RCX CANADA

[SwampDawg]

Maintaining your R/C:



Cleaning products:

- Denatured alcohol
- WD40
- Paint brushes
- Toothbrush
- Q-Tips
- After run oil
- Paper towel or a rag
- Spray bottle



After-run procedures:

After hitting it hard at the dunes your truck is not
only dirty but also in need of some engine work.
First, clean and debris off of the engine with either
a toothbrush or paintbrush until it is as clean as
possible. Now, give the engine a quick shot of
WD40 to clean off any grease and such, but do
not get it on the clutchbell as it is a lubricant.
(Dont forget that WD40 also helps repell mud
later on). Take off the airfilter and check it out
(This also should be done very often while even
driving).but make sure it is clean and set it aside
for now.


Remove the glowplug from the engine and spray a
2 second blast of WD40 into the chamber.

Spray into the chamber

Spray into the carburetor

Now, with either the Rotostart (or) Pullstart manually
start the engine over (Do NOT look into the motor
as it will shoot WD40 right into your eyes!!) Hold
the Rotostart for 3 seconds (or) tug on the pullstart
about 4 times to get any fluids out of the chamber.
You can do this up to 2-3 times to get it all out and
clean.

Glowplugs:


If the element isnt charred and is straight
inside the glowplug then it should be fine.
If the element is grey/black or leaning over
to the side then you need a new plug.

Note: Dont forget to clean the cylinder head up
with a pipe cleaner. If this gets all clogged up
with debris your engine will eventuall start
overheating!!


Components

Crankshaft:
Make sure it isnt damaged at all, and marks
in the surface could call disaster!!
Check for corrosion as it can start right
away.


Piston & conrod
Here is a great example of what happens internally
when you take into too much water. This was the
result of a roll over in a mud puddle.


Fuel filters

There are all types of fuel filters out on
the market from all kinds of manufacturers.
However, I reccomend using a 1-piece
inlline filter as shown. Before you remove
the filter, make sure to mark the flow of
fuel so that you can install it the same way
it came off (Otherwise, if you install it back
on in the reverse order, it can send the
debris back into the carburetor ~not good~).
You can clean it out by giving it a quick
blast of WD40 then blowing any access
out with a compressor or such.



Chassis maintenance

Is your RC covered from top to bottom in mud, dirt,
grass, twigs and nitro fuel?
Then it is time to get your cleaning gear out!!



Start by knocking off all the loose debris, then
run over it with a toothbrush or paintbrush to
further get the grunge off.

Now you can get
the denatured alcohol or WD40 out and start
getting at it.


(NOTE: Do NOT spray the brakes
with WD40!!). Make sure to remove any fuel
left in the tank if your not planning on running
again for the day.

Stuff to keep an eye out for!

Spur grear
The spur gear should be maintained regularly, check
the slipper pad...is it glazed, ripped, cracked or
excessively worn? Then it more than likely needs to
be either serviced or repaired immediatly.


Clutchbell
This shouldnt be overlooked either!!
If your truck is reving real high but barely moves
when throttle is applied, then chances are your
clutchbell is glazed. If this is the case then take
some 3M-scotchbrite and scuff the inner face up.


Clutch shoes
While you have the clutchbell off, check the pads for
signs of glazing, damage or excessive wear. If so, now
is a great time to repair or replace them.


Kinked or torn fuel lines


Loose or missing screws


Stripped or damaged spur gear teeth


Fuel tank for leaks, cracks, etc..


Suspension:

Bent shock shafts


Check for suspension movement, make sure nothing
is binding up.


Adjust your suspension (alloy have threaded adjusters)


Electronics:

It is always good to service your electronics once in
awhile to assure long life and prevent premature
failure. Open up your receiver box occasionally to
see if moisture or debris has found its way inside.
Even for you that use a ballon over the reciever
should do this to!
Check your servos out, are they functioning the
way they were when you got them?


Driveaxles:


After each run check all the driveaxles/shafts for
debris as grass and twigs easily find their way here.


Tires:


These to need to be checked for wear & tear.
Check the beads out, are they coming off the
rim? Are your tires ripped or torn?
Repair or replace as needed.

Long term storage

.1. Perform the After-run procedure
as shown in this manual.

.2. Clean chassis & suspension
of all oils & debris.

.3. Remove all fuel
from the tank & lines.

.4. Remove all batteries
from the reciever & radio

.5. Remove the tires & wheels
to prevent from flat spots.

.6. If you are storing your Savage in
your garage, spray all metal parts with WD40 to
prevent from any corrosion.

HPI cleaning guide
Originally found by: Ski

General Cleanliness - Use a spray like HPI's Nitro Car Cleaner or undiluted Simple Green to clean the car of grease and road grime, and keep a natural bristle brush handy to clean dust off the body and chassis between races.

Engine - The powerplant of the Nitro car and most of its weight. The inside of the engine should be checked for excessive wear by an experienced Nitro racer every 2 gallons of fuel or so (or 100 hours of running time on the engine). You may have to put in a new piston and sleeve, but after that the engine will run like new! You also should use After Run at the end of each day's running. Do NOT use WD-40 on the inside of your engine! After Run will absorb the water in the engine, not just displace it. Just follow the directions on the After Run bottle.

Ball Bearings - Make sure they are clean on the outside. Wipe them free of any grease from the exhaust and 'road grime'. Check the bearings after each day of running.

Nitro Two Speeds - The one-way bearing in the spur gear needs to be checked and lubricated every ten to twenty runs. Use the blue cap grease that comes with the front one-way diffs or some good quality lithium grease. Just a light coat is required to properly lubricate the bearing, so don't use too much!
Brake Disc - The only way you can stop your car, unless something bad happens to your brakes (in which case, a wall is the only thing that will stop the car!). Before each day of running, you need to check the condition of the brake disc itself, the brake linkages, screws and spacing of the screws holding the brake pads.
Screws - Since they hold the car together, you should check all the screws every couple of days of running the Nitro car. They should be tight and not stripped out. Replace the plastic bulkheads if the screws are loose and won't tighten. Use Loctite on all metal-to-metal screw connections (the motor mounts, etc.).

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Serious Racing!

This section is for those racers who are very serious about their racing! So don't be surprised if you see a suggestion here and wonder, "Do people actually do this?", because they do! These suggestions are not for beginners or casual racers! These tips assume you have a good knowledge of your car and are comfortable with taking it apart and reassembling it. Some of these tips will cost some money, and we are NOT trying to bankrupt racers, just give them a reference to check before they go to a big race or event.

Plastic Bulkheads - Over time, these will loosen and get weaker. If you constantly tighten and loosen the screws going into these plastic parts, you will accelerate the wear. To help prevent chassis tweak during races (wrecking), these parts should be as new as possible. Replace them before major events and use new screws if possible.

Hingepins, Shock Shafts and Kingpins - When tearing apart the car, check these parts. If you roll them across a piece of flat glass or countertop and notice a wobble, replace the offending part! Otherwise it will be binding up the suspension movement. Before a big race or when tearing apart your whole car, it's a good idea to use put the hingepins in a rotary tool and polishing them with some polishing compound on a rag.

Ball Cups and Shock Ends - If you have any play (side-to-side, or lateral play; this doesn't refer to the 'looseness' of the ball cup) in these parts you need to replace the plastic part so you get a more responsive suspension setup. Some racers build up layers of CA glue inside the ball cups to get a tighter fit on the ball ends.

Ball Ends - If you have a scratch on a ball end, you'll need to replace it. That scratch will catch on the plastic ball end or shock end and cause it to bind.

Ball Bearings - Some racers getting ready for a big race will clean out the thick grease completely from the bearings (soaking overnight in grease solvent or Simple Green usually does the trick - follow it up with blasting the bearings with motor spray or brake parts cleaner). With all the manufacturing grease out of the bearing, apply a very light amount of miniature bearing oil to the bearing, and that's it. Some racers go so far as to remove the side shields from their bearings to remove the extra friction caused by them.

Shocks - You should rebuild the shocks more often than the casual racer. A very important point that is overlooked by most racers is to make sure the shock's overall length is the same from left to right. Some racers have different length shocks front and rear, so make sure that at least the left and right shocks at each end are the same.. This helps make sure the car is not tweaked to the left or right. Trim the shock ends properly so there is nothing sticking off the ends (a file or emery board works great on the rounded ends), and use a set of callipers to measure the total shock length. The length can be adjusted by turning the plastic shaft end, the 'eye' piece that snaps on the ball end.

Racer's tip: You can replace the ball ends that hold the ends of the shocks with HPI #A133 (Ball 3 x 5.8 x 6mm) or the similar Associated part (6471, 7217 or 7660) and use screws to hold the shocks in. From the #6817 Shock Parts Set, just use the eyepieces that are slightly larger than the ones called for in the instructions (you've always wondered what those were for, didn't you?) and substitute them for the stock eye pieces. Just be aware that by using these, you will extend the overall length of the shocks, and you will have to adjust the ride height accordingly.
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Swampdawg