transmission fluid, is extremely strong at RESISTING moisture emulsification, not "trapping" it. The idea is to coat the internals and drive out excess fuel so that any condensation that would be caused by the fuel cannot come in contact with the metals.

Thanks for settin me straight. Got some of the materials mixed up in my explanation. Def. agree with ya on this one.

Though, i wouldn't hold too much stock in the technical (read: chemical) information some R/C mags give you. I was reading RC-Driver the other day (20% vs. 30% nitro fuel) and they explained "Hydra Carbons" as unburnt fuel. They meant "hydrocarbons" as hydra carbons would be multi-headed organic molecules

-Alan

 

[Plaidfish]

I was wondering if anyone would ask about the "EXTENSIVE" experience....I've been baptised in the poop....literally...my dad had a barrel of it when I was a kid...I was trying to get on the roof of the house and used it to stand on.....the barrel lid gave out and in I went.....that was my first lesson of how WD-40 actually can promote plastic breakdown....ever since then I've been a firm believer in silicone based lubricants, as most of the things we use lubricants for do have or are connected to something plastic.....I know not to use a silicone lubricant in my RC stuff....I use the tranny Miracle Oil mentioned above....a friend mixed it up and gave me some....I couldn't remember what the contents were so I let it be.....WHY YOU BE PICKIN ON ME MAN...JuST caUSe i UsE BIg LETteRs WheN I typE?
I think we can all agree that WD-40 may be good for very short term cleaning? but not to use it as a lubricant you would store something with....yes/no?

O yeah.....HYDRA Carbons
HAHAHA I get it