Little help for a FNG, what did I buy?

[ChiefGeek]

Headed to Ohio for the holiday weekend. I have a spare glowplug so I should be good to go. Family up north have a huge chunk of property so I think I'll have a whole lot of fun getting to know this truck. I think I'll make a slight adjustment to richen it up a tad and see how that goes.

So is the associated pro .28 a decent engine to have in there? I'm not looking to run around and throw money at this hobby either way, I just want to get to know the ins and outs and become literate on all the terms and products.

One other question I had. Alot of guides and tips say to ensure the piston is down when referencing getting a car to start, how the hell do you know when the piston is down? Do I take the glow plug out and look every time (assuming you can see if take out)? I'm trying to avoid being an annoying noob, but some of this stuff is confusing no matter how much you read.

 

[savagefan04]

i have no clue of the associated .28, but based on the size it should be fine to get your feet wet in the hobby. Just remember to put a couple of drops of after run oil (ARO)in the glow plug hole to keep the piston lubed.

as for checking if the piston in BTD (bottom dead center) you should be able to move the flywheel by hand and feel the piston 'pinch' in the sleeve as it reaches the top of the sleeve. Once the stroke reaches it limit, you feel a tiny pop and the 'pinch' will go away as the piston returns to bottom.

an easy trick for this is to remove the plug, look inside and watch the piston go through its complete stroke. once its at the bottom, take a black perm marker and draw a line on the flywheel. this way you have a visual to go by and do not need to remove the plug again.

hope that helps.

 

[MustangMan]

I've never heard having the piston down to start. Why does it matter, as the roto start turns the engine anyway. Now, if they meant to have the piston down to store it, that makes sense. You don't want to leave the piston up in the "pinch" where it will ruin the compression of the engine.

What I did with every nitro I have is pull the plug, put the piston at BDC (bottom dead center) and then mark the flywheel with a sharpie or touch up paint. This way when I shut it off I just rotate the mark I made to the bottom (or top) of the engine, depending upon where you marked it. For example, on my RS4 Evo touring car it's a bottom mark I can see through the deck. On the Savy it's a top mark that I can see from the top of the truck.

HTH...
Mark

 

[ChiefGeek]

Lots of good info. It's all pretty vague to me, but shouldnt be hard to figure out once I have the car infront of me. I need to get some after run oil since it didnt come with any.

Maybe I confused storing with piston down with starting with piston down. I'm noew to all this so I wouldnt be surprised. Thanks for all that info guys.

 

[eartaker]

ChiefGeek,

Where to in Ohio?

 

[Racer 1966]

The Pro .28 does ok in my SC8,but it's not the most powerful engine it's size. I would think it would be ok for bashing in Savage also but I have never tried it. I thought my stock Savage .25 engine wasn't horrible,so any .28 should be fun.
BTW,the SC8 is a true 1/8 scale short course truck vs the Savage being a hybrid 1/10-1/8 scale monster truck.

 

[ChiefGeek]

Eartaker, was in St. Clairesville, OH.

The truck ran well, but consistantly shut down on me after 10 minutes or so of running (not including about 2 min idle warmup). I adjusted top screw a little and consistantly it would die and not restart. Could this be an overheating issue? I need to get a temp gun still. Changed the glow plug when it wouldn't start at all a few days ago and it fired right up. Need to do alot more reading. Gotta find someone locally that can help or pay a hobby shop.

 

[ChiefGeek]

update, looks like i could be vapor locking. gotta get that heatgun.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=E64042B21077119E"]This guys[/ame] videos are great for learning the hows and whys.

 

[olds97_lss]

The shocks are shocks I'd like to have, HPI's alloy big bores. Or at least that's what they look like:
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXUCP3&P=ML

Having the piston down at the bottom of the stroke (BDC) when not running (immediately after stopping the engine before it cools), is thought to help keep the pinch in the sleeve. Having the piston at the top of the stroke (TDC) as the engine cools doesn't allow the sleeve to retract, which over times loosens the pinch. These engines rely on a taper in the sleeve for compression. They do not have rings like a normal engine. When this taper wears, you get blow by and your engine is on it's way to it's end.

This is all in theory regarding putting the piston at BDC. I've been doing it for years and I average more than 10 gallons on an engine before a new pinch service is required. Better safe than sorry.

 

[ChiefGeek]

Yep that looks like them. Huge thanks for that. The top connector on one of them is broke. And I need to see if that piece can be replaced. For now its rigged up with a couple zip ties so I could test drive it after replacing an axle. Hitting an oak tree did a number on it. Bounced backwards a few feet. I'm learning RC repair much faster then I ever imagined I would.

 

[olds97_lss]

Well, I sent them an email asking for a part number and possibly a link to the shock cap. Will let you know if/when they respond.

 

[ChiefGeek]

Me too, and got a response last night.

 

[ChiefGeek]

Here's what I got back.

Thank you, for contacting HPI Racing and Hot bodies customer service. The part number you are looking for is 85518. Click on the link to check it out.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXLZT3&P=7

Thanks!

Chris Lugo | Customer Service Representative
Toll Free: 888.349.4474
Direct: 949.753.1099 x111
Fax: 949.753.1098
Email: [email protected]; [email protected]
70 Icon, Foothill Ranch, CA, USA 92610
Monday 7:30am-4:45pm, Tuesday-Friday 7:30am-4:15pm

 

[MustangMan]

Interesting they link to TH and not their own BuyHPI (or suggest you support your lhs!)...

 

[ChiefGeek]

I bought them from my local shop. Kinda bothers me that MSRP is $4 and I spent $4.50 but ohwell, would have paid more for shipping so I'm still ahead. Got them in the cup holder of my truck now and will probably install them this weekend when I tear into this thing.

 

[ChiefGeek]

Found my TVPs!
http://www.rcplanet.com/Xtreme_Racing_Side_Plate_p/xtr10204dc.htm