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Glow Plug

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Raiden101

Raiden101

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The last two times I've run my truck, I've burned out my glow plug. Am I doing something wrong? I was working on tuning it, and I finally have it running good with a lot of blue smoke, so I don't think it's too lean.
 
This is a fairly new motor, I replaced it a few months ago after blowing up my original 3.3

So in response to your question, about half a gallon
 
I just got it to stop bogging in second gear, so I'll go just a bit more lean. Would being too rich cause glow plug to burn up quickly?
 
I haven't taken the one that fouled today yet, but the one that did it before looked fine. I soaked it in fuel over night and tried it again, but then I started having wand issues.

I just remembered while I was typing this that the one that's in it now is the one I was using when I got the new engine, so it might actually be normal plug wear
 
Break-in plugs get contaminated from the material removed during the lapping process, after the first gallon of fuel has been run through I recommend changing to a new plug. The contamination can raise the heat range of the plug and cause it to act erratic, I would just throw that one in the bush and start fresh.
 
I think that's what I'm going to do. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't doing something wrong, other than still figuring out how to tune the damn thing
 
Read Extreme RC's tuning guide. Click onto his site and read through that baby. It makes tuning really easy to understand. You just have to make sure that your engine and fuel system are completely sealed, or you'll never get it to tune. Also make sure your needles are staying where you put them. This problem has reared it's ugly head a few times lately with Traxxas engines. Sometimes the needles will get loose when the engine heats up and vibrate around. A zip tie on the hsn, bridging the needle itself and the banjo fitting is one way to fix it. A little blue locktite on the lsn threads fixes it. If your needles are staying put, don't worry about this.
 
Those are some great tips Matt, it reminds me of the old sts carbs, you could watch the needles turn on their own when you hit the throttle, it can lead to real tuning headaches until you figure it out.
 
The needles are staying fine, but I'll keep that in mind. I have a copy of Extreme RC's tuning guide printed out in my box, along with the tuning flow chart on this forum
 

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