the dog

i have repeatedly called hpi on the issue of running my 4.6 in the cold. they keep telling me that it is no problem as long as the operating temps are not to HIGH.
now, im a beginner so do not do as i do.(my disclaimer)


they say as long as you dont get to hot you can keep leaning it out till it runs good. and of course it is not to hot.
now for the part that you guys say im an idiot. ive turned my hsn out 4 turns. yes im an idiot but, it runs cool still!!! the temps around here have been around -20 to 0F. not to bad. at -20 i run about 4 turns. at 0f i run at around 3-3.5. the motor is not even that hot then. i added a hot os plug today and it ran a little hotter so i may need to richen up a bit. hpi says that it doesnt matter how lean it is as long as it doesnt overheat. well if you think about that the cooler it is the less oil is burned. so it is still lubricated in a way. does that make any sense? to me it does.

so my whole point is that my motor is still running real cool even real lean. i dont think im damaging because its not over heating. i believe over heating is really the only way to prematurely wear these little motors out. am i mistaken?
so if anybody else has an idea that hpi is blowing smoke by telling me that its ok, let me know.
(im gonna buy a new motor for spring anyway, and the hellfire)

itspuddingtime00

These motors can withstand higher temperatures than you think, given that they have proper lubrication. Lubrication is what wears them out. When running in cold weather, wrap the cooling head in a sock or tinfoil to get the temps up. Actually in cold weather, you should run a little richer than in warmer weather. Don't lean the engine to get the temps up. That is possibly the worst thing you can do. Yes the engine is getting hotter, but it is caused by friciton from improper lubrication. I have no idea why HPI told you to lean the engine to get temps up. You should only lean the engine if there is excess smoke coming out of the exhaust, and it is sluggish, or bogging.

the dog

it does run sluggish and bogs if i richen it out. it also goes througha tank of gas in about 3 minutes. all the unburnt fuel gets spit all over the ground from the exhaust pipe.

itspuddingtime00

Alright, then you would lean the mixture more. I was under the impression that you had it properly tuned and you were leaning it out more just to get the temps up. Sorry about that.

RCDadChicago

My Feedback: (34)

Yesterday I found that my engine ran better in the snow with a rich mixture than lean, doesn't seem to make sense but...

itspuddingtime00

I'm pretty sure that is because the colder air is denser, and it requires more fuel to balance the mixture.

miswa

the dense air quickly expands inside your engine so it is necessary to richen the mixture. its like intalling a high flow air filter, you have to richen the mixture