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how long should my glow plug last?

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R

revo_chance

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Having a problem keeping glow plugs. I'm really new to the nitro scene but i have a alot of mechanical knowlege. but for some reason I'm going through glow plugs like they are going out of style. 2 in a half gallon of 33% please somebody help me, cause there is no hobby shop near me so i have to order everything.

if i would have know that i would go though so many i would have bought more when i was at the closest hobby store.
 
There is a good chance that you are running too rich to be burning them like that , so go ahead and check your settings richen up alot and start from there . See what that does and keep us posted.
 
How does the plug look like when you replace them? If they are white and recessed you are too lean. If they black and gummed up, its a good sign you are running rich.Of course this can vary due to operating conditions.
 
I had the traxxas original plug that came with my revo 3.3 and now i just burned up a
LC3-hot. when they are done they look like new, so i dont understand. and the mixture seems ok, its not like i have raw fuel running out the exhaust.

And of course I'm so far away form the nearest hobby shop I'm waiting for my order to come in. so shes down till they get here. along with some new clutch shoes and spur gears and bumpers and body pins, lol. i can't seem to keep them damn pins in either.
 
Why are you running 33%? That engine is very happy with 20%, and if Traxxas Top Fuel is available, go with it.
If you have a problem with the engine, Traxxas most likely will not honor their warranty.
 
I'm running 33% because the guy at the hobby store where i bought my revo said that it works the best because of the altitude and colder temps, so thats what i bought. and i dont know about a problem with the motor it runs very well it just likes to eat glow plugs. i will take some pics of the plug later and post them to seee if anybody can tell me if they look bad. maybe i just got a couple of bad plugs, i dont know. they still look new to me. i might call traxxas tomorrow to see what they have to say.
 
It's not unusual to lose a plug during or just after the break in. Plugs are somewhat unpredictable. Some die without warning, and others will go for well over a gallon, but that's a rarity. Check with you LHS guy and see if he recommends a cooler plug where you are.
 
If memory serves me correct, The 33% is percentage that Traxxas top fuel comes in. I know I have it and used it for my old Revo. Works great. That is why I asked about your plug. Going up in percentage will more than likely require some re-tuning to allow for more nitro content and less oil content. The ratio difference causes your engine to react differently. If you are saying that there is noe raw fuel coming out of the exhaust, does that mean you are running right on the pipe or are you running too lean? What are the temps? What altitude are you running? Altitude can be a PITA if you are running at a high altitude which means the air density is thinner and can cause a false reading. Air is thinner than you need to lean it to compensate. If the air is dense, then you need to richen it up to compensate.

IMO the Traxxas 3.3 runs fine on a MC-59 or the comparable LC3 hot plug.

Check the tank ring, on the cap. It should have been addressed on the 2.5 model but I would give it a look see to see if it was torn or loose.

Please help us with some more info.
 
Yeah the fuel I'm running is traxxas top fuel 33%, and thats what i ran in it to break it in. the altitude I'm at is not that high, we are at 2700 ft and the temp was about 10 degrees C. I'm trying to post some pics of the plugs but like I said they looked like new.
when i say there is no raw fuel coming out of the exhaust i mean there is a little bit of oil but no raw unburned fuel, so i dont think that I'm over rich. but i dont know. i thought that i would get more life outta one plug than that. i lost the first one half way through break in, and i was running like I'm supposed to. new ones still on order so I'm waiting, i can't even run it right now. oh and my tank gasket looks good, like new. well it is new but yeah.
 
possible solution

Sounds like your probably is running to lean, overheating and burning out your coil on your plug, check your temps. should be 200-270f. Your plugs will look like new but if you look close you will see that the coil looks a little white. I just had the same problem out of the box my running temp was 380f, a plug lasted 10min.. My problem was the low speed setting was 1 1/2 turns to lean. That was the setting out of the box, go figure. Don't trust the settings out of the box. Good luck, keep us posted.
 

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