Winter driving, break in, and storage tips
The holidays are upon us and the winter solstice draws near… what does that mean? Winter RC fun of course!
And with winter fun comes winter type questions.
Vid-
Can you break in your kit during the winter?
Yes you can! This highly depends on weather conditions outside. If it is raining, snowing, or any other kind of moisture out there then you will want to wait for better conditions.
A few tips to be had is to warm the engine up in your garage first (door open of course). It is typically warmer in there than the outside temperature. Get the engine temps to 200 to 215 degrees off of a heat sensor pointed at the glow plug.
When you do your break in then be sure to have the cooling head cooling head wrapped. By doing this you will be preventing the cooling from doing its job of cooling. But, with the colder temperature, the cold air will do this for you. The engine needs heat to turn over. With this, wrapping the head with a paper towel, tin foil, or a sock will keep the heat in. Also, adjust the sock (or other material) can also control how much cooling the head actually does, or none at all.
Also, ensure that you are still in a rich state.
Winter running tips
-The best way to run the engine in the winter time is with a piece of tin foil, paper towel, or a sock around the head. You want the heat to build up in the cold.
-Run a little rich in the winter time.
-Be careful where you run. If the engine gets warm and a piece of snow or cold water splashes on the engine then it could immediately cool that section of the engine and cause it to seize. Protect your engine!
-Weather proof (or waterproof) your equipment!!! Below is an excerpt from my water proofing guide:
Receiver
You can weatherize the receiver in three different ways. You can use a balloon, plastic dip, or even liquid tape. My personal preference is the balloon method as it is the cleanest way to do it, best insurance that it will work, and you are not coating the receiver for future use of the channels and knobs. But, there are options and I will cover all of them.
The balloon method is by far the easiest to do. Simply stretch the business end of a balloon open with your fingers and drop the receiver in. With the receiver in the balloon you will then want to zip tie the balloon shut around the wires.
Plastic dip is another easy method but care should be taken as well. For this you will want to plug all of the connectors up with the servo wires. If you have any spare slots open, you have a synthesized receiver dial knobs, then you will want to cover those areas up. For the spare channel slots they do sell blanks that will fill the holes.
Once the holes and areas that you do not want covered with the plastic dip are covered then it is time to proceed. Simply open the can of plastic dip and dunk the receiver. Let it dry for about 30 to 60 minutes and then dunk it again. The receiver will be coated with a rubberized seal that will prevent water from entering the electronics.
Lastly, there is the liquid tape method. This is similar to the plastic dip method where you will want to cover anything up that you do not want to cover with the liquid tape. When this is done then all you have to do is brush on the liquid tape to the main board of the receiver. This is messy and not the easiest method. I would caution anyone wanting to do this method.
Servo
The servo offers two choices for cover. They are the plastic dip method and the silicone adhesive methods. Both work great and I have used both with great success. Both are easy to do and the mess is minimal. The key to weatherizing the servo is to patch the seam that encloses the two parts of the servo case and also the main gear.
The plastic dip method is very straightforward. Pop the can of the dip and dunk. Wait 30 to 60 minutes for the plastic dip to dry and then dunk again until you are satisfied with the coating process.
The main gear is pretty water proofed as it is. You will want to take a hobby knife and cut around the plastic dip around the main gear so that it can pivot properly. If you want to enhance that area then you can put green slime around the inside of the hold by opening the case and applying it. This is described in the next method in detail.
Silicone adhesive is easy to apply. To do this you will have to unscrew the retaining screws of the case. Select the top part of the case and hold it in your hand. Apply some of the silicone adhesive and green slime to a piece of disposable plastic and pick some up with a tooth pick. Apply a thin layer of the silicone to the top case of the servo all the way around. Then, apply some of the green slime on the inside of the main bearing hole. This is similar to sealing the HSN and the LSN of an engine (reference my sealing video and threads).
ESC
This is a tricky one! The esc needs to cool. Wrapping it up in a balloon will not allow air to pass over the heat sink fins and allow them to cool the unit down. The added heat could put the ESC into a thermal melt down!
The two methods available for the ESC are the silicone sealant and the liquid tape.
Silicone sealant is the same as the servo. For this you will want to pop open the ESC can apply a thin layer around the ESC casing. You can also spread this around where the wires fit as well.
The downside to the silicone method is that all ESCs are different. If you do have a heat sink then water can slip in there as with the front panels. This may work on some but not all.
The liquid tape method will work on all but there is a draw back as well. It is messy, hard to work with, and tedious. To do this, you will want to pop open the case and paint the entire board of the ESC with the liquid tape. DO NOT paint the heat sink or the heat sink slot. You want full metal to metal contact to ensure proper cooling!
Winter storage tips
So, what if the winter time is not your time to run? No worries, but you still want to take care of your kit as well.
-Remove the engine from the kit. Clean the engine and the air filter. Oil the internal components of the engine and cycle the piston around a few times. Put the piston at BDC (bottom dead center), and store the engine in a plastic bag.
-Clean the entire kit and inspect for loose screws, missing parts, and any other damage. It is best to fix these items now than later as you may forget what is wrong with the kit.
-Remove the tires from the kit. It is best to store them on their side. You can even allow the kit to rest on the side walls of the tires for storage.
-Ensure that the kit does not spend all winter resting on its shocks. Suspend the kit so that shocks hang low. An ideal way to do this is to put the tires on their side and put the kit on top of them.
-Ensure that there is no fuel in the tank or fuel lines.
-Remove the battery from the kit. Do not leave it connected. Charge them fully before storage.
-If you apply silicone or any other prep to your nitro kit (some people do) then go ahead and slick it up for storage if you want.
-And the last tip… store everything together! You don’t want to start the next year running with no engine!!! Put everything like it normally would be under the shell, block out the holes if you can, and let it rest for the holidays.
And with that, if you decide to run this year then have a safe yet fun season! If you do not, I will see you next year!
Care to watch the video?
The holidays are upon us and the winter solstice draws near… what does that mean? Winter RC fun of course!
And with winter fun comes winter type questions.
Vid-
Can you break in your kit during the winter?
Yes you can! This highly depends on weather conditions outside. If it is raining, snowing, or any other kind of moisture out there then you will want to wait for better conditions.
A few tips to be had is to warm the engine up in your garage first (door open of course). It is typically warmer in there than the outside temperature. Get the engine temps to 200 to 215 degrees off of a heat sensor pointed at the glow plug.
When you do your break in then be sure to have the cooling head cooling head wrapped. By doing this you will be preventing the cooling from doing its job of cooling. But, with the colder temperature, the cold air will do this for you. The engine needs heat to turn over. With this, wrapping the head with a paper towel, tin foil, or a sock will keep the heat in. Also, adjust the sock (or other material) can also control how much cooling the head actually does, or none at all.
Also, ensure that you are still in a rich state.
Winter running tips
-The best way to run the engine in the winter time is with a piece of tin foil, paper towel, or a sock around the head. You want the heat to build up in the cold.
-Run a little rich in the winter time.
-Be careful where you run. If the engine gets warm and a piece of snow or cold water splashes on the engine then it could immediately cool that section of the engine and cause it to seize. Protect your engine!
-Weather proof (or waterproof) your equipment!!! Below is an excerpt from my water proofing guide:
Receiver
You can weatherize the receiver in three different ways. You can use a balloon, plastic dip, or even liquid tape. My personal preference is the balloon method as it is the cleanest way to do it, best insurance that it will work, and you are not coating the receiver for future use of the channels and knobs. But, there are options and I will cover all of them.
The balloon method is by far the easiest to do. Simply stretch the business end of a balloon open with your fingers and drop the receiver in. With the receiver in the balloon you will then want to zip tie the balloon shut around the wires.
Plastic dip is another easy method but care should be taken as well. For this you will want to plug all of the connectors up with the servo wires. If you have any spare slots open, you have a synthesized receiver dial knobs, then you will want to cover those areas up. For the spare channel slots they do sell blanks that will fill the holes.
Once the holes and areas that you do not want covered with the plastic dip are covered then it is time to proceed. Simply open the can of plastic dip and dunk the receiver. Let it dry for about 30 to 60 minutes and then dunk it again. The receiver will be coated with a rubberized seal that will prevent water from entering the electronics.
Lastly, there is the liquid tape method. This is similar to the plastic dip method where you will want to cover anything up that you do not want to cover with the liquid tape. When this is done then all you have to do is brush on the liquid tape to the main board of the receiver. This is messy and not the easiest method. I would caution anyone wanting to do this method.
Servo
The servo offers two choices for cover. They are the plastic dip method and the silicone adhesive methods. Both work great and I have used both with great success. Both are easy to do and the mess is minimal. The key to weatherizing the servo is to patch the seam that encloses the two parts of the servo case and also the main gear.
The plastic dip method is very straightforward. Pop the can of the dip and dunk. Wait 30 to 60 minutes for the plastic dip to dry and then dunk again until you are satisfied with the coating process.
The main gear is pretty water proofed as it is. You will want to take a hobby knife and cut around the plastic dip around the main gear so that it can pivot properly. If you want to enhance that area then you can put green slime around the inside of the hold by opening the case and applying it. This is described in the next method in detail.
Silicone adhesive is easy to apply. To do this you will have to unscrew the retaining screws of the case. Select the top part of the case and hold it in your hand. Apply some of the silicone adhesive and green slime to a piece of disposable plastic and pick some up with a tooth pick. Apply a thin layer of the silicone to the top case of the servo all the way around. Then, apply some of the green slime on the inside of the main bearing hole. This is similar to sealing the HSN and the LSN of an engine (reference my sealing video and threads).
ESC
This is a tricky one! The esc needs to cool. Wrapping it up in a balloon will not allow air to pass over the heat sink fins and allow them to cool the unit down. The added heat could put the ESC into a thermal melt down!
The two methods available for the ESC are the silicone sealant and the liquid tape.
Silicone sealant is the same as the servo. For this you will want to pop open the ESC can apply a thin layer around the ESC casing. You can also spread this around where the wires fit as well.
The downside to the silicone method is that all ESCs are different. If you do have a heat sink then water can slip in there as with the front panels. This may work on some but not all.
The liquid tape method will work on all but there is a draw back as well. It is messy, hard to work with, and tedious. To do this, you will want to pop open the case and paint the entire board of the ESC with the liquid tape. DO NOT paint the heat sink or the heat sink slot. You want full metal to metal contact to ensure proper cooling!
Winter storage tips
So, what if the winter time is not your time to run? No worries, but you still want to take care of your kit as well.
-Remove the engine from the kit. Clean the engine and the air filter. Oil the internal components of the engine and cycle the piston around a few times. Put the piston at BDC (bottom dead center), and store the engine in a plastic bag.
-Clean the entire kit and inspect for loose screws, missing parts, and any other damage. It is best to fix these items now than later as you may forget what is wrong with the kit.
-Remove the tires from the kit. It is best to store them on their side. You can even allow the kit to rest on the side walls of the tires for storage.
-Ensure that the kit does not spend all winter resting on its shocks. Suspend the kit so that shocks hang low. An ideal way to do this is to put the tires on their side and put the kit on top of them.
-Ensure that there is no fuel in the tank or fuel lines.
-Remove the battery from the kit. Do not leave it connected. Charge them fully before storage.
-If you apply silicone or any other prep to your nitro kit (some people do) then go ahead and slick it up for storage if you want.
-And the last tip… store everything together! You don’t want to start the next year running with no engine!!! Put everything like it normally would be under the shell, block out the holes if you can, and let it rest for the holidays.
And with that, if you decide to run this year then have a safe yet fun season! If you do not, I will see you next year!
Care to watch the video?
