how to maintain it..

[HellMortimer]

Its me again...back like the plague! I ran my car the other day for the first time on a street that seemed just ideal for gaas rc cars yesturday, and damn..its so friggin cool . It took me a couple of tries to get it to start since it kept on shutting of after every pull..but anyway, the gas ran out rather fast, and i had to do it again cuz i didnt think driving it would be such a blast. But the second time around it actually started at everyfirst pull but shut off imediatly, i figures it was a bad plug so i changed it, but nothing. Is there by any chance that all this trouble is happening cuz of OFNA is a cheap make or me that doesn't know poop about this stuff. and another thing..i noticed that the car got really dirty after i ran it..how can i clean it and how do i know when its time to change the filter? i could just take it to my lhs but its like 100 miles away from where i live. Id really appreciate any help. thanks

 

[nitro dave]

First off, what engine are your running and in what car?
Second, you are having problems getting the engine to stay running, you can get it to start but not stay running, is this correct?

With a little more info, we should be able to help you out.

To clean your car, I would go down to the local hardware store, like home depot and buy a gallon of denatured alcohol, it will be in the paint section. Then buy a spray bottle. Make sure you are out side, the stuff is toxic. Spray down the car, pay close attention to the really dirty spots. I also use an old toothbrush to get in there. The crest spinbrushes work great. If you have a compressor, blow off the excess dirt and gunk with that.

You will need to clean/re-oil (or buy new) filter foams when they get dirty. This will depend on what filter you are running. The 2 stage filters are easier to maintain, since you can just remove the outer fitler and clean and oil it, while the inner foam stays nice and fresh.

 

[HellMortimer]

yeah it wont stay running, and I'm not sure what type of engine is it, all i know is that the car is an OFNA nitro LD3. Oh another thing, yesturday after i was done runing it the first time, i flip the car over to check something and noticed some gooey and thick fuel coming out of the exhast by the ton, is this normal ?

exhaust^ So.its ofna really a cheap make ? i want to know this cuz I'm already planning on getting another car, and i dont want to make the mistake of getting another ofna.

 

[nitro dave]

If the car won't stay running, you either not getting the proper fuel/air mixture, or perhaps it is the glow plug that is fouled up. Since you have changed the plug, lets start with the fuel mixture. If you have tons of unspent fuel coming out of the pipe, you might be running really rich. You are probably getting too much fuel which will cause the engine to bog down and die when you blip the throttle. Start leaning the HSN an 1/8th of a turn until the engine stops dying when you hit the throttle. Make sure that there is plently of smoke coming from the exhaust and watch your temps, keep them under 250 and you should be good to go.

ofna is not complete junk, The LD3 is a decent car, but if you are in the market for another ride, there are a lot of other choices that are better than ofna.

 

[HellMortimer]

richining up the hsn and 1/8th of a turn...dude...i really dont have the slightest idea as to what ur talking about. could u keep it more simple...I'm really new at this.so ofna is a piece of junk...thanks for letting me know...next time ill get an hpi or serpent.

 

[nitro dave]

Dude- you need to lean the HSN(high speed needle)- starting at 1/8 of a turn, but since you don't know these basics, which is all right, we have all been there.

There are needles on a carb that let you control the mixture of fuel and air the engines get. You will richen or lean the mixture. This is most important for engine performance along with engine life. You need to learn the basics. Read through the articles I have posted below, and you should be in a better place. If you still have specific questions after reading, ask and you will be able to better understand the anwers given.

http://www.rcnitro.com/rn/articles/nitroengines1.asp
http://www.rcnitro.com/rn/articles/carburetor.asp
http://www.rcnitro.com/rn/articles/get_enginestart.asp

As far as getting an HPI or Serpent, I woulod suggest you learn to run the one you have first, before you buy something much more expensive and kill it. it sounds like you still have a big learning curve ahead of you, but with a little work, you will get there.

BTW- I never said ofna is a piece of junk, I said it was a decent car, but that there are better ones out there, there are also worse ones too. It sounds like it might be just the right car for you to learn on.

 

[HellMortimer]

GODDAMNIT...NOW IT WONT START AT ALL....YOU KNOW WHAT..I'm GONNA TAKE IT TO MY LHS SO THEY CAN FIX IT AND I CAN fiddlesticks IT UP AGAIN. THANKS FOR THE HELP :flaming:

 

[nitro dave]

no offense dude, but you got to learn how to tune your engine yourself. if you don't you wont be in this hobby for very long. if you have to go to the LHS, make sure they teach you how to tune your engine.

I take it you didn't read the articles I found for you. If you did, and you understood them, you shouldn't be in the place you are, good luck

 

[Mugen-Racer]

sounds to me like it's just a matter of tuning. If it shuts off after you pull the ignitor off, sounds maybe like it's a bit rich. How's the filter? Is it dirty?

 

[nitro dave]

Originally posted by Mugen-Racer
sounds to me like it's just a matter of tuning. If it shuts off after you pull the ignitor off, sounds maybe like it's a bit rich. How's the filter? Is it dirty?

yeah, that is the advice I gave him, problem is, he doesn't know what rich or lean is, or what tuning is.

 

[kwong2001]

Originally posted by nitro dave


yeah, that is the advice I gave him, problem is, he doesn't know what rich or lean is, or what tuning is.

well it helps to know the basics...man, he'd be lost trying to tune my novarossi, or get it running at all for that matter.

 

[Mugen-Racer]

Well, it's best to learn instead of bringing it in to the LHS all the time. OFNA isn't a bad product. Every car has its own certain potential. Richen means to make the engine take in more fuel and lean meaning to take in less fuel. Clockwise=lean. Counterclockwise=richen. One of the best things to get is a temp gun or a temp gauge to monitor what the engine is doing. I clean the filter on a regular basis. Normally after a few tanks or depends where I'm running. My offroad, I clean it about every 3rd or 4th tank. Clean filter means better airflow. You can clean it every tank if you want, that's your perogative. Just keep working. If you have a friend that knows more about nitro engines, have him help you.

 

[HellMortimer]

u guys r right i should try to fix this myself but the problem is, what if i mess up the engine? that thought its just haunting me. As u all already know this isnt a cheap hobby. But anyway..before i try to do anything, will it do any harm to the engine if i let either too much or not enough fuel into the engine ? Will the fuel run out faster. I've run the car about 2 times and everytime i flip it over gooey thick fuel comes from the exhaust, does this mean I'm "richining" it too much ? i hope thats nothing serious, the problem that just worrying me is setting the neddle thingy. And as to the filter, i really can't tell if its too dirty, its kinda dark but has no debris or anything stuck to it. oh and another thing i took the filter out earlier today and noticed a few wet spots wich i figures were fuel since it was on the side that faces the inside of the carb, should i worry about this...thanks..

 

[Mugen-Racer]

If you've got fuel running out of the exhaust, it's taking in a lot of fuel and could probably use a bit of leaning. I would just worry about the High Speed Needle right now. Until you get comfortable to adjust your low speed and idle. That is if you have a 3 needle carb. Anyway, you won't hurt anything too much if you are running rich. Just means you're lubing the engine well and beyond need be. As far as leaning it too much, it can harm the engine if you keep it leaned out too much. Best way is to use a temp gun or a temp gauge. What you can do is take the spongy filter out, douse it with nitro fuel and squish it around and drain the gas out of the filter and pop it back in. Good luck

 

[HellMortimer]

I finally got the engine to stay running, it took me a while but it was well worth it. Heres how i managed to do it, first i closed the hsn completly then riched it 2 turns since i heard that the standard setting for the hsn is 2 and a half to 3 turns in every car, from that point on, i started to rich it small turns until the engine would stay running. Then i finally got it, i drove it and seemed to run just fine until i heard this sound as if it the car wanted to shut off everytime i pressed the throttle. Eventually it shut of, i figured it was out of fuel so i cheked the tank and it was halfway full. To make a long story short, i played around with the hsn again, i dont remember if i leaned or riched it but anyway the engine started fine only this time a new problem showed up...it runs without me pressing the throttle and will increase speed gradually, i had to hold the brake wich was really irritating, i think it didnt have to do anything with the throttle trim since it was set pretty low and after that i set it to the lowest level..and still kept on moving and going faster gradually. WHAT NOW?!

This time the fuel came out brown and not anywhere as much as bfore.:egad:

 

[HellMortimer]

Who can help me ? i could just take the car to my lhs but then again, ill never learn to tune it right, the car is just stitting there since that last thing happened and i dont get to run it a lot since time my schedule wont let me.

 

[Cesar]

give it some time. after a while, there will be more things to tune than your carb. i spent 2 hours on my suspension. i am also fairly new to this hobby. my advise is to not be scared to try things out, but a little at a time. then test it. you should also read the links nitro dave gave you. they should be most helpful.

cesar

 

[HellMortimer]

well i got some good news, i succesfully started the engine about 4 days ago, so thank god its not completely broken. I started riching the hsn half a turn then id pull the starter..i kept on doing this until 4 and a half turns. so i decided to do the break in process..not sure if that will help at this point but i ran 3 tanks just for the break in each on different days. it only took me 3 to 4 pulls to get it to start..i think now I'm ready to test it, should i leave the settings to 4 1/2 or maybe lean it a little ?

 

[Cesar]

there really is no way of telling unless you get a temp gun. thats the most useful thing you can get to tune your engine correctly. or you can do the spit test.....

cesar