pyroguy_3

Ok, it's Christmas day and I've had my OFNA 9.5 open for about 4 hours. It's killing me not being able to run it, because I didn't have to foresight to pick up fuel, or air filter oil... but that's ok because I still have no idea as to how to break in my engine. I've read through the manual A LOT! and I am still not sure what to do. I've read on the net that you want to get the temp up to about 190, but for how long, and how many times? Will i have to invest in a temp gun? Also, it is about 10-30 degrees here, varying, is that too cold? or can i just wrap some tinfoil around my header. Oh! another thing, I read somewhere that you should have your piston in the bottom dead center position when cooling the motor off, so do I need to dissasemble my engine to get in there and mark the bdc. point? Any other helpful tips on breaking in an engine would be greatly appreciated, or you could just direct me with a link. i have not been able to find anything through the search function on here either. well i found stuff, but nothing for buggies with .26 engines. thanks again, and Merry Christmas/ Hanukkah/ Kwanza/ whatever you may choose to celebrate! ok, so Merry Holidays!

Andrew.

madweazl

I thought the PBS was shipping with Hyper .21s now (black sink with the purple button) and no pull starter. I've never been in a climate that cold but I would just follow the instructions. If it doesnt say anything about too cold I wouldnt worry about it much. BDC isnt to hard to find and it doesnt have to be exact, no reason to pull the head off. You can easily find it by hand and chances are that where the motor will be naturally since there wont be any compression down there.

pyroguy_3

Well, i don't think it's the PBS, all it says is that it is the 9.5. just 9.5 RTR. So to find the BDC I just feel for when there is no pressure or what? I'm very new at this, so a lot of this stuff kind of goes over my head. But i do have an understanding of the motor, so i'm not totally lost. Also, what would i spin, or do whatever to, to figure out the BDC? I'm planning on driving over to a local hobbyshop and asking them what they recomend i do. And does anybody recomend that i buy a temp guage? thanks

xxx nt man

hi i just got mine 5 days ogo today. And heres how to break in your engine Right.
The first tank of fuel
Once the engine is started, drive the model slowly for the first few minutes to warm the engine. Drive the model on a flat paved surface in an oval configuration. This will cause you to naturally vary your speed over the entire RPM range. During this break in time ease in and out off the throttle slowly to avoid stalling the engine. The goal is to simply keep it running. Do not run at full speed during the first tank of fuel> Do not rev the engine with the wheels off the ground. Hing, no-load RPM's can damage the engine.
The fuel mixture setting may require slight adjustment to correct for different altitudes and temperatures. Just make sure the engine is running rich (high volume of fuel flowing through the engine) look for the following conditions: 1) The engine should accelerate sluggishly2) there should be a thick trail of blue smoke coming from the exhaust every time you accelerate out of a curve 3) Blubbery engine sound

Tanks 2 and 3
Refuel the model.
Turn the high-speed needle in 45 degrees ( clockwise) ( 1/8 of a turn)
Turn on the radio system.
Run 2 tanks of fuel through the engine at this setting.
Allow the engine to cool 5-10 minutes between tanks.

IMPORTANT: Be sure to allow the engine to cool between tanks.

tanks 4 and 5
refuel the model.
turn the high speed needle in 45 degrees ( clockwise) ( 1/8of a turn)
turn on the radio system.
continue driving on your oval course, varing the trotle, until the foruth tank of fuel is used up.
once again, run two tanks of fuel trough the engine at this setting.
allow the engine to cool 5-10 minutes between tanks.
also dont go full trotle to show off to your friends and family. when breaking in an engine.
if you have any more questions just email me at [email protected]
also its a good envestment to buy a temp gun. and a fail safe belive me your gioing to thank me later.
chris

madweazl

My mistake, I must have had PBS on my mind lol. Doesnt really matter which engine, same technique is used for all of 'em. The advice given above is fine, try to vary the rpm a lot and avoid high rpms. You are just trying to get the piston to seat in the sleeve, as this happens the engine will make more power because less compression is lost.

The part you want to spin is the flywheel. Usually they are silver in color (raw aluminum) and are easy to find. You can flip the car over and see it through a slot cut in the chassis.

pyroguy_3

oh wow, that is some great information. thanks a lot xx nt man! and madweazl, i understand what you said about the engine being in the BDC setting already. i was thinking that when i spin my tires the engine is compressing, but after trying to move the flywheel with my bare hands i figured that this is what you meant. thanks again for all the help.

Andrew.

killer89

My Feedback: (-1)

it has a clutch thats why... not directly hooded up to drivetrain.

here:

NOTE: all credit goes to Stephen Bess and others for creating this method:

From the very 1st time you start your engine, plop the car on the
ground & begin running it in a parking lot in 2-3 minute intervals,
tuned only *slightly rich* getting the temps up in the 200F range on a
normal day. Every 2-3 minutes, shut the engine down & let it cool
completely with the piston at BDC, and then fire it back up; continue
this cycle until you've run 15 min or so, and then bump up to 3-4
minute intervals. Vary the RPM and don't be afraid to get the temps
in the 200's. What you want is heat cycling of the components without
the incredible stress that comes with breaking an engine in when it's
overly rich & cold. After cycling the engine in this manner for about
20-25 total minutes, it'll be ready for the track and race tuning.




make sure you get i up to 200F. i suggest wrapping the head (top of engine) in tin foil in order to reatin heat due to cokd weather. also try heating the motor before startup with a hairdryer in order to loosen piston and prevent wear (reason for need of 200F)

airplanes08

all this info is helping me also because I too got a 9.5 for christmas and know little about this car. when i turned on the radio the throttle channel was wrong so I had to reverse it on the transmitter and now it doesnt really work right cause it doesnt give much input for braking. Im taking it to a hobby shop monday. If anyone experienced problems similar please tell me and make sure you check the throttle servo to make sure it is not reversed before you start it for the first time.

Da Smak

Don't worry about temps just get it running as rich as you can to start with.

Not yet or at all. Temp guns are a guide not compulsary.

I could be considered to be too cold but you have obviously been reading about cold weather running. Also if it's colder outside the engine will run colder than summer, which is why I dont trust temp guns. It's the smoke you should be tuning to, not a set temp. Also you may need a hotter plug at the moment. Wrap tin foil round the head if you wish but there's no real point to it. The hardest part is getting it started in cold weather.

No disassemble Johny 5. You dont need to. When it's new and your in your nice warm house, get a marker pen and a clean screwdriver. Remove the plug, place the driver in the pulg hole and rotate the engine till it is at its lowest point then mark the flywheel on the bottom. This will tekll you quickly which position your piston is in.

[link=ftp://ftp.kolhoos.ee/random/Maxbashing_Vids/How_to_start_a_new_engine.wmv]A vid I made with a few tips on.[/link]

Da Smak

Where did PBS come from? and btw It depends on the cars age to the head (it could be Black, Purple or even Silver if it's really old) and H21s dont have buttons. The purple you refer too is a head protector. The vid I just put a link to is almost the same climate. most engines stop on the upstroke, when the compression starts again, so you may need to back it up a touch.

pyroguy_3

Hey, thank you so so much for all the great information. I went ahead and started breaking in the engine. i bought a cheap temp gun at the hobby shop because i had 100$ from my girlfriend's parents to spend there, and only there. so i got a starting box and other stuff. very nice instead of that stupid pull start. but i have 4 tanks of fuel through it so far, and it's been running as rich as possible (4 turns on the main needle) to get it started and then i back off to about 3.5ish. i don't know if it helps to run richer to start but it seems like it. anyway, thanks a lot for all the great info!