AboutMatt Coia Expertise I can answer questions about r/c cars and trucks including on-road and off-road vehicles. I am knowledgeable in both nitro and electric powered vehicles. I can also handle questions about repair and maintenance of any wheeled vehicle.
Experience I have owned and raced many different kinds of vehicles. I also help administer a busy website devoted to the r/c hobby. I have done repair work for hobbyshops in the past and have helped many beginners get started in the hobby. I also operate a middle school r/c club.
Organizations ROAR, Mensa, NSTA
Publications www.wnyrcinfo.com
Education/Credentials I am a certified Physics teacher now teaching middle school science and Physics in New York State.
Question QUESTION: hi matt i have a nitro rc all i know about it is it has the 15 nitro star on it and its like 5 years old it was given to me from my friend last year. i had it running but i pretty much had to flood it and it ran for a wile then it stalled and the clutch ceased i got the clutch loose and i cant get it to run i have a full igniter and new glow plug and it wont even pop. i even wormed the block with a heat gun, can you help me?
ANSWER: Hi Ricky,
There could be a lot of different things wrong, some of them simple and others not so simple. It soulds like you have a handle on adjusting the fuel mixture. It could be that the engine is just worn out or really gummed up. If it is worn out, that means the piston is not creating a good seal with the cylinder and thus the enignine compression is to low to start the engine. I assume your are using the pull start that came with the car to start the engine (and your arms are really tired from pulling the cord for hours!). If you know anyone with a starter box (the box has a rubber wheel that spins the flywheel directly, much faster than you can pull the cord) it can make starting much easier. You can sometimes pick up starter boxes from hobbyshops for about $60 or check ebay. Spinning the engine faster makes it easier to hear whats going on in the engine and make adjustments on the fly. If the engine is just plain worn out, there's not much you can do. That Nitro Star 15 was one of the most basic, inexpensive engines out there when it was made and it really was not known for its reliability. You may want to look into a new engine or at least have a hobbyshop check it out to see if they can see anything wrong. It may mean that the engine needs to be disassembled. You'll have to weigh the cost of repair vs buying new (or used).
Good luck!
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QUESTION: i dont think the engine is worn it has only bin run a hand full of times. i dont really know how to properly adjust the fuel. do you know the basic setting for this engine?
ANSWER: I would start by checking out this setup sheet provided by the manufacturer.
It should help you get started. Let me know if you have more questions.
Good Luck!
Matt
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QUESTION: matt i know im probably annoying you by now but i still cant get it started. all i get out of pull 100 billion times is the smell of burning gas but no fire. this thing is really annoying me can you help?
Answer Hey Ricky,
It's not annoying at all. I know how frustrating it can be to try to tune an engine.
Well, I'm leaning towards it needing to be disassembled and cleaned thoroughly. Then the piston and sleeve can be inspected. It doesn't take much to wear out a piston. A few specks of dirt can scratch a sleeve and ruin compression. You never know. Like I said, this engine was never known for it's reliability either. Sitting around for 5 years never helps and rust may have formed inside causing lots of wear on the piston. You won't know without taking it apart. It may not be worth it in the long run but it will depend on how much time and money you want to spend on this vehicle. I wish I could offer you more but without having the engine right in front of me, it's nearly impossible. You may want to look through HPI's forums (www.hpiracing.com) for info posted by other users...it may help you find a solution.
