Why does the New in Newbie get the best of us?

[srusinek]

I've had my issues with my first nitro and i will never forget them. Runaways, not breakin in properly, building a kit with too much tightness, to just about any Mistake that a newbie shall make. Right now I have a brand new Savage XL and a MGT 8.0 waiting for spring for me to break them in. If i was a newbie I would be out there in the freezing cold trying to break in my engine and then posting on here why my engine is not running right. I think if we all just took a step back or decided to control our emotions, our hobby might be a little bit more enjoyable. What does the community think?

 

[Metalhead Matt]

Absolutely. I've been there too bro. Let my excitement get in the way of common sense. I'm slowly improving. This is why we're here. I'm passionate about our hobby. That's why with my recent free time(2 years!) I answer every question that I can to make things easier on others. The more people enjoy rc and spread the word, the bigger the hobby gets. Which means more sales for manufactures and cheaper prices for everybody.

 

[Rolex]

I second that. I'm in total agreement with you. Rush the break in during the dead of winter and you'll lose interest in this hobby due to the frustration of tuning issues.
Also, I've seen cars almost explode when hitting things because the plastic parts get too brittle.

I have to admit that I really howled every time I saw that happen. :whhooo:

It sure is fun to watch.

 

[HPI-Killer]

I dont run my 4tec 3.3 because of weak plastics, so I put it away and got into crawlers n scalers lol now I dont break as much

 

[Metalhead Matt]

I fought with my T Maxx in the winter of '08/'09. It wasn't much fun. Took an unexpected vacation from rc, hung out on here and learned as much as I could. This winter the T Maxx sits while the E Maxx rips. I'll never run a nitro when it's cold out again.

 

[Rolex]

Winter is the time to build or rebuild. Nothing beats sitting inside wrenching on something while waiting for more new parts.

 

[Metalhead Matt]

Absolutely. New parts excite me as much now as they did 20 years ago. It's the exact same feeling. It's equally as fun helping somebody get their rig to run the way it should. The look on peoples faces when that $350 piece of junk that's sat around for 5-10 years comes to life every time they want it to is priceless.

 

[Allenmr]

Hey guys, I'm definitely a newbie. I just got my car for Xmas and have been running it outside to break it in. I'm definitely excited and anxious to get into the hobby. It hasn't been tuned yet, should I not tune it, or just not run it at all in the cold? I live in jersey,so it's not ridiculously cold I run it in about 35 degree weather and it's an ultra lx1. I wanna run it cause it's fun as hell, but don't want to break it. I'm ok with it not running perfect for now, it's fast enough for me at this point.

Thanks

 

[Metalhead Matt]

You can run them in the colder weather, but expect to rebuild/replace the engine once it warms back up. The cold causes the sleeve to squeeze the piston excessively, which leads to premature compression loss(ruins the pinch). So when the weather warms, the metal expands and your engine won't stay running once it's up to operating temp. Once an engine is broken in, running it tuned anything but right is rough on them. A slightly rich setting is used for break in only. After that, running rich only adds hydraulic pressure to the engine internals.

 

[Allenmr]

Fantastic, so I've run my car about 5 or 6 times, am I past the point of no return? Do younthink I already screwed up my engine? What temp would be not too cold? I've been to my lhs and he started the engine for me the first time but didn't mention anything about the temp having such a negative effect in the engine, And he said running it rich wasn't bad for the engine at all I'm a little irritated about this

Any advice moving forward?

 

[Metalhead Matt]

60+ for break in. 50+ for running. You should be alright. Worst case scenario is you may need a new piston and sleeve a little sooner. Not a huge deal, as they eventually wear anyways. Usually a $60-80 fix. Pretty easy too. All the info you need is in these forums and we're always happy to answer questions. Sounds like your hobby shop is more into selling than helping.

 

[Allenmr]

Thanks Matt

I've had a rough start to nitro, my wife got me an exceed first that just wouldn't start and their tech support was less than helpful. I sent that back and I got the lx1 from my lhs and they seem to be decent and ready to help out, but it appears he also may be looking for some of my $$. I'll keep my fingers crossed when it gets warm

While I'm at it, I have a little rust near the rear wheels, prob from hitting some snow banks accidentally, wd40 ok to use?

 

[HPI-Killer]

Winter is the time to build or rebuild. Nothing beats sitting inside wrenching on something while waiting for more new parts.

And living in Utah proved that for me indeed. Damn this winter wonderland

 

[hamz9561]

We were all once newbies doing stupid things. With time and a lot of advice, we start to understand where we went wrong. Soon we are comfortable giving advice to others. I hope that all of us can get to that place.

 

[Metalhead Matt]

Allenmr, you ought to start another thread with your questions. You'll get more views. Also you won't have to read through us making fun of ourselves to find your info. WD40 is just fine. Light coat, wipe or blow it dry with compressed air.

Hamz, I'm amazed when I read my own posts from the first few months I was on here. You guys have molded me into someone that is confident in almost every ground rc situation. As far as diagnosing a problem, that is.

 

[varadinn]

man I'm glad it doesn't get that cold here in texas that often I can go out all year round and let my little backdraft 3.5 out not a bad little car considering its from redcat....i work in a hobby shop so when somethign breaks i have the part lol.....if anyone needs something just drop me a pm and i can get you a good deal as well as the website you can check us out at