This section should help people who are new to the hobby get things right first time.

Radio Setup;

Once you have installed all your receiver and servo equipment to your car, you'll need to turn it on and setup the servo center position. You may also need to reverse the servo direction by using the channel reverse switches on your transmitter.

You want to setup all your servos to near center trim as you can. So first move the trim switches on your transmitter to center. Next you need to fit the push rods to the servo horns. You need to work out how far they need to move, to how much force is needed to move them.

eg.

Then fit the horn so that the steering or throttle is set so that it is central or at idle. Check that you get full movement by the transmitter.

A Failsafe is a valuable peice of equipment, everyone should have one. It will warn you when the RX batteries are getting to low to power the servos and will stop the throttle servo from moving until the batteries are replaced/recharged. When the Receiver loses reception because of interference or you turn the transmitter off it will also move the throttle servo back to a pre-set idle.

Glue your tires;

Some people are too much in a rush to glue your tires on before going out to start the car up for the first time. But you will need to at some point as they will come off. To glue your tires properly, use Zap-a-gap or similar CA glue. Fit the tire to the rims and pull back the edges to reveal the inner gap. Apply 4 drops of CA around the circumference of the rim. Do the same for both sides and let the tire go back into place on the rim. Allow to dry for at 10 minutes before using.

Loctite;

Loctite everything that has a metal to metal contact as vibration will loosen the screws. Use Blue loctite as red is too hard to remove again.

Fuel;

Fuel should be stored out of sunlight and not near heat. The top should be screwed on firmly as methanol will evaporate into the air. Use a filler bottle to get fuel into your car's tank.

You should also have an in-line fuel filter on your car (which can be bought at modelshops cheaply). Which prevents un-wanted dirt from entering the engine. Fuel line security can be enhanced by adding a 4mm length of fuel tubing over each end of fuel line and then pushed onto the fuel pipe fitting.

Shell clips;

This is a good idea suggested to me by someone and I have been using it ever since. Drill 2x 1mm holes in shell close to the body post holes and thread nylon fishing line through the two holes and tie it off with a bit to spare for attaching the shell clip to it. Tie the shell clip on the other end with enough length so that it reaches your body posts when the shell is on.

You can also put zip ties through the shell clip and push some fuel tubing on the other end. Secured with the head of a zip tie after the fuel tubing.

Just a few ways to prevent you losing more shell clips!

Running your engine in;

This the most crucial part of how long your engine will last. Patience is the key...

There are many different ways of running an engine in, all work, some better than others. I can only speak for what I have done.

I set the mixture screws as per instruction manual (eg. usually 3-5turns out on high and flush with the end of the slide/barrel for the low). Set the idle screw (the one oposite the low end needle) so that by looking down the air inlet hole you can see there is about a 1.5mm gap between the slide/barrel and the edge of the carb body.

Just to clarify: The High End mixture screw control how much fuel enters the engine at mid to high rpm and is situated in the Tall Brass color where the main fuel enters the carb. The Low end is the needle on the end of the slide/barrel and control how much fuel enters the engine at low to mid rpm. When you adjust the High End (Main) Needle it alters the low needle as well. So always adjust the High End needle first.

By turning a needle clockwise, you are Leaning the fuel mixture to air ratio.

By turning a needle counter-clockwise, you are richening the fuel to air mixture ratio.

I allow the engine to idle its first tank through without any throttle, other than that just to keep it going, on a block of wood so that the wheel are free to rotate. I then let it idle half-way through its second tank, until the engine in warmed up and is running ok. This is a good time to check the idle speed adjust if neccessary.

If you have a temperature guage, then you want to keep the engine running at about 200F.

I then drive the car around a large car park slowly using no more than 1/2 throttle for the next 4 tanks. By this time the engine has had 6 full tanks through it. I then start to lean out the high needle by 1/8th turns clockwise at a time. If the low end is still "boggy" then I take the low end needle in by a fraction too, just to help it to move. The idea is is to keep the engine running at a rich state for as long as possible, as th oil in the fuel/exhaust carry the metal particles away from inside the engine during break-in.

For the next 3 tanks I slowly take the High end needle in to Lean the fuel mixture. Once I'm happy that the engine is running well and is broken-in properly, I start tuning the engine for power by leaning the high needle and low needles to get the best performance. You want to get the engine running at anywhere between 230F-280F is safe. By now you will need to change the glow plug as metal particles will have destroyed the glowplug coil.

Glowplug Temperatures;

A glow plug's temperature is usually determined by a number or letter. The hotter the plug you run the hotter the engine will run and visa-versa. Some engines like hotter/colder plugs than others. You will need to experiment with different plugs until you get the right one. You will know when you do by the temperatures will be stable at constant ~250F and the engine will run strong and not bog down at full throttle etc.

Pull Start Engines;

I have seen quiet a few people do this wrongly and end up breaking the starter rope or the spring quicker than it should break.

Pull the rope straight up from the recoil unit and not to the side. This will wear the rope very quickly if not done correctly. Pull the rope no further than 30cm from the recoil unit as the spring will break eventually if pulled any further. Also do not let the engine rip the handle back into the unit when it fires up, this will also break the spring.

To start the engine;

To prime the engine without a primer. First open the throttle fully and put your finger on the exhaust exit tip. Pull the starter rope (as previously described) a couple of times until you see the fuel in the line get to the carburetor inlet fitting, then pull a further 3 times. Now turn on your transmitter then your receiver and make sure the throttle servo moves back to idle position. Connect your glow starter and turn the engine over by the starter rope until the engine fires up. If the engine has become flooded, release the glowplug a 1/4 of a turn using a glowspanner and re-connect your glowstarter. Continue turning the engine over until it fires up or begins to fire. Immediatly tighten the glowplug back up.

To stop the engine;

If you are finshed for the day and have not emptied your fuel tank, pinch the fuel inlet pipe whilst the engine is running until the engine stops (it will speed up momentarily before it stops, this is normal).

If you haven't finshed and want to stop the engine in a hurry, lift up the model and put the end of your shoe against the flywheel until the engine stops. I don't put my finger on the exhaust tip until it stops as this floods the engine and makes it difficult to re-start.

If you are finished for the day, use after-run oil (available at modelshops) to prevent corrosion inside the engine.

Setting your gear mesh;

Quite an important part of setting up a model, as if the gears are meshed too tightly then they will wear out quickly or bind and over heat. If they are too sloppy then the teeth will wear away or strip from the gear.

To set the gears up I use a thin peice of paper (Printer paper style) and feed it between the gears. Move the engine as close as it will go and tighten the screws. Remove the paper, then hold the clutch bell and move the spur gear back and forth and see if there is a small amount of play in the gears (ie no more than a 1mm movement back and forth).

Now Get out there and Have Fun!