What To Do If Your Nitro Engine Will Not Start

It is VERY rare that a fault can be traced back to the engine. Check the following points below before considering the engine to be faulty.

1. Check the flywheel is not loose. You should not be able to turn the flywheel without also turning the engine. If the flywheel is loose you will need to tighten the flywheel bolt. If the flywheel is loose the engine will usually start but then cut out straight away.

2. Do the wheels turn when you pull the starter? If so the clutch shoes have melted and will need replacing

3. Has the Glow Plug burned out? Remove the glow plug and check if it is glowing. Do this by attaching the glow plug to the glow start directly and the coil in the bottom of the glow plug should glow bright red in a matter of seconds. Engines will not start if the glow plug is dim or not glowing at all.
Solution: Replace the battery and/or glow plug

4. Is the recoil starter hard to pull ? If the recoil starter is hard to pull this means that the engine is flooded (there is too much fuel in the combustion chamber). At this point don't pull the recoil starter any more - doing so will damage the recoil spring. or break the pull cord. Any misuse of the recoil starter unit will void the manufacturers warranty.
Solution : Remove the glow plug from the heat sink head and turn the car upside down. Now pull the recoil starter a few times to expell the excess fuel out of the combustion chamber. Replace the glow plug and start again.

5. Does the car start, but stalls when the glow clip is removed ? If this happens it’s a possibility that the car is idling too low
Solution: Look down at the carburettor from above. It should be all but closed, with just a 1 to 2 mm gap to allow the air in. The idle setting can be changed by turning the idle screw in or out.(The idle screw is generally located right next to the carburettor barrel)

6. Go to our help page and make sure you have carried out all the steps to pre-use and starting correctly and carefully.

7. If the engine feels tight when you pull the pull start try undoing the glow plug just a tiny bit which will release some of the pressure and then when the engine starts you can tighten it back up.

8. Make sure you have primed the engine with fuel correctly and enough. It will not start if there is not enough fuel in the engine and it will not start if there is to much. There is more info on the how to start a nitro engine section on our web site.

Below is a set of videos that go through the procedure for starting and tuning a nitro engine.