How to Shut Down Your Nitro Engine

How to Shut Down Your Nitro Engine

Nitro-powered RC vehicles attract a lot of people because of the sound of the engine and smell of the exhaust. Everyone who owns a nitro vehicle knows how to start it. There are a few ways to start an engine, but each vehicle only has one or two ways to make that happen and you can’t screw it up. There are a few ways to shut an engine down and some methods are better than others. Let’s take a look at these options so you can determine which will work best for you.

Plug the pipe

This isn’t the best way to shut your engine down, but it works and should only be used as a last resort. Plugging the exhaust pipe will shut your engine down, but you end up pressurizing the fuel tank in the process, which will then flood your engine. When your engine is flooded, it’s much harder to start. If you do decide to plug your exhaust, use a rubber or plastic-type stopper to do the job—not your finger. You can burn your finger on the exhaust pipe when doing so.

Pinch the fuel line

Another way to shut down your engine is by pinching the fuel line to starve the engine of fuel. Once there’s no fuel left in the line, the engine will no longer run. Although this is a better way to shut your engine down, it can still cause damage to your engine by having a lean condition occur. As long as you have a good tune on your low-speed needle, the leaning out of your engine shouldn’t be a problem because the engine will lean out and shut off quickly. If you’re running a rich low-speed needle setting then you’ll find that when you pinch the fuel line the engine will lean out and stay that way for a while before shutting down. When pinching the fuel line, use your fingers if you can get to the fuel line without being burned by the exhaust or engine. If you can’t, you’ll have to grab a pair of needle-nose pliers to do the job. Just make sure that you are careful not to damage the fuel line in the process. The pliers may have sharp edges that can poke a hole in or rip your fuel line.

Bump the flywheel

This is the best way to shut your engine down. Unfortunately, depending on what vehicle you have, it’s not always an option. Some monster trucks and RTR vehicles don’t have very good access to the flywheel and the other two methods for shutting an engine down must be used. If you do have access to the flywheel, the best way to shut off the engine is to bump the flywheel with a rubber stopper or a piece of plastic on a toothbrush or tool. Just keep in mind that the rough surface of the flywheel will damage whatever is rubbing against it to shut it off. Wait until the engine is at idle and creating the least amount of power before bumping the flywheel. Just a quick bump is all it takes to shut your engine off.

And there you have it!

Now you can safely shut your engine down after bashing or racing. Just remember that no matter what method you use to shut your engine down, wait for your engine rpm to come down before doing so.

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Updated: April 25, 2011 — 9:01 AM
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