Welcome to the "Tech Tips" page.

At Present, there are not many tips because I have asked members to send in suggestions for tips but have,

as yet, only received a couple of articles although they are quite informative. If you are a beginner and are

seeking advice, do not hesitate to ask one of our members for advice at the track. It would be preferable that

you ask these questions on a practice day rather than a race day, as the members will be rather preoccupied.

Alternately, you could click on one of the links on our "forums" page and join the forum by registering with a

username and password. Once you have done this, you will have access to a wealth of information. You will

be amazed at what you can find on the forums. Our club forum is just one thread among 100's on the forum so

be sure to have a good look around while you are there.

Keep checking here on our website as well, as I hope to constantly improve the site with the help of input from

"you" the members. Remember that it's YOUR club and YOUR website and it can be as informative as you would

like it to be. Just email me with your ideas. webmaster@scorc.net.au

REMEMBER - we were all beginners once, and somebody had to give us advice and guidance.

How Do Glow Plugs Work? (Click "here" for a PDF version of this article)

A glow plug’s temperature range is critical to proper performance. Small-block engines generally use warm to

hot glow plugs, while big-block engines use plugs in the colder range. If you choose a plug in the wrong

temperature range, you could be chasing the tune of your engine till the sun goes down. Changes of the relative

temperature of the glow plug can be beneficial, however. A combination of compression, heat and a catalytic

reaction between the platinum in the glow-plug coil and the methanol in the fuel creates combustion in a nitro

engine. Altering the heat range of your glow plug can alter the timing of the combustion process. Nitro engines

don’t have an ignition system that can be used to advance or retard combustion timing, but a hotter plug that

causes ignition a little earlier in the combustion process can have the same effect. “Advancing” the ignition timing

can increase overall power output, especially at higher rpm. There are limits, however, and installing too hot a

plug causes pre-ignition (detonation) and risks damaging your engine. It’s a challenge to figure out a glow plug’s

temperature range. Manufacturers don’t use a consistent and universal standard to rate the temperature ranges

of their glow plugs. You will probably know the temperature of a plug relative to others within a givenproduct line

but currently, no rating system allows comparisons among manufacturers. Here again, plain old experience

with a variety of glow plugs will help you to know which are best for the effect you want. “Reading” the

glow plug is a tuning technique advanced by Ron Paris. It suggests that looking at the glow plug tells you

something about how your engine is running. The element in a glow plug will turn gray in an engine that is close

to the optimum fuel mixture. This method requires a new glow plug, as the element will eventually turn gray

regardless of the needle settings; the length of time it takes to turn gray is the issue. Plugs that turn gray in just a

tank or two of fuel (running at race pace, not diddling around) indicate a fuel mixture close to ideal—but also close

to trouble. If the plug stays wet and shiny for a few tanks of fuel, you’re in the safe zone; a little rich but safe. When

the plug wire gets distorted or broken, however, you’re in real trouble. It’s a sure sign that the mixture is way too

lean, or that there is too much compression and the engine is detonating.

The article below was taken from a forum on R / C Universe. (author unknown)

New Engine Break - In ( Click "here" for a PDF version of this article)

If you asked five different RC car drivers how to break-in your engine properly, you would probably get five different

answers. Some say to idle the engine on one tank of fuel; half throttle on the second and full throttle on the third.

Some say to run it super-slobbering rich for a few tanks and then lean out the needles. Some say heat cycle with a

race tune. Some say just to fuel it up, lean it out, and go, go, go! I’ve tried them all and think that the best way

incorporates a little of each, with the exception of the last theory (if I ever see the guy who told me that, I am going

to take his glow starter away from him). If you follow the engine advice I’m about to give you, you will find that your

new powerplant will last longer and run more reliably.

Heat Cycle Break - In

A heat cycle involves getting the engine to an operating temperature of 190 f

degrees. This temperature is critical so that the metals that make up both the

piston and sleeve can expand and conform to the proper size. For proper engine

break-in, run your engine for three minutes and a total of five times, letting the

engine cool between runs. I like to run the engine rich, making sure the engine

still gets up to temp so its heat has cycled. Don’t lean it out to get the temps up,

as valuable lubricants in the fuel are essential during the break-A heat cycle

involves getting the engine to an operating temperature of 190 degrees. This

temperature is critical so that the metals that make up both the piston and

sleevecan expand and conform to the proper size. For proper engine break-in,

run your engine for three minutes and a total of five times, letting the engine

cool between runs. I like to run the engine rich, making sure the engine still

gets up to temp so its heat has cycled. Don’t lean it out to get the temps up,

as valuable lubricants in the fuel are essential during the break-in process.

The richer the better: Just make sure the engine gets up to temp. You can use

a temperature gauge to check the temps. Quality units can be purchased from

Tempgun. com, OFNA, DuraTrax and other manufacturers.

Step 1: By using aluminum foil, heat tape or header wrap for full-size cars to

block off cooling fins on the heat sink, you can somewhat manipulate the

engine’s temperature so the engine can reach optimum temperature faster.

Of course, that’s only if it’s not warm enough outside to allow the engine to build

heat quickly enough.

Warning: Engines that have excessively tight pinch at top dead center (TDC) can

wear out a connecting rod quickly, meaning you’ll have to invest in a new piston

and sleeve even sooner. Getting the engine up to temperature properly will help

prevent this problem.

STEP 2: While the engine is idling and warming up, leave the glow driver

attached to the glow plug. This reduces the chance the engine might flame out

early. Avoid reving the engine wide open to warm it up faster: that will actually

wear out the piston and sleeve more quickly. You might see some of the guys at

the local track doing it but believe me; this does more harm than good. You can

give it some short moments of 1/4 throttle to help build engine temp and to keep

the engine running while on the starter box.

ALTERNATE Step 2: Otherwise, a more fun method is to simply place it on the

ground and start running figure eight patterns while driving smoothly at low

throttle. Ease on and off the throttle. Try not to blip the throttle too much, as this

puts a lot of extra stress on the rod and crank pin.

Step 3:

While the engine cools between break-in runs, always, I mean ALWAYS make sure

the piston is bottom dead center (BDC) when the engine is cooling. Step 4: After this

first 15-minute break- in period, you should then run the engine in three 5-minute

intervals. Again, make sure to let your engine cool down sufficiently between

runs. Run at no more than half throttle with some short full-throttle burst. Again,

make sure theengine gets up to temp and the piston is BDC (bottom dead

center) each timewhen cooling. When the break-in process I described is

finished, you will have atotal of 30 minutes run time and break-in on the engine.

Piston and Sleeve Dynamics

Our nitro engines are a lapped piston and sleeve design. This means that the

bore becomes gradually smaller as the piston reaches the top of the sleeve.

This gives you that pinch at TDC (Top Dead Center). The pinch is required to

keep the piston and sleeve sealed when the engine gets up to temp. That is why

it’s important to get the engine up to 190 when breaking-in. If you don’t, the

sleeve will never expand and the piston will wear out faster. The piston will end

up wearing down as a result of friction, tapering the head of the piston to match

the size of the sleeve. When the engine finally does get up to temp and the sleeve

expands, the piston is now too small, allowing for blow by. That means the

cylinder pressure blows by the piston down to the crankcase, and it will cause

the engine to overheat and stall. Unfortunately, the only way to remedy this is a

complete rebuild with new piston, sleeve and connecting rod.

Conclusion

Well, that’s all there is to it: Your engine is now properly broken-in. As you start

tuning for racing, just remember that running rich is better, but the engine must

get up to temp. Take your time when breaking-in your engine. Don’t rush the

break-in process. If you rush it, you will only be rushing to the hobby shop to buy

a new engine. The better you treat your engine during break-in, the better your

engine will treat you.

Helpful Tip

After each run, make sure the piston is BDC (Bottom Dead Center) when the

engine is cooling. You can do this simply by putting a mark on the back of the

flywheel with a Sharpie or any type of permanent marker. The easiest way is to

look through the exhaust (before you mount the header) and spin the engine until

the piston is BDC. Then, mark the flywheel on the back so a starter box won’t

wear off the mark. It is always good practice to make sure the piston is BDC after

each run, and not just after break-in.