First question about breakin

[jaymasta]

hey guys,
so I have had my mad froce for 2 days now, and Iam in the midst of breaking it in I just finished the 4th heat cycle, the first time I started it let it run for 2 minutes, killed it, let it sit for 8 hours and did the same thing again, then today I started it let it run for 3 minutes killed it, about 10 hours later did the same thing, the first question is that I hardly have any visable smoke coming out of the exhuast and there is defiantly some oil at the exit of the muffler, the salesman at the shop said it was all tuned for breakin, but I did check and recheck everything and reset the needles and it seemed that it was all ok, unless I screwed something up when I was checking them. Anyways I will probobly do the same thing tomorow morning and then again tomorow night, let it run for 3 minutes or so at idle, do you have any suggestions on the smoke thing or is that ok during breakin, thanks again for your help guys, can't wait until I actaully get to drive this thing its KILLING ME!!!! LOL

Jason

 

[itsme]

The heat cycle method is IMO the best ways to break in a new mill but waiting 8 to 10 hours between the next cycle is not necessory,you need to get the heat up in the mill to ensure proper seating of the piston and the sleeve, let your mill cool down 10 to 15 minutes then continue on with the next cycle after your last recommended cycle put it on the ground and keep it running with short half throttle burst run that tank through and then you can start to tune for top speed with your HSN by turning it in 1/8th of a turn at a time, if you dont have a temp gun i would recommend getting one and try to tune your mill between 220-240 degress that will ensure long life out of your mill, good luck with it and keep us posted on your progress.

 

[retarded pilot]

you should also be puting the piston at the bottom of its stroke (bdc) everytime you shut it off even after break-in. your engine will last longer

 

[jon2]

Welcome to the site!

Sounds like you are doing things fine. The smoke and the oil coming out of your Exhaust is normal for breakin times. Its a sign that your engine is set to being really rich. You want the rich setting during breakin to allow lubrication of that new piston and sleeve working with each other. The best thing to do when it is cooling down s to make sure that the piston is at BDC or Bottom dead center. This the position where the piston is at its lowest point of its cycle. THan add a few drops of ARO or after run oil to lube the internals again.Doing that will help better your break in and help ensure you get the most out of your new engine. Good luck and be patient. All good things come with patience.

 

[jaymasta]

Ya I have been setting the piston at BDC as far as I know, I spin the crank until it gets really easy to spin, and also I have been putting in Hobbico after run oil, after it cools down a bit, but Iam still worried that I do not have any visable smoke coming out of my exhaust, which means I might be running to lean I think Iam still learning all this stuff thanks again guys

Jason

 

[retarded pilot]

i dont know what to say about the smoke right now if your needles are at the factory position?

but I'm wondering how cold it is in canada right now?...& what temp your getting up to on your engine when you shut it off

 

[jaymasta]

Well right now its between 15-20deg C outside, starting to wear the shorts and tshirts outside now, I don't know how hot the engine is getting although its getting hot enough that I can't touch the top of the cylinder head for more then a few seconds, and if i put a drop of water on it, it quickly evaporates, but not immediatly....I am getting concerned that Iam not really seeing any visable smoke, I have read that it is a good thing to see smoke, so far I have cycled it 6 times, and will probobly do it 2 or 3 more times before I start driving it.

Jason

 

[jon2]

Do you have a temp gun? The smoke, unspent fuel and temps are what should be guides to you.

 

[jaymasta]

hey guys,
alright well I went through all my diagrams today, and decided that it was running a little lean due to not any visable smoke during the heating/cooling part of the breakin, so I richened the LS needle, 1/4 turn, and then another 1/4 turn and it started to show some visable smoke and I was satisfied with that, and I also drove it for the first time today after (9 heating/cooling cycles) for about 10 minutes or so, or just under a 1/2 tank slowly applying the throttle and letting off, it was very fun even though there is alot more to come, anyways after that, I put the piston to BDC, let it sit for 10 miutes or so then I put in some after run oil, and then I tilted it over to look underneath and see if it was dirty and about a teaspoon of green oily looking goo came out of the exhaust, wondering what this is, and if I richened it to much or if this is normal during breakin, thanks again guys.

Jason

 

[Monkey Wrench]

The technical term for that green stuff is "nitro snot", and it's normal, but it means you're running it rich. After nine tanks, you need to start leaning it out a bit and watching your temps. You won't see a considerable amount of smoke at idle, it's when you don't see any at throttle when you should be concerned. If at idle you can see raw fuel and "nitro snot" coming out the stinger, you're probably running too rich.

Best tool (or at least one of them) you can buy is a temp gun. Dynamite makes a good one for $25.00. Saves lives!

 

[Jeep]

Definitely get a temp gun, don't consider it, just get one!

These lil engines, building the kind of HP they do, can change temps radically in just a few seconds,, A temp gun will let you know where the engine is (safety and performance wise) either direction.

As said earlier, don't worry quite so much about not seeing smoke at idle(if you had a temp gun you'd see whether the lsn was too lean or not), it's when you hit the throttle that you should see a decent trail of smoke.

I'm still learning about these nitro engines as well,,but what I said, I know.

Jeep

 

[jaymasta]

alright, alright, Iam done messin around, Iam going to my LHS tomorow, and Iam going to get a temp gun and a fuel filter, which I should have bought the first day, but at the time I was so excited I forget, anyways, is there a thread on exactly what to do with the temp gun and what kind of temperatures Iam looking for at idle, and after driving it etc... I am pretty sure I point it at the glow plug, and am looking for between 200-240 or something, but a thread to read on the whole use of the temp gun for these engines would be helpfull, I tried doing a few searches, and will read some other threads tonite, but there are ALOT of different ones out there, anyways thanks again for your help guys,

Jason.

 

[ImBroken]

Use the temp gun to get readings on the surface area around the glowplug.


This was copied from a post by STEPHEN BESS on the "Starting Grid" message board as he tried to help another member get more life and performance out of his OS motor. This break-in method should apply to virtually any ABC hobby nitro engine (except for ringed engines).

Engine Break-in like the Pro's....

If you are still idling at least a tank through during break-in, you're using the old-school accepted method (still works well for some!) but it's not the method that the top engine guys (Ron Paris, Dennis Richey, Rody Roem, Michael Salven are just a few I've spoken personally with about this) recommend anymore.

From the very 1st time you start your engine, plop the car on the ground & begin running it in a parking lot in 2-3 minute intervals, tuned only *slightly rich* getting the temps up in the 200F range on a normal day. Every 2-3 minutes, shut the engine down & let it cool completely with the piston at BDC, and then fire it back up; continue this cycle until you've run 15 min or so, and then bump up to 3-4 minute intervals. Vary the RPM and don't be afraid to get the temps in the 200's. What you want is heat cycling of the components without the incredible stress that comes with breaking an engine in when it's overly rich & cold. After cycling the engine in this mannerfor about 20-25 total minutes, it'll be ready for the track and race tuning. I realize this method goes against the old-school "idle on the box" routine, but you'll be amazed once you've completed this break-in routine, your OS will still have amazing pinch w/out sticking at the top AND your OS's compression will last far longer than it will with the "old school" method.

You say you run the engine at "factory settings" for the first FIVE tanks? That alone causes lots of stress, as the factory OS settings are very rich on every OS I've ever owned or tuned. The piston & sleeve haven't expanded to operating temps, and every time the engine turns over, the piston slams into the pinch zone at TDC. The not-so-surprising result can be a cracked con-rod at the crank pin--that's where the majority of the stresses occur as the engine turns over. I've only heard of about 6-8 OS engines breaking con-rods, and they're ALWAYS during the first gallon...and almost every time it's because the guys have performed the break-in procedure you described. Doesn't seem like a mystery as to why it's happening. Drawing out the break-in routine really stresses the engine & actually wears away compression along the way. This method I've outlined will feel weird at every step, but after you try it once, you'll notice a big difference in your engine's performance & lifespan.

 

[jaymasta]

hey guys,
well I bought myself a temp gun today, and it looks like my truck is running between 200-220 which is great for breakin I think, and I also bought a in line fuel filter, but my salesman also informed me that there is a filter built into the fuel pickup in the bottom of the tank, so I got what was called a "final" filter, and it filters up to 130 microns so I hope thats good, anyways ran through a tank today of on and off the gas and it lasted me about 25 mins or so which seems pretty long, so I guess about 5 more tanks or so and I'll be ready to start leaning it out, oh and is 200-220 a good temp for breakin?
thanks again for your help guys

 

[itsme]

That temp gun is one of the essential items when running nitro engines, the inline filter is a great addon also, these mills are not like a 1:1 engine that can take little dirt particles here and there, a small piece of sand can ultimately ruin your day with one of these mills, 220-240 is ideal temp for these mills, depending on the climate your in has an effect also good luck with the rest of your breakin..

 

[Jeep]

I've read from many different sources that you want a breakin temp of about 210-220 and afterwards during normal running from 220-260 or so,,240- 250 being nearly ideal , variating a bit depending on the ambient temp and your particular engine.

Jeep

 

[jaymasta]

hey gus,
ya the temp gun is pretty cool it was 40 bucks,on sale from 80 so I think its an ok one, I have used it all over the place, its good for double checking the temp on my fish tank at high and low spots as well, anyways I'll keep ya updated on how the breakin is coming.

 

[Jeep]

hey gus,
ya the temp gun is pretty cool it was 40 bucks,on sale from 80 so I think its an ok one, I have used it all over the place, its good for double checking the temp on my fish tank at high and low spots as well, anyways I'll keep ya updated on how the breakin is coming.

It IS a very usefull all around tool, but there is a catch.
On some very reflective surfaces it will give you a very low wrong reading.
Keep that in mind.

In general, the closer the object is to black in color, the more accurate your temp gun will be.

Jeep