My luck continues.

[PaulC]

You'll remember last year I kept having poor luck with the buggy, well it's continuing.

Got the starter box for the Losi and got it running in the back yard.

Tuning was awful though.

During the build I had wrongly assumed to swap the throttle linkage nipple to the other side I had to remove the LSN, but after the needle was showing a good amount of threads, I realised there was a grub screw holding the nipple, so my LSN setting was lost for nothing.

First I wore a 1mm grove in the starter wheel because "I was sure" it wasn't flooded when in fact it was badly flooded. I proved I was wrong by nearly getting drowned when I fired the starter box with the plug out. Good job I was wearing glasses!

Got it started but, buggy is still 'chattering' away on idle, 4 cycling I think. VaVaVaVaVaVaVa!

Tried to fix that by leaning the LSN and lowering the idle speed. After about 10 starts it was either chattering or bogging down and stalling.

I got it to run (chattering on idle though) and taking 0-100% throttle blips without stalling. However flooring it (I have the throttle backed off to about 80%) it didn't sound happy and immediately stalled when I took the throttle out.

I decided it was time to let it run with some room. Start with the HSN on tarmac until I could get it to run up to full speed. THEN do the LSN and finally the idle speed.

Loaded everything into the car and started trying to tune the HSN. 5 starts later and it wouldn't start. Discovered that the plug had come loose. Fixed that started it once more, dropped it on the ground and it stalled again. Back on the box and nothing. Nothing, Nothing, flooded.

Glow meter said 0.5 amps on the plug = Flat battery.

Tried the spare glow starter and it was also flat (had not been used for a year and not charged either, of course it was flat).

So, all back in the car and back home. Can't fast charge the glow starters as I can't find my Acucell6 adapter, so it's on the overnight slow charge

I also threw the head up and said, "To hell with this" and set all the needles back to factory.

Hopefully luck will improve tomorrow.

How as the Losi? For the very limited running I did the first thing that struck me dumb was just how violently responsive it is. First run up the lane I was on and I went to turn out to the right so I could do a 180 left and... I steered slightly right buggy went, "YES SIR! RIGHT SIR!" and almost buried itself in the ditch! I dialed the steering down!

Even running on dry tarmac I could throw the steering left, right, left, right and it would wiggle it's back end like a snake, but the front end refused to be anything buy super responsive.

Oh... and it didn't roll over the first hint of turning tight like the Ansmann POS.

Just need to dial the engine in again and it will be good fun!

Paul

 

[PaulC]

No, my luck got worse today.

Can't get the engine to stay running at all.

Started from factory needles. Starter box wouldn't even turn it over. Cleared the cylinder, still starter box couldn't turn it over. <-- suspected cause, too much after run oil.

I loosened the plug enough so the starter could turn it over and got it to fire, but I needed feed it throttle before it would run without the starter and FINALLY it was idling on it's own and I tightened up the plug.

Idle was terrible, surging, stuttering, chattering. I let it be until the temps came up to 110*C (sorry for metric). Then adjusted the HSN a little leaner from factory and the idle stabilised a little.

About 30 second later though and it started idling irratically again and then surged reved right up and stalled.

Couldn't get it to run again. Don't think it was getting fuel at all and when I primed it with the plug out until I could feel fuel coming out the cylinder it would fire a little on the starter, but not run.

After the starter box battery went flat and I had to give up, I took it back inside to good light and.... not a drop of fuel in the fuel line.

All the tubing is new, I had a Turnigy fuel filter in the line, but I removed the filter element before I had suspected fuel starvation and the Losi tank has a clunk filter anyway. If I blow down the exhaust pressure line I can blow fuel out, but it does take a little bit of a blow. No obvious blockages and I had removed the fuel lines from all the clips so there were no sharp bends.

The worrying this is, I think it means I either have a carb leak or an exhaust leak!

Getting pissed off. How much is an electric conversion kit?

Paul

 

[Metalhead Matt]

Is it a new engine Paul?

 

[PaulC]

Nah it's the Ansmann engine from the last buggy. Think someone told me they are OEM "Force" engines.

Seems fuel starved. When it was running yesterday it just wouldn't take anything beyond half throttle for longer than a second without cutting out

Would the chattering be caused by a pressure leak in the carb and my problems are just it getting worse?

I'm going to give it another go tomorrow when the starter box recharges, see if I can't get it to drink fuel properly.

My fuel is also a year old now so that might not help.

I have video with the "chattering" or 4 cycling sound it's making, but the file is 2.6Gb and nothing I have will open it to edit out the bit I could post

Also the chattering used to ONLY be at idle and stopped as soon as I gave it any throttle, but today when I tried to rev it up, it continued chattering right up until it cut out at about 1/3 throttle.

 

[Metalhead Matt]

Well, if the engine is firing, the fuel should be ok. Your symptoms sound exactly like what my .15 associated engine was doing in my RC10. Just the most erratic behavior. I ended up swapping the carb to solve my problem. You might want to soak your carb over night in da or fuel, just to get it as clean as you can. Inspect the carb real well. It may have a crack in the body, making for an air leak that changes with the engine temp. If you've sealed everything and the engine is acting like this, I suspect a broken carb body.

 

[PaulC]

I got it firing by force priming it with the plug out until I seem fuel mist coming out. Then it ran for a bit and cut out again.

I'll pressure check the lines, I only checked I could blow fuel through, not for leaks.

I don't want to take the carb off until I'll excluded all other issues, as I don't have anything to seal it back on with Might check the LHS tomorrow for a small bottle of fuel and some high temp sealant.

I have to confess though the airfilter was off the carb when it was stored and the throat had dust in it I cleaned off with a bit of tissue, but a little dust wouldn't wreck it would it?

Anyway thanks for the help Matt.

EDIT: Oh, I remember yesterday when I was trying to get it to run up to full throttle and kept cutting out (not bogging down) I was richening the HSN and it was improving (only a little), but the needle was showing a good 1mm above flush and it's never had to richen that much before, 'cept during break in to keep the temp down.

 

[HPIguy]

How long was it stored Paul? After pulling my Savage out of storage, I had to completely tear the carb down and clean it thoroughly for the issues you describe. Keep in mind it was stored clean, with filter intact, and always had ARO used. Also, you can pick up high temp selant at any auto parts store.

 

[PaulC]

Well, it was apparently just trying to me a peepee out of me.

Got enough charge in the starter box to diagnose the fuel issue. I primed it by blowing the exhaust tube, got it turning over by loosening the plug again and what do you know? She stuttered her way into life with some throttle coaxing.

A little idle speed adjust and she idled fine, no chattering.

Rev'ed it up and she spat raw fuel out the exhaust everywhere and conked out.

1/4 turn lean on HSN and she would take and hold full throttle for as long as I dared (for the tires sake) and would happily idle and take repeated pulses of full throttle WAAbrrrrWAAAAbrrrrrwAAAAAbrrrrr.

Perfectly fine.

Still a little rich, but it's good to go out for a run and better tuning tomorrow.

Son-of-a-f'...

Wait till you see, tomorrow I'll take it out and it will not start at the field!

She was stored from May 'till December when I test fired it on the Ansmann chassis to make sure it was safe to buy the Losi and it ran absoultely fine then. Maybe the carb just needed to clear itself a bit, I don't know.

Paul

 

[Metalhead Matt]

Awesome! Your probably right. Just a little oil gum in the needles. Let us know how it goes tomorrow.