i have the ofna picco buggy with the picco .21 bas pull start motor. i am currently running traxxas 20% fuel. and i believe the glow plug is a medium picco, not sure becausestill running the same plug that came with the motor. the motor after 1 1/4 gallons still has a slight mechanical pinch with the glow plug removed. my question is when i tune the high speed needle so the engine runs clean... the temps average about 270deg, and has gone as high as 290.it seemsthat i have plenty of smoke comming from motor. if i richen it an hour or two the motor looses perfomance, loads up, and just doesnt seem to want to clean out or run smooth. the temps will be 200 to 230deg. will changing fuel, glow plug or anything elsehelp temps or should i just throw temp gun away andtune by smoke and sound? trying to make this little motor last untill my driving skills warrant arace or at leaast a better quality motor. Suggestions would be greatly welcome. i know fuel could be a big factor but itsallmy lhs carries at this time. thanx in advance for any help. mark

Personally I have never owned or used a temperature gauge, so my answer is "just throw temp gun away and tune by smoke and sound". Without knowing the gauge is accurate then the numbers are just that...numbers.

i have to agree with anthoop, temp guns can vary from brand to brand along with their readings
as long as you have a consistant lite trail of smoke from low rpm to high rpm you should be fine.
however if you are still worried about things ,maybe switch to a colder plug, although i'm not sure it would make a giant difference.

270-290 sounds normal to me.......but I run on grass. Do you? If you run on asphalt, the temps will go way down with the same tune. On dirt, the temps will be somewhere in-between.

Only thing I try to do is keep the temps under 300F to ensure it doesn't detonate. I've had an engine that hit pretty close to 400F once as I had it way too lean. It sure sounded odd, and I suspected detoantion, but no damage though.

The temp gun habit is hard to break, but if you can......try tuning without it. Tune the HSN just rich enough it doesn't scream and make sure there's a smoke trail.

If you can....leave the temp gun at home. You can always do the spit test if you have a moment where you are concerned.

True, but I think a temp gun would tell you the range you're in so you don't push it too far, even if the calibration is a bit out. The temps seem normal even to me, grass makes it higher as it's putting more load on the engine making it work harder, dirt is slippery so air wont go past the head to cool it down as fast as going on-road. Just go by the smoke trail and how it performs, you can't go wrong there.

thanx for all the info. i have been trying only to use the gauge to see what temp range ive been running and not to tune to temp. just didnt want to cook the motor. the reason i was curious was some of the other guys at the track are usually around 200-225 deg and they seem to be running just fine, that 50 to 75 deg difference really had me wondering. thanx again for the info and i'll be watching the smoke and not the temps.

I have to admit.....I still use a temp gun....darn hard habit to break, and when the weather changes, a quick temp check can be helpful in knowing which way to tune...rich or lean...especially when you're just learning to tune. But I am using it less and less...sort of weaning myself off it.....slowly.

for the past 12 years i hadn't used a temp gun, just sight ,sound ,and feel. about 3 months ago i got a temp gun, and i use it as a second opinion after i tune and seem to be running good. other than that i don't really mess with it.

thought i would give an update.. runnng friday during the first tank i leaned the high speed until the motor just ran clean. i had good smoke so i left the temp gun in the pit bag. during the third tank the motor really came to life and was running very crisp and clean. still left the temp gun alone as seem to be running great. Saterday i had to lean it out about an hour due to the cooler air temps, and it was running the best it ever has. i left the carb alone all day. at the end of the 5th tank of the day my son temped the motor as soon as i drove it into the pit... he was curious.gun read 219 degs. After a tire swap ran again friend checked it and it was the same. It semms that after 2 gallons of fuel the motor finally lost its mechanical pinch and is now broke in, i.e. running cooler and more performance. thought this update might help another rookie going through their first engine break in. thanx to all who responded with the tips and advice. mark

That fuel is a horrible fuel...much of the high temps is caused from the fuel...switch to a quality fuel like OD, Byrons and your gear will run much better...

+1
have to agree top fuel aint the best, i run byrons 20%.
never had issues

Nice update. [sm=thumbs_up.gif]

219?...OMG ! that's too cold ! You'll wear out your engine ! You'll break a con rod ! Lean it out man, ...lean it out !!!

see?....that's why not to use a temp gun...causes stress....in the owner....LOL.

..................glad to hear it's running fine.