Nitro RC Car Engines - Finding Faults

 

For those of you with existing RC Nitro cars, I have included a second article below on dealing with problems with the car engines .

 

Looking After Your Nitro RC - Car Part 2

 

Problem with Nitro Car Engine

1. If your nitro car engine seems to be running well, but the car does not move, then that means something in the drive train has come loose. In such cases, the best option would be to first check the rear wheels. Examine them to see if the nuts that fix them to the axle are in place. If the nuts are loose, then the axel may keep moving in its place but the wheels may not get enough gear to move.

2. If, however, the rear wheels and their attachment to the axle is okay, then it would be a good idea to check the inward drive shafts to the differential case. If there are universal joints at the differential case, they are attached with small sets of screws. These screw sets might be one of the reasons you have a problem with getting the nitro car to move. The set of screws hold the drive joint onto the small stub shafts that protrude from the case. If these shafts are loosened at all, then the stub shaft will spin but the drive joint will not. The screw set needs to be on to that flat portion of the shaft, to align the same with the drive joint. To get access to the screw set, it may be necessary to dissemble the suspensions a little.

3. Normally, attending to the first two possible causes will get the car working okay. However, if the problem still persists, it is possible you need to inspect the main gear. You need to check the main gear to ensure that it is tight on the shaft. When a slipper clutch is loose, the main gear will turn, but the power will not be transferred to the gear box. This can be easily seen when the engine is operating. If you see that the gears turn, but the shaft does not, then it means that the slipper clutch is loose. The main gear needs to be tightened on the shaft and the problem should be solved.

The above suggestions work best with the gas powered model rc nittro cars. But they are not limited to them only. Applying the above inspection rules may solve problems with most rc cars, and the wheels may be set rolling again.

These problems, though, do occur mostly with gas powered rc racing cars. This is due to the reason that the vibration of the engine tends to loosen the nuts, bolts or screws of the chassis etc. Such loosening might give some problems at times, even though when new it would have been perfect. But after a high speed run, it is worth doing a routine check of all the fitments mention above. That way, you will hopefully avoid such problems in the future.

It would in the best interest of the model rc car, and for the driver, to always give a one and half hour inspection to the model, after every four hours of run. This maintenance always keeps the model set right and ready to speed up.  Usually Nitro based models require fairly high degree of maintenance to the vehicle. This is due to the reason that your Nitro Remote Control car can go an 1/8th scale off-road single speed average of 30-40 MPH. 2-Speed averages can be 40-50 MPH. Trucks average can be 25-35 MPH. Of course, speeds can be variable depending upon environmental conditions, motor size, tuning, gearing, clutch bell size, etc.

Taking care of Nitro engines might not be a big task, but regular maintenance will bring its benefits, just as with a full scale, working car on the road.

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