I recently purchased a OS .18 CV-R for my Nitro Evader St. I have run about 1 1/2 gallons through it. This motor is incredible. What impresses me the most is that it is easy to tune. I heat cycled the motor for break in. It runs perfectly between 190-215 (I race at the local level). It has a tone of compression. (even after break-in, each time the motor is off, I make sure the piston is lowered). Also, it idles forever. The Evader comes with an DTX.18 ABN construction motor, tuned correctly it is a beast, just does not last as long because of the design. I am relatively new to the hobby and I know that there are other good motor manufacturers, but I am overly impressed with the quality of OS engines. The two year warranty is insane. I have dealt with Hobby Services before with my DTX.18 and they have been nothing but superior. Quality and customer service goes a long way.

Thank you.

i have had nothing but trouble with my nitro evader's DTX .18 I am an experienced .21 Mugen Nitro Buggy racer but bought this lower end set up for my kids. The motor is hard to start and hard to keep running no matter the needle settings, glow plug, or temps.

Need some help here.

Thanks

Andy

1) How was the engine broken in? 2) How is it set? 3) What fuel are you using?

heat cycle method.
settings recommended 2.5 turns out on HSN and 1/2 turn in on LSN
Blue thunder 20%

i have to hold the throttle wide open to get it to catch after a lot of cranking (i have a roto start on it).
It will start to catch then rev up then return i throttle to normal before it over revs. it will drive till it warms up then it dies. very hard to start. have to hold open throttle all the way to get it to catch. after a couple of times of this it wont start anymore.
temps get to about 220.

I have replaced the fuel tank, lines and filter to make sure i am getting pressure.

1) OK, we have no idea what you mean when you say you used a "heat cycle method" to break in your engine.

2) "Recommended" settings are ALWAYS wrong! They are only starting points, and you have to adjust your engine as needed to make it run properly. Nobody can tell you where your engine must be set. Settings will change from day to day, as the weather changes, and if you change anything on the car: tires, body, fuel, gearing, and so on, your carburetor settings will change. It sounds like you have the high-speed needle much too rich, and the low-end may be much too lean.

3) Temps mean nothing. We never use temps to adjust an engine. If you rely on temps to set your engine, you'll never get it set right, and it will have a rather short life. You must set it by how it performs...observe its performance and listen to it. That will tell you if it's running right. Then, once you have it set correctly, you can measure the temp to satisfy your curiosity.

4) You may wish to use a different fuel. O.S. recommends that you use a fuel with no less than 18% oil content. Many so-called "RC Car" fuels have very low oil content. While they may be OK for racing, they also will contribute to shortened engine life.

Bill thank you for your response.

I am surprised you have never heard the words Heat cycle to break in a nitro engine? Heat cycle is something you do for the first 5-7 tanks of fuel. You heat the motor up with a heat gun, fire up the engine using the recommended break in settings (very rich) You stop the motor before its going to run out of fuel and move the piston to bottom dead center and let it cool then repeat the process. Of course No half to full throttle runs etc.

I am also surprised you are so negative on the recommended needle settings. You have to start somewhere? THE ENGINE SHOULD RUN WITHOUT MAJOR ISSUES AT THE BASELINE unless you are in extreme conditions ie freezing cold etc.
I have broken in many many engines and the baseline settings are always the place to start before you start leaning out the motor. If these settings are wrong then what baseline settings should be used?

I will start leaning out the HSN and richening the lsn and see where that gets me.

OK, your method of breakin is something we would NEVER do. We start engines and drive them. We accelerate up and down our parking lot with a rich setting. The engine usually needs the battery kept on the glow plug because the idle mixture's usually too rich. We accelerate up and down, up and down. We'll gradually lean the high-speed needle a bit at a time as we go. At some point, we'll be able to remove the battery from the glow plug and get an idle mixture adjusted. We never run the engine so that it's 'blubbery rich' when it's at full throttle, but we make sure it's always rich of peak RPM.

Many methods popularized by R/C car operators to "break in" their engines will do nothing for engine life. We know people who won't run them over 1/2-throttle, some who idle for 2-5 tanks, and so on. These methods may work for racers who only need to get their engine through a racing weekend, or even a few heats or a main, but they won't break your engine in for longevity. Using a heat gun to help start it the first few times won't hurt a thing, but the engine needs to be driven.

Your engine is of ABC-type construction, and MUST get up to operating temperature to properly break in. It needs to be run. If we could, we'd put a prop on it and break it in at full throttle, keeping it in a rich "2-cycle" mode, and gradually work it towards peak RPM over the first 40-60 minutes. On a car, we accelerate it up to full and back down only because we run out of room. Fuel must contain at least 18% oil content to make sure the engine gets enough lubrication.

As far as needle settings are concerned, we're not negative. All engines, whether for cars, airplanes, helis, or boats, have suggested starting points. You will then adjust as necessary from there. We always start out with high-speed and low-speed needles set much too rich and go from there. That's just how it's done. The suggested starting points are not where you'll wind up running the engine, but are just places to set the needles. O.S. could just as well told the user to just make sure they were very rich and be done with it, but people want specific numbers. Please remember that these are alcohol-fueled engines, and that means that the needle settings will change from day-to-day as air pressures and temperatures change. They will even change significantly from a cool-dry morning to a hot-humid afternoon.

actually i think this DTX motor is made out of the cheaper ABN not abc construction. when i say heat it up with a heat gun then run for a tank I mean i am driving it and bliping the throttle just not full throttle for the first 5 tanks - i never let it sit and idle.