The Essential Guide To RC Cars

TheEssentialGuidetoRCCars
ByNeilWaterhouse
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Copyright2009RCFactoryOutlet
TableofContents
Preface....................................................................................................................................................6
RTR(meaningReadytoRun)(screwedtogether)..............................................................................8
FirstCarChoice.......................................................................................................................................9
OnRoadorOffRoad?.........................................................................................................................9
Operating2ormorecarsatonce?.....................................................................................................9
Rang,howfarcanthecarbeawayfromthedriver?.....................................................................10
ElectricorNitro?...............................................................................................................................10
WhatisNitroFuel?...........................................................................................................................10
LengthoftimeperTankorBatteryCharge......................................................................................11
WhatSize/Scale...............................................................................................................................12
Additionalitemswhichyouwillneed...............................................................................................12
GlowPlugIgniter(NitroOnly)...........................................................................................................12
NitroFuel..........................................................................................................................................12
ThingsyoumustknowbeforeyoustartaNitroCar.............................................................................13
PRECAUTIONSTHATMUSTBETAKENINORDERTOCOMPLYWITHMOSTMANUFACTURES
WARRANTIES.....................................................................................................................................13
HowtoStartaNitroPoweredEngine:..............................................................................................13
Mostcommonmistakesmadebybeginners:...................................................................................13
Avoidpullingthepullstarterifyourengineisfloodeditwillsnap................................................14
NEVERrestrainthewheels...............................................................................................................16
ALWAYSchecktoseeifthebrakeisoffbeforestartingthecar.......................................................16
DonotreplacethenylongearwithaMetalgear.............................................................................17
ChargeGlowIgniter..........................................................................................................................18
InstallRadioBatteries.......................................................................................................................19
Fillthetank........................................................................................................................................20
InstallyourAirFilter..........................................................................................................................21
StandingyourAntennaUp................................................................................................................21
TurningonyourTransmitterfirst.....................................................................................................21
CheckforProperOperationofServos..........................................................................................22
RangeCheckCheckingtheRadio;sRange.....................................................................................23
PrimetheEnginewithFuel...............................................................................................................25
StartingaNitroEngine......................................................................................................................26
ProperEnginebreakin.....................................................................................................................29
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BreakinProcedures..........................................................................................................................30
BreakinMixtureSettings:.................................................................................................................31
RunningtheFirstTanksintheCar....................................................................................................32
Enginetuning(adjustingthehighendneedle).................................................................................32
FineTuninglowspeedMixtureandIdlescrew................................................................................33
InstallingtheBodyClips....................................................................................................................34
HowtoStopTheEngine....................................................................................................................34
Thisisthemostimportantstepofall...............................................................................................35
Stepstofollowafteroperating.........................................................................................................35
ThingsyouneedtoknowaboutElectricRCCars..................................................................................38
Mostcommonmistakesmadebybeginners:...................................................................................38
CHARGEMAINBATTERY...................................................................................................................38
Install8XAABatteriesintheTransmitter........................................................................................39
STANDINGYOURANTENNAUP........................................................................................................40
TURNINGONYOURTRANSMITTER...................................................................................................40
CHECKFORPROPEROPERATIONOFSERVOS...................................................................................41
RANGECHECKCHECKINGTHETRANSMITTERRANGE....................................................................41
BREAKINPROCEDURES....................................................................................................................43
INSTALLINGTHEBODYCLIPS............................................................................................................44
THISISTHEMOSTIMPORTANTSTEPOFALL!...................................................................................45
BATTERIES.............................................................................................................................................46
BatteriesfortheRadioControl.........................................................................................................46
BatteriesforElectricRCCars............................................................................................................47
BATTERYCHARGETIMES...................................................................................................................48
CanIuseahighervoltagebattery?..................................................................................................49
LithiumPolymerBatteriesLiPO.....................................................................................................49
VoltageandCellCount:.....................................................................................................................50
Cishowlongittakestodischarge....................................................................................................52
BatteryTemperature........................................................................................................................52
BatteryConnectors...........................................................................................................................53
BATTERYCHARGERS..............................................................................................................................54
Slowchargers....................................................................................................................................54
FastCharger......................................................................................................................................56
LithiumChargers...............................................................................................................................56
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Fieldchargers....................................................................................................................................56
ENGINES................................................................................................................................................57
ElectricMotors..................................................................................................................................57
BrushlessMotors..............................................................................................................................58
HowdoesaBrushlessMotorWork..................................................................................................58
ComparingBrushedtoBrushlessMotors.........................................................................................61
NitroMotors.........................................................................................................................................62
Explodedview...................................................................................................................................63
TheConversionforCubicCapacityisasfollows...............................................................................63
IdleSpeed..........................................................................................................................................64
MixtureSettings................................................................................................................................64
Lean...................................................................................................................................................66
Rich....................................................................................................................................................66
EngineTemperature.........................................................................................................................67
ESCs(ElectronicSpeedControllers).....................................................................................................69
GlowPlugs.....................................................................................................................................70
GlowPlugSpecifications...................................................................................................................71
MAINTENANCE......................................................................................................................................73
NITROENGINEMAINTANANCE.........................................................................................................73
AfterRunOil......................................................................................................................................73
DustCleaning....................................................................................................................................74
CableTies..........................................................................................................................................74
MAINTENANCEAIRFILTERS............................................................................................................75
MAINTENCESHOCKS.........................................................................................................................75
MAINTENANCEBRUSHEDMOTORS................................................................................................75
ElectricEngineBrushes.....................................................................................................................75
ElectricEngineCommutator.............................................................................................................76
ElectricEngineSprings......................................................................................................................76
ElectricEngineMagnets....................................................................................................................76
BrushlessMotors..............................................................................................................................76
RegularlyTightenScrews..................................................................................................................76
Gearboxes.........................................................................................................................................76
Differentials.......................................................................................................................................76
RadioControls.......................................................................................................................................77
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Exponential.......................................................................................................................................79
ModelMemory.................................................................................................................................79
ABSAntiLockBraking....................................................................................................................79
Receiver(abbreviatedto'rx')............................................................................................................80
Servos................................................................................................................................................80
BatteriesforyourRadioControl.......................................................................................................82
SPREADSPECTRUM...........................................................................................................................83
SelectingReverse(ElectricOnly).......................................................................................................83
FailSafes...........................................................................................................................................84
Suspension............................................................................................................................................84
CClips................................................................................................................................................85
CamberAngle....................................................................................................................................86
Toein/ToeOut................................................................................................................................86
HottingUpandspareparts...................................................................................................................87
NitroRacingEngines.........................................................................................................................88
TorquevsRPM..................................................................................................................................89
ElectricStarters.....................................................................................................................................90
StarterBoxes.........................................................................................................................................90
StarterKits(forNitroCars)...............................................................................................................91
Tools......................................................................................................................................................92
PistonLockerClutchremovaltool.................................................................................................92
Dremel...............................................................................................................................................93
Reamer..............................................................................................................................................93
BODYSHELLS.........................................................................................................................................94
Troubleshooting....................................................................................................................................94
NitroCars..........................................................................................................................................95
ExhaustManifoldLeakingwhereitattachestotheengine..........................................................95
Problemsstartingtheengine........................................................................................................96
ReversingCarwon'tgobackwards.............................................................................................97
2speed,SecondGearnotsureifitisworking...........................................................................97
BrakesnotworkingAdjusting....................................................................................................98
Clutchoverheated.........................................................................................................................99
ClutchSticking.............................................................................................................................100
Idletoohigh................................................................................................................................100
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IdleTooLow................................................................................................................................101
Lackofpressureinfuelpipe.......................................................................................................101
LeakingHead...............................................................................................................................101
MeltedGearsLookslikeStrippedGears..................................................................................102
StrippedGearsSeeMeltedGears................................................................................................102
Hotenginecuttingout...............................................................................................................102
Pullstartbreaking.......................................................................................................................102
Pullstartveryhardtopull...........................................................................................................103
SeizedEngine/Carburettor........................................................................................................103
TroubleshootingproblemscommontoNitroandElectric............................................................103
DifferentialSlipping....................................................................................................................103
Dogbonescomeout....................................................................................................................103
SteeringServonotworking.........................................................................................................104
WheelsSpinninginoppositedirections......................................................................................104
Tyresfallingofrims.....................................................................................................................104
ShocksLeaking............................................................................................................................104
ElectricCars.....................................................................................................................................105
Batterynotchargingnotwarming............................................................................................105
Enginedoesnotworkorjerky....................................................................................................105
Smokingengine...........................................................................................................................105
TroubleShootingRadioControl......................................................................................................106
Controlsreversed........................................................................................................................106
Interference1EnginegoeswhensteeredElectricCar...........................................................106
RadioControlnotworkingNitro..............................................................................................106
RadiocontrolnotworkingElectric...........................................................................................107
ShakingServos............................................................................................................................107
LINKS...................................................................................................................................................107
Index....................................................................................................................................................108
Preface
Welcometothefun,excitingandnowrelativelyinexpensiveworldofRadioControlCars!
MygoalforthisbookistootryandpassonsomeoftheknowledgeIhavegainedoverthe
last20plusyearsofnotonlyracingRCcarsbutalsoteachinghundredsotherswhohave
askedforhelp.
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Iwas13yearsoldwhenIgotmyfirstRCcar.Itwasanelectric6voltTamiyaroadcarwith
amanualservooperatedspeedcontrol.Backinthosedayscarsdidnotcomefully
assembledbutinsteadcameinalargeboxandinwhatseemedlike1,000pieces.
Everythinghadtobescrewedtogether,eventhegearboxesanddifferential(s)hadto
assembledfromatonofparts.
ThiscarwastobeaChristmaspresentfrommymumbackin1980andshethoughtitwould
beagreatpresentasitwouldkeepmebusyscrewingittogetherfortherestoftheschool
holiday.Whatshedidntrealisewasthispresentwaspurchased2weekspriortoChristmas
andwassittingunderthetreewrappedupandIwasgettinghomeat3:30pminthe
afternoonandshedidntgethomeuntil5:00pm.
Thisgaveme90minutesadaytocarefullyslidetheboxoutoftheChrissypaperandstart
building.IwillneverforgetherfacewhenIopenedtheboxonChristmasdayandtherewas
afullyassembledRCcarincludingafullychargedbattery!
IfirststartedracingRCcarswhenIwas14atasitwasthencalledtheSydneyShowground
nowcalledFoxStudio.Ihavefondmemorieslugging2eskiesfrommyhomeinthe
NorthernSuburbsofSydneyAustraliaontoabustoManly,aferrytothecity,thenanother
bustotheshowgroundandthenwalkingwith2bigheavyeskiesfullofbatteries,chargers,
toolsetc!Thankfullymymumgraciouslyaccompaniedmeandhelpedcarttheeskies.
DespitebeingtheyoungestattheclubIlearntalotandevenwonafewraces.Istill
remembermyfirsttrophywhichwasforallthingsataJumpingCompetitionatWarringah
MallinSydneysnorthernbeaches.Thecompetitionwastoseewhichcarcouldjumpthe
furthestandkeepdriving.ThenightbeforeIhadstayedupalmostallnightbuildingan
enginewhichIthoughtwouldeitherselfdestructorstandagoodchanceatwinningthe
comp.Thiscombinedwithsomeknowledgeofhowtocontrolacarwhileairborne(using
thethrottleandbraketoadjustnoseupandnosedown)allowedmetowinthecomp.
Funnythenwastherewasalsoacompetitionforthecrowdofspectatorstoguesshowfar
thewinningcarwouldgoandofallthehundredsofspectatorsmygoodfriendMichaelCox
guessedtheclosest!
TheeventwassponsoredbyTamiyasowebothcamehomewithnewTamiyaHotShot
buggies.Thatsactuallyanothermotherfaceetchedintomybrain,thatisthe2ofus
loadinginover$1,000worthofTamiyagoodiesintothebackofhercar!Imstillnotsureif
Michael.smumeverreallybelievedhowhegotthisfreebuggy?
IfyouarenewtoRCCars,Ihighlyrecommendjoiningacarclub.Competitiveracingisaton
offunandthereislotsoffreeknowledgetobegained,nottomentionitisgreattosit
aroundbetweenracesandsharestorieswithfellowenthusiasts.
Alothaschangedovertheyearswiththebiggestchangesbeing;
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RTR(meaningReadytoRun)(screwedtogether)
AffordabilityyoucouldnotbuyaradiobackwhenIstartedforthepriceyoucanbuya
completecarfortoday,nevermindtheenginetoo!Anengineusedtocostasmuchasthe
radio.
EaseofstartingNitroEngines:Todaysnitroenginesareveryeasytostartwhenyouknow
how.Iwilltalkalotmoreaboutthislater.
BrushlessMotors:ThesehaveturnedtheRCWorldupsidedown.Iwilltalkalotmoreabout
thislatertoo.
Lipobatteries:LikeBrushlessmotor,thesehaveturnedtheRCWorldupsidedown,Iwill
talkalotmoreaboutthislater.
TypicalNitropowered1/10ScaleRCBuggy
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TypicalElectricPowered1/10ScaleBuggy
FirstCarChoice
Tochoosethebestcartosuityou,askyourselfthefollowingquestions:
OnRoadorOffRoad?
Willyoubeusingthecaronroadoroffroad.Foroffroadyouwillneedanoffroadmodel
likeabuggyoratruck.Roadcarscanonlybeusedonsmoothflatsurfaceslikeconcreteor
bitumen.
Operating2ormorecarsatonce?
This is easily done by using different frequency crystals in each car. These crystals are
interchangeable by unplugging the transmitter crystal from the transmitter (the part you
hold)andthereceivercrystalfromthereceiverintheinthecar.
10 plus can operate at the same time simply by using crystals on different frequencies.
Therearemanydifferentfrequencychannels.Formoreinformationseecrystals
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Rang,howfarcanthecarbeawayfromthedriver?
Theonlyrealwaytoknowtherangeforyourcaristotestitwiththeengineoff!Onaverage
therangeformostcarsisapprox100to200Meters.Howeveritcanbemuchmoreor
less!Alwaysrangetestyourcarbeforeuse.SeeRangeCheck
ElectricorNitro?
TheadvantageofElectricisitmucheasiertouse.Justchargethebatteryandawayitgoes.
Nitrohoweverisgenerallyfasterbutthereisalearningcurvetogetthecargoing.Onceyou
havegonethroughthelearningcurve,itiswellworthit.
InthepastNitrocarsweremuchfasterthanelectricbutwiththeadventofBrushless
MotorsandLithiumbatteries,thegaphasnarrowed,someevenarguenowbrushlesscan
befasterandmorepowerful.ModifiedBrushlesscarsarenowgettingtospeedswellover
200kph(125mph).SeeBrushlessMotorsandLithiumPolymerBatteries
Nowadaysthereisoftennotahugedifferenceinperformancebetweenmanybrushless
electricmodelsandthenitromodels,especiallyifyouareusinga12voltLiPobatteryinthe
brushlesselectriccar.
WhatisNitroFuel?
Nitro/NitroFuel/Glowfuel/HobbyFuel(allgenerallyhavethesame
meaninginthelandofRC(RadioControl))arenamesusedtodescribethefuel
usedonmodelsgenerallythesameorsimilarfuels(HobbyFuel)canbeused
inmodelairplanes,helicopters,carsandboats.
ForthesakeofthisbookIwilljustcallitNitroFuelasthisiswhatmostmodellerscallit.
Nitrofuelcanbeburnedbyverysimpletwostrokemodelenginesorbymorecomplicated
fourstrokemodelenginesandtheseenginescanprovideveryimpressiveamountsofpower
fortheirverysmallsize.
Notethatthenitronameisgenerallyinaccurate,asnitromethaneisusuallynottheprimary
ingredient,andinfactmanyglowfuels,especiallythesocalled"FAI"type,namedforthe
FdrationAronautiqueInternationale,whichrequiressuchfuelinsomeformsof
aeromodelingcompetition,containnonitromethaneatall.
Glowfuelisgenerallyamixtureofmethanol,nitromethaneandoil.
Methanolisusuallytheprimaryingredient,asitprovidesthebulkofthefuelandisalso
neededasasolventfortheotheringredients.It'salsoneededfortheglowpluggenerally
foundinmodelenginestoburnviaacatalyticreactiontokeeptheignitiongoingbetween
strokes.
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Nitromethaneisgenerallyaddedtothemethanoltoincreasepowerandtomaketheengine
easiertotune.Typicallyglowfuelisabout030%nitromethane,withhigherpercentagesof
nitromethanegenerallygivingbetterperformancebutcostingmore(asnitromethaneis
considerablymoreexpensivethanmethanol.)Agivenamountofnitromethanecontainsless
energythanthesameamountofmethanol,butitrequireslessoxygentoburn
(approximatelyhalf),somoreofitcanbeputintoanengineduringeachstrokeandthis
leadstoahigherpoweroutput.
Forracinguse,thenitromethanecontentcanbeincreasedwellabove30%witha
correspondingincreaseincost,butsomemethanolisstillrequiredasit'sneededtoallow
theglowplugtoignitethefuelinthefirstplace,andasasolventtoallowthelubricantsand
nitromethanetomix,sothenitromethanecontentusuallydoesn'tgoanyhigherthan65%.
Nitromethaneisoftendifficulttoobtaininmanycountriessinceitisknownasanexplosive,
sointhesecountriesglowfuelgenerallyhasnonitromethaneatall.Withoutatleastasmall
amountofnitromethane,glowenginesarehardertotune(getthecorrectfuel/airmixture)
correctlyandgenerallyprovidelesspowerforagivendisplacement.
Mostmodelenginesrequireoiltobeincludedwiththefuelasalubricant(asit'snot
providedbytheengineitself)andsomodelenginefuelistypically822%oil.Themost
commonlyusedlubricantsarecastoroilandsyntheticoils,andmanyglowfuelsincludea
mixtureofthetwo.Theoilsincludedinglowfuelgenerallyarenotburnedbytheengine,
andareexpelledouttheexhaustoftheengine.Thisalsohelpstheenginedissipateheat,as
theoilemittedisgenerallyhot.
Glowenginesgenerallyhavetoberunslightlyrich(withahigherfuel:airratiothanisideal)
tokeeptheenginecool(asthefuelgoingouttheexhaustalsotakesheatwithit)andso
vehicleswithglowenginesgenerallygetcoatedwithlotsofoil(asalmostalltheoilcomes
outtheexhaust)andsomenitromethaneandmethanolaswell(asit'snotallburned)
requiringsomecleaningwhenoneisdoneusingtheirmodel.
Glowfuelisnotdifficulttomake,andsomanymodellersmixtheirowntosavemoney,but
someoftheingredientsareflammableand/orexplosiveandsocanbedangerous,especially
inlargequantities.
LengthoftimeperTankorBatteryCharge
NitroCarsgenerallygoforlongerpertankhoweverthisagainisrapidlychangingwith
highercapacitybatteriesbeingcontinuouslycomingontothemarket.Approx510minutes
dependingonhowhardthecar/truckisdriven.Withelectric,manyelectriccarsandtrucks
comewithan1800mahbatterywhichlastsapprox5minutes,againdependingonhowhard
itisdrivenandthesurfaceitisusedon.Ongrassforinstancethebatterywillrunoutearlier
asgrasscausesalotofresistance.Batterieswithlargercapacitiesupto4000+mahare
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readilyavailableandthesewilllastapproximatelytwiceaslongperchargethanthe
1800mah.Sparebatteriesvaryinpricefromdependingonthecapacity.Thelargerthe
moreexpensive.Ofcoursebatteryqualityalsoaffectsthepricetoo.
WhatSize/Scale
1/16Scaleisgenerallythesmallest(thatis1/16ththesizeofarealcar),1/5Scaleisnormally
thelargestwithsizesinbetweenof1/10and1/8.1/10scaleisthemostpopularhowever
1/8isnownearlyaspopular.
Justremember1/1isafullsizecar.Thesamesizeasthecarinyourdriveway!
1/2ishalfthesizeofafullsizecar.
Additionalitemswhichyouwillneed
ForNitroandElectriccarsyouwillnormallyneed8AAbatteriesforthetransmitterIfyou
chooseNitroyouwillalsoneedanother4batteriesforthereceiver.Electriccarsdonot
requireadditionalbatteriesforthecarsreceiverasitderivesitspowerfromthecarsmain
batterypack.ThesearejustnormalAAbatterieswhichyoucanbuyfromyourlocal
supermarketoryoucanuserechargeablebatteries.
GlowPlugIgniter(NitroOnly)
ArechargeableGlowplugigniterisrequiredtostartaNitroEngine.Alwaysusea
rechargeableversionasthegiveamuchbetterglow.
NitroFuel
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Nitrohobbyfuelwhichisavailableatmosthobbystores.FormoreinformationseeNitro
Fuel
ThingsyoumustknowbeforeyoustartaNitroCar
PRECAUTIONSTHATMUSTBETAKENINORDERTO
COMPLYWITHMOSTMANUFACTURESWARRANTIES
HowtoStartaNitroPoweredEngine:
Mostcommonmistakesmadebybeginners:
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Avoidpullingthepullstarterifyourengineisfloodeditwillsnap
1. Avoidpullingthepullstarterifyourengineisfloode,itwillsnap.Youknowyourengineis
floodedwhenthecordbecomesverydifficulttopull.Togetexcessfueloutoftheengine
simplyremovetheglowplugandturnthecarupsidedown.Givethepullstarteracoupleof
pullsandexcessfuelwillcomeout.
Also, never pull thePULLSTARTout more than20centimetresorit will bend thespring

and/orsnapthecord.
ManybeginnersMELTTHENYLONDRIVEGEARS
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ManymodernRCcarsuseacombinationoflightweightNylonandAluminiumgearsasthey
do not require lubrication. This combination works very well as long as the user does not
overheattheclutch.
Metalonmetalgearboxesneedstobefullyenclosedasthegearsmustbegreasedorthey
willveryquicklywearout.Withoutbeingfullyenclosedthegreaseislikeamagnettothe
dirtyenvironmentsinwhichRCcarsoperate.
PersonallyIprefertheMetaltoNyloncombinationasitismuchlighterandrequiresalmost
littlemaintenance.HOWEVERifyourestrainthewheelsinanywaytheclutchwilloverheat
andmeltthegears.NOTE:MeltedgearslooklikeStrippedGears.
AlwaysstartthecarwiththewheelsOFFthegroundandthebrakeOFF.
TOAVOIDMELTINGTHENYLONDRIVEGEARSYoumustallowthewheelstospinfreelyATALL
TIMESINCLUDINGwhenstartingtheengine.ALWAYSstartthecarwiththewheelsofftheground
i.e. the chassis is supported by a brick or similar object AND MAKE SURE THE BRAKE IS OFF by
pushingthecarforwardwiththeengineoffandwiththethrottletrimonthetransmittersetto
idleposition.
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Ifyoudonotdothis,thealuminiumclutchwilloverheatinlessthan30secondsanditwill
meltthenylondrivegear(s).
Makesurethatthewheelsarealwaysallowedtospinfreelyatalltimes.
NEVERrestrainthewheels
NEVER restrain the wheels from spinning by restraining the car BY EITHER HAND, AN
OBJECTORWITHTHECARSBRAKE.
ALWAYSchecktoseeifthebrakeisoffbeforestartingthecar
ALWAYSchecktoseeifthebrakeisoffbeforestartingthecar.Totestthis,pushthecar
(forward)withtheengineNOTrunning.Ifthecarishardtopush,thebrakeison.This
will cause the clutch to overheat and melt the nylon gears. Make sure the brake is off
beforestartingthecar.Bewareofturningthethrottletrimonthetransmittertoolowand
accidentallyputtingthebrakeon.seetransmitter
Withtheengineoff,pushthecarontheground(forward)andadjusttheidletrimspeedon
thetransmitter.Makeanoteofwherethebrakestartstoengage.Thecarburettorshould
gobacktoidlewithoutthebrakeenabling,ifitdoesnt,adjustthebrakelinkage.Toseehow
openthecarburettoris,justremovethefoamaircleaner.Makesureyouputtheaircleaner
backonbeforerunningthecar.Seecarburettor
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DonotreplacethenylongearwithaMetalgear
Pleasebeverycarefulwiththis.Donotreplacethenylongearwithametalgearforthe3
followingreasons.
1.Thenylongearwillmeltatapprox220degreesCelsiusandthealuminiumclutchbellwill
disintegrateat280degrees,thiswaythereisa60degreesafetymarginwiththenylongear.
If the clutch disintegrates this is very dangerous as pieces fly everywhere! Under normal
andraceconditionstheclutchbellwillnevernormallygetover80degreesevenunderthe
hardestofraces.
2.MetalonMetalwearsoutveryquicklywhennotlubricatedandyoucannotlubricatethe
gearsasitwouldattracttoomuchdustanddirtincreasingwearevenmore.
3.Weight.Thelighterthecar,thequickeritwillaccelerate.Accelerationisallaboutpower
andweight.Metalgearsaremuchheavierandarenotneeded.
*The clutch will only slip and

therefore be susceptible to damage
while the car is stationary from use
of the cars brake or held stationary
byhandoranobject..Oncethecar
is up and running, the clutch is not
slipping,thereforeitwillnotsustain
anydamage.Aslongastheengine
isidlingatlowspeed,theclutchwill
not get too hot. Damage usually
occurswhenthecarisidlingtoofast
andthewheelsarerestrainedorinhibitedfrommovinginanyway,thisofcourseincludes
thecarsdiscbrake.
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Ifyouleaveyourglowheateronyourglowplugwhenyourenottryingtostartittheglow
plug will burn out very quickly. Only put the heater on when youre ready to start the
engine.Seeglowplugs
Make sure you unbundled the antenna wire in the car and stand it up using the supplied
antennastraw..Theantennawiremaybelongerthanthetube,andifso,DONOTcutthe
wire. Let excess wire hang freely. Be very careful not to damage the copper wire when
pushing/pullingtheantennawirethroughthetube.
AlwayscheckscrewsaretightincludingtheenginesHeadboltsandtheglowplug.Ifthese
comeloosetheenginewilllosecompressionandbehardtoprimeandstart.
Followthestepsbelowtoprepare,startandbreakinyournitroengine.
ChargeGlowIgniter
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Nitro engines require a glow plug igniter to light the glow plug when starting the engine.
Most igniters take approximately 1012 hours to fully charge however See Battery charge
timesformoreinformation.
Youshouldalwaysmakesuretheigniterisfullychargedwhenstartingyourengine.
Makesuretheglowplugigniterisnotleftontheglowplugtoolongortheglowplugwill
burnout. If theenginestartsbutstopswhen theglowplugigniterisremoved,theglow
plugneedsreplacing.
This is a weird one as if you remove the glow plug from the engine and plug it into the
igniteritwillstilllightupwhichmakesyouthinktheglowplugisokhoweverthisnotthe
case.SeeGlowPlugsformoreinformation.
InstallRadioBatteries
The transmitter and receiver pack (Nitro cars only) need to have batteries installed into
them before doing anything else to the car. Eight batteries in the transmitter and four
batteriesinanitrocarareneeded.
If you start the car before installing the batteries, it may run away from you. You can
normallyuseNiMhorNiCadrechargeablebatteriesinsteadofalkalinebatteries.Besureto
completelychargerechargeablebatteriesbeforeinstalling.
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Fillthetank
MakesureyouareusingproperhighqualityHobbyfuelwiththecorrectnitropercentage
(2030%Nitro).UNLESSSTATEDDIFFERENTLYINTHEMANUFACTURERSMANUAL.Fuelthat
isleftinanopenbottlewillgobadquickly.Alwayskeepfuelinanairtightcontainer.
******WARNING*******DONOTBENDTHEFUELLIDRIGHTBACK
If the lid is bent right back it will bend the spring in the lid and the fuel tank will not
pressurize.Thetankonanitrocarmustpressurizefromtheexhaustandthusforcefuelinto
theengine.FormoreinformationonNitroFuel,seeNitroFuel
Usingyourfuelbottle,squeezethebottleandinsertitintoyourcontaineroffuel.Letgoof
itandthesuctionwillsuckthefuelintoyourfuelbottle.Nextliftthecaponthetankandfill
itupwithfuel.
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InstallyourAirFilter
Somemodelsmayalreadyhavetheairfilterinstalled.Ifyourshasnot,finditintheboxand
installitontothecarburettor.Somecomewithaziptietousetosecureittotheengine.
StandingyourAntennaUp
Inserttheantennawirethroughtheantennamount,throughtheantennatube,theninsert
intotubemount
TurningonyourTransmitterfirst
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ALWAYSturnonthetransmitterfirst,followedbythereceiver.Neverturnoffthe
transmitterorthereceiverwhiletheengineisrunning.Alwaysturnoffenginefirst,thenthe
receiver,followedbytheTransmitter.
RememberYoushouldalwaysturnthetransmitteronfirstandturnitofflast.
CheckforProperOperationofServos
Withthetransmitterandreceiverallturnedon(enginenotrunning),makesureyour
steering,throttleandBrakeservosareworkingcorrectly.Makesurewhenyouturnthe
wheelonthetransmitterleftthewheelsturnleft,andthenchecktherightside.Whenyou
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pullthethrottletriggerthecarburettorVenturishouldopen.
Whenyoupushthetriggerbackthebrakesshouldbeapplied.Ifyourservosaremoving/
respondingslowly,youneedtocheckforweakbatteries.
RangeCheckCheckingtheRadio;sRange
Always perform a range check before driving your car. This tests the range of the radio
detectsanyradiointerference.Todoarangecheckdoeitherofthefollowing.
1. Walk away from the car to equal the furthest distance you plan to drive your car
withthetransmitterandcarsaerialsfullyextendedor;
Page|23
2. WiththemodelsaerialfullyextendedandthetransmitteraerialfullyDOWN,walk
away5metresfromthemodel.
In either of these range checks, make sure all the servos operate correctly. Do not
operatethecarifyounoticeanyradioproblemsorinterference,
EveryRCCar,Boat,Plane,Helicoptermanufacturerwillnotcoverwarrantyrepairsfrom
radiofailureasitisimpossibletoknowwhetheramodelcrashedduetoradiofailure,
radio interference, low batteries, battery failure from vibration, transmitter aerial not
screwed in correctly, transmitter aerial over tightened damaging connection inside
transmitteroroperatorerror.Therefore,itiscriticaltoalwaysdoarangecheckbefore
operatinganyRCmodel.
Radio Interference can be caused for many reasons. Some of these include another
modelstransmitteronasimilarfrequency,a2wayradioi.eCB,FireBrigade,Policeetc,
powerlines,geographicInterferenceetcetc.Alwaysdoarangecheckbeforeoperating
themodel.Ifyougetinterference,eithermovetodifferentareaorwaituntilitstops.
Page|24
Alwaysbeverycarefulnottoletthebatteriesgetlow,asthiscancausetheservosto
startvibratingandwillgiveasubstantialreductioninrange.Inourracecarswealways
use Rechargeable batteries as they can output much more power than a conventional
Alkalinebatterymakingtheservosoperatemuchfaster.Alkalinewilllastmuchlongeras
they have a very low power output however they are not yet powerful giving sluggish
responsefromtheservos.
Rechargeable and conventional batteries can be purchased from supermarkets like
Woolworths.
IfyouareaissubjecttoradiointerferencethenIwouldhighlyrecommendyouinstalla
failsafe. These low cost items return the throttle back to idle if the radio has any
interferenceorlossofsignal.
PrimetheEnginewithFuel
Toprimethefuelsystem,putyourfingerovertheexhaustoutletontheexhaustpipe.Pull
thepullcordafewtimesandwatchforthefueltofillthefuelline.Normallypull13times
moreoncethefuelreachesthecarburettor.Anymorecanfloodtheengine.Coldengines
requiremoreprimingthanahotengine.
Page|25
Ifyounoticethefuellineisnotpriming,youmayneedtoopenthecarburettortoallowthe
fueltoflowthrough.Ifitisstillnotprimingseetroubleshooting
StartingaNitroEngine
Donotstarttheengineuntilyouhavereadandunderstoodallthedirections.Bystartingthe
engine you have indicated that you have checked the transmitter and servos for proper
operationandcompletedtherangecheck.
Turnboththetransmitterandreceiveronandmakesurebothaerialsfullyextended.
Turnthethrottletrimknobonyourtransmitteruntiltheventuriisopenapproximately1/4
to1/8thoftheway.Inotherwordsnearlyclosed.
Page|26
Attachyourfullychargedglowigniterontotheglowplug.Withonehandholdingthecar,
use your other hand to give the pull starter quick short pulls. (Pulling the Pull start cord
morethan20centimetreswillbrakethespringinside).
Page|27
Alwaysensurethatthecarisheldoffthegroundsothatthewheelscanspinfreely.Otherwisethe
clutchwilloverheatandmeltthenylongear.Beginnersoftenholdthecaronthegroundatmedium
tohighrevscausingtheclutchtoveryquicklyoverheat.
Page|28

Iftheenginedoesnotstartprimeandthentryagain.
Ifitstilldoesnotstartseetroubleshooting
Step12KeeptheEngineRunning
AnewenginemaynotidlesmoothlyuntilitscorrectlybrokeninandthemixturesetcorrectlySee
BreakinProcedures.Usethetransmittersthrottletrimtokeeptheenginerevvedupjustenoughto
keepitrunning.Iftheenginestallsyoumayneedtoraisetheidleslightly.
ProperEnginebreakin
Properenginebreakinisveryimportanttoachievethehighestpossibleperformanceandreliability
Allowyourselfsometimetoproperlybreakintheengine.Thisisoneofthemostimportantstepsto
followsotakeyourtime.DonotruntheengineathighRPMsuntilitiscompletelybrokenin.Itis
usualfortheenginetostall,runinconsistently,andevenfoulglowplugsduringthefirstcoupleof
Page|29
tanks.Ifthisishappeningtoyours,dontworryaboutittoomuch.Itisanormalstepinrunningany
nitropoweredR/Ccar.Allofthiswillgoawayafteryourengineisbrokeninandthe mixturesset
correctly.
BreakinProcedures
Tobeginbreakinproceduresforyournewengine,simplyidle3tanksoffuel.ENSUREITIDLESWITH
THEWHEELSOFFTHEGROUNDANDTHEBRAKEOFFSOTHATTHECLUTCHDOESNOTOVERHEAT.
Allowtheenginetocooldowncompletelybetweentanks.Afterthe1sttankoffuel,checkallthe
screwstomakesuretheyaretight.NitroCars,Planes,Boats,Helicoptersetcvibratealotandnuts
and bolts will come loose due to the vibration of the Nitro Engine. It is also a good idea to use
Loctite(availableathardwarestores)
Loctite is like a soft glue which helps keep nuts and bolts tight. Make it a regular habit to
continuouslycheckallthenutsandbolts.Wealwaysgooverourracecarsaftereveryrace.
Afterthethirdtank,checkthegapbetweenthemetalclutchgearandthenylondrivegear.Thisgap
willwidenasthecarisrunin.Thereshouldonlybeenoughgaptoaccept12thinpiecesofpaper
betweenthe2gears.Ifthegapislarger,undothe4motormountscrewsunderthecarandslide
theenginecloser.
Aneasywaytogetthegapperfectlycorrectistoslide12piecesofthinpaperbetweenthegears
andthenpushthemetalclutchbellontothenylongearwiththepaperinbetweenthegears.Toget
thepaperin,justpushthecarbackwardsandfeedthepaperinbetweenthe2gears.
Page|30
Onthe4thand5thtankstartdrivingthecararoundslowly.Onthe6thtankstartleaningitoutand
makingfinaltuningadjustments.
BreakinMixtureSettings:
Most engines come preset from the factory for the average days atmospheric conditions so you
usually do not need to change the mixture settings for break in. i.e. 15 degrees Celsius, 1013
hectopascals barometric pressure etc. This will be ok most of the time for breaking however you
mayneedtoadjustthemixtureifyourdaysconditionsarealotdifferent.Seemixturesettings
Whenyoudochangethemixturesettings,RECORDTHEFACTORYSETTINGS.
Torecordthefactorysettings,windthelowandhighspeedmixturescrewsallthewayinuntllthey
stopandCOUNTtheturnsasyouarewindingthem.Afteryouhaverecordedtheturns,recordthem
andwindthembackouttodefault.
Anexampleofonetypeofanengineisasfollows:
TypicalFactorySetting:
HighSpeedMixture:21/2turnsout
Page|31
LowSpeedMixture:4turnsout
AfterBreakin:
Top:3turnsout
Bottom:41/2turnsinturnsout
*Thesesettingsareapproximateduetothedifferencesinclimate,fuelnitro%,andfueloil%.
RunningtheFirstTanksintheCar
By now you should have fully broken in your engine. Hopefully you took your time and broke the
engineincorrectly.Whendrivingthecar,driveitonflatsmoothsurfaceslikethestreetfirst.Make
surethatyoursteeringtrimisadjustedcorrectlyandthatthecartracksstraight.
Enginetuning(adjustingthehighendneedle)
Nowyourcarandengineshouldbeupandrunningwell.Theoverallperformanceoftheengineis
largelydeterminedbyhowyoutunethemixture.Theleanertheenginetoapoint,thefasterit
willgoandthehotteritwillrun.Tooleanwilldamagetheengine.
Youwanttofindthepointwhereitsrunningverywellthenwithlotsofpower,thenwindthehigh
speedmixtureoutjustafraction.
Ifyoudontseealightstreamofbluesmokefromtheexhaustitmaybetoolean.Youthenneedto
make the high speed mixture richer. (Screw with brass sleeve around it). All of the engine
adjustmentslistedabovearenotexactbecauseofvariationsintypeoffuel,brand,%nitro,humidity,
elevation,etc.
Page|32

Engine life varies on the operating temperature. Preferred engine temperature is around 104115
DegreesCelsiusor220240DegreesFahrenheit.
TypicalEngineTemperaturegauge.
FineTuninglowspeedMixtureandIdlescrew.
Thebestwaytocheckthelowspeedadjustmentisbylisteningtothewaytheenginerevsfromidle.
Iftheenginespluttersitistorich
Iftheenginetriestocutoutitistoolean.Whenmakinganyneedleadjustmentsmakesureyoudoit
insmalladjustments.
Page|33
InstallingtheBodyClips
Align the holes in the body with the body mounts. Then install the pins through the holes in the
mounts.Youmayadjusttheheightofthebodybyloweringbodyclips.
HowtoStopTheEngine.
To stop the engine, either block the air cleaner with your fingers or squeeze the fuel line to the
carburettor.Eithermethodwillstoptheengine.Squeezingthefuellinewillmaketheenginespeed
upfirstastheengineleansout.
Page|34
Ifyousqueezethefuelline,makesureyousqueezethepipegoingtotheengine.
Thisisthemostimportantstepofall
DriveyournewnitropoweredRCcar!Havefunanddrivesafely.Showyourmodelthesamerespect
asyouwoulddrivingyourfullsizevehicle.Orifyoudontshowyourownvehicleanyrespectthen
pretenditsyourparentscar!:0
Stepstofollowafteroperating.
SeealsoMaintenance
Step1.Emptyallofthefueloutofthetank.
Step2.Burn allthefueloutof theenginebykeepingthe enginerunninguntilthe enginewillnot
start.
Step3.Taketheglowplugoutandputafewdropsofafterrunoilintotheengine.Afterrunoilis
availableatmosthobbyshops.
PrecautionsThatMustbeTaken
Becausethereareelectricalcomponentsonthecaritshouldnotberunthroughwater,wetgrass,
mudoranythingelsethatmaygetwaterinsidetheelectronics.
Avoid leaving the glow heater on the glow plug any longer then needed to start. The heater will
burntheglowplugoutifleftontoolong.
Page|35
Donotdrivethecarwhenyourradioisshowinglowbatteryvoltage.
Donotdriveyourcaratnight,onpublicstreets,orinlargecrowds.
Do not drive if the servos are slow or unresponsive, this usually means your batteries are low,
replacewithnewones.
Always use common sense when driving your RC car. Abusive driving will only result in poor
performanceandmanybrokenparts.
Generalinformation
HighendMixtureControlsthefuelmixtureathighR.P.Ms
LowEndMixtureControlsthefuelmixtureatlowR.P.M.s
Lean This term is used to describe the amount of fuel entering the carburettor. Lean means less
fuel. Turn carburettor needles clockwise for a leaner setting. Running too lean will damage your
engine.
RichSettingThistermisusedtodescribetheamountoffuelenteringthecarburettor.Richmeans
morefuel.Turnthecarburettorneedlescounterclockwiseforarichersetting.
Glowplugsnitroenginescomestandardwithaglowplug.Checkwiththeenginemanufacturefor
whichtypeofglowplugtouse..Alwaysmakesureyouareusingthecopperwasherthatissupplied
witheachglowplug.FormoreinformationseeGlowPlugs
AirFilterTheairfilterisveryimportanttoanengineslife.Keepingitcleanandoiledwillincrease
performanceandenginelife.
Page|36
PullStarterWhenremovingthepullstarterbecarefulwiththespool,whichisspringloaded.Usea
smallscrewdrivertogentlypushthespoolofftheoutputshaft.
...andhavefun!
Dontdespairifyourcarlosesanargumentwithatree.MostRCCarshaveanindexofpartnumbers
inthebackofthemanual.Youcanliterallybuildawholecaroutofthesparepartssorestassuredit
does not matter bigger crash you have, you can replace any broken part. Most shops these days
have an online store, just type the part number out of your manual into their search box and the
partshouldcomeup.
Page|37
ThingsyouneedtoknowaboutElectricRCCars
PRECAUTIONSTHATMUSTBETAKENINORDERTOCOMPLYWITHMANUFATURERS
WARRANTIES.
Followthestepsbelowtoprepareandrunyourcar.
Mostcommonmistakesmadebybeginners:
Most beginners do not regularly check the nuts and bolts for tightness, especially the engine
bolts.Gooverthewholecartomakesureeverynutandboltistight.
INSTRUCTIONSFORUSE:
CHARGEMAINBATTERY
Inregardtochargetimesforthebattery;todothisusethefollowingformula:
As an example and to keep the maths easy, I will use an example of a 1000mah battery and a
100mahcharger.Justreplacethesenumberswiththenumberswrittenonyourbatteryandcharger.
Page|38

In a perfect world where there was no loss (heat) you would just charge the battery for 10 hours
(1000 divided by 100) however there are losses incharging of around 30% so in this example you
wouldneedtochargethebatteryfor10hoursx1.3tocompensateforthelossesequalling13hours.
Thisofcourseisonlywhenthebatteryisdeadflat.
Fortherestofthetimejustchargethebatteryuntilitgetswarm(nothot).Oncethebatterystarts
gettingwarmitisfullycharged.
Justbecarefulnottooverchargethebatteryasitwilldamagethebattery.
On many mains powered chargers, the light on the charger does not go off when the battery is
chargeditlightsuptoshowthatthebatteryisconnected.
Install8XAABatteriesintheTransmitter
Mosttransmittersneedtohave8xAAbatteriesinstalled.Ifyouturnthecaronbeforeswitchingon
the transmitter, it may run away from you. Most transmitters allow you to use NiMh or NiCad
insteadofalkalinebatteries.Besuretocompletelychargerechargeablebatteriesbeforeinstalling.
Page|39
STANDINGYOURANTENNAUP
Insert the antenna wire through the antenna mount of the car, through the antenna tube, then
insertintotubemount.Theantennawiremaybelongerthanthetubes,ifso,DONOTcutthewire.
Letexcesswirehangfreely.
TURNINGONYOURTRANSMITTER
ALWAYSturnthetransmitterfirst,followedbythereceiver.
***Remember.YoushouldalwaysturnthetransmitteronFIRSTandturnitoffLAST.
Page|40
CHECKFORPROPEROPERATIONOFSERVOS
Withthetransmitterandreceiverallturnedonandwiththecaronablockwiththewheelsoffthe
ground, make sure your steering, throttle and forward/reverse are working correctly. Make sure
whenyouturnthewheelonthetransmitterleft,thewheelsturnleft,andthenchecktherightside.
Whenyoupullthe throttletrigger thewheelsshouldturnforwardandwhenyoupushthetrigger
back the brakes should be applied. If you push the trigger a second time the car should go in
reverse.
RANGECHECKCHECKINGTHETRANSMITTERRANGE
Beforedrivingyourcar,alwaystesttherange,andoranyradiointerferenceofyourradiosystem.
Todoarangecheck,doeitherofthefollowing:
Page|41
1. walkawayfromthecartoequalthefurthestdistanceyouplantodriveyourcarwith
thetransmitterandcarsaerialsfullyextended,or:
2. WiththemodelsaerialfullyextendedandthetransmitteraerialfullyDOWN,walkaway
5metresfromthemodel.
Ineitheroftheserangechecks,makesurealltheservosoperatecorrectly.Donotoperatethecarif
younoticeanyradioproblemsorinterference.
Every RC car, Boat, Plane & Helicopter manufacturer will not cover warranty repairs from radio
failureasitisimpossibletoknowwhetheramodelcrasheddueto:
Radiofailure
Radiointerference
Lowbatteries
Batteryfailurefromvibration
Transmitteraerialnotscrewedincorrectly.
TransmitteraerialovertighteneddamagingconnectioninsidetransmitterOR
Page|42
Operatorerror
Therefore,itiscriticaltoalwaysdoarangecheckBEFOREoperatinganyRCmodel.
Radio interference can be caused for many reasons. Some of these include other models
transmitters on a similar frequency, a 2 way radio ie CB, Fire Brigade, Police etc, power lines,
geographicinterferenceetcetc..Alwaysdoarangecheckbeforeoperatingthemodel.Ifyouget
interference,eithermovetoadifferentareaorwaituntilitstops.
Alwaysbeverycarefulnottoletthebatteriesgetlow,thiswillcausetheservostostartvibrating
andwillgiveasubstantialreductioninrange.InourracecarswealwaysuseRechargeablebatteries
as they can output much more power than a conventional alkaline battery making the servos
operatemuchfaster.Alkalinewilllastmuchlongerastheyhaveaverylowpoweroutput.
Rechargeableandconventionalbatteriescanbepurchasedfromsupermarkets.
Alwaysensurethatthecarisheldoffthegroundsothatthewheelscanspinfreelywhenfirst
switchingthecaron.
BREAKINPROCEDURES
Tobeginbreakinproceduresforyournewengine,simplyrun3batterypacks.Allowtheengineto
cooldowncompletelybetweenbatteries.Afterthe1strun,checkallthescrewstomakesurethey
aretight,especiallytheenginebolts.Modelcars,planes,boats,helicoptersetcvibratealotand
nuts and bolts will come loose due to the vibration. It is also a good idea to use Lock tight
(availableathardwarestores)Locktightislikesoftgluewhichhelpskeepnutsandboltstight.Make
itaregularhabittocontinuouslycheckallthenutsandbolts.Wealwaysgooverourracecarsafter
everyrace.
Page|43

Afterthe3rdbatterypack,checkthegapbetweenthebrassenginepinionandthenylondrivegear.
Thisgapwillwidenasthecarisrunin.Thereshouldonlybeenoughgaptoacceptathinpieceof
paper between the 2 gears. If the gap is larger, undo the 2 motor mounts screws and slide the
enginecloser.
Aneasywaytogetthegapperfectlycorrectistoslide1pieceofpaperbetweenthegearsandthen
push the nylon drive onto the brass pinion gear with the paper in between the gears. To get the
paperin,justpushthecarbackwardsandfeedthepaperinbetweenthe2gears.
INSTALLINGTHEBODYCLIPS
Align the holes in the body with the body mounts. Then install the pins through the holes in the
mounts.Youmayadjusttheheightofthebodybyloweringthebodyclips.
Page|44

THISISTHEMOSTIMPORTANTSTEPOFALL!
DriveyourRCcar!!Havefunanddrivesafely.Showyourmodelthesamerespectasyouwould
drivingyourfullsizevehicle.Orifyoudontshowyourownvehicleanyrespect,thenpretendthat
itsyourparentscar!:0
PRECAUTIONSTHATMUSTBETAKEN
Becausethereareelectricalcomponentsonthecar,itshouldnotberunthroughwater,wet
grass,mudoranythingelsethatmaygetwaterinsidetheelectronics.
Donotdrivethecarwhenyourradioisshowinglowbatteryvoltage.
Donotdriveyourcaratnight,onpublicstreets,orinlargecrowds.
Do not drive if the servos are slow or unresponsive, this usually means your batteries are
low,replacewithnewones.
AlwaysusecommonsensewhendrivingyourRCcar.Abusivedrivingwillonlyresultinpoor
performanceandmanybrokenparts.
Dontdespairifyourcarlosesanargumentwithatree.MostRCCarshaveanindexofpartnumbers
inthebackofthemanual.Youcanliterallybuildawholecaroutofthesparepartssorestassuredit
does not matter bigger crash you have, you can replace any broken part. Most shops these days
Page|45
have an online store, just type the part number out of your manual into their search box and the
partshouldcomeup.
BATTERIES
BatteriesfortheRadioControl
NormalAlkalinebatteriesareokhoweverIchoosetoonlyuseNiMhRechargeablebatteriesinallof
ourownRCmodelsasNiMhcandelivermuchmorepowerthananormalbatterylikeaDuracellor
Page|46
Alkalinetypeofbattery.Alkalinebatteriesarerenownedforlonglifehowevertheirpoweroutputis
verylowmakingsteeringetcsluggish.
Theothergreatreasontouserechargeablebatteriesistheyaremuchmoreeconomical,justcharge
themupratherthanforkoutanother$1015dollarsforanothersetofAlkalineBatteries.
Youwillofcourseneedachargeraswell.SeeBatteryChargers
Rechargeablebatteriesareavailableatplaceselectricalshopsandthesedaysevensupermarkets!
Generally the more capacity the batteries have, the more they cost. Any battery with a capacity
greaterthan1000mahisfinehowever2000mahwilllasttwiceaslong.
BatteriesforElectricRCCars
Astandard7.2vRCElectriccarbatterypackhasameasurementof130mmx45mm
TheMAHindicatesthecapacityofthebattery.
Page|47

Thetimeabatterywilllastcanvariesbetween510minutesper1800mahbattery.The
timesdependonhowitisdrivenandthesurfaceitisdrivenonandofcoursehowmuch
poweryourcarsengineuses.Flathardsurfaceslikebitumencreatetheleastfriction
whereaslonggrasscreatesthemost.
MostRCcarsaredesignedtolastfortheinternationalstandardforelectriccarracing,thatis
racesareusuallyheldfora5minuteduration.
Youcanincreasethetimesbyusingabatterywithahighercapacity.Batteriescomewitha
capacityupto5000mahhoweveraroundthe4000mahisthemosteconomicaltoday.
MostElectricRCCarscomewithabatterywhichmeetsthefollowingcriteria;
Voltage:7.2Volts
Capacity:1800mahorgreater
Thesearenormallyassembledoutof6X1.2Voltcells
AllNiMH(NickelMetalHydride)batteriesare1.2volts.Toget7.2voltsthemanufactures
justsolder6together.
BATTERYCHARGETIMES
Inregardtochargetimesforthebattery,todothisusethefollowingformula.
Asanexampleandtokeepthemathseasy,Iwilluseanexampleofa1000mahbatteryand
a100mahcharger.Justreplacethesenumberswiththenumberswrittenonyourbattery
andcharger.
In a perfect world where the was no loss (heat) you would just charge the battery for 10
hours(1000dividedby100)howevertherearelossesinchargingofaround20%sointhis
exampleyouwouldneedtochargethebatteryfor10hoursx1.3forthelosses=13hours.
Thisofcourseisonlywhenthebatteryisdeadflat.
Page|48
For the rest of the time just charge the battery until it gets warm (not hot). Once the
batterystartsgettingwarmitisfullycharged.
Justbecarefulnottooverchargethebatteryasitwilldamagethebattery.
Thelightonthemanychargersdoesnotgooffwhenthebatteryischargeditlightsupto
showthatthebatteryisconnected.
CanIuseahighervoltagebattery?
YouneedtocheckwiththeManufactureofthecartoseeiftheESCandmotorcanhandle
thehighervoltage
LithiumPolymerBatteriesLiPO
Lithium Polymer batteries are similar to Lithium Ion batteries in that they each have a
nominalvoltageof3.6volts,butdissimilarinthattheydonothaveahardmetalcasingbut
ratheraflexiblematerialenclosesthechemicalsinside.Mostlithiumpolymerbatteriesare
thin rectangle shapes with two tabs on the top one positive one negative. The reason we
use Lithium cells for RC is that they are much lighter than comparable NiCad or NiMH
batteries.
Page|49
VoltageandCellCount:
NiMhbatterypacksareallconstructedoutof1.2voltcellsi.ea7.2voltbatterypackis
constructedfromsix1.2voltcellsalljoinedtogether.
AllLithiumbatteriesareconstructedfrom3.6voltcells
LiPolys act differently than NiCad or NiMH batteries do when charging and discharging.
Lithiumbatteriesarefullychargedwheneachcellhasavoltageof4.2volts.Theyarefully
dischargedwheneachcellhasavoltageof3.0volts.Itisimportantnottoexceedboththe
highvoltageof4.2voltsandthelowvoltageof3.0volts.Exceedingtheselimitswillharm
thebattery.
You will know when driving that it is time to stop when you experience a sudden drop in
power.UnlikeNiCadorNiMHbatteries,Lithiumbatterieshaveaverylineardischargerate
then a very sudden drop in power. As soon as the battery drops in power you must
IMMEDIATELYstopthecar.
IfyourESChasanautomaticlithiummode.Useit,itwillcorrectlysensethenumberofcells
andsettheautocutoffappropriately.
WARNINGYOUMUSTREADBEFOREUSINGALITHIUMBATTERY
LiPobatteriesgiveaverylinearpoweroutputwhenthevoltagedrops,itdropsveryquickly.
Assoonasthevoltagedropsyoumustimmediatelystopusingtheengine
Lithium batteries are quickly becoming the preferred power sources for most electric
modellers today. They offer high discharge rates and a high energy storage/weight ratio.
However,usingthemproperlyandchargingthemcorrectlyisnosimplematter.
1.Charging/SafetyVERYIMPORTANT!
Page|50
Untilyouarewillingtofollowallsafetyprecautions,DONOTuselithiumbatteries.Ifyou're
thetypeofpersonthatpreferstopushthelimitsofproducts,orbehaphazardaboutsafety
requirementsthenLithiumtechnologyisnotforyou.Readontofindoutwhy.
LithiumcellsmustbechargedverydifferentlyfromNiCadorNiMH.Theyrequireacharger
specifically designed to charge lithium cells. Using a Nicad or NiMH charger will almost
certainlyguaranteeaverydangerousfire.Mostchargerswhichcanchargelithiumioncan
alsochargelithiumpolymer,assumingthatthecellcountiscorrect..
Chargingcellsisthemosthazardouspartofusinglithiumbatteries.EXTREMEcaremustbe
takenwhenchargingthem.Itisimportanttosetyourchargertothecorrectvoltageorcell
count.Failuretodothiscancausethebatterytospewviolentflames.
There have been many fires caused by lithium batteries. PLEASE BE RESPONSIBLE when
charginglithiumbatteries.
TheLiPochargerMUSTbeapprovedforlithiumbatteries.Thechargermaybedesignedfor
LiIonorLiPoly.Bothbatteriesarechargedinexactlythesame.
Make certain that the correct cell count is set on your charger. If your charger is digital
watchthechargersscreenverycloselyforthefirstfewminutestoensurethatthecorrect
cellcountcontinuestobedisplayed.
UsetheBalancingTaps(thewhiteplug).BeforeyouchargeanewLithiumpack,checkthe
voltageofeachcellindividually.Thendothisaftereverytenthcharge
Thisisabsolutelycriticalinthatanunbalancedpackcanexplodewhilechargingevenifthe
correctcellcountischosen.Ifthecellsarenotwithin0.1voltsofeachotherthencharge
eachcellindividuallyto4.2voltssothattheyareallequal.Ifaftereverydischargethepack
isunbalancedyouhaveafaultycellandthatpackmustbereplaced.
NEVERchargethebatteriesunattended.Thisisthenumberonereasonforhousesandcars
beingburnedtoacrispbylithiumfires.
5.Useasafesurfacetochargeyourbatteriesonsothatiftheyburstintoflamenodamage
willoccur.Bearinmindwhentheycatchonfiretheflamesdo4foot+Iintheair.Iusea
metaltoolboxwithholesdrilledinithoweverotherideasareLipoSacks,ventedfiresafes,
porcelaindisheswithsandinthebottom,fireplaces,plantpotswithsoilinthemetc
DONOTCHARGEATMORETHAN1Cunlessspecificallyauthorizedbythepackvendor.This
meansifthebatteryhasacapacityofsay2000mah,donotchargeitfasterthan2amps.
Page|51
DONOTpuncturethecell.Ifacellballoonsquicklyplaceitinafiresafeplace,especiallyif
youwerechargingitwhenitballooned.Ihavehadacellcatchfire20minutesafteritwas
disconnectedfromthecharger.
Alwaysletaballoonedcellsitinthefiresafeplaceforatleast2hours.
I always keep a bucket of sand nearby so if a battery does catch on fire I can quickly
extinguishitwiththesand.
Cishowlongittakestodischarge
A Lipo batteries discharge ability is rated in C's . C is how long it takes to discharge the
battery.Forinstance1Cdischargesthebatteryin1hour.2Cdischargesthebatteryinor
halfanhour.
AllbatteriesholdingcapacitiesareratedinmilliAmphours(MaH).Ifabatteryisholds2000
mAhandyoudischargeitat2000mA(2amps)itwillbecompletelydischargedinonehour.
Allbatterieshavelimitationsonhowfasttheycandischarge.Itisworthlearningsomething
about Watts, Volts, and Amps. Understanding these concepts is beyond the scope of this
book.
BatteryTemperature.
Lithiumbatterieslikeheat,butnottoomuch.Inthewintertime,trytokeepyourbatteries
fromthecoldasmuchaspossible.Atthesametimedon'tletthemheatuptoomuch.Try
tokeepyourbatteriesfromreaching70degreesCelsiusafteruse.Thiswillprolongthelife
ofthecells.AgoodwaytomeasuretemperatureisahandheldInfaredTemperatureguage
Page|52

BatteryConnectors
There 2 commonly used battery connectors. The white plug = Tamiya plug and the red
DeansPlug.
Myadviceissimple.CuttheTamiyaplugoffandsoldertheDeansplugon.
Back in 1980 the Tamiya plugs were fine however today engines pull much more power.
DonteventhinkaboutaTamiyaplugwithabrushlessmotor.
Redplug=Deans
WhiteplugistheTamiyaplug
Page|53

BATTERYCHARGERS
MyChargingstation
Therewouldhavetobeover1,000differentbatterychargersouttheresoIwilltrytosimply
thingsforyou.
FirstlyTheprosandcons.
Batteriesliketobechargedslow.
HumanBeingsdontliketowait.
The3mostpopulartypesofChargersare;
Slowchargers
Page|54
i.elowcostmainspoweredbatterychargerwithnoautocutoff.
These normally output around 150mah and take approximately 17 hours to charge a
2000mahbattery.
Thesechargersaregoodforbatteryhoweverbadfordadlisteningtonaggingson!
Thechargersgenerallydonotautomaticallyturnoff.
Ihave12offthesechargerspluggedinto2powerboardsandusethesechargerstocharge
up12batteriesslowlybeforeracedayandthenuseafastchargerattheracetrack.
Page|55
FastCharger
These can normally output up to 5 amps (5000mah) at take approximately 30 mins to

chargea2000mahbattery.Theyalsonormallyhaveanautocutoffwhenthebatteryisfully
charged.
BadforbatteryhowevergoodforCarowner!
MostgoodfastchargershavePeakDetectwhichautomaticallydetectswhenthebattery
isfullandshutsdown.
LithiumChargers
IhavemadeseparatecategoryforLithiumchargersmorejusttospelloutyouneedatotally
differentkindofchargertochargeaLithiumPolymerbatteryhowevermanynewchargers
dosupportLithiumbatteries.HOWEVERyoumusttellthechargeryouareusingaLithium
battery.
MostLipochargerstake3060minstochargeaLipobattery.
Fieldchargers
Field chargers are a lot more beneficial as you can charge batteries when your out and
aboutinsteadofhavingtogohometocharge.
You simply clip the alligator clips to any 12 volt battery to charge, e.g. your full size cars
battery.
Page|56
Thisisbyfarthepreferredtypeofchargerformodellers.
MostSeriousElectricRCmodellershaveapowerful12voltpowersupplyathomeandthen
attachthe12voltfieldchargerstoit.Seethepictureofmychargingstationabove.
.
ENGINES
ElectricMotors
Page|57
BrushlessMotors
A brushless motor uses 3 wires and no friction generating brushes. A brushless motor is
normallyaround98%efficientcomparedtolessthan50%efficiencyfortheolderbrushed
motors.
Thismeanslongerbatterylifeandmorepower.
AbrushlessmotoralsorequiresabrushlessElectronicSpeedController;itwillnotworkwith
abrushedESC.SeeElectronicSpeedControllers
HowdoesaBrushlessMotorWork
A traditional Brushed motor has magnets on the outside and a spinning armature on the
inside.Themagnetsarefixedandsubsequentlycalledthestator.Thearmaturerotates,soit
issubsequentlycalledtherotor.
Page|58
Armature(Rotor)
Thearmatureabovebecomesanelectromagnetwhenelectricityflowsthroughit.
Asthearmaturespins,itisattractedthenrepelledfromthemagnetsinthestator.
Thebrushesrubontheendofthearmaturetoprovidetheelectricity.
Page|59
Thistriedandproventechnologyworksandissimpleandcheaptomanufacture,butithasa
lotofproblems:
Thebrusheswearout.
Because the brushes are making/breaking connections, you get sparking and electrical
noise.
Theconnectingabilityofthebrusheslimitsthemaximumspeedofthemotor.
Havingthebigelectromagnetinthecentreofthemotormakesithardertocool.
Theuseofbrushesputsalimitonhowmanypolesthearmaturecanhave.
WithBrushlessmotorsthemagnetsandstatorareinreversesothereisnoneedtoelectrify
therotorastherotorjustcontainsthepermanentmagnets.
BrushlessMotor
The Electro magnets are now on the stator and are connected Brushless Electronic Speed
Control(ESC)whichhashighpowertransistorstochargeuptheelectromagnetsastheshaft
turns.Thissystemhasmanyadvantages
Because the ESC (Electronic Speed Control) controls the motor instead of mechanical
brushes rubbing on the rotor it is much more efficient. Most brushless motors are 98%+
efficientcomparedto48%fortheolderstylebrushedmotors.
Efficiencymeansmorepower,morespeed,morebatterylife.
Otheradvantagesare;
Thereisalsonosparkingfromthebrushesmakingmuchlesselectricalnoise.
Withtheelectromagnetsonthestator,theyareveryeasiertocool.
Page|60
Youcanhavealotofelectromagnetsonthestatorformoreprecisecontrol.
ComparingBrushedtoBrushlessMotors
Theolderstylebrushed2wiremotorstraditionallyusethe"turns"toratepoweroutput.
The newer 3 phase, 3 wire Brushless motors are rated in KV (rotations per volt) as well
outputinWatts.
It'shardtodoadirectcomparisonbecausethetorquebandissodifferentbetweenthetwo
technologiesbutformodifiedBrushedmotorshere'sagoodballparkformula:
Taketheratingofbrushlesstimes1.4togettheroughlyequalbrushedequivalent(double
wind).
Example:
6.5x1.4=9.1a6.5brushlessisapproximatelyequaltoa9Tbrushed
10.5x1.4=14.7a10.5brushlessisapproximatelyequaltoa15Tbrushed
27TBrushed=17.5Brushless(StockSpec)
19TBrushed=13.5Brushless(ProStockSpec)
Under19TBrushed=Under13.5Brushless(Mod)
Page|61
NitroMotors
StartingseeStartingaNitroEngine
Page|62
Explodedview
NitroRCCarenginescomeinmanysizesfrom.05cito.28ci+
TheenginecapacityisratedinCubicInches(imperial)ofCubicCentimetres(metric)
TheConversionforCubicCapacityisasfollows.
1cubiccentimetre(cm)=0.0610cubicinchs(ci)
i.e.15ci/0.0610=2.45cc
i.e.07ci/0.0610=1.15cc
Most1/16scalecarsuse.05cito.07ci
Most1/10Scaleuse.12cito.18ci
Most1/8scaleuse.15cito.28ci+
Thereare3basicphysicalsizesforenginesandtheycanoftenbeinterchanged.
.05cito.07ci
.12cito.18ci
Page|63
.21cito.28ci
IdleSpeed
Tomaketheengineidlefasterorslower,justadjusttheblackidlescrewwhichislocated
directly below the air cleaner. By screwing in the idle screw it will make the engine idle
fasterandoutmakestheengineidleslower.
MixtureSettings
There are a number of areas you need to be aware of when running RC cars. However
alwaysmakesureyoustartwithafreshnewglowplug.
Mostenginemanufacturerspresetthemixturescrewsfortheaveragedayonourplanet.
ThisiscalledISA(IndustryStandardAtmosphere)
Temperature:15degrees
BarometricPressure:1013HPA
Altitude:zerofeetabovesealevel
Humidity:40%
A common factory mixture is as follows however always check with the manufacturer of
yourengine.
HighSpeedMixture(largescrew)2.5turnsoutfromfullyscrewedin.
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LowSpeedMixture(inthemiddleofthecarburettorthrottleactuatorarm)4turnsoutfrom
fullyscrewedin.
IdleScrew:
CarburettorVenturiopen.5to2mm
It is not uncommon to have to adjust the mixture 23 times per day as the ambient
conditionschangethroughoutthedayi.etemperatureandhumidity.
MIXTUREADJUSTING
Ioncesawacircustrickwheresome#*($^@#bodylitamatchandthenquicklyopeneda
lidacanofpetrolandputthematchoutinthepetrol!
Imsurethisguyisprobablyeitherdeadorbadlydisfigurednow,butittaughtmeavaluable
lesson.Petrolisnotflammable????
Itisonlyfuelvapourwhichisflammable,whichiswhenthefuelismixedwithair.
Nitroenginesuseapproximately1partfuelto4partsair.Petrolenginesrunapprox16:1.
Therightfuel/airmixtureiscrucialtomaketheenginerunningatitspeakperformance.The
wrong mixture will cause overheating, excessive wear and cause the engine to stall. The
carburettorsjobistomixthecorrectfuel/airration.Togetthisoptimumfuelratioweneed
toadjustthehighandlowspeedmixturescrews.
ALWAYSTHINKOFTHEMIXTURESCREWSASTAPSASTHATISWHATTHEYARE.
Page|65
Just like the tap in the kitchen, if you screw the tap in, the fuel reduces. (Creates Lean
Mixture)Screwtheneedlevalverightinandyouwillshutthefueloffcompletely.Justlike
thetapinyourkitchen.
Windthetapoutletsmorefuelpassthrough(RichMixture).
ThemixturesettingisalwaysreferredtoasLeanorrichreferringtothemixtureoffueland
air.Toleanoutorrichentheenginemeanstoadjustthemixtureoffuelandairgoinginto
theengine.Leanisthereductionoffueltothefuel/airmixture.Richistheadditionofmore
fueltothefuel/airmixture.
Lean
When you lean out a nitro engine you are adjusting the mixture so that there is less fuel
going into the engine. This provides a little more horsepower but can result in very high
engine temperatures. Too lean will wear out the glow plug prematurely and can lead to
enginefailure.
Rich
When you richen the nitro engine's mixture you're adding more fuel. This is the best and
safestwaytorunanengineasitgivescoolerenginetemperatures.Howeveriftoorichyou
can not only bog the engine down and stall but also flood the engine and foul the glow
plug.
ADJUSTING
If the engine suddenly dies while idling and you don't see a light stream of blue smoke
fromtheexhaustthenthelowspeedmixtureisprobablytolean.
Ifthecarisslowtoaccelerate,emitstoomuchbluesmokeoralotofunburnedfuelfrom
theexhaust,aninabilitytoreachtopspeed,thesearesignsthehigh speedmixtureisset
toorich.
Iftheenginequitssuddenlyitisprobablytoolean.Iftheenginesplutterstoastop,thisis
normallytoorich.ToomuchsmokealsomeanstooRich
Iftheenginegetssohotthatadropofwaterontheengineimmediatelystartssizzlingand
poppingifitisalsotoolean.
Enginetuningandadjustingthefuel/airmixtureinvolvesadjustingthehighandlowspeed
needles on the carburettor. There are usually factory default settings provided by the
manufacturer which provide a good starting point. Adjust each needle in very small
increments.
Page|66
Like the tap in the kitchen, turn clockwise to reduce the fuel (lean out) and counter
clockwise to add fuel (richen). The low speed needle controls idling and low speeds. The
highspeedneedlecontrolshowtheengineacceleratesandrunsathighspeed.
Note: The high speed mixture needle has a greater effect on engine temperature. See
closeupillustrationoffuel/airmixtureneedles.
ALEANISH(HOT)ENGINEWILLACCELERATETHEFASTESTHOWEVERIFYOUGOTOLEAN
ITWILLCREATETOMUCHHEATANDDESTROYTHEENGINE
The trick is to get the engine running, then slowly lean it out until you get peak
performance.Thenwindthehighspeedmixtureoutafractiontokeeptheengineslightly
Rich.
EngineTemperature
Thefuel/airmixturealsodeterminestheheatoftheengine.Arichenginerunscool.
ALeanenginerunsHOT.
Mostengineshaveanoperatingtemperaturebetween107120degreesCelcius.
Page|67

Over130degreescancausealotofdamageandalsodramaticallyshortensthelifeofthe
engine.
Justremember,toorichwillcauseNOdamage.
TOOLEANWILLCAUSEDAMAGE
Alwayserronthesideofbeingslightlytoorich.
The ambient (outside) temperature, humidity, barometric pressure and the elevation
according to sea level will adversely effect the engine's mixture settings so you need to
adjustthemtosuit.Justbecauseyouhadthemixturesetinthemorningdoesnotmeanit
willstillbeokintheafternoon,nevermindthenextday.
Seealsotroubleshooting
Page|68
ESCs(ElectronicSpeedControllers)
AnelectronicspeedcontrolorESCisadevicemountedonboardanelectricallypowered
radiocontrolmodelinordertovaryitsdrivemotor'sspeed,itsdirectionandeventoactas
adynamicbrake.
TheESCplugsintothereceiver'sthrottlecontrolchannelorincorporatedintothereceiver
itself, as is the case in most toygrade R/C vehicles. Some R/C manufacturers that install
proprietary hobbygrade electronics in their entrylevel vehicles, vessels or aircraft use
onboardelectronicsthatcombinethetwoonasinglecircuitboard.
Regardless of the type used, an ESC interprets the information from the receiver
electronically.
The speed of the motor is done again electronically by varying the switching rate of a
networkoffieldeffecttransistors,or"FET's."
The rapid switching of the transistors is what causes the motor to emit its characteristic
highpitchedwhine,especiallynoticeableatlowerspeeds.
MostmodernESCsincorporateabatteryeliminatorcircuit(orBEC)toregulatevoltagefor
the receiver, removing the need for extra batteries. ESCs are normally rated according to
maximum current, for example, 30 amperes or 30A. Generally the higher the rating, the
largerandheaviertheESCtendstobe.
Page|69
Some ESCssupport the newer lithium polymer batteries with a rangeof input and cutoff
voltages.Thetypeofbatteryandnumberofcellsconnectedisanimportantconsideration
whenchoosingaBEC.Ahigherinputvoltagewillresultinareducedpowerrating.
AstandardBrushedESCisdesignedforusewitha7.2Voltbatterypack.Byusingahigher
voltagewilloverheattheESCandburnitout.
GlowPlugs
GlowPlug
Nitromodelenginesdonotusesparkplugslikefullsizecarstocreateignition.Likeadiesel
enginetheyrelyoncompressiontogenerateheattokeeptheenginegoingandanelectric
glowplugtogetitstarted.Asthepistonrisesitcompressesthefuel/airmixturewhich
causesthemixturestemperaturetorisetoduetotheactofcompression.
Withtherightmixtureandahotenginethemixturecanactuallyignitewithouteven
poweringuptheglowplug.
GlowPlugsareusedtostartaNitroengineandtheheatgeneratedfromcompressionkeeps
theglowpluglit.
Heatiscausedbycompressingagas.Theoppositeiseffectisuncompressingagas,this
becomescold.Tryholdingyourfingerdownonacanofflyspayandyouwillfeelthecan
gettingcolder.
Thisbythewayishowafridgeworks.
Ifyoucarwontstart,tryreplacingtheglowplugandseeifitfixestheproblem.Also,make
suretheglowplugigniterisfullycharged.
Page|70
Thetypicalsymptomforablownglowplugisthestallingoftheenginewhentheglowplug
igniterisremovedandortheenginemisbehavinginanyway.Glowplugscaneffectidling,
midrevsandhighrevsorofcoursenotallowtheenginetostartatall.Dontbefooledby
removingtheglowplugandfindingitstillglows,over90%ofwornoutglowplugsstillglow.
Theonlywaytoknowforsureistoreplaceitandstarttheengineagain.
IcanttellyouhowmanytimesIhavetriedtoadjustaroughrunningenginewiththe
mixturescrewsonlytofindoutitwastheglowplugcausingtheroughrunning.Glowplugs
areconsumableslikethefuelandcanlastformonths.HoweverIhavegonethrough3in
oneday.Therearetwothingsyoucandotomaximiseaglowplug'slife.
1.Makesurethemixtureisnotsettooleanthiswillveryquicklyburnthefinefilamentin
theglowplug.Themixturemustbeadjustedthroughthedayforthedayschanging
ambientconditions.
2.Makesureyouneverleavethebatteryconnectedtotheglowplugformorethan10
secondsafterstartingasthiswillquicklyburnitout.
Youcanmanuallychecktheconditionofaglowplugwithamagnifyingglassandasmall
torch.
Whentheglowplugisnew,allofthecoilswillbeverysimilar,whenitisworn,youwillsee
someofthecoilsarenolongerperfectlycoiledbutinsteadunsymmetricalanddistorted.
Youcanalsoseethecolourofthecoils,thisshowshowwellthemixtureisset.Thecoils
shouldbeagreytowhitecolour,toowhitemeanstolean.
Note:Ifyouremovetheglowplugandplugitintotheigniter,itwillstillglowevenwhen
wornout.
GlowPlugSpecifications
HowtoselectthecorrectGlowPlug.
Glowplugsareratedwithdifferenttemperaturesfrom#3to#6.Othertemperaturesare
available.Howeveritisveryraretousetheseonmodernengines.Mostglowplugsrequire
1.5Voltstooperate.
#3HotMostcommonforlowNitroFuels
#4MildlyhotFor1015%Nitrofuels
#5MediumForhighnitro25%+NitroFuels
Page|71
#6ColdForhighcompressionenginesandhighnitromethanefuelusedinracing.
Symptoms:
Yourglowplugtemperaturerangeistoocoldwhen:
Theenginepowerisweakorhasweakenedfrompreviouslevels.
Theengineslowsdownconsiderablyorstopsafterremovingtheglowplugigniter,despite
correctadjustmentoftheneedlevalves.Asanexample,ifa#4pluggivesyoutheabove
symptom,switchtoa#3pluginstead.
Yourglowplugtemperaturerangeistoohotwhen:
Theoverallenginerunningisrough,backfiresand/oralossofpower.
Theglowplugfilamentisbrokenorcollapsesfrequently.
Dontforget,thehigherthepercentageofNitrointhefuel,theharderitistotune.
Nitroenginesareextremelydependentuponthetypeandqualityoftheglowplugused.
Someglowplugsuseaplatinumalloycoil,whichusesathickdiameterwireforlonglife.The
thickerwirecoilalsoeliminatestheneedforan"idlebar"asfoundonotherbrandsofglow
plugs;idlebarstendtoreducetopspeedslightlybuttheyachieveamorestableidlespeed.
IDLEBARS
Idlebarglowplugsareforengineshavingtroubletransitioningfromidletohighspeed.
Whenthethrottleisopenedfromidle,theincomingairandfuelstrikestheglowplug's
heatedcoilandcancoolittothepointwhereitwillnolongerignitethefuelmixture.
Anidlebarcanhelpbyactingasaphysicalshield,helpingtokeepthecoilfromcoolingoff
tooquickly.
IfyouarehavingproblemstransitioningfromIdletofullpowerthenusingaglowplugwith
anidlebar.Somemodellersuseidlebarplugsinthewinteronly,sincetheglowplugtends
tolooseheatfasterinthecolderenvironment.
HOTPLUGS
Page|72
Ahotplugwillheatupfasterandstayhotterhowevertheamountmethanolinthefuel
coolsthetemperature.Themoremethanolyouareusingthehottertheplugyoushould
use.
Inotherwordsthemorenitroand/oroilyouuse,thecoldertheplugneedstobe.Formost
peopleusingfuelwith515%nitro,ahotterplugisnormallysufficient.Trialanderroristhe
bestwaytodeterminetherightglowplugforyourapplication.
MAINTENANCE
NITROENGINEMAINTANANCE
Nitro2strokeenginesareprettybasicwithonlyafewmovingpartsseeexplodedviewinNitro
Motors.
ForseriousracingwepulltheenginesapartaftereveryracebutIfyouarenotaseriousraceritis
stillagoodideatopulltheengineapartafterever2030tanksoffueltomakesureeverythingis
wearingwellandofcoursetomakesureeverythingistight.
Disassembletheengineonsomethinglikeanoldtowelandkeepnoteofwherethepartscome
from.Mostmanufacturerssupplyanexplodedviewwhichcanhelpwhenreaassmeblingthe
engine.Themainthingwithenginecleaningistocleanoutanydustandcheckforwear.
Themanufacturersexplodedviewcontainspartnumbersofeveryenginepartsoifapartisworn,
justreplacethatpart.
Anotherthingtocheckisforairleakagesasanairleakagedramaticallychangesthemixtureratio.
Seealsotroubleshooting
AfterRunOil
AfterrunningaNitroEngineyoushouldperformtheafterrunmaintenance.Partofthatafterrun
maintenanceincludeslubricatingthepistonsandtheinternalparts.Nitrohobbyfuelcontains
alcoholwhichwhennotuseddriesoutandcanleavetheinternalsdryandthereforecanoxidize
(rust).AfterRunoilisusedtocounteractthisdryingout.Useonlyafewdropsatatime.AfterRun
Oilisavailableatmosthobbyshops.
Page|73
DustCleaning
The2bestwaystocleanadustyRCcarisCompressedAirandforanitrocar,aSpraybottleof
Methylatedspirits.Justholdthecarupintheairwithonehandholdingthefrontcrashbarand
sprayaway.BecarefultonotsoaktheelectronicswithMethylatedspirits.
ThesedaysItakeasmallcompressortotheracetrackhoweveryoucanbuypressurecansof
compressedairfromelectricalpartshop.i.eJaycarandDickSmith
CableTies
Everyseriousracerhasapileofcabletiesintheirtoolbox.Ifyouhavealoosedanglingwireyoucan
besureitwillfindawaytoripoutorrubonsomethinguntilitcreatesashortcircuitandcatcheson
fire!Ifitsloose,tiewrapit.ThisalsogoesforESCs,nevertrustdoublesidedtapeinaracethey
willtearoff.Tiewrapthemtoo.
Page|74
MAINTENANCEAIRFILTERS
Thebestwastocleantheairfilteristosoakitinmineralturpentine.
EnsurethefilteristhendriedandoiledwithhobbyairfilteroilorjusttheNitrofuel.There
isplentyofoilinmosthobbyfuels.
Always check all of the nuts and screws after each tank of fuel when the cars is new and
thenregularlyafterbreakin.Icheckthecarsthoroughlybeforeeverysinglerace.Icannot
tellyouhowmanyracesIhaveforfeitedbecauseofonenut!
ElectricEngines
MAINTENCESHOCKS
SeeSuspension
MAINTENANCEBRUSHEDMOTORS
BrushedmotorsrequiremuchmoremaintenancethanthenewerBrushlessmotors.With
propermaintenance,stockormodifiedmotorswillstayinpeakconditionwithmaximum
power,speed,andrpms.
Useahighqualitymotorspraytocleanoutthedirtandcarbondeposits.Itisbesttodothis
aftereveryrun.Putadropofoiloneachbushingorbearing.
Warning:DonotuseWD40orbrakefluidthesemaydamageyourmotor.
ElectricEngineBrushes
TokeepinRaceSpecreplacemotorbrushesafter2030runs(stockmotor)or10runs
(modifiedmotor).Also,ifthetipofthebrushthattouchesthecommutatorhasturned
purple,itistimetoreplaceit.
Page|75
ElectricEngineCommutator
Beforereinstallingnewbrushes,itisgoodtohavethecommutator"trued"byadiamondbit
lathe.Thiswillensurethatthecommutatorisperfectlyroundandsmooth.
ElectricEngineSprings
Brushspringswilllosetheirtension.Youcancheckthiswithaspringtensioncheckerdevice.
Butifyoucanaffordit,changetobrandnewspringsthesametimeyouchangethebrushes.
ElectricEngineMagnets
Timeandexcessheatwillcausethemagnetsofamotortoweaken.Thiswilldrastically
reduceamotor'spower.Therearedevicescalledmagnetzappersthattrytorestorea
magnet'sstrength,butthisisusuallytemporary.Onceyoufeelthemagnetshave
weakened,itisbesttobuyanewcan(withmagnets)orbuyanewmotor.
BrushlessMotors
Brushlessmotorshaveveryfewparts,soitseasytotakethemapartforcleaning.Mostare
heldtogetherbyafewscrewsonthefront,back,orsidesofthemotorcase.Removethe
screws,disassemblethemotorandlaythepartsonacleanrag.Becarefulnottoloseany
spacersorwashersthatareusedtoproperlyalignthemotorshaft(andmagnets)insidethe
motor.Alsonotetheorderinwhichthespacersorwasherswereinstalled.
Useasmallbrushandcompressedairtocleantheinsideofthemotorandaverylightoilof
thebearingsoneachend.
RegularlyTightenScrews
Allradiocontrolledplanes,cars,helicopters,boatsetcwillcontinuallyvibratescrewsloose.
OnourracecarswealwaysuseLoctite(asoftglue)whentighteningthescrewsasthiswill
helpkeepthescrewstight.Loctiteisavailablefrommosthardwarestores
Gearboxes
Mostgearboxesdonotrequireanylubricationasitjustattractsdirt.Onlylubricatesealed
gearboxes.
Only metal on metal requires grease, nylon to metal or nylon to nylon does not require
lubrication.
Differentials
Differentialswherethereismetaltometalcontactdorequiregrease.Mostgreasesareok.
Howeverweusealightsyntheticgreaseonourracecars.Asageneralrule,thethickerthe
greasethemorefrictionhoweverthelongerthegreasewilllast.
Page|76
RadioControls
RCcars,trucksandbuggiesalmostalwaysusea2channelRadioControltocontrolthe
motorandsteering.Allhobbyqualityradiosshouldbefullyproportional.
Thismeansthatyourmodelrespondsdirectlytohowmuchyoumovethecontrolsonthe
transmitter.Inotherwords,ifyoumovethethrottletriggeronthetransmitterjustasmall
amount,thenthemotorwillonlyincreaseslightly.Squeezeitallthewayandthemotorwill
gotofullthrottle.
Thesamegoeswiththesteeringifyoujustturnitslightlythenthemodelwillonlyturn
slightly.
Thisisdifferentincheaptoys.Turnthecheaptoyslightlyleftanditwillgofullleftwithno
proportions.
Afullyproportionalrcsystemgivesyoucompletecontrolofyourmodel.
Transmitter(abbreviatedto'tx')
Page|77
MostRCcartransmittersthesedaysarethepistolgripstyle.Rarelydoweseethe
traditional2stickkind.Thechoiceoftransmittercomesdowntopersonalpreference,as
theybothdothesamething.
Above,apistolgripandatraditional2sticktransmitter
Mostpeoplepreferthepistolgriptransmitterastheyareeasiertoholdandmostpeoplealsofindit
easiertocontrolthecar.
Withapistolgriptransmitter,themodeliscontrolledbythethrottletriggerwhilethesteeringis
controlledbyrotatingthewheelofthetransmitter.
SomeofthemoreexpensiveTransmitterscanhavefeaturesaslistedbelow.
Page|78
Exponential
Thisiswhereyoucananadjustthesensitivityi.ewhenyouturnthesteeringitisnot
sensitivefromthestraightaheadposition.Howeverthemoreyouturnthemoresensitiveit
canbecome.Thisisveryusefulforhighspeedracingwhereaslightsteeringmovement
makesbigchangeindirection.
ModelMemory
Thisissoyoucansetupthetransmitterfordifferentmodelswitheachmodelhavingwith
differenttrim,exponential,ratesetc.
ABSAntiLockBraking
Thisworksbypulsatingthethrottle/brakeservoandcanstopthewheelsfromlocking
underhardbrakingifadjustedcorrectly.
Page|79
Receiver(abbreviatedto'rx')
Thereceiverisinstalledintothemodelandreceivesthesignalthatissentoutbythe
transmitter.
Awireantennaextendsfromreceiverandshouldneverbecutorloopeduptoreduceits
length;bydoingso,itsabilitytoreceivethesignalfromthetransmitterisdrastically
reduced.Theaerialshouldbethreadthroughaflexibleuprightplasticstraw.
ThesignalsreceivedarethenpassedontotheservosandorElectronicspeedcontrol
(electriccar)
Servos
Aservonormallyhasaplasticouterbodywithasmallbutverypowerfulelectricmotor
andgearboxinside.Theservosgearboxconsistsofasetofplasticormetalgears.These
Page|80
gearinturntheservohornlocatedonthetopoftheservobody.Theservohornisused
topush/pullthethrottleandsteering.
Anitrocarhas2servos,1isconnectedtothethrottleandbrakeandtheotheris
connectedtothesteeringassemblyofthecar.
AnelectriccarshasoneservoforthesteeringandanESC(ElectronicSpeedControl)to
controltheengineseeesc
Therearemanydifferenttypesofservosavailableandtheyarenormallyratedinspeed
(speedofrotation)andpower(torque).
Anexampleisalargemodelwillrequirealotmoretorquetoturnthesteeringrequiring
muchmorepowerfulservothanasmallermodel.
Aracecarrequiresaveryfaststeeringservotogivethedriverinstantresponse.
Anoffroadtruckrequiresaservowithalotoftorqueandmetalgearsintheservoto
eliminatebreakage.
Crystals
Crystalsdeterminewhichchannel(frequency)theradiocontroloperateson.Forrccars,a
setnumberoffrequenciesaredesignatedinmostcountries.Checkwithyourlocalhobby
storetofindallowedfrequenciesinyourcountry.
Boththetransmitterandthereceiverneedtheirowncrystaltooperateandtheyusually
havethesamefrequency.Somecrystalsneedto.455mhzaparttoworkhoweverthese
typesofcrystalsarerare.
Page|81
Althoughyoucan'tchangethemainfrequencybandofyourrcset(iefrom27MHztosay
30MHz),youcanchangethefrequencyinthatbandi.efrom27.145to27.195simplyby
puttinginadifferentsetofcrystals.
Itisalwaysagoodideatocarryatleastonesparesetofcrystalswithyou,sothatyoucan
changechannelatanytimeifotherdriversareusingyourchannel.
BatteriesforyourRadioControl
MostRCTransmittersuse8XAAsizebatteriesand4XAAforthereceiver.
Note:ElectricCarsdonotrequirereceiverBatteriesasthereceiverispoweredfromthe
maincarbatterypack.
Radiocontrolsetsdon'tconsumebatteriestooquicklybutlowbatterylevelswillresultin
yourcargoingoutofradiorangeearlierwithaconsequentlossofcontrol.
It'saverygoodideatobuyrechargeablebatteries.NickelCadmium(NiCad,or'NiCads')and
NickelMetalHydride(NiMH)cellsarecommonlyusedinrcsystemshowevertrytoavoid
theolderNiCadsastheyarepronetomemoryproblems.NiMHcellshavegreatercapacity
andperformancethanNiCad.
Rechargeablebatteriesarequiteabitmoreexpensivetobuythan'dry'(nonrechargeable)
ones,buttheysoonpayforthemselves.TypicalNiCDorNiMHbatterieslastforaround1000
charges.
Alwaysbeveryawareofthebatterylevelinyourrcsystem
Ifindoubt,chargeorreplace!
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SPREADSPECTRUM
TheinformationaboverelatestoAMandFMRCsystemswithafrequencybetween27and
72mhzhowevertechnologyischangingandmanypeoplearemovingtothenew2.4GHz
'spreadspectrum'radiotechnology.Thesystemoperatesthesame,butthere'sabig
differenceinhowthetransmitterandreceivercommunicatewitheachother.
WhenyouturnonthetransmitterandreceivertheybothscanthedesignatedRC2.4GHz
frequencychannelsuntilafreeoneisfound,thentheylockor'bind'togetheronthis
channel.Asecondchannelisalsolockedonto,soifthefirstonefailsforanyreasonthen
thereisabackupchannelthatthesystemcanstilloperateon.Oncebound,thechannels
becomesecureandimpermeabletoanyinterference.
2.4GHzSpreadSpectrumradiosetsarebecomingmorecommon,especiallywithRCplanes
andrapidlyreplacingAMandFMsets.Theinstantresponseandsecurechannelbond
betweenthetransmitterandreceivermakingcrystalsathingofthepast.
Anotherhugebonusof2.4gigistheaerialsareonlyafewincheslong.Thismeansnomore
snappedaerials!
SelectingReverse(ElectricOnly)
Whenyoufirstpushthethrottleleverback,thisisthebrake.Toselectreverseyouneedto
pushtheleverbackasecondtime.Note,ifthetrimisnotsetcorrectlyonthetransmitterto
neutral,reversewillnotengage.
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FailSafes
Whenamodellosesthetransmittersignalthereisnothingtotellittodecelerate.
ThebestsolutionforthisistoinstallaFailsafemodulewhichwillautomaticallydecelerate
thecar.
Toinstallmostfailsafes
1.Unplugthrottleservofromthereceiver
2.Plugthefailsafeintothereceiverwherethethrottleservowaspluggedin
3.Plugthethrottleservointothefailsafe.
4.Movethethrottleonthetransmittertotheidlepositionandpressthebuttononthefail
safetolockinthereturnposition.Thereturnpositionisthepositionthethrottleservowill
returntoifthereisaradioproblem.
Suspension
ShocksandspringsarepartofthesuspensioninRCvehicles.OilfilledshocksgiveRC
vehiclesmorestabilityoverroughterrain.Withouttheoil,theshockscompressand
reboundtooquicklyandfailtoabsorbordampenthebumpsintheroad.Whenyoufeel
Page|84
thatyourshockabsorbersaren'tperformingproperlyyoushouldcheckthefluidleveland
addmoreoiltotheshocks.
Shockoilcomesindifferentweightssuchas40,70,or100.Weuseandrecommend60but
experimentwiththeconditionsunderwhichyourunit.Changingtheweightoftheoil
changesthedampingratethecompressionoftheshocksothatyoucanfinetuneitfor
differentroadortrackconditions.
CClips
TheCClipspacersaretomakethesuspensionmorefirm.ToinstalltheCClip,pushthe
springontheshockabsorberdownandpushtheCClipon.TheCClipwillforcethespring
downmakingtheshockharder.SomecarshavethreadedstrutswhicheliminatetheCclips.
Thesuspensionworksbestasfollows.
RoughTerrainSoftSuspension(noCClip)
HardSurfaces,i.eroad,HardSuspension
ThemanufacturerssometimesincludedifferentsizeCClipssoyouadjusttosuitthesurface.
Page|85
CamberAngle
Camberangleistheangleofatireinrelationtotheuprightposition(tireaxis)Mostrace
carshavenegativecambertogivemoregripwhencornering.Positivecamberwillmakea
carverynervous(twitchy).
Thedownsideofnegativecamberiswearstyresoutontheinsideedgeandreducesgripina
straightlineaslessofthetyreiscontactingtheroad.Thisisfeltunderaccelerationand
braking.
Forstraightlinespeedzerocamberisbest.
Forcornering,somenegativecamberisbest.Differentcars,tyres,tracks,shocks,surface
conditionsetcrequiredifferentamountsofnegativecamber.Thebestwaytolearnhowit
affectsyourcaristosetthecarupformaximumpositivethenneutralthenmaximum
negative.Youwillthengetafeelforhowtosetthecarupforyourtracksconditions.
Toein/ToeOut
FrontToeoutenablesacartoturnintoacornereasierhoweveritwillwearouttheinside
edgeofthetyres.Toomuchtoeoutwillmakethecarturnintoofastandpossibly
oversteer.Againtheonlywaytogetitrightforyourcarandtrackssetupistotestandtest
againatdifferentsettings.
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HottingUpandspareparts
Likearealfullsizecaritcomesdowntobasicphysicsforhottingup.
ToAcceleratefasteryouneedmorepower,lessweight,lessdragandmoretraction.
Withelectricyoucanquicklygetmorepowerfromahighervoltagebattery,i.ean11.1volt
lipo battery but make sure your ESC and motor can take the extra voltage. Of course
upgradingthemotortoamorepowerfulbrushlessmotorisanotheroption.Seebrushless
motors
WithaNitrocaryouincreasethepercentageofNitrointhefuelorevenbetterreplacethe
enginewithamorepowerfulversion.HighNitrofuelscanbedifficulttotune.
Youcanreduceweightbyreplacingmetalpartswithcompositeorpolycarbonateparts.
YoucanreducedragbyonlyusingBallBearingsandnotbushes.Ihighlyrecommendthis.
MostRCCarmanufacturersthesedaysincludealistofhotup/hopupupgradesintheback
oftheirinstructionmanuals.
Everybody has their own take on what the best hotups are but this is my list in order of
importance.
1. Ifyourcarhasbrassbushesreplacethemstraightawaywithballbearings.Thiscan
makeaverybigdifferencenotonlyinspeedbutincontrollability.
2. Upgradetheservostoasfastasyoucanafford.Thiscanmakearealdifferencein
carcontrol.
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3. Ifyoucariselectric,upgradetoabrushlessmotor.Seebrushlessmotors
4. Nitro hmmmmm, basically the more you want to spend on a motor, the faster it
willgo.Seebelow
NitroRacingEngines
Mostnewbieswanttoboltafullhouseraceengineintotheirnewcar.Howeveritiscrazy
for a newbie with little or no tuning experience to learn the ropes trying to tune a highly
strung racing engine that cranks out 30,000+ RPM. First, learn how to tune your engine.
Then learn how to drive and setup your car. Later, when your old engine gets tired then
replaceitwithamorepowerfulversion.
WhichBrandofEngine?
WhatmakesaFerrarimorepowerfulthanaCommodore?Whydoesaraceengineputout
more power and cost more? It is the many small details that add up to make a big
difference.Itisnotjustontheenginedesign,butalsoonthemanufacturingoftheengine.
Many racing engine manufacturers use very high tech CAD CAM, CNC machining, High
precision balancing equipment etc to make their parts. This R&D and quality of precision
workmanshipiswhatmakesallthedifference.
Theabilityforapistonandsleeveassemblythatwillsealproperlyathightemperaturesand
lastwhilebeingusedinanenginecapableofturning30,000+RPM,isnoteasy.Onesingle
outofspecpartcouldcausetheenginetofail.
Enginedisplacement(capacity)doesnotmeaneverythingwhenselectingaraceengine.You
needtolookatthehorsepowercurveandwherethemaxpowercomesin.Checkthegraphs
supplied by the engine manufacturer. The best engines are not too peaky, the flatter the
powercurvethebetter.Thereisnothingworsethananenginewhichsuddenlygoesfrom
beingflattosuddenlymakingitsmaxpower.Thisisimpossibletocontrolhalfwayarounda
corner.
Page|88
HorsePower
3
2.5
2
1.5
HorsePower
1
0.5
27000
25000
23000
21000
19000
17000
15000
13000
11000
9000
7000
5000
3000
RPM
Thetableaboveshowsanicesmoothpowercurve.Nonastysurpriseshere.
IalwayschecktheforumswhenIampurchasinganewenginetoseewhatfeedbackothers
havegiven.Seelinks
TorquevsRPM
Engineshaveoperatingcharacteristicsthatmakethemmoresuitabletoaspecifictask.
Foratruck,goodstronglowdowntorqueisrequiredhoweveraroadracecarneedstorev
highformaximumspeed.
Thisistradeoff,youcannothaveboth.
PersonallyIalwaysgoforthelinearpowercurveandacceptthesmallerHPnumberonthe
sideofthebox!
Tomakethecarhandlebetter,therearemanywaystotunethecarseesuspension
Page|89
ElectricStarters
ElectricStartersreplacethepullstart.
Toinstalltherotorstart,youjustunscrewthepullstartandreplaceitwiththerotorstart
socket.
Tostartthecaryouthenpushtherotorstartdriveshaftintothesocketandsqueezethe
triggerthatsit.
StarterBoxes
Withastarterbox,yousimplyjustdropthecarontothestarterboxandittriggersan
electricswitchwhichinturnstartsspinningtheengineover.
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StarterKits(forNitroCars)
Starterkitsnormallycontainthebasictoolsrequiredtostartanitroengine.Theynormally
containthefollowing;
Fuelbottletosquirtthefuelintoacarsfueltank
RechargeableGlowplugigniterandcharger
Smallscrewdriversforadjustingthemixture
Crosswrenchesforundoingdifferentsizenuts
Note:Youwillstillneedtopurchasefuelandbatteriesfortheradiocontrol
Page|91
Tools
Mostcarsdon'tcomewithtoolsbutmostpeoplehavebasictoolsathomethataresuitable
forthesecars.
YouwillneedPhillipsHeadscrewdrivers,smalljewellersscrewdrivers(formixturescrews),
asetofsmallsocketsandanAllenKeyset.Youcanpurchasetheseatanyhardwarestoreor
youcanbuyspecificfactorytoolswhichdomakeworkingonthecarsmuchmoreenjoyable.
Ihaveincludedsomeofthepopularfactorytoolsbelow.
PistonLockerClutchremovaltool.
Thisdevicescrewsintowheretheglowpluggoesandstopsthepistonmoving,lockingthe
enginesoyoucanundothenutontheendofthecrankshaft.
Scissorsforcuttingoutbodyshells
These special scissors with round blades are perfect for cutting out wheel arches and all
roundpartsofabodyshell
Page|92
Dremel
Dremelsareamodellersbestfriend,perfectforshapingbodyshells,cuttingmetal,polishingetc.
Reamer
Forcuttingroundholesforbodypostsinbodyshells
Page|93
BODYSHELLS
Manybodyshellsthesedayscomeprepaintedandyoujustneedtohavetheexcessshell
removed. Use scissors with curved blades to cut out the wheel arches and other curved
partsSeetools
UsesandpaperoraDremeltocleanuproughedges.SeeTools
UseaReamertocutholesforbodyposts.SeeTools
Ifyournewbodyisclear,makesureyoupaintitfromtheinsideusingpaintsapprovedfrom
themanufacturer.Thewrongpaintswillnotstickandmaymelttheshell.
Troubleshooting
Page|94
NitroCars
ExhaustManifoldLeakingwhereitattachestotheengine
Tofixtheleak,removethemanifold,cleanitwithmethylatedspiritsandthenuseSilicon
GasketSealtoputinbetweentheengineandthemanifold.SiliconeGasketSealisavailable
fromhardwarestoresandmotoringaccessoriesshops.
YouwillalsoneedtoputsomeLoctiteonthescrewswhichholdthebutmakesureyou
cleanthescrewswellbeforeyouapplyit.
Screwstootighttoremove
TheGrubscrewsuseLoctitetokeepthemtightbutthiscanmakethemdifficulttoundo
sometimes.Tomakeiteasiertoremove,heatthescrewswithaportablesolderingironor
similar.Mostportablesolderingironscomewithaheattipwhichisperfectforheating
screwsincludinggrubscrews.Seethepicturebelow.
Page|95

PortableSolderingIron
Also,makesureyouuseametricAllenkeyifyourcarismetricbasedorimperialifthecar
usesimperialnutsandbolts.Tofindoutwhich,justcheckthebackofthemanualtoseethe
measurementsofthenutsandbolts.
Problemsstartingtheengine
Gothroughthefollowingchecklist
1.Makesurethefuelisnewandapprox15%Nitro.Remember,thehigherpercentageNitro,
theharderitistotunetheengine.
2.ReplaceGlowPlugandMAKESUREthecopperGlowPlugisfitted
3.Makesurefuelcaplidisfullyclosedastheexhaustpressurisesthefueltank.Ifthelidis
not100%closedthetankcannotpressurise.Bypullingovertheenginewithyourfinger
coveringtheexhaustoutlet,youshouldbeabletoseethefuelbeingforcedfromthefuel
tanktothecarburettor.Thisiscausedfromtheexhaustpressuringthefueltank.Youcan
alsocheckthismanuallybyremovingthesiliconehosefromtheexhaustpipeandmanually
blowingdowntube.
4.MakesureGlowPlugigniterisfullycharged
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5.Makesureheadboltsaretighttheseregularlycomelooseandtheenginewilllose
compressionandnotstart
6.ResetMixturesettingstofactory.0nmanymotorstheHighSpeedmixturefactorysetting
is21/2turnsout.OftentheLowSpeedis4turnsout.Howevercheckthemanualforyour
engine.
7.Put12dripsoffuelincarburettor
8.Isthefuellinefulloffuel?
10.Istheaircleanerblocked?Ifitiscleanitoutwithpetrolormethylatedspirits.
11.Makethemixturemorerichbywindingoutthelowspeedmixturescrew1/8ofaturnat
atimeandtryagain.Primetheengineeachtimebeforestartingeachtimebyputtingyou
fingerovertheexhaustandpullingthecord12times.
Anenginerequiresfourthingstoberighttostart;
1. AStrongGlow(GlowplugandGlowPlugIgniter)
2. GoodCompression(HeadBoltsandGlowPlugWasher)
3. Thecorrectamountoffuel
Thecorrectamountoffuelisgovernedbythemixturescrewshowopenthecarburettoris
andthepressurizationofthefueltank.
Removingtheglowplugandseeingifitiswetordrywillquicklytellyouiftheengineis
gettingfuel.
ReversingCarwon'tgobackwards
MostNitrocarsdonothavereverse.
Foranelectriccar,whenyoufirstpushthethrottleleverback,thisisthebrake.Toselect
reverseyouneedtopushtheleverbackasecondtime.Note,ifthetrimisnotsetcorrectly
onthetransmittertoneutral,reversewillnotengage.
2speed,SecondGearnotsureifitisworking
Thebestwaytotestifthecarisgettingintosecondgearistorunthecaronflatbitumen
withthemixturetunedfortheday.Noteitcansometimesbeveryhardtohearthegear
changeasitisnotlikeafullsizecarormotorbike.Thegeardoesn'tchangeassuch,the
Page|97
secondgeariscontinuallyspinningandthenenabledbyapinwhichcomesoutunder
centrifugalforce.Itisveryunusualforthesecondgearnottowork.
Mosttimesifsecondgearisnotenablingitisjustbecausethecarhasnotbeenabletoget
upenoughspeedforthecentrifugalforcetocomeintoplay.Thisisnormallycausedby
eithertheenginenotrunin,themixturenotsetcorrectlyorthesurfaceistooroughor
restrictiveforthecartogetupenoughspeed.Runningthecarongrassislikerunningareal
carthroughacanefield.
Anotherreasonthesecondgearmaynotbeengagingistheenginemaybenowlocatedtoo
farawayfromthegearbox.Rememberaspertheinstructionstheengineneedstobe
adjustedduringtheruninafterthefirsttankoffuelandthenrecheckedascarrunsin.
BrakesnotworkingAdjusting
Toadjustthebrakesjustwindintheblackplasticknurledscrewinthebrakeleverrod.This
istherodfromtheacceleratorservo.Itisalsothesamerodwhichcontrolsthethrottleof
theengine.
Bywindingtheknurledknobinitwillmakethebrakesengageearlier.
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Clutchoverheated
Iftheclutchsuffersdamagefromoverheatingyouwillneedtopullofftheclutchbell
housingandseethedegreeofdamage/meltingthathasoccurredtothepartsinside.
Youthenneedtomatchupthedamagedpartswiththepicturesofthepartslistedinthe
instructionmanualandreplacethedamagedparts.Eachparthasitsownpartnumber.See
picturebelow
Page|99
ClutchSticking
Iftheclutchissticking,thiscanbecausedbysomeresidueinsidetheclutchbell,i.edryfuel.
Trywashingitthoroughlywithmethylatedspirits.
Idletoohigh
Ittheengineisidlingtoohighthisiscausedbyeithertheidlespeedscrewwoundintoofar
orthetransmitterthrottletrimissetincorrectly.SeeradiocontolsTheidlescrewisusually
theblackscrewdirectlyundertheaircleaner.Justwindtheidlespeedscrewoutuntilthe
engineidlescorrectly.Ofcoursemakesurethewheelsareoffthegroundwhileperforming
Page|100
anyadjustmentswiththeenginerunning.Alsomakesuretheidleisnottoohighwiththe
brakesonasthiswillcausetheclutchtooverheat.
IdleTooLow
Ifthecarstallswhenthebrakeisapplied,itjustmeanstheidlespeedscrewiswoundout
toofar.Thisisnormallytheblackscrewdirectlyundertheaircleaner.Justwindtheidle
speedscrewinuntiltheengineidlescorrectly.Ofcoursemakesurethewheelsareoffthe
groundwhileperforminganyadjustmentswiththeenginerunning.Alsomakesuretheidle
isnottoohighwiththebrakesonasthiswillcausetheclutchtooverheat.
Lackofpressureinfuelpipe
Lackofpressureinthefuelpipeisusuallycausedbyoneofthefollowing:
1. Thefuelcapnotproperlysealed
2. Anairleaki.esplithoseorleakingmanifold
3. Lackofenginecompression(looseheadbolts,looseglowplug,glowplugmissing
thecopperwasher)
Checkthatthefuelcapissealedcorrectlyandthereisnodirtstuckintheseal.Testtheseal
bypushingdownonthecapwhileprimingtheengine.seepriming
Also,tryremovingthesiliconehosefromtheexhaustandmanuallyblowinittoseeifthis
pressurisesthefueltankandpushesfuelintothecarburettor.
Lossofpressureinthefuelpipenormallymeansthatthecapisnotsealedcorrectly.
Anothercommonplacefaultcanbeairisleakingfromthesiliconejoinerbetweenthe
exhaustmanifoldandtheexhaustpipe.Tostopthis,removetheziptiesthenremovethe
siliconejoiner.Cleantheoilfromtheexhaustandmanifoldthenreinstallthesiliconejoiner
withnewzipties.
Itisagoodideatocheckthejoineronnewcarsastheycanmoveasthecarrunsin.
LeakingHead
Leakinggasfromtheheadisnotunusualforabrandnewengineandwillnormallystop
aftertheengineisrunandtheheadboltstightened.
Afteranother1015tankstheheadboltswillneedtobetightenedagainandthisshould
stopanyleakage.
Thiscanonlybedoneaftertheenginehasbeenusedasheatisrequiredtobedtheengine
in.
Page|101
MeltedGearsLookslikeStrippedGears
Whathasprobablyhappenedtothenylongearisithasmeltedfromtheheatcreatedfrom
theclutchslippingasaresultofahighidlespeedorthewheelshavebeenunabletospin
freelyduetothebrakebeingonorthecarswheelsbeingunabletofreelyspin.
Itisveryimportanttoalwaysstartthecarwiththewheelsoffthegroundandthebrakeoff
otherwisetheheatgeneratedfromtheclutchslippingwillmeltthenylongear.Oncethe
carisuptospeedorracingthiswillnotoccur.Itwillonlyoccurifthewheelscannotspin
freelyi.e.thecarbeingheld.
ManymodernRCcarsuseacombinationofnylonandaluminiumgearsasyoucannothave
analuminiumgearturninganotheraluminiumgearastheywouldbothwearoutstraight
away.Steelontheotherhandisfartooheavyandwillcausethealuminiumgeartowear
out.
Thewaytostopthehighspeedidleistojustadjusttheidlespeedknobonthetransmitter
asperthemanualand/ortheidlescrewontheengine.
StrippedGearsSeeMeltedGears
Hotenginecuttingout
Thisoccurswhenfuelevaporatesinthecarburettorbeforegettingtotheengine.
Tostopthistheengineneedstobemadetoruncooler.
Thereare3methodstodothis.
1.Makethemixturemorerichbywindingoutthehighspeedmixturescrewoutafraction
ofaturnatatimeandtryagain.
2.UseafuelwithlessNitroonahothumidday.
3.UseacoolerGlowplug.Thesecomeinmanygradesfromhottocold.Seeglowplugs
4.Ifitstillpersists,useadifferentmakeofNitroFuel.
Pullstartbreaking
Pullstartsbreakwhenthecordispulledtoohardonafloodedmotorsandpulledpast20
centimetres.Thecordwillsnapifpulledmorethan20centimetresasthisisthemaximum
lengthonmanymotorsanditwillsnapifpulledmore.Also,beverycarefulnottopullthe
cordtoomuchiftheengineisfloodedasfuelbeingaliquid,doesnotcompressandthe
Page|102
enginewilllock.Iftheenginefloods,removetheglowplugandpulloveruntilallofthefuel
hasbeenevacuated.
Pullstartveryhardtopull
Ifthepullstartisveryhardtopullitnormallymeanstheengineisflooded.
Fuelbeingaliquid,doesnotcompressandtheenginewilllock.Iftheenginefloods,remove
theglowplugandpulloveruntilallofthefuelhasbeenevacuated.
SeizedEngine/Carburettor
Aseizedengineorcarburettorisusuallycausedbydriedoutfuelfromtheevaporationof
thefuel.Itisrareforamechanicalfailurehowevercommonforfuelevaporation.
Toremovethebrownglueysubstance,justsoakthecarburettor/engineinmethylated
spiritsfor24hoursthenuseapaintbrushtocleanofftheexcess.
Fortheengine,youmayneedtoreleasethestuckpiston.Todothis,removetheheadand
tapthepistondownwithabluntobjectliketimberdowel.Theheadisnormallyheldon
with4screws.
TroubleshootingproblemscommontoNitroandElectric
DifferentialSlipping
IFthediffslipsand/ordamagesthegears,itnormallyneedstobeshimmedsothegears
meshcorrectly.Thisisdonebyinstallingashim/washerbeforethecrownwheel.This
pushesthecrownwheelontothepinion.
Dogbonescomeout
Thisisnormallyeitherthelowercontrolarmorthedogboneisslightlybentorthereis
somethinglooseinthefront.Thisproblemcanbefixedbyeitherreplacingthebentpart,
tighteningtheloosepartsorinsertingasmallpieceofrubberattheendofeachdogbone
insidethecupwhichthedogboneinsertsinto.Thepieceofrubberisatrickweuseonour
racecarstostopthedogbonescomingoutinfastcrashes.Wejustcutapencileraserforthe
rubber.
Iftherehasbeenalooseningoffofthefittingwherethedogboneenterstheuniversaljoint
onthediffend,youwillneedtoloosenthisoffwithanAllenKeyandmoveitoutslightly
Page|103
withasmallscrewdriverandthenretightenittoadjustthefit.Thedogbonewillthenfit
moresnugly.
SteeringServonotworking
Testthesteeringservobyunpluggingthesteeringservoandthrottleservofromthereceiver
andthenswappingtheplugpositions.
Thisshouldmeanwhenyousteer,thethrottleservoshouldmoveandwhenyoumovethe
throttlelever,thesteeringshouldmove.
Thisisjusttotestifaservoisfaulty.
Thesteeringshouldnotbetoostiff.Tocheckthis,disconnectthesteeringfromthesteering
servo.Todothis,justremovetheonescrewwhichholdstheservohornontothesteering
servo.
Onceyouhavedonethis,trymovingthesteeringbyhandandseeifitisstilltight.
Doingtheaboveeliminateswhethertheproblemistheservoorsomethinginthesteering
assembly.
WheelsSpinninginoppositedirections
Itisnormalforthewheelstoturnindifferentdirectionswhenyouspinthemfreely.Most
RCcarshaveadifferentialwhichenablesacartogoaroundcorners.
Tyresfallingofrims
OnourracecarsweuseabeadofCyannoglue(superglue)aroundtherimtosecurethe
tyre.
ShocksLeaking
Itisquitenormalfortheshockstoleakasmallamountofoilhowevernotanexcessive
amount.Ifoneleaksexcessivelythentheshockneedsreplacingorrebuilding.
Thereasontheyoftenleakisduetoexcessivepressureinsidetheshockfromtheexpansion
oftheairinsidetheshockduetoheat.Thiswillhappenwithoutthecarbeingused.At
nightwhenthetemperatureiscold,theairinsidetheshockwillshrink,suckinginmoreair;
thenextdayasthetemperatureheatsuptheairwillagainexpandandforceout.Thiscan
alsoallowatinybitofoiltocomeouttoo.ThisisquitenormalandtheshocksonmodelRC
carsneedtoberegularlytoppedup.
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ElectricCars
SeealsotroubleshootingelectricandNitro,andRadioControl
Batterynotchargingnotwarming
Ifthebatteryisnotcharging,itmaybefaulty.HoweverdidyouplugthebatteryinAFTER
thechargerwasturned(poweredup)?Withsomechargersifthebatteryispluggedin
beforethechargeristurnedonthenthebatterywillnotcharge.Withthesechargersthe
powerlightonthechargermustbeonbeforethebatteryispluggedin.
Enginedoesnotworkorjerky
Thisisnormallycausedwhenthecarsmainbatteryislow.Areyouabletomeasurethe
voltageofthecarbatterywiththecarrunningusingamultimeter?Thebatteryshould
show>7voltswhenpluggedintothecarwiththeenginerunningandthewheelsoffthe
groundi.ecarsittingonblockofwoodorsimilar
Tomeasurethebatteryvoltage,slidethemultimeterprobesaroundthewiresonbackof
theplug,thereisjustenoughroomtodothis.
Also,ifyoucan,checktoseeifanyofthefollowingplugshavecomelooseintransit.
Steeringservoplug(wheretheSteeringservoplugsintothereceiver)
ESC(ElectronicSpeedControl)plug(wheretheESCplugsintothereceiver)
ESCtoEngineplugs
Switchtoreceiver
Pleasenote:All3receiverplugsarepluggedinwiththeblackwirenormallytotheoutside
ofthereceiver.
ESCtoMotorplug
Crystals,thereare2crystals,oneonthetransmitterandthereisoneonthereceiver.
Smokingengine
Smokefromthemotorisusuallycausedbythemotorrunningexcessivelyhot.Thiscanbe
causedbytoomuchresistanceonthecari.elonggrass,hotambienttemperature,over
gearing,dirtintheengineetc.
Page|105
Ifthereisdirtintheengine,justremovethebellhousingandcleanitoutwithcompressed
airand/ormethylatedspirits.
TroubleShootingRadioControl
Controlsreversed
Checkthetransmittersettingsitispossibletoswitchthetransmittersettings(hand
controller)betweennormal(NOR)andreversed(REV).Byflickingtheswitchtonormalthis
problemshouldbefixed.Seeradiocontrol
Interference1EnginegoeswhensteeredElectricCar
Ifthecarfailstherangetestandactslikeitisgettinginterferencethenthiscouldbecaused
byoneofthefollowing;
a.Oneoftheplugshascomelooseandneedtobepushedbackin.
b.Thebatteriesarelow.
c.Thetransmitteraerialisnotscrewedincompletelyormaynotbetouchingtheterminal
insidethetransmitter.
d.Thecopperwireinsidetheaerialonthecarmayhavebrokenwhentheaerialwas
threadedthroughtheaerialtube.
e.TheESCisnotgivingthereceiverenoughpower.
RadioControlnotworkingNitro
Checkthattheaerialsarefullyextendedandscrewedproperlyin.Alsothatthebatteries
arefullychargedandthereare8inthetransmitterand4batteriesinthecar.Makesurethe
transmitteraerialisnotovertightenedasthiscanloosentheaerialmountingscrewinthe
transmitter.
Checktomakesurethecrystalsarefullypushedinaswellastheallofthereceiverplugs
alsofullypushedin.
Alsounplugalltheplugsonthereceiverandreplugthembackin.
Page|106
RadiocontrolnotworkingElectric
Checkthattheaerialsarefullyextendedandscrewedproperlyin.Alsothatthebatteriesare
fullychargedandthereare8inthetransmitterandtheonelargebatteryinthecar.Make
surethetransmitteraerialisnotovertightenedasthiscanloosentheaerialmountingscrew
inthetransmitter.
Checktomakesurethecrystalsarefullypushedinaswellastheallofthereceiverplugs
alsofullypushedin.
Unplugalltheplugsonthereceiverandreplugthembackin.
ShakingServos
Thisproblemisnormallycausedbylowpowerfromthebatteriesespeciallyon1/8scale
trucks.Thesteeringservoson1/8scaleareverypowerfulandthiscancausethebattery
voltagetodropbelow4.8volts.Rechargeablebatteriesworkbest.
LINKS
RCCarManufacturers
CENRacing
www.cenracing.com
HPIRacing
www.hpiracing.com
HSP
www.hispeedmodel.com
Losi
www.losi.com
Duratrax
www.Duratrax.com
OfnaRacing
www.ofna.com
Parma/PSE
www.parmapse.com
Tamiya
www.tamiya.com
TeamAssociated
Forums
www.rcgroups.com
www.rcuniverse.com
RadioControlManufactures
Futaba
www.futabarc.com
Hitec
www.hitecrcd.com
Spektrum
www.spektrumrc.com
BodyShells
HotBodies
www.hotbodiesonline.net
ElectronicSpeedControllers/BrushlessMotors
LRP
Page|107
www.teamassociated.com
TeamOrion
www.teamorion.com
TraxxasCorp
www.traxxas.com
NismoRC
www.nismorc.com
WindHobby
www.windhobby.com
NovakElectronics
www.teamnovak.com
Reedy
NitroEngines
SuperTigre
www.supertigre.com
SHEngines
www.shengines.com
TeamInfinity
www.teaminfinityrc.com
Index
ABSAntiLockBraking,80
AfterRunOil,74
AirFilter,22
AirFilters,76
Alkalinebatteries,47
Alkalinebattery,26
Antenna,22
BallBearings,88
BarometricPressure,65
BATTERIES,47
BatteriesforElectricRCCars,48
BatteriesforyourRadioControl,83
BATTERYCHARGETIMES,49
BATTERYCHARGERS,55
BatteryConnectors,54
Batterynotchargingnotwarming,106
BodyClips,35
brakeisoff,17
BrakesnotworkingAdjusting,99
Brushes,76
BrushlessMotors,59,77
bushes.,88
CClips,86
Cishowlongittakestodischarge,53
CableTies,75
CamberAngle,87
castoroil,12
CHARGEMAINBATTERY,39
Clutchoverheated,100
Clutchremovaltool,93
ClutchSticking,101
Commutator,77
Controllsreversed,107
ConversionforCubicCapacity,64
Crystals,82,83
Deansplug,54
Differentails,77
Differential,77
DifferentialSlipping,104
Dogbonescomeout,104
Dremel,94
DustCleaning,75
ElectricCars,106
ElectricMotors,62
Page|108
ElectricStarters,91
Enginebreakin,30
Enginedoesnotworkorjerky,106
EngineTemperature,68
EngineTuning,33
ENGINES,58
ESCs(ElectronicSpeedContollers),70
ExhaustManifoldLeaking,96
Exponential,80
FactorySetting,32
FailSafes,85
FastCharger,57
Fieldchargers,57
Fillthetank,21
FirstCarChoice,10
Gearboxes,77
Glowfuel,12
GlowPlugIgniter,13
GlowPlugSpecifications,72
Glowplugs,37
Headbolts,19
HighendMixture,37
Hotenginecuttingout,103
Humidity,65
IdleScrew,66
IdleScrew:,66
IdleSpeed,65
Idletohigh,101
IdleTooLow,102
Interference,107
LackofpressureinFuelpipe,102
LeakingHead,102
Lean,37,67
LINKS,108
LithiumPolymerBatteriesLiPO,51
Loctite,31
LowEndMixture,37
Magnets,77
MAINTENANCE,74
MAINTENCESHOCKS,76
MeltedGearsLookslikeStrippedGears,103
Metalgear,18
methanol,11
MixtureSettings,32,65
ModelMemory,80
NiCad,52
NiMH,52
NitroCars,96
NITROENGINEMAINTANANCE,74
NitroFuel,11,13
NitroMotors,63
NitroRacingEngines,89
nitromethane,11
OnRoadorOffRoad,10
Operating2ormorecarsatonce?,10
PrecautionsThatMustbeTaken,36
Preface,7
PrimetheEngine,26
Problemsstartingtheengine,97
Pullstart,28
Pullstartbreaking,103
Pullstartveryhardtopull,104
RadiocontrolnotworkingElectric,108
RadioControlnotworkingNitro,107
RadioControls,78
RadioInterference,25
RangeCheck,24
Reamer,94
Receiver,81
ReguarlyTightenScrews,77
Reverse,85
ReversingCarwon'tgobackwards,98
Rich,37,67
RTR,8
Scale,13
Scissors,93
Screwstootighttoremove,96
SeizedEngine/Carburettor,104
Servos,81
ShakingServo's,108
ShocksLeaking,105
Smokingengine,106
SPREADSPECTRUM,84
Springs,77
StartaNitroPoweredEngine,14
StarterBoxes,91
StarterKit,92
SteeringServonotworking,105
StopTheEngine,35
StrippedGears,103
Suspension,86
Tamiyaplug,54
Temperature,53,65
timeperTankorBatteryCharge,12
Toein/ToeOut,87
Tools,93
TorquevsRPM,90
Transmitter,78
Transmitter(abbreviatedto'tx'),78
Troubleshooting,95
Tyresfallingofrims,105
Vibration,25
Page|109
VoltageandCellCount,51
WheelsSpinninginoppositedirections,105
I highly value your comments and suggestions on this book. Please share these with me at
neil@rcfactoryoutlet.com.au
NeilWaterhouse
Page|110

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Also, never pull thePULLSTARTout more than20centimetresorit will bend thespring

*The clutch will only slip and

These can normally output up to 5 amps (5000mah) at take approximately 30 mins to

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