Model Forum / Radio Controlled / Land Models / September 2004

Hello Scott,

$40.00 for a used nitro truck is one heck of a deal, so the fact that
you got it to run at all is a good sign.  There could be lots of other
problems, but it sounds to me like it needs tuning - I take it you
didn't get the manual with it?  Try surfing to the manufacturer's web
site for info on how to tune the carb - they're real touchy, but once
you get it set right, should run fine.  Pouring fuel into the carb or
onto the glow plug is *not* necessarily the way to go.  That more than
likely will flood the engine.

Re: "glow ignitor", like any other battery, charge life will depend on
how old the battery is and how much it's used.

Good luck with it!

Bert

Hi Scott,

If you flood the engine (which is quite likely if you are putting raw fuel
straight down the carby and on the plug) then your ignitor battery will die
in no time. Easy to tell, pull the plug out and pop the ignitor on it. You
should see a healthy orange glow on the element. If you see sizzling and
spluttering, then she's most likely flooded. If there is no sign of any
firing at all, I would usually pull the plug and check the ignitor/plug comb
first.

In general, the usual method for priming (if there is no primer bulb or tank
primer pump) is to cover the exhaust with your finger and pull the started a
few times. Some engines have lots of nooks and crannies in the cases and can
be buggers to get unflooded, but the principle is usually the same - block
the tank lines to both the muffler and carby (a couple of bulldog clips are
handy), remove the glo plug and crank the engine with the car upside down
until the spray stops coming out of the plug hole.

The other respondent mentioned tuning, which of course is important, but if
the thing isn't even firing, then tuning is *probably* not your first issue.
If it fires, but won't run, idle, accelerate etc etc, *then* you start
chasing tuning. So, in your case I would do the following:

1. Remove glo plug, check with your ignitor that it glows, if not, recharge
or replace as necessary.

2. With the plug out and the fuel blocked off, turn the car upside down and
crank the engine until nothing comes out of the plug hole.

3. Remove the air filter (you should never run the car this way, we are only
doing this for diagnostic puposes at this time), and place just a couple of
drops (really, just a couple of drops) of fuel down the venturi. While the
filter is off, you might as well check that the throttle is opening and
closing appropriately with your radio.

4. Put the glo plug back in, connect ignitor, crank. The engine should at
least fire a couple of times.

Let us know how you get on.

Mike