I bought my first nitro car on the 24th, a HPI RS4 3 Type SS a futaba radio, a Durbo Kwik Start glow plug igniter and powermaster 20% fuel. I finished building it on the 26th. And that same night, we tried it and the engine started, but when i braked, it died. Then, yesterday (27th) i went to the U.S. so i wasnt at home all day. Today in the morning, i grabbed the glow plug igniter, put it in, and tried to turn on the engine, it did once but like 3 or 4 seconds later, it died. We took the plug out to check if it really was making the glow plug hot, and i didnt seem to do nothing so i touched and burned my finger. Then i looked carefully and it was bright red. I puts it back in and tried again but no luck, so i took the plug out and now the igniter didnt work.

Here comes the questions. The igniter says 1700mah and 1.2v. It also says that i have to charge it for 12-14 hurs the first time. I charged for around 12 hours i think. But didnt used that day, but two days later. MY questions is can de battery get discharged if i dont use it around the time it finished charging? Also, how many times can I use the igniter? i mean how do i know when do i have to charge the thing?

I already checked the post of the guy that also bought a type ss and couldnt get it to work, but finllay could...
I checked the fuel tubes and they're fine, no bubbles or nothing. Compression? the engine is new, it's hard to move the flywheel. The air? The carb is opened at like 2mm or a bit less. Combustion? Well, that's why im asking about the plug igniter.

Also, apart from the engine, i cannot move the car backward, i read somewhere that you should be able to do it. Also, if i push th car, it doesnt go like 5 ft like the manual says, is stops at like 1 ft. The brakes are not activated... What could be causing this? Im thinking that something could have gone wrong when i put the 2 speed thingies (one was 43 and another 47, i dont know their names) and all the things that are linked to them.

When you push it does the whole engine turn along with it?

No, the engine doesnt... just both of the purple "things" (dont know their name in english). From the flywheel to the engine, nothing moves, but after the flywheel, the black thing (inside of which there are 2 centrifugal objects), they turn. This is what moves (Expcet the flywheel). [link=http://www.hpiracing.com/graphics/press/p86038_2.jpg]picture here[/link]

OK, so now most of the time it starts with 1 or two pulls of the cord. But as soon as i take the igniter off, it dies.

I would put in an OS #3 or #8 plug. The ignitor wont discharge after a few days. and it can do many starts on the engine. you can always check the ignitor with another plug you have handy, then you dont need to always take that one out of the engine head. put the needles on the engine to where the book says for the first start. you may have the idle adjustment too low or the engine is dying because the mixture needles are set too rich or too lean. set them to the "default" or starting place that the book says. make sure you have good fuel with out any water etc in it too. stick to the two OS plugs I said. they really seem to be best. prime the engine a little by covering the card or muffler while pulling the cord. you do want to overprime/flood it because then fuel will lock up the piston. if you flood it by accident then take the plug out and pull the cord with the motor upsidedown.

if the needles are set right and it keeps stalling when you take the ignitor off, then it is likely you have a bad glow plug. go to OS then.

Thanks for all that. This is my first car and i only have one plug (which already came with it) so i had to take the plug everytime to check if it did work or not.

Like two hours ago, it finally worked. I still dont know why, i just messed with the needle and it started. I let it idle for the first tank. Then on the second tank i let it idel till the hafl, and then i started playing around with it, i pushed the trigger like 1/3 and it was barely moving.

Now the thing is, the engine is revving alot when it finally starts moving. Is it normal? I have to push the trigger like 1/3, the minimum aperture of the crb is like 1m, the maximum is all opened, the servo linkage is fine... There's another little needle taht i cannot reach due to the fuel tank.. what does that do? it doenst even come on the manual, but GALAXY on the other post said that the nitro star 12r ss(which is my engine) had another needle, so i found another small screw and im thinking that's what he meant.

well idling the engine is bad for breakin. just drive it around. no need to idle it. see my posts in the beginner FAQ that is stuck to the top of this forum for more breakin info.

your carb has 3 needles. 1 a highspeed, l2 ow or mixture and an 3 idle screw. the high speed(HS) is the one that sticks up and points at you. it should be about 2.5 turns out from the bottom for the first start and running. this needle only affects the mixture/running when it is about 3/4 or full throttle. then the low speed or mixture handles the low rpm range. you want to lean that one out gradually to get better and faster throttle response and accelleration. the HS is for the top end top speed. the LS needle is the screw that is sideways on the throttle lever arm, (the opposite side of carb where the HS needle is&gt

the idle is the last screw. that just sets the stop point of the carb opening to set the idle to where you want it. the engine has to be broken in foirst before you can get the perfect idle dialed in. but you can se how it works by turning it and seeing how the carb stays slightly open or closed more.

and the high rpm seems normal unless maybe the clutch is not on right, but i think it is. it takes some rpm just to get the car moving.

Hey guys, hope you don't mind...I built an SS a couple months ago, and I'll just add my observations. The plug that comes with the engine is not very good, mine burnt out after the 1st tank, and others have complained about that. As reccommended, the O.S. #8 will be much better. My throttle needed to be open a lot more than I was used to to get it to start the first time, like 1/3. Once your clutch shoes get worn-in properly, it will work much better. My 2-speed was rather tight and my car did not roll well either, and would not shift into 2nd until I ran several tanks thru it. The needles are set quite rich, and I'm still leaning out my low speed needle to get it to transition properly(that is the screw in the center of the throttle arm where the linkage attaches). If the engine stalls when you apply the brake, just turn in the idle speed stop screw a little, like a quarter turn or so (that is the tiny screw on the top of the carb. body, under the air filter)

Well, i tried to start the car again but no luck. I'll let the igniter charge overnight. about the plug, does it have to glow all the spring? Because mine doesn't, i touched it and it burned my finger, and then when i saw the plug, it has one blacked part (like 1/2 turn on the top... I hope that made sense [sm=spinnyeyes.gif] )

Also, i noticed that i screwed it up on the first part. And i realized that, not because of it, but because the rear shaft wasnt working. So my car was just like fwd. So I un-assembled the car and noticed that with the 2 speed "thingie" that spins inside another thing, was causing it to be able to turn just to one side. When i got that fixed, i put alot of thread lock on it, and on the other screws. Now the car runs smoothly and it does the 5 feet or more than it. But now, apart from the engine, i got another question, is it ok for the car that when no wheels are on the ground and i spin 1 wheel (any), the 4 wheels spin too? Also when pushing the car forward the purple or the central thing with the 43 and the 47 (again, i dont know their names), doesnt spin, but when i push it backwards, it does...

About the O.S. #8 plug, ill see if i can go to my lhs tomorrow, to see if they have that plug.

And I already solved the braking and dying problem, i think my throttle/brake linkage is perfect (same with the steering) I just need to mess with the carburator.

Well, im going to sleep now, thanks for all the help. Tomorrow ill play around with that low speed needle i hadnt touched yet.

if the plug doesn't light up on the 1st 2 or 3 coils then it is a bad plug.

I ure still having the problem when you press the throttle 1/3rd of the way and it moves slowly then try checking that your brake isn't on. If you can move the car back wards and forward when the engine isn't on then its most probably the brake isn't set properly.

Change the trim on your controller to full throttle (when the engine isn't on) and see if you can roll the car then. if you can loosen out the brake.[8D]

good info Proptop and neap38.


psybird,

bring that car with you to the hobbyshop. see if someone there can help get you going by checking it out and stuff. if you turn one wheel and it is off the ground the opposite wheel should turn the opposite direction because the differential is spinning freely. if you hold one wheel and then turn the opposite then it should turn the whole drive train. get someone who knows rc to help show it to you face to face, its easier for you to see it that way. its hard for us to tell if your drive train, brakes and gears etc are set up right, i.e. not binding, etc.. and get the carb needles to the stock or default settings it says in the engine book and put that OS plug in it too when you go to lhs there. the hpi plug it comes with is junk. get several new OS glow plugs so you have spares. you have a learning curve to hurdle but when you get some more time and experience with it you should have fun. it takes a lot of trial and error in the beginning. read alot of info and help here and if you can really try to get someone who is good with rc to help you, like at the hobbyshop.