RC cars

[tse_adam]

after lengthy talks regarding what RC cars to buy, i bought this:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=160149167656&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=006

i wanted to ask a few noobie questions and i reckon i get more help from here than anywhere else.

1)Do i have to use the same nitro (16% or 20% etc) as previous owner?
2)I will need 12 batteries to run the car and transmitter, what mAH in batteries should i be looking at so it lasts me a day of fun with my car? 2500 mAH perhaps?
3)Energizer or Uniross for chargers and batteries?
4)what sort of maintenance should i carry out when i get this car? and after i have fun with it?
5)after run oil a good idea?
6)I need a glow starter, a HPI official one good enough?

thanks, i am sure i will have more questions when i think of them.:doh:

[Antony]

any glow starter at all... they all do the same thing.

nitro fuel wont matter if its used as one of the reasons people get rid is usualy cos of running problems due to a worn piston and sleave..
although i would use 15% "non caster oil" fuel, like tornado or model technics.

as for maintainance when you get it...

strip and re-build it. clean every little part.
take appart the diffs and re-grease.
take the engine apart or replace alltogether.
replace the ball cups on the ends of the tie rods with GRP items, (or simalar captured versions)
replace all of the bearings and bushings with ball races
re-oil the shock absorbers
clean all the drive line.
check the hinge pins for straightness
check the chassis for tweaking (is it as flat as you think it is)
get a manual and put it back to original setup.. then work from there.

then ask me for assistance if you get stuck.

i am an HPI accredited mechanic and know these cars inside out.
dont listen to a word the book says its garbage!!!

[somersetk1]

i run my hpi savage on byron race fuel, has after run oil mixed in so you dont need to run it with this after a play.

[tse_adam]

I am thinking of getting Tornado as i have seen many use it and report no problem, someone said 16% is recommended for HPI touring cars, is this true?

Am i right thinking 16% nitro means it has more oil than 20% which means better for the engine and the car as a whole?

anyone know about the battery side of things?

for the first time id probably take it to an expert to have it looked it and try to get the guy to teach me a few tricks.

[pjg1979]

I usually get cheap Duracell batteries from argos which usually does the trick for the Transmitter & receiver. Before I use my Traxxas Revo I spray WD40 onto the filter, this helps to lubricate the engine, but really you should buy proper stuff.

I'm currently building that BMW M3 GTR from Hachette Partworks, this is the second nitro car I will have I got the Revo in May this year for my Birthday (second hand) but I've got clutch problems I think? Because when I pull the throttle the car revs but not forward action.

[tse_adam]

the seller of this RC car did state i should give it a clean, can you guys recommend what i should use to clean my car? degrease spray, water or whatever?

and please help me with some of the questions above, cheers

[Antony]

wynns carb and intake cleaner, or even halfords brake cleaner....

the batteries i use are a set of nimh cells for the car and a load of cheapo wilko special AA's for the tranny.

16% means that 16% of the fuel (nitro methane, methanol and some esther based lubricant, or on older fuels caster oil) that 16% is of nitromethan, the bit that goes bang...
the more nitro the less oil... anything above 20% is only recomended for racing (where the engine is rebuilt regularly) or an airoplane engine..

byron race fuel is also very very good fuel...... never be tempted to use any of the "blue thunder" rubbish or anything with colours in it as it will just Gum up.

also you should use WD40 as its got an ingredient in it that distroys magnesium at high temperatures (which is what the plugs made of) and also can gum up the engine.

if you want to lubricate the engine, make the mixture richer or use a lower % fuel.

after run oil is essential... and try to replace the fuel every time you run it, never leave the fuel in the tank..
good fuel should be almost clear with a slight opaqueness. never thick yellow or gold. if it is, its no good and needs taking to the dump.

[tse_adam]

cool thanks antony, if only you were in brum i would pay you to sort my car out and ask you for advice every single day! lol
as i cant be bothered to shop through ebay, i will buy the following from model sport. shout at me if i am buying the wrong things.

HPI glow starter at 9.99, tornado 2.5L 16% at 15, tornado after run oil, fuel bottle.

reckon i need some kind of tools and other oils etc to keep me going as well?

[Antony]

a few allen keys... a good quality flat bladed screw driver, a propper nut driver (for the glow plug) and a used tooth brush..

other than that, the obvious, pliers etc

one of the best things you can do is read the manual, again and again and again.. then take your car appart. so you understand it, put it back together piece by piece cleaning as you go, replacing and upgrading if you want. but make sure you have it set as the manual says

then have some fun.

but never ever leave it on a brick (like the manual says as you will melt the air cooled engine due to lack of air flow) never rev it off the ground (no matter how strong the urge) and allways turn the transmitter on first, then the reciever, then the engine....

if the engine is revving and you want to stop it, plug the exhaust up with your finger. dont pinch the fuel line or adjust the mixture to stop it as you lean the engine..... and the fuel carries the lubricant.

if theres any noises or eratic behaviour, leave the car where it is and walk towards it, dont try and drive it to you as you may run into yourself at 40+mph (and that hurts)

stick the 2 speed in it,
put a novarossi RB12CE competition engine in it
soft racing slicks and an old school E30 BMW M3 bodyshell and off you go.!!


i allready do get payed for this..lol

[tse_adam]

excellent thanks antony, i think i have all my queries answered mate thanks again.

i will be a good boy and try to do everything you have mentioned but since everyone make mistakes, i am sure this first experiment will teach me a valuable lesson so that i am more equipped for any future cars. this sounds a bit sad but i think this car wont last long. i guess everyone must pay a small price for tuition...lol

i wish HPI sell some kind of starter pack which includes everything you have mentioned then i wouldnt have to source it individually, does my head in lol.

[Antony]

lol, they do, but its all crap..lol

better get the best. then you wont need to fork out again.

[ollyc98]

I don't go near these things anymore, the first time I used one it went outta signal range in like 2 seconds and I almost ran into 3 golfers and I hit a dog, the dog wasn't happy.

[Antony]

thats cos you didnt read the manual...... the ariel wasnt up, the batteries werent charged or there was some damage to the reciever...... you should check these before every run..


i havent ever had a problem..

[ollyc98]

Yeah the aerial was a little bit snapped, it wasn't even mine.

[tse_adam]

right just got my package, generally quite happy with it. firstly its a better model, its a RS4 3 EVO instead of just RS4 3. the item should have been more expensive than the winning bid.
the guy has included some parts, a glow starter, a rotostart with battery (no charger), 4 extra wheels, 8 rechargeable batteries, extra shell but the state of the car itself is very dirty, oil stains everywhere and the bottom of chasis is scratched to bits. another thing is i think the user is not an experienced racer as he left a full tank of nitro in tank, quite dangerous during delivering!!

i dont know where to start...:doh: .....think i will take it for a full service this weekend. how much will this cost?

[Alienfish360]

strip it down, and clean everything, put a few tanks of nitro through the engine, running the same % as he was. The chassis will be scratched lol, that's fairly normal, just clean everything with degreaser. Make sure everything goes back as it came off or, or as it should do lol/

[tse_adam]

with what method do you remove existing fuel? turn the car upside down?

regarding the degreaser, is there any area i shouldnt spray anywhere near like engine etc?

[Antony]

just uncouple the pipe going to the carb, and blow down the exhaust.

get rid of the roto starter and sell the battery, get yourself a pull start. the number of warrenty repairs i did on broken conrods cos of that damned roto starter..... you need to know whats going on inside the engine and only way to do that is with a pull start.

the evo should have a few more purple bits and a two speed as standard....

yeah, run a few tanks of fuel through it at half throttle, then just make sure the carb is set at factory settings......


good luck

[tse_adam]

cool i was thinking since i will be stripping the car down, i can just turn the fuel tank upside down to get the fuel out cant i? D'oh! haha

as i went through the box of spares etc, there is a non-working pull start thing laying there. i wonder if the ex-owner replaced it with a rotostart thinking its better this way.

everyone seems to say different things about which starting device is better, i guess i will just carry on with this until it breaks, besides i dont know how to install a pull start...yet.

when are you coming to birmingham antony...kekekeke :)

[pjg1979]

I have a Revo 2.5 recently I took it out and for some reason I can rev the engine but there is no power going to the wheels unless I pick it up. Could this be the clutch being too loose?