Limeaway510

I've got a HPI T-15 that's barely a month into being run, with maybe about half a gallon (if even) of fuel put through it. I've been able to start the engine pretty much effortlessly since the first time I fired it up. I've always kept the engine running fairly rich, making sure I've kept a nice trail of smoke coming from the pipe (never flooding the engine though). The first time I ever had problems starting, I took a blow dryer and preheated the head and boom, engine started. The was the first and last time I had starting problems until this past Saturday.

The last time the engine ran was either last Tuesday or Wednesday. Saturday I couldn't get the engine to run, and pretty much since then I've been troubleshooting every possibility of why the engine won't start. Fresh fuel, new plug, charged ignitor, air leak test (both the engine and fuel tank), new exhaust gasket, reset needles to factory settings, increased idle, preheated the head, nothing has worked.

Compression in my opinion is just fine. It takes a good amount of effort to spin the flywheel. Took the car to the lhs today and even they couldn't get it to start. They suggested I take off the backplate and take a peek inside. I called HPI today (twice actually) and the first rep suggested I open the engine up as well. I did just that, while slightly damaging a few of the backplate screws (subpar drivers + red threadlock don't go together very well). Wasn't sure what to look for once I got it open, so I called HPI again and the second rep was unsure why I was told to even open up the engine. He then asked me if I saw any metal shards, debris, or a stretched con rod. I found none of those.

I am sending in my engine to HPI tomorrow morning, and I'm hoping for the best. I apologize if the post has turned into a rant! It has just been a frustrating couple of days. I've invested way too much into this project and I would hate to hear that my only option is buying a brand new engine.

Anyone have some insight to my situation? I've tried just about everything, lol.

controlliner

If the compression is real good and there are no air leaks, it probably was the glow plug.[:@]

nitroexpress

Just a question. If the engine is a month old, why was there red loctite on the backplate screws? I can't think of any company that uses loctite on engine screws.

Take it to NorCal Hobbies. Those guys should be able to help you.

http://www.norcalhobbies.com/

gearhead777

Take out your glow plug, put it on your ignitor, and see if it glows? If that is ok, then if the engine feels tight, try loosening the glow plug, just a little, then try starting it. Im assuming your priming it first and making sure there is fuel to the carb?

Limeaway510

@controlliner I put in a fresh plug!

@nitroexpress I actually brought my car to norcal on Monday. I believe his name is Eric? He tried helping me, but even he was unable to get the engine to start. He wanted me to open the backplate for him, but I didn't have any allen wrenches on hand so I couldn't do it over there. And yeah, I'm led to believe there was red loctite on those screws. They felt like they were glued in! Plus, once the screws were out you could see a dry red residue on all of em.

@gearhead777 I had two used plugs I was trying out at first, both were glowing just fine. I also tried a fresh plug and that didn't work either. I actually sent in my engine to HPI yesterday, so I can't try starting the engine with a loose glow plug.

Appreciate the tips guys, I'll keep y'all posted on any updates I receive from HPI.

Limeaway510

Received a call from HPI this morning with some great news! The tech told me he found a lot of fuel inside of the engine when he opened it up, so he suspects that I was running a bit too rich. Plus it didn't help that I had primed the engine a whole bunch of times when I was trying to get it to start. He said he got the engine to fire once he cleared all the fuel and reset the needles.

He was also generous enough to replace the cooling head which had a small crack on the top. HPI doesn't usually cover "abuse" issues. I had flipped my car awhile back and I didn't have a body at the time

Shout out to Travis from HPI!