New to RC, Engine won't start, tried all options.

[ArchmageNydia]

Hello! As stated, I'm entirely new to Nitro RC cars, and I just received one for my birthday the other day, a Redcat Shockwave. As I got it as a gift, I'm not sure what experience people have had with it, if it's good or bad. I do know that it was new out of the package when I got it, though. I'm slightly knowledgeable about engines and such, and I have had a few electric RC cars in the past, but this is my first Nitro, and this is taking place before any previous startup, I have never gotten it to start a single time, for breaking in or otherwise.

I haven't been able to start it a single time, and I believe I've tried most of the options that I've found online.
- Primed it
- Glow plug works and is very bright.
- Fuel is flowing into carb
- High end and low end screws slightly fiddled with both lean and rich, but I returned them to original positions per many's recommendations.
- Starter is not slipping.
- Tried opening throttle slightly
- Tried putting a drop of fuel directly into the cylinder as well as the carb
- Preheated the engine block with a hair dryer (all I have on hand)
- Have been gentle with starting.

There have been absolutely no signs of starting, not a single blub or sputter, and no smoke, as far as I've seen or heard.
My main concern lies in the fact that, during my first few attempts to start, I believe I may have flooded and hydrolocked the engine. During this, I kept pulling the starter cord for a few strokes, when now I know that was a bad idea. I'm worried that doing this may have messed up my engine with the hydrolock. Another possible cause is that my glow plug wrench got extremely stripped in the first few uses, so the glow plug may not be completely sealing up the combustion chamber, so there's not enough compression. I do know that RTR Nitro engines tend to be difficult to start the first time, though, so I'm being persistent.

These are my 2 main hypotheses, and I was wondering if anyone could help confirm or deny these ideas. My closest hobby shop is a good 30 minutes away, and we're a bit on the poorer side, so ideally I don't want to go there if it isn't necessary.

Thank you all in advance, and I hope that we can fix this!

 

[watertrucker]

Hello! As stated, I'm entirely new to Nitro RC cars, and I just received one for my birthday the other day, a Redcat Shockwave. As I got it as a gift, I'm not sure what experience people have had with it, if it's good or bad. I do know that it was new out of the package when I got it, though. I'm slightly knowledgeable about engines and such, and I have had a few electric RC cars in the past, but this is my first Nitro, and this is taking place before any previous startup, I have never gotten it to start a single time, for breaking in or otherwise.

I haven't been able to start it a single time, and I believe I've tried most of the options that I've found online.
- Primed it
- Glow plug works and is very bright.
- Fuel is flowing into carb
- High end and low end screws slightly fiddled with both lean and rich, but I returned them to original positions per many's recommendations.
- Starter is not slipping.
- Tried opening throttle slightly
- Tried putting a drop of fuel directly into the cylinder as well as the carb
- Preheated the engine block with a hair dryer (all I have on hand)
- Have been gentle with starting.

There have been absolutely no signs of starting, not a single blub or sputter, and no smoke, as far as I've seen or heard.
My main concern lies in the fact that, during my first few attempts to start, I believe I may have flooded and hydrolocked the engine. During this, I kept pulling the starter cord for a few strokes, when now I know that was a bad idea. I'm worried that doing this may have messed up my engine with the hydrolock. Another possible cause is that my glow plug wrench got extremely stripped in the first few uses, so the glow plug may not be completely sealing up the combustion chamber, so there's not enough compression. I do know that RTR Nitro engines tend to be difficult to start the first time, though, so I'm being persistent.

These are my 2 main hypotheses, and I was wondering if anyone could help confirm or deny these ideas. My closest hobby shop is a good 30 minutes away, and we're a bit on the poorer side, so ideally I don't want to go there if it isn't necessary.

Thank you all in advance, and I hope that we can fix this!

Hello! As stated, I'm entirely new to Nitro RC cars, and I just received one for my birthday the other day, a Redcat Shockwave. As I got it as a gift, I'm not sure what experience people have had with it

Hello! As stated, I'm entirely new to Nitro RC cars, and I just received one for my birthday the other day, a Redcat Shockwave. As I got it as a gift, I'm not sure what experience people have had with it, if it's good or bad. I do know that it was new out of the package when I got it, though. I'm slightly knowledgeable about engines and such, and I have had a few electric RC cars in the past, but this is my first Nitro, and this is taking place before any previous startup, I have never gotten it to start a single time, for breaking in or otherwise.

I haven't been able to start it a single time, and I believe I've tried most of the options that I've found online.
- Primed it
- Glow plug works and is very bright.
- Fuel is flowing into carb
- High end and low end screws slightly fiddled with both lean and rich, but I returned them to original positions per many's recommendations.
- Starter is not slipping.
- Tried opening throttle slightly
- Tried putting a drop of fuel directly into the cylinder as well as the carb
- Preheated the engine block with a hair dryer (all I have on hand)
- Have been gentle with starting.

There have been absolutely no signs of starting, not a single blub or sputter, and no smoke, as far as I've seen or heard.
My main concern lies in the fact that, during my first few attempts to start, I believe I may have flooded and hydrolocked the engine. During this, I kept pulling the starter cord for a few strokes, when now I know that was a bad idea. I'm worried that doing this may have messed up my engine with the hydrolock. Another possible cause is that my glow plug wrench got extremely stripped in the first few uses, so the glow plug may not be completely sealing up the combustion chamber, so there's not enough compression. I do know that RTR Nitro engines tend to be difficult to start the first time, though, so I'm being persistent.

These are my 2 main hypotheses, and I was wondering if anyone could help confirm or deny these ideas. My closest hobby shop is a good 30 minutes away, and we're a bit on the poorer side, so ideally I don't want to go there if it isn't necessary.

Thank you all in advance, and I hope that we can fix this!

Welcome to RCNT ! Sorry, didn't mean to quote your post. Hit the wrong button on my phone. I broke in my Shockwave a couple days ago. In my experience the factory settings are usually off. I set my high speed and low speed needles at 2 1/2 turns out from closed and it started and idled good. Also make sure your glow ignitor is fully charged. Please keep us posted on your progress and don't give up! Nitro is great once you get the hang of it.

 

[ArchmageNydia]

Welcome to RCNT ! Sorry, didn't mean to quote your post. Hit the wrong button on my phone. I broke in my Shockwave a couple days ago. In my experience the factory settings are usually off. I set my high speed and low speed needles at 2 1/2 turns out from closed and it started and idled good. Also make sure your glow ignitor is fully charged. Please keep us posted on your progress and don't give up! Nitro is great once you get the hang of it.

Thank you! I'm certainly not giving up yet.
2 1/2 turns? Is that 2 1/2 full turns or 2 1/2 8th turns? Also, is that clockwise or counterclockwise, I.e. rich or lean? Thanks for the reply!

 

[watertrucker]

Thank you! I'm certainly not giving up yet.
2 1/2 turns? Is that 2 1/2 full turns or 2 1/2 8th turns? Also, is that clockwise or counterclockwise, I.e. rich or lean? Thanks for the reply!

2 1/2 full turns counter clockwise from closed. Should be close enough to get it going.

 

[ArchmageNydia]

2 1/2 full turns counter clockwise from closed. Should be close enough to get it going.

I think I may have had a sputter or two of life, but I'm not sure. Going to the hobby shop in a moment, wish me luck! And thanks for the advice, I was beginning to think nobody would respond, haha.

 

[Mr.MadfireMoe]

I think I may have had a sputter or two of life, but I'm not sure. Going to the hobby shop in a moment, wish me luck! And thanks for the advice, I was beginning to think nobody would respond, haha.

If you are still having trouble then try to pre heat and prime while it is off ground. I would try heating it till it is really warm. Heat the stuff at the bottom of the engine aka flywheel, and under the cooling head!

 

[Certified Mike]

Be careful with heating when you get low like that. Just be careful you are only heating metal components. Stay away from the carb as there are pieces of rubber in there that can be hurt from excessive heat.

 

[Certified Mike]

Def let us know how everything goes at the hobby shop too. Keep in mind that the setting they use there may all be different than what you actually need. My guess is that your carb was set while it was warm. Between the car ride to the store as well as the temp in the store itself... That is DEF enough to change things. If at all possible, start the car outside and hopefully after its cooled back to the ambient temps.
One thing that is often overlooked is the fuel you are using. Is this fuel DEFINITELY new and fresh? Fuel DOES go bad if not properly stored when it sits for a time. Also is it a proper rated % for a surface engine? Plane engines run a lower % fuel %. You want to run 20-30% for your car. If the fuel is even questionable, just buy a new bottle. Its not that expensive and it eliminates all questions about if it is good or not. Bad fuel could cause all issues as stated above.
Also, if the car had been stored with any fuel in it prior to you attempting this start, it may very well be experiencing these same problems with the fuel. There are a series of fixes we can help you thru if need be. Let us know how things are going for you and I'm sure we will get to the bottom of this, ultimately we'll get you running.
Good luck!

 

[ArchmageNydia]

Good luck!

If you are still having trouble then try to pre heat and prime while it is off ground. I would try heating it till it is really warm. Heat the stuff at the bottom of the engine aka flywheel, and under the cooling head!

2 1/2 full turns counter clockwise from closed. Should be close enough to get it going.

I've actually discovered the issue. My glow plug igniter was just really weak. I bought a brand new one, was sure to charge it all the way, and it started right up! Thank you guys for your suggestions! Now, after breaking it in, I broke the pull start, ahaha. Tried to repair it, spring went everywhere, just gave up and bought a new one, the remaining string was too short for a repair anyways.

Though, before I broke the pull start, I was having an issue where it would start with the igniter in, but wouldn't continue going after that. I'm fairly sure that was just an issue with it running too rich and flooding, but I turned the high speed knob leaner and then it just didn't start at all. Any ideas before my pull start arrives?

Again, thank you all!

 

[watertrucker]

Usually that's the sign of a bad glow plug. A new one should take care of it. Be sure to set your needles back to where they were before. Then you can start tuning.

 

[Certified Mike]

Agreed. You may also have an issue where the glow plug temp is too high or low for the ambient temp you are running in. Its fairly common where we are in season for drastic temp changes as the seasons are changing.

 

[Certified Mike]

When you are starting, never extend the cord all the way to it's end. That will shorten the life of your pull string for sure.

 

[ArchmageNydia]

Usually that's the sign of a bad glow plug. A new one should take care of it. Be sure to set your needles back to where they were before. Then you can start tuning.

Agreed. You may also have an issue where the glow plug temp is too high or low for the ambient temp you are running in. Its fairly common where we are in season for drastic temp changes as the seasons are changing.

Alright. Wooo, more buying things! My new igniter has one of those tester things built in, and it says it's alright. Is there any way to see if the glow plug is the issue in this case, i.e. it won't keep running?

And thank you! I know that now, and it definitely wasn't helped by the fact I tried to start it quite forcefully even when it was hydrolocked. Oh well.

 

[watertrucker]

The only way I know is to try a new glow plug. Break-in is hard on them. I've had good results with Traxxas 3232X plugs, and my Shockwave actually runs better with an HSP A3 plug. I picked up a few on eBay for about $4 bucks each.

 

[Certified Mike]

By looking at the glowplug, what color it is, if it is wet or not etc, there are some tell take signs about what your engine might be doing. Ultimately, for the cost vs guessing, I would just install a brand new plug and be done with the questions. They aren't so expensive that it's worth messing and guessing with.

 

[ArchmageNydia]

The only way I know is to try a new glow plug. Break-in is hard on them. I've had good results with Traxxas 3232X plugs, and my Shockwave actually runs better with an HSP A3 plug. I picked up a few on eBay for about $4 bucks each.

By looking at the glowplug, what color it is, if it is wet or not etc, there are some tell take signs about what your engine might be doing. Ultimately, for the cost vs guessing, I would just install a brand new plug and be done with the questions. They aren't so expensive that it's worth messing and guessing with.

Thank you both! Guess I'll order some glow plugs as well. I knew the risks of getting a nitro buggy, now it's time for me to take them, ahah.

Seriously though, many thanks! I appreciate all of your kind help for a newbie, it seriously means so much. Without that info I'd probably be stuck scratching my head as to why my truck wasn't starting. I'll probably have more questions down the line, and I think those'll get their own post, haha! I appreciate the help so much.

 

[cbaker65]

What brand fuel an nitro % are you using?
Also ,the engine should start even with the glow plug leaking ,that's how I start new engines
is to loosen the glow plug up to relieve some of the pressure!...

Also ,have you checked to see if the glow plug is burning bright orange by putting
the glow plug into the end of the igniter by itself?