Engine Care and Maintenance of Gas Powered RC Cars

With gas powered RC cars, the better you take care of your engine, the longer it will last. Fuel left inside the engine will attract moisture and will damage the bearings. To prevent this from happening, perform a little maintenance after each run.

First, run the tank dry. When the engine quits, try to start it again without adding more fuel. It may sputter for a few seconds, but that’s OK. Remove the air filter and shoot some after-run oil into the carb.

To distribute the oil evenly, crank the engine over a couple of times with the starter. Add a few more drops of oil and turn it over by hand. And that’s it. If you follow these simple steps after each run, your engine will stay in tiptop shape.

How to Keep Your Gas Powered RC Cars Engine Clean
After several hours of use, your engine might look like a big chunk of baked dirt and oil. It’s a good idea to remove as much as this as you can with a stiff brush between runs.

Air Filters for Gas Powered RC Cars
An air filter is a must if you want your engine to run for longer than just a tank of fuel. Without a filter, dirt, dust and bugs will eventually find their way into the engine and cause the parts to wear out prematurely.

Fuel filters for Gas Powered RC Cars To prevent dirt and grim from getting into your engine through the fuel lines, install a fuel filter between the tank and the engine. Fuel entering the filter must pass through a fine mess screen before it exits to the carb. Dirt particles will be trapped in the filter and will never reach the engine.

After you've run about a gallon of fuel, clean the filter by forcing fuel through in the opposite direction. By cleaning the filter the fuel is allowed to reach the engine easily and not cause it to run lean (more air, less fuel).

Tuning Gas Powered RC Cars
There are several ways to tell whether your engine has been properly tuned. The most important is it's temperature. If an engine is running lean you get tremendous power, but there isn’t enough fuel and oil to carry away the engine’s heat. When the engine continues to be run in this state, its temperature can rise to more than 300 degrees – not good!

An engine’s temperature will range from 100 to 300 – plus degrees. A good range to shoot for is between 200 and 240 degrees. The engine temperature can be affected by the weather, the air flow and the type of engine, fuel or plug you have, so there isn’t one “right” temp. With practice, you’ll learn to find a good setting; just learn how to spot a hot situation.

The simplest way to gauge the temp of an engine is to spit on the engine’s head. If it boils and crakes violently, the engine is on the hot side; if it slowly bubbles and remains on the head for while, it’s OK.

Another good way to judge temp is with CRC’s Temp Tape. It displays a range of temperatures in 10-degree increments. MIP’s temp gauge has a small probe that’s bolted onto the engine’s head and relays the temp to the unit’s LCD display. The best solution is very expensive, but effective: a temp gun, such as the one by Raytek, measures temperature without even touching the engine.

Fuel for Gas Powered RC Cars
When you choose fuel, try to buy one that was designed specially for gas powered rc cars. Fuel comes with several percentages of nitro: 10, 20 and 30 percent.

Look at Hobbyton's FQA that answer these two questions....
What is the best way to break-in an engine? What is the best type of fuel to use?

Pit Box Accessories Gas Powered RC Cars
A good pit box will contain your starter and a 12V battery; a glow-plug driver; spare plugs; fuel and fuel bottle; and wrenches to remove plugs and tires.

Final Points:
Try to keep sight of your goals and modify accordingly.

• Upgrade to a better part only if you have a legitimate problem with the stock part. It’s easy to go overboard with trick-looking parts, but they might nave a bigger effect on your wallet than on your car!
• Keep good notes on how your car is set up.
• When tuning, make only one change at a time. It’s easy to go overboard, try several things at once and get lost in your settings.
• Note the effect a change has on the car’s handling.
• Note the temperature and which types of tire and motor you’re using. The better your notes, the more help they’ll be to you in the future.