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HELP! Smoke from Glow Plug

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N

NitroMED

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I purchased a REVO 3.3, Model 5309 (includes Reverse kit) several weeks ago. Unfortunately, life gets in the way and I only amassed 6 tanks of fuel, essentially ran through a quart of 20% Nitro. Pretty much followed the Traxxas break-in guidelines as best as I could. On the 6th tank, truck seemed to be running fine on pavement. I would surmise it was shifting into 2nd gear, although I couldn't physically tell, but the truck seemed to be hauling ass.

Well, I emptied the remaining fuel in the quart and it almost gave me 1/2 a tank for my 7th run. I decided to move the truck to a grass field...grass wasn't that high at all. Well, the truck was rolling fine and then all of a sudden it came to a stop. I thought I exhausted the tank, but to my (UNFORTUNATE) surprise, I saw some steam and smoke coming from the engine cooling head...from the glow plug area. There was also a smell...burning like. I let it cool off and brought it home.

At home, I removed the glow plug wire and observed the non-conductive material (sheath) on the end of the glow plug wire seemed like some of it burned away. I pulled the glow plug and it was a bit black. Before I put a new glow plug in, do you guys have any ideas if this is a bigger problem and my engine is blown. I'm concerned and pissed off at the same time. I mean WTF, it's still an off-road truck so this type of terrain isn't suitable for it? I wouldn't of purchased the damn thing if that was the case, I would've just went with an on-road nitro car.

I will take it to my LHS 2 see what he says, but any info beforehand would be greatly appreciated. I know Traxxas customer service is top-notch, but if the engine is blown and this is somewhat of the beginnings of a pattern, I would rather upgrade now to promote reliability.

PLEASE HELP.
 
Leaking Glow Plug...hhmmm. Ok, ironically, I've come across that glow plug site before as well. I don't see any noticeable pitting, it somewhat resembles the good all around tune glow plug if you can believe that, but there is some sort of slight residue build-up on it.

Normally, when I add the after run oil, I add it directly to the carb bore; however, yesterday, I added a few drops to the carb and then added 5-6 drops to the chamber directly. Covered it with paper towel, ran the EZ start 3x for 8 seconds each. I guess my question for you based on your statement (leaking glow plug), how tight should the glow plug be? I tightened what I believe to be just past the point of the plug threading relatively easily with the standard glow plug wrench, but not much more. I suppose if the seal wasn't good as the engine got up to operating temperature, perhaps due to some expansive properties with the metal some fluid started to seep through.

So, is it possible, this seepage cooked the glow plug causing the truck to shut down? Man, I sure hope so...really don't want to get into a whole engine thing right now.

What do you suggest regarding the glow plug wire itself? The sheathing on the end of the plug kinduv burned off a bit and I wonder if that was the smell I experienced. Sorry to throw all these thoughts out there, but I'm fishing.

Thank you for your initial response, look forward to your comments.
 
I'd put in a new plug and run it.
As far as how tight should it be - it needs to be tight to maintain compression or reverse out.
You don't need to use all your (or a lot of) strength when you tighten it, but tighten it beyond an easy snug.

Part of your problem may have been the transition from pavement to grass. Even if the grass is low it provides a whole lot more rolling resistance than the pavement which makes your engine work harder and hotter. That may be why it shut down on you. Watch your temps and richen as needed.

You also mentioned that you removed the glo plug when you put in the after run.
Make sure that the cooling head and the glo plug are clean before reinstalling the plug. Some dirt or other contaminant may have kept it from sealing properly.
 
Sorry about taking so long to reply, I was really busy the last few days.

When the engine is too lean, smoke will come from other places besides the exhaust. When it is too rich, oil will build up and burn, and if it is a leaking glow plug, right on the head. Maybe the burned sheath was from burning oil(?). Try to check the temp, and see if it is low or high. That could really change what it is.

P.S. Thank you thank you thank you for using correct grammar. It is so nice to get someone who knows how to write.
 
Sounds to me like the engine was lean and over-heated. +1 on the grass adding much more rolling resistance. Tune to conditions and watch your temps.
 
You said that when it was to lean it was leaking smoke from other places. It may not be the main problem, but you might want to check the engine seal
 

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