kvnnets
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Well it's getting to be that time of year soon, especially for us in Canada, to put away our RC's for the season. Here is some good info from RC411 on how and what to do.
ENGINE STORAGE
Your engine is the most vital of the items you'll be tending to for storage. The alcohol in your fuel absorbs water, so any go-go juice left in your engine spells bad news. Before you attend to your engine you need to clean up your fuel system. Safely dump any fuel that may be left in your fuel tank (don't dump this fuel back into your gallon since it may have picked up some contaminants within the fuel tank). Once your tank is empty start your engine and burn out all of the residual fuel that is in the bottom of the tank, in the fuel lines, and in the engine's crankcase. You may have to fire the engine up a few times to fully dry out the fuel system but don't overdo it since once all of the fuel is burnt so is the lubrication and you could cause excessive wear to your engine's internals.
Once you have removed all of the left over fuel use a little bit of denatured alcohol to clean out your fuel tank. Put a small amount of alcohol into the fuel tank and swish it around a bit before dumping it. This will remove any final bits of fuel and oil that could gum up over the winter. As a final internal engine step you should remove the glow plug, place 5 to 10 drops of after-run oil into the cylinder, and turn the engine over a few times to evenly coat the oil within your engine (make sure the top of your cylinder head is clean before you remove your glow plug or debris can fall into the engine when you remove it).
Now that your engine internals are set for the long haul you can start working on the engine exterior. Clean around your air filter with a bristle brush to ensure no dirt will fall into your engine's intake. Remove your air filter, clean and re-oil it, then store it in a bag until next year. Get yourself a good set of rubber carb, exhaust, and fuel intake plugs to keep the crap out of your engine while cleaning it. If you don't have rubber plugs you can roll up a small piece of paper towel and stuff it into the carburetor intake and exhaust port to prevent debris from entering. Remove your engine from your car and clean up the outside as best as you can with a bristle brush and some o-ring safe nitro cleaner. As a final precautionary measure place your mill into a clear plastic bag and seal it up.
Your tuned pipe can be a hazard when it comes to dripping burnt oil onto the carpet causing your wife/mom/landlord to want to kill you, so you might want to use a drop cloth. Remove your exhaust system from your car temporarily and use nitro cleaner to spray out the fuel and oil residue from inside your tuned pipe and header. Let everything dry and then re-install the assembly onto your car. Use a rubber plug or some rolled up paper towel to seal the stinger pipe and eliminate the chance of fuel or oil from dripping out.
GENERAL CHASSIS PREP
There is nothing worse than working on a dirty car, so your next task is to clean that sucker up!!!! Remove your wheels, body, wing, and receiver battery and get cleaning. There are many methods of cleaning your chassis, but they all involve a little elbow grease. Cleaning solutions such as denatured alcohol or Simple Green will make the cleaning much easier, and using an air compressor to blow off your chassis will shave valuable time from this task as well. Use a bristle brush and a tooth brush along with your cleaners to force your machine into super shiny status. Make sure you get right into the hard to reach areas and especially clean sections of your car with moving parts such as steering bellcranks, knuckles, suspension pivot points, and driveline components.
Keep in mind that if you use a solvent based spray such as nitro cleaner that all of the lubrication will be removed from your ball bearings (non solvent based cleaners will not degrease any of your chassis parts). It is a wise idea to remove all of your ball bearings, clean them individually, and re-oil them before re-installing them back into your chassis. Even if you don't use a solvent based cleaner this is a wise process to follow to ensure your bearings are ready for the long winter ahead of them.
Spray some WD-40 onto a bristle brush and brush on a thin coat over your entire chassis and suspension components as a final storage step for your chassis. This will leave a thin film of silicone lubrication to help prevent corrosion over the months ahead. This trick also works during the race season to keep large chunks of mud from adhering to your chassis is moist racing conditions.
FUEL STORAGE
Your liquid gold needs some storage attention as well. Your best bet is to try to time your fuel purchases so you run out just as the driving season ends, but this is usually easier said than done. Assuming that you have some fuel left in your gallon a few simple steps will ensure it is still useable next year. Take the cap off your fuel gallon and squeeze out as much air as you possibly can and then re-cap it. This will help prevent the nitromethane from evaporating over the winter. Where you store your gallon of fuel is very important as well. You want to keep it in a cool, dry place off the ground. On a shelf or a piece of wood in the basement is usually a safe bet.
SUSPENSION
Don't leave your shocks to stress over the entire winter—loosen your spring collars to reduce the tension in your shock springs or remove your shocks and springs completely before putting them in storage. It is also a wise idea to keep your chassis on blocks when not in use so as to not place unnecessary load on the suspension. Since everything is clean and easy to work with, now is also a good time to inspect your suspension for bent hinge pins, worn out arms, or any other parts that need attention. Fix or replace any issues you find to be sure you don't forget to address them next race season.
STARTING ACCESSORIES
Your starting equipment such as glow igniters and starter box batteries may need some attention as well to get them through a few months of non-use. Depending of the type of cells you use in each piece of equipment you may have to handle storage differently. If your glow igniter has a NiCd cell in it, you should discharge it for the winter to eliminate any memory. If it has a NiMH cell in it you should leave it with a bit of charge and even put a slight bit of charge in it every few months so it doesn't fully drain itself.
You need to store your starter box as well. If your starter box is powered by a Gel Cell type battery you should store it charged, and just like NiMH batteries you should top it up every few months to ensure it doesn't fully drain. LiPo batteries should never be allowed to fully discharge, so if you're using this awesome technology in your starter box mark a big X on your calendar to remind you that it's time for a LiPo power refill.
BATTERIES AND ELECTRONICS
Just like the starting equipment discussed above your transmitter and receiver batteries may need some messaging. If you are using NiCd cells, discharge them for storage. If you use NiMH cells in your radio and car, store them with a charge in them. Same deal for LiPos too; let them die over the winter and you'll be buying new ones in the spring, so do whatever you have to do to remember to charge them during the cooler months. Keep in mind that batteries have a limited life span, so if you've got a few race seasons on them it may be wise to replace them with fresh cells next year. This is especially true for your receiver battery, since this one gets the most stress from your high current drawing super-servos.
Your radio equipment generally just needs a cleaning before bedtime. Use a bristle brush to remove any dust from your transmitter, receiver, and servos. You should take it a step further with your rx and open her up to remove any dust or debris that built up throughout your race program.
LOVE YOUR RUBBER
Whether you are running foam or rubber tires you shouldn't leave them on your car for the winter. The rubber can dry out and harden and the tires can flat spot. Take a few moments before storing your tires to mark the compounds, inserts, and wear status on the inside of the rims and then place each pair into a zip-lock bag and into a box out of direct light. This will ensure that your tires are fresh when you open them up in a few months.
PACK IT AWAY
It's hard to come to the end of this article because that means no more outdoor racing for a few months. As a final storage step place your chassis, engine, and accessories into a box to keep dust away and find a home for it in a dry place to prevent moisture from causing corrosion to metal parts. RC withdrawal is about to set in, but you can be confident that the next time you unleash your nitro warrior upon the rest of the unsuspecting RC population it will run as if you just prepped it for an A-main, even after collecting dust for a good four months.
ENGINE STORAGE
Your engine is the most vital of the items you'll be tending to for storage. The alcohol in your fuel absorbs water, so any go-go juice left in your engine spells bad news. Before you attend to your engine you need to clean up your fuel system. Safely dump any fuel that may be left in your fuel tank (don't dump this fuel back into your gallon since it may have picked up some contaminants within the fuel tank). Once your tank is empty start your engine and burn out all of the residual fuel that is in the bottom of the tank, in the fuel lines, and in the engine's crankcase. You may have to fire the engine up a few times to fully dry out the fuel system but don't overdo it since once all of the fuel is burnt so is the lubrication and you could cause excessive wear to your engine's internals.
Once you have removed all of the left over fuel use a little bit of denatured alcohol to clean out your fuel tank. Put a small amount of alcohol into the fuel tank and swish it around a bit before dumping it. This will remove any final bits of fuel and oil that could gum up over the winter. As a final internal engine step you should remove the glow plug, place 5 to 10 drops of after-run oil into the cylinder, and turn the engine over a few times to evenly coat the oil within your engine (make sure the top of your cylinder head is clean before you remove your glow plug or debris can fall into the engine when you remove it).
Now that your engine internals are set for the long haul you can start working on the engine exterior. Clean around your air filter with a bristle brush to ensure no dirt will fall into your engine's intake. Remove your air filter, clean and re-oil it, then store it in a bag until next year. Get yourself a good set of rubber carb, exhaust, and fuel intake plugs to keep the crap out of your engine while cleaning it. If you don't have rubber plugs you can roll up a small piece of paper towel and stuff it into the carburetor intake and exhaust port to prevent debris from entering. Remove your engine from your car and clean up the outside as best as you can with a bristle brush and some o-ring safe nitro cleaner. As a final precautionary measure place your mill into a clear plastic bag and seal it up.
Your tuned pipe can be a hazard when it comes to dripping burnt oil onto the carpet causing your wife/mom/landlord to want to kill you, so you might want to use a drop cloth. Remove your exhaust system from your car temporarily and use nitro cleaner to spray out the fuel and oil residue from inside your tuned pipe and header. Let everything dry and then re-install the assembly onto your car. Use a rubber plug or some rolled up paper towel to seal the stinger pipe and eliminate the chance of fuel or oil from dripping out.
GENERAL CHASSIS PREP
There is nothing worse than working on a dirty car, so your next task is to clean that sucker up!!!! Remove your wheels, body, wing, and receiver battery and get cleaning. There are many methods of cleaning your chassis, but they all involve a little elbow grease. Cleaning solutions such as denatured alcohol or Simple Green will make the cleaning much easier, and using an air compressor to blow off your chassis will shave valuable time from this task as well. Use a bristle brush and a tooth brush along with your cleaners to force your machine into super shiny status. Make sure you get right into the hard to reach areas and especially clean sections of your car with moving parts such as steering bellcranks, knuckles, suspension pivot points, and driveline components.
Keep in mind that if you use a solvent based spray such as nitro cleaner that all of the lubrication will be removed from your ball bearings (non solvent based cleaners will not degrease any of your chassis parts). It is a wise idea to remove all of your ball bearings, clean them individually, and re-oil them before re-installing them back into your chassis. Even if you don't use a solvent based cleaner this is a wise process to follow to ensure your bearings are ready for the long winter ahead of them.
Spray some WD-40 onto a bristle brush and brush on a thin coat over your entire chassis and suspension components as a final storage step for your chassis. This will leave a thin film of silicone lubrication to help prevent corrosion over the months ahead. This trick also works during the race season to keep large chunks of mud from adhering to your chassis is moist racing conditions.
FUEL STORAGE
Your liquid gold needs some storage attention as well. Your best bet is to try to time your fuel purchases so you run out just as the driving season ends, but this is usually easier said than done. Assuming that you have some fuel left in your gallon a few simple steps will ensure it is still useable next year. Take the cap off your fuel gallon and squeeze out as much air as you possibly can and then re-cap it. This will help prevent the nitromethane from evaporating over the winter. Where you store your gallon of fuel is very important as well. You want to keep it in a cool, dry place off the ground. On a shelf or a piece of wood in the basement is usually a safe bet.
SUSPENSION
Don't leave your shocks to stress over the entire winter—loosen your spring collars to reduce the tension in your shock springs or remove your shocks and springs completely before putting them in storage. It is also a wise idea to keep your chassis on blocks when not in use so as to not place unnecessary load on the suspension. Since everything is clean and easy to work with, now is also a good time to inspect your suspension for bent hinge pins, worn out arms, or any other parts that need attention. Fix or replace any issues you find to be sure you don't forget to address them next race season.
STARTING ACCESSORIES
Your starting equipment such as glow igniters and starter box batteries may need some attention as well to get them through a few months of non-use. Depending of the type of cells you use in each piece of equipment you may have to handle storage differently. If your glow igniter has a NiCd cell in it, you should discharge it for the winter to eliminate any memory. If it has a NiMH cell in it you should leave it with a bit of charge and even put a slight bit of charge in it every few months so it doesn't fully drain itself.
You need to store your starter box as well. If your starter box is powered by a Gel Cell type battery you should store it charged, and just like NiMH batteries you should top it up every few months to ensure it doesn't fully drain. LiPo batteries should never be allowed to fully discharge, so if you're using this awesome technology in your starter box mark a big X on your calendar to remind you that it's time for a LiPo power refill.
BATTERIES AND ELECTRONICS
Just like the starting equipment discussed above your transmitter and receiver batteries may need some messaging. If you are using NiCd cells, discharge them for storage. If you use NiMH cells in your radio and car, store them with a charge in them. Same deal for LiPos too; let them die over the winter and you'll be buying new ones in the spring, so do whatever you have to do to remember to charge them during the cooler months. Keep in mind that batteries have a limited life span, so if you've got a few race seasons on them it may be wise to replace them with fresh cells next year. This is especially true for your receiver battery, since this one gets the most stress from your high current drawing super-servos.
Your radio equipment generally just needs a cleaning before bedtime. Use a bristle brush to remove any dust from your transmitter, receiver, and servos. You should take it a step further with your rx and open her up to remove any dust or debris that built up throughout your race program.
LOVE YOUR RUBBER
Whether you are running foam or rubber tires you shouldn't leave them on your car for the winter. The rubber can dry out and harden and the tires can flat spot. Take a few moments before storing your tires to mark the compounds, inserts, and wear status on the inside of the rims and then place each pair into a zip-lock bag and into a box out of direct light. This will ensure that your tires are fresh when you open them up in a few months.
PACK IT AWAY
It's hard to come to the end of this article because that means no more outdoor racing for a few months. As a final storage step place your chassis, engine, and accessories into a box to keep dust away and find a home for it in a dry place to prevent moisture from causing corrosion to metal parts. RC withdrawal is about to set in, but you can be confident that the next time you unleash your nitro warrior upon the rest of the unsuspecting RC population it will run as if you just prepped it for an A-main, even after collecting dust for a good four months.
