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 Cleaning & Maintenance of Your Nitro Engine
When driving a nitro powered r/c car, the engine can give you such a thrill as you blast around the track, backyard or street. The engine can also be the source of major frustration and headache if it is not running properly. Regular maintenance of your engine can keep the headache away and keep you burning fuel!! Here is my cleaning and maintenance procedure I use when I want to prepare and engine for a final at a major race or just to keep a good engine running in top shape!!
A few tips before you get started:
1. Prepare yourself with paper towels, cleaners (motor spray or denatured alcohol works great) and oil (preferably castor oil) to lubricate each part as you re-assemble your engine. Also, some 3M Scotch-brite can come in handy.
2. After you clean each item set it on a clean paper towel to ensure that it is free from dirt upon re-assembly.
3. After cleaning all of the engine parts it's a good idea to wash your hands, again to keep the dirt out of your engine upon re-assembly.
4. Make sure to examine each part and piece carefully as even the smallest problems can lead to your engine not perform as it should
5. Take your time!! Properly maintained engines will last and perform incredibly for hours!!
Remove the engine from your car/truck and take off the clutch assembly. Clean the outside of the engine as much as possible just so when you re-assemble the engine you won't run the risk of getting dirt back in the engine. Remove the carburetor and set the rest of the engine aside as we will come back to that later. Now we can disassemble the carburetor completely removing all of the needles and then the barrel. Inspect the o-rings on the needles for any wear, tears or cuts. If there is any sign of this on any of the o-rings you should replace them. Another good reason to replace them is if your needles are very easy to turn - this will tighten them up so that they won't move causing your engine to change tune while you operate your car/truck. Once the needles are ready, inspect the rest of the carburetor for any dirt, burs or sharp edges that could damage the o-rings. Re-assemble your carburetor making sure to put some oil on each o-ring so they don't tear on installation. Now that the carburetor is finished, just set it aside as it will be installed after the rest of the engine is finished.
First, remove the glow plug. Next, remove the head screws. Take off the head and combustion chamber (careful not to loose the head shims!!). If you use fuel with castor oil in it you will notice the combustion chamber is black with carbon build up. This can easily be removed with some 3M Scotch-Brite. If you really want it to shine, you can use some aluminum-polishing compound to put the finishing touch on it. Set the combustion chamber a side and take out the screws from the back plate. Remove and inspect the back plate. If it has some swirls in it you can use the Scotch-brite and aluminum polish to clean it up. Remove the sleeve from the crank case (you may have to use the tie-strap in the exhaust port trick to help you get the sleeve out). You can use the polish on the outside of the sleeve but be very careful as you do not want to make the sleeve fit loose in the case - it's for this reason I wouldn't recommend using the Scotch-brite here. Next, remove the connecting rod from the crank shaft and slide the piston/connecting rod assembly out. If you want to clean off the top of the piston with the Scotch-brite do it at this time, just be careful not to clean the outside of the piston (especially the top 2-3mm). On the outside of the piston you can use some of the polish to remove the carbon build up but again, stay away from the top 2-3mm and don't use the Scotch-brite. Once that is completed you can remove the wrist pin clip and inspect the wrist pin and connecting rod. You can use the polish on the wrist pin but do not use the Scotch-brite. Set the piston and wrist pin a side and inspect the connecting rod making sure to look closely at the bushings to check for any excessive wear or scaring. It's also a good idea to check the oil hole position as sometimes the bushings will spin in the connecting rod (possibly if you've had the engine running really hot); this will close off the bushing to any future lubrication. Once the connecting rod is done it is time to remove the crank and inspect it. Check out the crank pin (polish with only the compound if you like) and check the rest of the crank. If for any reason you have rust or build up on the crank it is a good idea to clean it up with the Scotch-brite and polish it as it will help your engines performance. Inspect the crank case for any debris and clean it thoroughly. Also, check the bearings to make sure they are in smooth working order. If they aren't you will need to change them or the vibration they will create will severely shorten your engine's life span.
It's now time to re-assemble your engine, so make sure all parts are clean and free from dirt or polishing compound. Use the oil liberally on all parts of the engine as you re-assemble to ensure good lubrication when you fire your engine back up. It will take you just a few minutes of running the engine to flush out all of the extra oil so don't be in a hurry to tune the engine immediately.
These steps should keep your engines clean and running well for a long time. Regular inspection and cleaning will help you learn your engine and get the most performance out of it. Hopefully, it will also keep the gremlins out of it!! Be patient and have fun!!
Good Luck!!!
Josh Cyrul
CEFX
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