HPI Nitro Star .15 Fe wont start !!!

[Supernitro17]

well i should first say that i had the engine running well several times, i guess id say through a little more than half a gallon of fuel, maybe more. i just switched to 30% nitro (by error of towerhobbies.com which is my only curent supply of rc stuff) and i was retuning, i had it running wel for a bout half a quart, and then decided to maybe try and tune a little more. i had the high end needle all dialed in , and it was fine, or so it seemed. i was adjusting the idle and set it to fast enough so the clutch just barely didnt engage, however it did have some roll out here and there.. but nothing big.
The engine never smoked or anything, so I'm pretty sure i wasn't running to rich at all, i think i was on the lean side. but now ! ... there are "burn marks" on my rear exhaust (just brown stains kind of from i guess the heat, which should have been an indicator) and then the engine stalled out as soon as it got started. i tried to fix it with some success, but now the thing just flat out wont start at all. i set the high end back to factory setting, and then tried everything with the low end needle, but nothing works. ... also , the pull start is hard to pull and feels jerky , not like it used to, and it also has a hard time reeling back in pretty often now... anyone have any idea of what i did , or what i can do to fix it ? or should i just get a new engine and actually treat it the way it should be, and have it set up , and not mess with it anymore. this was my first nitro engine, so I'm glad i ruined a cheap engine if its ruined... and i guess I've learned my lesson... for new engines I'm looking at ...

STS SR3 3 port
sts outlaw turbo (i dont race or anything , just bash around)
team orion turbo
OS (not sure which yet, probably a cx-r or whatever it is)
Fantom.

Thanks for any input , I'm really stumped on this

 

[mjanwo]

The engine never smoked or anything, so I'm pretty sure i wasn't running to rich at all,

you want a steady stream of grey smoke at speed..if not you are too lean...running to rich will never hurt your engine...always err on rich side.Were you running 20% before you switched?i had a fe and run 3 gallons (20%)thru it by watching the temp and making sure it was running rich enough at all times..it sounds like you run it too lean and fried it...a rebuild is probably in order and when you rebuild it,stay away from 30% nitro...if i recall in my manual it states to stick to 20% to be on the safe side(30% has a lower oil content,therefore less lubrication) requireing a richer tune....good luck and dont get frustrated,tuning properly takes time to learn.

 

[AoD]

Alright, a few things could of happened here.

First possibility, and the worst of the news. You may have overheated. You stated that it wasn't smoking, and there were "burn" marks on the exaust. First, this may have caused a "meltdown". In other words, a motor that was overheating, cooled WAY to quickly causing parts to actually bend. And that my friend, is a BAD thing. 30% is a good fuel for racing, and putting more and more money into engines. This could cause the hard to start problem and the "wierd" feelings when yanking the pull starter.

Second, it's possible, and cheap to fix. Glow plugs. 90% of engine problems can be traced back to the glow plug. Take it out and test it with your igniter, if it's not bright and white, then it's probably fried. This comes from alot of experienced racers at the LHS here. A glow plug is about the cheapest engine fix, and most reliable. So go check your plug and find out. The burn marks may just be caused from dirt or debris hitting the exaust during runtime. And the hard to start deal, may be the engine flooding out because of a bad glow plug. I personally suggest this before ANYTHING. One thing that everyone I've talked to has told me, and overheating engine is certain death for a glow plug. So go test that thoery.

Third, but not least. It may just have been run way to lean for the engine. You may have cooked it and it's life is over. Time for a rebuild possible. I wouldn't go to that extreme before checking the plug.

Ok, now for my words of advice. DO NOT RUN 30%. The manuals state 10-20% for a reason. 10% will run pretty weak, but you engine will last twice as long. 20% is about the norm, enough oil to keep the engine alive and enough nitro to give out nice performance. 30% is too much nitro, and way too little oil for the motor to handle. If you're going to run 30% I personally would advise alot of castor additives

If I were you, I'd kill the idea of running it until you can get your hands on some 20%, and pawn off the 30%. Get a new glow plug, charge your igniter. Clean your engine with after-run oil, or WD40 and make sure to clean the air filter and fuel filter. Make sure everything is set down to factory settings and restart from there.

This is just my thoughts, I hope they help. I'm pretty sure anyone here would say the same about 30% fuels. For the engines sake, the 20% would run alot better in the long run.

 

[Supernitro17]

thanks for the input guys, ill be sure to check all those things . i kind of hope it is fried, i want a new engine ... but it would still be nice to keep this one running

ok i got it started, it runs for about 15-20 maybe 30 seconds, then dies out ... i didnt check the glow plug yet. but does it sound like that would likely be the problem ?

crap , i gave it some gas and it stalled, now it feels like (through pullstarter anyway) it is back to the same thing, the same old flooded feeling ... and wont start ... after pulling a whole bunch of times. it finally kicked over but wouldnt run ... does that sound like a plug. I'm going to check it out now

 

[mjime714]

I have to believe that its your plug. Switch it out. I have had problems where my car wont start becuase the temp outside was colder than normal so I switched to a hotter plug and that did the trick. I could possibly be that the plug went bad. If you run the car too lean, the coil will get deformed within the plug. When you pull it out, see if the coil is centered within the plug all the way down. If it is leaning to one side, it may be bad. It may still light up, but it wont stay on once you get the fuel and air mixing.

If your engine does not start and you keep yanking the starter, the engine will eventually flood because each time you pull, the engine draws a little more fuel into the system. This will make the pull starter harder to pull. Hydro lock.

I always have a few plugs handy, #6 plugs are the norm and should be good for a wider range of weather. Stock up on these, but get one #5 and a #7 just so you could test which will work best.

 

[Supernitro17]

excellent, I'm going to ghave to buy a wrench that will fit my plug because i dont have one here to get it out , any recommendations, i might as well get the plugs and the wrench at the same time ... maybe ill go over to this new hobby shop during the week and see waht i can muster together, otherwise ill have to order it .. thanks again

 

[AoD]

I recommend a Duratrax 4-way glow wrench. The thing holds 4 glow plugs, and the glow plug end has a holder so when you take it out, it comes out. And you're not searching into the head with a screwdriver to get the glowplug out. As for an igniter, I recommend anything that works. But have a backup just incase