Newbie with questions (what else!)

[KnightAzul]

Hi all,
Got a brand spanking new RTR TS-4n for Christmas and have started the run in. I've missed out on the contruction part with it being a RTR.
Here are a few beginner questions which I haven't been able to find the answers (or didn't understand the answers ...) to and would appreciate any help ...

- When starting the car (... it is a pull-start motor) in what position should the throttle be? i.e fully open, closed or somewhere in between? Is this the same for both a cold and warm start scenario?

- How long (if at all) should I leave the car idling before take off?

- I am in the process of leaning out the fuel mixture (1/8 after each tank). The inital rich run-in was at 2.5 turns from fully closed - following the manufacturer's instructions. I then leaned out, arriving to 2 turns after various tanks. Here something strange happened: the car idled fine but stalled each time after I tried to get her moving with the throttle. What is happening here? I went back to 2.125 turns and managed to get her going, however it was a little shaky at first take off (and nearly died).

- I should allow the engine to cool between tanks with the piston in the lower position. How do I know if the pision is in the lower position?! The guy in the shop said this was automatic ... but it is worth checking. I have read in the FAQ - simply turn the flywheel with your thumb until the engine rotates to the proper position - since I can't see the piston how do I know that it's in the proper position!? I guess I'm missing something here ...

- Should I be putting any kind of oil/grease on the moving parts: wheels, gears, etc. The guy at the shop said that it was not required, but my engineering background tells me that can't be so!

Thanks for any help!
KnightAzul
-xmas-

 

[Jamie]

I will answer 1 and 2 for you...

1. Start the car with no throttle or expect it to take off when u start it!

2. About 3 - 5 seconds but give it a LITTLE bit of throttle while idling to make sure it doesn't cut out because of the low temp, then bring the speed up slowly and never go straight to full throttle from idle or expect it to cut out!

 

[Road Rage]

A good way to see if teh piston is in the BDC position is to remove the glow plug and look down the hole at the piston and use your thumb to move the fly wheel, this is about the only reliable way to make sure it is there, and it takes all the guess work out!
As for greasing the moving parts, remember your nitro car or truck should have sealed bearings at the wheels where the shafts connect, so therefore on lube would be required, the diff's wouldn't hurt them at all to be greased a little since from the factory they only get a small dab, just don't over do it, as for the steering linkage I wouldn't use an oil or grease in there, you could probably use something such as powdered graphite for a good lube instead. Hope this helps, and welcome to RCNT!

 

[KnightAzul]

Thanks for the replies!

As a follow up: If ever I am going to leave the car for a few minutes or more after some hard racing should I still as a rule allow the engine to cool with the piston in the lower position.

Also should I be doing anything special at the end of the day. The only thing that I am doing at the moment is emptying the fuel tank.

Hopefully one day I'll be one of the ones answering the questions!!!

Thanks,
KnightAzul

 

[Diver6127]

You may want to pull the glow plug and put in some afterrun oil, just 3-5 drops. Cycle the piston up and down a couple of times to coat the walls. I usually do this just before I put it away for the day.

Also, clean your car of all the grime and nitro residue with denatured alcohol. Get a gallon at your hardware store, put it in a spray bottle and spray it liberally on the car to soak it. Be careful not to get the electronics wet. After you spray just blow it dry with compressed air.

If you're out in the field, bring some baby wipes to clean the nitro residue off the side of the car. Should help till you get home.