nitro-rob

I agree. I don't want to turn people off by pointing backwards all the time and making it seem like we aren't interested in answering questions, but there are 140 some pages in this thread for a reason - its a resource and a library of good information. I am waiting for new issues to come up. The first thing I did when I found the forum was read all 90 pages (at the time) and considered it to be as important as the manual. It took about two hours and has saved me a bundle of problems and cash on the truck so far. Its not too hard to do with the firestorm thread. The 750+ page MT2 thread is another story but after 200 pages you start to hear the same things and you can scan quicker.

My rant is over as well.

superb3rra

If the piston is a little burned on the top. Does this means that the engine have overheated at one point? Can't find another one who had that problem..

fasty

well I found a bearing place in town that had bearings the size I needed for the motor and it 0nly cost 25 bucks.for font and back.
now if i can get this moter back together Ill be doing good.any tips on motors.all the parts are in good shape no scraths in the sleeve or piston.

ImpalaPolicePack

hi
today i try my firestorm outside in snow(-12 celsius) with some aluminium foil aroud the base of the cooling head and after 5 min it start to bog so i check the temp and it was 340F ! in winter !

do you think this is because of an airleak ? it is also harder to start since 2 weeks and the idle is high but i have a 1-2 mm gap in the carb

any ideas ?

thanks

nitro-rob

I don't know - its hard to tell when an engine has a bunch of fuel run through it where the crud comes from.

MattVid

My Feedback: (1)

You are definitely running it too lean if it is hitting almost 350F, that is hot. Like 100 degrees too hot, the engine probably isn't getting enough lubrication. I would try richening the mixture on the carb. Is the fuel you are running decent? Is it providing any lubrication at all?

ImpalaPolicePack

i dont think its lean cause it have a lot of blue smoke and after running the exaust is full of oil/fuel
i use morgan fuel backyard basher 20% nitro 16% oil

but in cold weather like this even if its lean it should not overheat !?!?

MattVid

My Feedback: (1)

It is actually opposite of what you think. You need to richen the fuel in cold weather, don't treat the engine as a thermostat, but an engine. Why you are asking? Because cold air is more dense than hot air, thus, the engine is pulling in more oxygen in the cold than it would in the hot. So you need to feed it more fuel, if you do not richen the mixture, you are "leaning" the engine mixture out just by driving it in cold weather. And vice versa, you are "richening" the engine mixure when driving it in warm/hot weather.

Cold Weather - More oxygen, so you need more fuel (richen it)
Hot Weather - Less oxygen, so you need less fuel (lean it)

Pretty counter-intuivive huh? Look at it from an air density point of view rather than an air temperature point of view. You are driving it in well below freezing weather, you need to richen it up, a lot probably. There should be even more smoke than normal, because it will need to be more rich than normal. Your engine is running at 350F, there is something wrong.

Another thing that could cause it would be poor air flow to the engine, you said you were wrapping it in tin foil? How much of it? That could be trapping in the heat that needs to get out? Or not letting enough air flow through the head in order to keep it cool.

ImpalaPolicePack

allright thanks i will remove some aluminium foil and tune it as rich as i can
but IF there was a air leak and running in this cold weather how will i know ? it will still overheat ?

thanks

MattVid

My Feedback: (1)

A way to check for airleaks is to remove your engine from the car and remove the air filter from it. Disconnect the fuel line tube and blow into it to pressurize the engine crank case/carb/etc. Also make sure to plug the carb air intake (where you pulled the air filter off of). As you are blowing simply dab some soapy water around the needles on the carb, at the base of the carb and at various engine sealing points and see if you see bubbles. If you do, you have a leak there. You could also do this with after run oil or something in the engine, and if you see the oil leaking/bubbling out, you have a leak.

Also, a build up of oil/leaking gas would be a good indication of a leak in that area. You could try running the engine and just look at it and see if there is anything leaking out noticibly. Also, have you replaced your fuel lines recently? Are they old? You should be able to check for leaks in them with some soapy water as well. They are very easy to replace, and about the cheapest thing on an RC car.

ambassador27

Hey guys,
Stickys aren't a bad idea for this forum.. I just typed in a search for "HPI Firestorm clutchbell" and the first thing I got was a thread for the Tamiya Lunch Box????
Being that there are only a handful of problems with this truck and I'm sure it would save Nate & Rob and the rest of us some time, a sticky about CLUTCHES alone would allow some time to have a sit down dinner at home w/ the family, without the phone ringing...( Kidding, that never happens..) For real though, I understand the newbie questions and this is the first place they turn, if you Google Firestorm, this is the first site you're directed to, I am proud just to have the knowledge I have from this forum and you guys about this truck, I wouldn't own a Storm without it. Redundant questions are on all forums as annoying as it may be...

bushhiker

A buddy at school told me if I want a good setup I need to get both a vented flywheel and a vented clutch bell. I thought to my self if the vented clutch bell has less than half the metal isn't it prone to breakage but its had of metal so its probably strong enough. Now he has lots of money so he can afford lots of stuff. Is there any truth in what he said? and what are the advantages of getting a vented flywheels and clutch bell thanks!!

nitro-rob

A vented clutch bell will run cooler. You can get hardened vented clutch bells. Flywheels don't take a lot of abuse and running a vented one doesn't make much of a difference in strength. A vented clutch bell pushes air for cooling and is usually lighter so you get quicker throttle response but its a trade off because the extra weight can provide more torque. I hesitate to use the word torque, but it gives the engine more momentum when at speed. These are finer details and will not create stark differences in performance.

Are there any other opinions out there?

nitro rc

ok so I may have asked this question before but I will ask again. the last time we ran my brothers firestorm was about 3-4 months ago. we think we blew a second exhaust gasket. Is there any way to know for sure without taking off the pipe and manifold? The reason I think this is because when i went to shut off the engine, by plugging the pipe, it took a while. i assume it was because of some of the pressure escaping from where the gasket should be. And also, the engine got louder all of a sudden. Last time, we just got a new pack of 5 from HPI and used loctite on the 2 bolts. Is there anything else we could do to avoid this from happening? We have run less than a gallon through it and we have blown 2 gaskets. Does this happen to everyone's storm or what?

nitro-rob

If your exhaust gasket is leaking that much that you have troubles stalling the engine and the truck is a lot louder, I would guess you would also have problems pressurizing the fuel tank and starting the truck. There would also be a lot of oil and fuel leaking on the back side of the engine and a gap would be visible.

I've blown one gasket from a front end impact that loosened the exhaust but never blown one from regular use. I remember others in the forum mentioning this happening in the past, though.

Why not just detach the header and see? Its just two bolts.

DirtDrop

Well i just had to rebuild the rear end on firestorm. i naded the bevel gears. and now that i got that fixed my pullstart decided to not want to recoil any more so now im debating between getting the roto start or just a starter box. also i still need to install my savage 3 shoe clutch havent felt like trying it since i really dont know how it goes together

nitro-rob

The savage clutch is fairly easy to install, everything is like the firestorm clutch except for the springs. There is a bit of a trick to put tension on the springs. The straight part (not the curved part that holds the shoe down) has to be moved behind the bolt that holds the flywheel on. The first two springs are pretty easy, its the third one that can be difficult. The springs for my Savage 5.9 clutch were much much easier to install. Here is a video that will help, you don't need the special tool he uses.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Po9r2a6X3r4

I use a dental tool but a thin small flat screwdriver will do it.

Has anyone seen this video series by Squirrel?
I prefer the roto start but put the pull start back on because I ended up with three of them from other trucks I bought. Starters are a pain to wind but its possible. The key to keeping it wound is to make sure there is some tension in the spring when the rewound starter is at rest.

Rob

nitro-rob

Ambassador,
I would like to try a sticky. I was thinking of listing the part numbers and photos of compatible clutches with a short paragraph about installation and then list compatible servos and show a picture of the servo saver reminding people to tighten it (and use loctite) when the truck is new because it will work itself loose. Other than that there are no other persistent issues with the truck that get repetitively brought up. Perhaps some information on the OS CVR installation and parts required? Call it the HPI Firestorm Newbie sticky or be more specific and put the word clutch in the title?

Do others think this is worthwhile?

superb3rra

Is it necessary to use a fuelfilter?

NitroNate

It does add extra engine protection.Clean it after running about a gallon through it and you'll see a decent amount of grit that would have gone into the engine.Makes it seem quite necessary IMO.

nitro-rob

I received my new header after my first (unsuccessful) attempt at boring it out. Here are some before and after pictures. This is for my MT2 that has a G3 but I will do the same to the FS.

bushhiker

Could someone tell me what weight grease i should use for the differential (for general bashing) and how to grease it. Thanks!!

ambassador27

Rob,
Look's good, let us know how it performs, I gotta change the blown gasket in my Storm (stock HPI gaskets are crap) I have some gasket material left over from my Virago(Yamaha) and am going to custom cut one to fit the Storm and was thinking about doing a port/polish job on the header while its out... Off to the garage...

nitro-rob

Bushhiker - I havn't changed the diff oil in my FS but put 7000 in my savage and MT2. This is a good weight, it limits differential slip and stops 'diff spinning'. It will increase the chance of the engines power going to the outer wheel instead of the inside wheel in a tight turn under power. With lower weight oil the wheel on the inside of the turn gets all the power when it lifts off the ground and and transfers the weight/force of the truck to the outer wheel that does not spin.

ImpalaPolicePack

i put ofna diff-lock 10,000wtg in my firestorm diff it does a great job but seems to leak ... i think it leaks from the bearing

just for your information...


edit: hey im looking to sell my firestorm.. if anyone is interested pm me ! make me an offer ! it have to go
thanks.