OFNA SUPPORT??
 

Hi people,

I bought an OFNA Jammin X-1 CR RTR from Tower Hobbies about 2 weeks ago.
I had a query regarding the buggy pack and they stated that OFNA was a Deal Direct company I should contact them.

Now: to cut long story short:
I carefully ran 12 tanks of fuel through to run in the Force .28 engine letting it cool between tanks and checking engine temp avery 3 mins or so. To cut along story short ......Carefully ran it in.

Now after 12 tanks something has disintegrated (Im guessing conrod) inside the engine cos theres metal init if I take the glow plug out. This became apparent after 3 full throttle passes at the end of the 12th tank while tuning with plenty of blue smoke???
The engine was nearly ticking over on trying to shaft start it and thought the needle settings were wrong but it just wouldnt start then it just stuck :(
RIP Force .28 :'(

hmmm haha "Ready to RIP" yes!! just thought of that.

Now OFNA state they only support items purchased in US or Canada.
Tower have yet to reply as I wrote them a nice email also including OFNAs replies so I wont yet put them down.
All products must be of merchantable quality basically fit to be sold to the consumer for the purpose it was built.

Ofna state I must return it to the dealer I got it from.

Now do OFNA mean to tell me a retailer incures the expense for returns be it Postage/Labour/Parts a hobbie shop surely wouldnt just pay for it all? It should be the manufacturer of the product.

So why should it matter where I bought it I want it fixed or COMPLETE refund.

Question: Has anyone had similar experience?
BTW I live in Ireland.

Thanks
Nick

RE: OFNA SUPPORT??
 

metal shavings in a new motor are pretty common, and sometimes they get stuck in the pinch spot. you just force it to move again by moving to flywheel with your finger. its also posible that its hydro locked, in wich case you remove the glow plug and turn the engine over to clear the fuel from it. i wouldn't give up on the motor just yet.

you can flush the shavings out of the motor with some fuel. also you can rmove the backplate to inspect the motor for a broken con rod.

RE: OFNA SUPPORT??
 

Thanks for the reply but on taking the glow plug out i gave the engine a shake onto my hand and out popped a large chunk of metal
about 2.5mm square!! :O

So the engines when new have metal shavings hmm well a bit of knowledge obtained but I dont know if ill be in this hobby for long.

Always wanted one dowloaded 5 gigs of videos love the stuff but this is crazy!

Ah well
Nick

RE: OFNA SUPPORT??
 

Well , you probly wouldn`t be having such a problem getting the issue resolved if you bought it from your local hobby shop . I would never mail order a car just for this reason . Now if you had a big chunk of metal shavings come out , you definetly have a problem . When you first got the car did you put some after run oil in the carb and down the head into the engine before starting ? A lot of times the engines are dry from the factory and is too late for the oil in the fuel to lube the engine . I would think since you ordered it from tower Ofna would still warranty it . Maybe Tower does the warranty on Ofna when ordered from them . Due to the nature of nitro engines and can be tuned wrong very easily , I`d be suprised if they warranty the engine . Running an engine too lean on break in can do some similar problems , not saying you did anything wrong , just possibilities .

RE: OFNA SUPPORT??
 

I did put fuel through as i made sure it travelled round the pipe first into the carb and ran it forward and back just to get fuel in there.
But I had zero problems it was going brilliant!! ??
Someone has to be responsible?

RE: OFNA SUPPORT??
 

Depending on the length of the "full throttle passes", the problem could have been your own. These engines are designed to accelerate, and then decelerate, as in what happens around a race track. They are not designed to be run wide open for any length of time. If you were only doing this for the span of 100 feet or so, probably not a problem. But if you were running it wide open until it was almost out of sight, and then back 3 times in a row, then its likely your driving grenaded it.

Your tuning plays a factor here too. While your temperatures do sound in range, it is possible that you may have had your needles out of balance. By having your low speed needle too rich, it can hide the fact that your high speed needle was too lean. This will show up by having your car start off at low temperatures and then climb much higher the longer you run it. Once you get the car and chassis warmed up, your engine's temperature should stay pretty constant until the tank runs dry. If it is going up 30+ degrees, you may need to look at your tuning.

I am not saying one way or another whether you are at fault or they are. Its impossible to tell without seeing how you ran, and without being there when the engine plopped off the assembly line. If OFNA doesn't honor it though, you may want to contact Hong Nor, which is the company that actually manufactures the cars that OFNA sells (OFNA doesn't make anything).

RE: OFNA SUPPORT??
 

Call ofna tech support back - tell them your engine took a dump after 12 tanks. Pull the engine out and send them the engine - tell them to make it right - dont ask for a full refund on your car thats a guarteed NO WAY. They will either fix it or send you a new engine .. or .. charge you to fix the engine under their rebuild program $50 + shipping.

good luck ...

RE: OFNA SUPPORT??
 

Thanks for the replies guys. Ya saw the replacement programme already I was trying to get OFNA to pay for the shipping to the states!
61 euro thats about 75 dollars? i think.

KX250 Nice breakdown on the tuning me temp were ok I had checked em every 3mins or so?? Its the reason Im so peed off its cos I brok this engine in very carefull giving thought to haveing temps 200 - 240? I cant understand it all bad experience for a noob.

But ill learn I definatley wont buy a large item overseas will buy spares but engines no way.

Tower already contacted me back and are taking the matter up with OFNA.
I hope itll be sorted soon Summer isnt that long here in Ireland.

Cheers
Nick


I miss my buggy... :(

RE: OFNA SUPPORT??
 

Well , it`s good to see that Tower is doing something about it . I wish you good luck .

RE: OFNA SUPPORT??
 

the problem is that Ofna does not deal with anybody in the UK or outside of North America. They distribute Hong Nor and HoBao in the United States and Canada ONLY. IMO you're pretty much SOL, or you *should* be, because you bought a product that by technicality is not supported in your country.

I say just drop a new motor in it and F that Force 28 anyway:D

RE: OFNA SUPPORT??
 

True , but it`s not like he bought it in Ireland . He bought it from a U.S. retailer . It shouldn`t matter where he lives as long he bought it in North America . I guess he will find out .

RE: OFNA SUPPORT??
 

Were you measuring that temperature in degrees Fahrenheit or degrees Celcius? 200-240 should be degrees F, if you are measuring degrees C it should slightly over 100 degrees.

RE: OFNA SUPPORT??
 

I don't know how Ofna is since i've never had any business with them but in most cases, you should go through the retailer, when you go directly to the company it's like one man trying to get the attention of the government (it's not impossible, but really hard...)
Tower H has excellent customer service, they will take care of you.
Good luck.

RE: OFNA SUPPORT??
 

Well fair play to Tower they deserve credit and have lived up to there great name!
Ill be sending engine tomorrow to Ofna.

I hope ofna may include a work sheet detailing what they replaced and what was likely cause cos its damn puzzling.

Credit to Tower!

Ill be afraid to run the thing in again.

Meanwhile the buggy is gathering dust and it aint even moving! ah the sweet smell of nitro fumes await.

RE: OFNA SUPPORT??
 

Just like when you save a buck buying a grey market camcorder or camera in the States. Warranty, what warranty?

Ed M.