Hello all!

I've been into this hobby for a while and just made the transition to nitro last night. I bought an HPI RS4 3 (the very old model)which is in desperate need of an overhaul/rebuild. My main concern right now is the engine. It has the 0.15 engine on the chassis with the tuned pipe and all of the required linkages to operate its little powerplant, but it's very dirty. I would even go as far to guess that it has never been rebuilt.

Being new to nitro engines, I wanted to ask before I made any steps in either the right or wrong direction. Is it okay to soak the engine in warm water and mild soap and to brush the engine off with a soft brush? After doing so, I do know that after run oil is a must to keep the innards of the engine from corroding. If that would not be the greatest idea, is there any other ways to accomplish cleaning this little engine? I don't want to spend the money to get a new one just yet because that may not be necessary for a few months at least.

I will create a "progess" thread in the appropriate forum to show where the car is now and its progress to where it needs to be (in my eyes anyway). Right now, the car is a mess.

Thank you all for your help!