3 Nitro No-No’s

Sir, please stop yelling.  There's no fuel in your buggy's tank.

If I’ve learned anything over the years racing nitro vehicles, it’s that there’s no replacement for lots of expendable cash experience. Over time, nitro guys develop a sixth-sense, knowing when an engine is too lean or rich just by the feel of the trigger in their hands.  On the other side of the coin, there are basics every nitro guy should learn right away.  That’s what this blog is about.  3 things you should never do…ever…when trying to start a nitro engine.  Laugh all you want at these, but if you’re a nitro guy, at some point you will (or already have) commit these mistakes!  Learn from my foibles.  Don’t do these:

1.  Don’t try to start an engine with an empty fuel tank.  It happens all the time.  To all of us. Yes all of us.

2. Don’t use a starter box that spins in reverse.   Check the starter wheel; it should bump against the flywheel and cause the flywheel to spin counter-clockwise.  If you’ve replaced the starter motors, installed new battery plugs or new wiring inside the box, you may have wired something in reverse.  An engine can start when spun backwards, but it’s nearly impossible.  This mistake happens more than you would think.

3. Don’t use a dead glow igniter.  It’s easy to forget that glow igniters need to be charged as often as any other item in your pit box.  Charge it before every weekend, because a dead glow igniter can be the last thing you check when your engine doesn’t start…and it’s an easy problem to avoid.

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Updated: February 3, 2017 — 10:38 AM
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