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proper engine shutoff

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Diabolical

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i'm new to rc nitro. from what i've read, the easiest way to shut off a nitro engine is to just put your finger, or even the dubro kwik stop, over the exhaust. however, the manual to my rc10gt says not to shut off the engine by doing this. is this just a safety precaution so you don't burn your finger, or can shutting off the engine this way damage the engine? what is the shutoff procedure most commonly used?
 
The best way to do it is stop the flywheel with the plastic end of a screwdriver or something. Plugging the exhaust floods the engine and makes it a pain in the ass to start. Pluging the air filter does the same thing, and it also makes it possible for the engine to suck in dirt, since you are pushing down on it. Then there is pinching the fuel line. I think this is the most commonly used method, because it is fairly simple. Just pinch the fuel line up next to the carb, and wait for the engine to die. Some people thinks that this can be bad for the engine, because it starves it for fuel, so they dont do it.
 
pinching the fuel line at the carb is not much different thatn letting it empty the tank out. It doesn;t run lean too long so I don' t think it is that big of a deal. I do it and it is fine. It also is a great way to do the pinch test.
 
There are many ways to do it, and no way is wrong. It comes down to prefrence. Some people do the flywheel thing and some people say that puts unnecessary stress on the flywheel. Some people plug the stinger hole, and as stated above some people say that it floods the engine. Pulling off the airfilter Imho would be the worst way because it is possible to suck in dirt/dust. Another way is to pinch the fuel line, and this creates another arguement, stopping fuel causes a lean condition.

So here are the many ways to shut off an engine and the arguements that you are going to get from members here. It all comes down to prefrence.
 
I found crashing it into a pole at full wide open throttle works very well lol but I dont recomend it
kind of hard on parts "Dont try this at home"

I usally pinch the line that works good and less damage :cheers: I recommend that over the pole idea. :doh:
 
I dont like shutting off the engine by pintching the line.. that causes the enginge to lean out then shut off IMO its not very good to do that... flywheel is fine and it wont hurt to put your finger on the singer for a few seconds.. and they do ahve tools where u can just stick it in the singer and it will work the same way
 
I touch the flywheel with my tuning screwdriver. Plugging the exhaust floods the crap out of it and makes it hard to start again.

Or, I just let it idle out of fuel, but my engine has 7 gallons on it so I don't care if it runs lean for a few seconds before it dies.

Regardless how I shut it off, I always put the piston at BDC before it cools down.
 
JESSE G said:
I found crashing it into a pole at full wide open throttle works very well
LMAO......I haven't tried that yet.
I plug the exhaust or pinch the line, which ever is most convenient. Neither one can damage the engine, but plugging the exhaust will make it a little harder to restart with the extra fuel in it.
 
olds97_lss said:
I touch the flywheel with my tuning screwdriver. Plugging the exhaust floods the crap out of it and makes it hard to start again.

Or, I just let it idle out of fuel, but my engine has 7 gallons on it so I don't care if it runs lean for a few seconds before it dies.

Regardless how I shut it off, I always put the piston at BDC before it cools down.

That is the most important thing! Stopping it is done easily but letting it cool down properly should be done ALWAYS! Good Point Olds!!! :idea:
 
well how exactly can you tell the the engine is at BDC...i mean...it is kinda inside the motor and you can't really see into it without taking off the exaust or the head...

i just dont understand...
 
R/CAdrenalineRush said:
well how exactly can you tell the the engine is at BDC...i mean...it is kinda inside the motor and you can't really see into it without taking off the exaust or the head...

i just dont understand...


Well if you clean off the gunk around the glow plug then take off the plug, you can see the piston go up and down. If you do this and look into the hole you will find that the piston lowers to a point that can't go any further. That is Bottom dead center. Applying After run oil should be done now.
 
i already knew what BDC is...i learned it at school in Ag Mechanics...but now i know how to tell when your engine is there...thanks!
 
R/CAdrenalineRush said:
i already knew what BDC is...i learned it at school in Ag Mechanics...but now i know how to tell when your engine is there...thanks!


Groovy!
 
Even easier. Make a little mark on the top of the flywheel when the piston is at BDC to simplify the process.
 
Do what 21RC10GT said. Fingernail polish is good to use for this. Just use something bright that's easy to see and put a dot on the flywheel in a spot you can easily see when you know the piston is at BDC.

I'm not sure if putting the piston to BDC really helps, but I do tend to get pretty good life out of my engines (7+ gallons) and I've done it with all of them every time I shut it down. This is about the only consistent thing I do for my engines. I do ARO when I remember, clean the filter when I feel like it, run the engines hot on occasion... but always BDC after shutdown.
 
I use pink fingernail polish on my flywheel I used a sharpie marker but it was gone in a few runs.
One thing I do to shut off the engine is pinch the fuelline and let it burn the rest of the fuel and when it starts to rev in high rmps I plug the stinger so I dont have a bunch of fuel left in my engine
 
olds97_lss said:
Do what 21RC10GT said. Fingernail polish is good to use for this. Just use something bright that's easy to see and put a dot on the flywheel in a spot you can easily see when you know the piston is at BDC.

I'm not sure if putting the piston to BDC really helps, but I do tend to get pretty good life out of my engines (7+ gallons) and I've done it with all of them every time I shut it down. This is about the only consistent thing I do for my engines. I do ARO when I remember, clean the filter when I feel like it, run the engines hot on occasion... but always BDC after shutdown.

What is the reason for setting it at BDC is that to so when you start it its not going down dry and scrathing the cylinder wall??
 
It is so the piston doesn't cool at the top so the cylinder doesn't "pinch" it. That causes premature wear, and less engine life.
 
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