Noob question - Taking my RC out of storage... what to do?

[Aeromotive]

Hey all,

As the title states :

1) I'm a total newbie in this hobby
2) I want to take my car out of storage for the spring (temperatures here are getting milder every day!)

Here are some details :

The car is a Kyosho DBX 2.0. It's been stored for 6 months in its original box, away from dust, and in a room INSIDE the house. I regret not doing any pre-storage maintenance because I had lots of other worries during the fall so I never had time... Gas tank was empty and I removed the batteries.

Here's what I didn't do (but wish I had done)

1) I didn't unmount/clean the engine or any other parts of the car (facepalm, I know...)
2) I didn't raise the car or loosen the springs to protect suspension

Now I know I should never start the engine without proper servicing after 6 months of sleep.
So, from here, where do I go? Should I just take the car to my local hobby store or is there anything I can do on my own?

Thanks!

 

[Phins Fan]

For a noob there are a few things you did right. Storing it without any gas and batteries is a good start. To expand on that - did you use any after run oil before storage? If so some fresh fuel/batteries and a little tuning I would imagine it should refire pretty easy. If there was no ARO used when you stored it than I would look at disassembling the motor and relube/inspect anything that may have started to corrode (anything steel and even brass). I personally use MMO but any type of light oil will work (MMO, WD40, etc...) Cooking oil or car oil doesn't count!!

I dont know how much you bash/race your rig but you may want to pay some attention to the suspension. Frequent changes to the shock oil will allow you to look at the entire shocks internals and replace as required. Typically the orings get torn due to dirt bieng wiped away from the shaft entering the inside of the shock.

Taking your car to the LHS for a tune up is fine for some but for me 1/2 the fun of the hobby is performing my own wrenching. While taking an engine or shocks apart may seem very confusing if you do some research and take your time you can probably perform the maintenance yourself and take that $ you would have paid your LHS for the tune up and buy some aftermarket. Just my .02 and good luck!! Let us know how you make out.

 

[Aeromotive]

Phins : thanks for the answer. I didn't use any ARO and even though my LHS advised me to use WD40, I didn't have time to do it...

I'm kind of anxious about disassembling the motor and relubing everything... Do you have any tutorials on this? All in all I prefer letting my LHS do this because it looks like when you mess up somewhere, you're done...

 

[donf]

Phins has you on the right path. here is a disassembly video. i would advise that you try it for yourself. you have nothing to lose. good luck

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqXd71DI0u8"]How to tear apart a RC Nitro engine - RC Kit Construction - YouTube[/ame]

 

[REVO-5309]

maybe dont do this. but unless its worth a lot or u have a bit of money to waist. just put some after run oil through it. make sure the piston goes up and down easily and if that does then start it up with some fresh fuel.

my cousins nitro sat for over a yr with nitro still in the lines and motor. emptied the tank (not cleaned) put a bit of fuel in, primed it and started first go. runs pretty well for a shitter.

in saying that. if u have time. pull apart the motor. it can't hurt it. just take pics of everything u take out. and or before u take something out so u can't stuff up how to put it back together. parts are cheap, and a new/bigger motor isnt much more expensive

 

[Aeromotive]

Thanks all. I guess I'll watch more videos before deciding whether to do this or not...

 

[Phins Fan]

Like I said.........Just take your time and you'll be amazed how easy it actually is. Its amazing how much $ my LHS makes from people that simply either dont want to be bothered with or are scared to do some maintenance on their own. They always offer to "tune" my rig that doesn't like to idle but you know what its probably the most powerful MT they have seen in a while. Just my .02 to just do it yourself.

 

[Aeromotive]

Phins.. Thanks for the tips. I'm looking more and more into doing this myself. Another question : when you talk about lubricating the parts, do you mean I can just spray everything without discernment? Are there any parts I shouldn't lube or I should wait for to dry? (There was no ARO used...)
I'm thinking about WD40.. any other suggestion?

One more thing : the guy in the video goes pretty deep... can I disassemble "less" than what he did (for example not removing the piston? I don't see how he did that!!) and still be good?

Thanks again.

 

[REVO-5309]

oh, be careful what sprays u use with o-rings etc. as they tend to expand and not fit anymore once u spray certain things on them. i know brake cleaner is no good for em. maybe someone else can join the convo and expand. but imo its best to just remove the seals and then clean the motor and just wipe the o-rings and make sure theres no dirt and crap on them that might break them when u put them back in and tighten it all up.

 

[SchrodeMode]

+1 on doing things yourself, it's always cheaper and it's the best way to really know your rig plus thats the part of the hobby that really makes it a hobby. Even though I make spare money from people who don't do the work themselves, I always try to convince people that it really isn't that hard.

 

[Aeromotive]

Thanks. Just one question that wasn't answered : do I HAVE to dismantle everything to do a good job? Or can I keep some parts mounted (to avoid errors/complications) since it's my first time? I know I'm worried but hey, better safe than sorry!

 

[REVO-5309]

taking the carb off is easy, but all the needles. u just have to write down how many turns they were when u take them out. everything else can come off, its easy. it basically falls apart once u get it rolling.

 

[Phins Fan]

Thanks. Just one question that wasn't answered : do I HAVE to dismantle everything to do a good job? Or can I keep some parts mounted (to avoid errors/complications) since it's my first time? I know I'm worried but hey, better safe than sorry!

Even for a first time I would say yes you need to completely disassemble. Thats the only sure fire way you are going to get everything clean.

 

[Greywolf74]

Being a newer kit Id say you probably dont need to removed the bearings themselves. Use simple green or denatured alcohol to clean everything and after the part is dry again relube everything with ARO while putting it back together. The only thing that screwed me up the first time I reassembled an engine was the crank shaft and piston wouldnt go back together and spin right ......flip the piston around if you have this problem heh.

If you do removed you bearings your gonna wanna buy some kind of mitt...preferably with fingers so you can pick the engine up while its hot. buy some round wooden dowel rod at your local hard ware store and cut a piece about twice the length of the engine and use that to tap your bearing out.