Engine cutting out on half a tank

[Renegade88]

MY truck battles to start and when it does it only runs to half a tank and dies. The engine is not getting hot at all. This nitro scene is driving me insane. What the F@#$ is going on?

 

[kwong2001]

what's the temp when it cuts?

 

[Renegade88]

Not more than 120c

 

[kwong2001]

What's that in farenheit?

 

[KMN]

About 240-250(Just a random guess from thinking of where both boiling points are... )

And yes, the nitro cars run like ass until they make it to their death, in which, they only appear to run fine.

When this happened to me, I had air getting into the fuel tank. Look for bubbles in the line's, leaks in the tank, and... well... things pertaining to that..

I had the same thing happening and the tank had a slight leak (Nitro 4-tec), common problem with those tanks.

 

[Renegade88]

I have a good excuse to go back to electric!

 

[KMN]

Originally posted by Renegade88
I have a good excuse to go back to electric!

No way... I had probs with nitro at first(No electric knowledge at all yet).

Once I got bored of the electric, I ended up busting out the nitro's again.

They get easier to do, once you realize what you are doing...

Was the motor broken in properly?

Are your needles set properly?

How is the weather?

Everything with these motors changes from day to day. I dont think I ever even tuned my first one, I had no idea(Nor did I read the directions)

The main tool I bring with me when I run a nitro is a precision flathead screwdriver. These things need constant tuning adjustments. Well, I know they do in Texas.

 

[SilentHunterKellen]

Dont get turned off nitro. Nitro is way more exciting than electric. Speeds are better, more realistic, sounds, i dont know. Just try leaning it out. Not to much, just a 1/16 of a turn. Keep going until it idles fine. What kind of fuel are you using?
[move]-Kellen[/move]

 

[Renegade88]

15%, what needle should I lean out top or lowend? Maybe I should just put the OS in!

 

[SilentHunterKellen]

High Speed Needle. Also, 20% is a good nitro content. If and when you make the change, youll see what i mean.
[move]-Kellen[/move]

 

[Renegade88]

So I must be running too rich?

 

[SkyMaxx]

If the engine cuts out each and everytime at the same fuel level in the tank, then odds are you have a cracked tank. Depending on the truck, the tank seam is usually at or around the halfway mark. If the seam is busted, you get an air leak. This causes the pressure from the pressure line to escape through the seam; in turn causing the engine to not get fuel and shut down.

If the problem is not an air leak, odds are you are running too LEAN.

These fuel systems are self leaning. The lower the level of fuel in the tank, the leaner the engine starts to run.

My recommendation is to take the needles back to factory presets, and retune from there. BTW what is the truck and engine in question?

Some tuning rules of thumb...hot days (meaning hotter than say 70°F) should tune lean....cold days (meaning 50°F and below) you should start to richen things up.

Check these things out and get back to us.

 

[FastEddy]

I had the same issue 2 times with 2 different reasons.

First time the gasket on the tank lid needed to be tightened it was causing an air leak. Tighten the screw on the inside of the lid.

Second time I had replaced and re-routed the pressure line and made it to long. As the fuel gets lower it takes more pressure to keep the fuel flowing. The longer the fuel line the less pressure gets to the tank.

It could be any of the above factors and these 2 are just a few more possibilities.

I hope you find the answer.

 

[RobH]

My experience with the fuel system is that a lot of things come together to make it work right. You need back pressure from the exhaust to push the fuel out of the tank. Any leaks in the circuit and you are screwed.

My advise is to check everything from the exaust nipple to the carb nipple. Check your tank for leaks change your fuel lines. Use pieces of gas hose as hose clamps on all nipple fittings.

Also if your gas hose gets close to the engine head, it could melt the hose. They sell this fire proof stuff you can put over your gas hoses to keep them from burning.

Don't give up. Nitro is fun and worth all the problems.

 

[SilentHunterKellen]

Originally posted by NoviceRob
Don't give up. Nitro is fun and worth all the problems.

Truer words were never spoken.:yes: :yes: :yes:
[move]-Kellen[/move]

 

[Blakedude409]

You could have an air leak or bad fuel pressure