HPI Racing - Super Nitro RS4 Building Tips

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Our Super Nitro RS4 Instructions are online! Click here to go to the download page!

New!Engine Break-In Tip
New engines may lock up if the piston cools down when it is at the top of the stroke. To get it loose, heat the case with a hairdryer, remove the glow plug and apply a few drops of Marvel Mystery oil insided the combustion chamber.

Always try to move the piston to the bottom of the stroke after you have run it, you can feel it by turning over the flywheel. The top is the tight spot.

Important - Thread lock your engine pilot shaft!
Before starting any assembly on your kit, remove the pilot shaft from the engine (if it is preassembled already), put a drop of thread locking compound on the threads, and tighten down the pilot shaft as much as possible. Let it dry for the entire time you are building the kit, at least overnight (12 hours). This will make sure that the pilot shaft won't vibrate loose while you are running your kit.

Get Loctite!
One of the first things you should get when you get your first Nitro kit is a small bottle of Loctite brand thread lock. Use the blue (242) compound thread lock, as it allows you to remove the screw from the hole when you need to. On any Nitro car, ALWAYS use threadlock on any metal-to-metal screws, including: engine mounts, steering pilot shafts, brake cam set screw, clutchbell screw, 2 speed set screw, muffler or header mounts, as well as any aluminum parts you may have installed. This is a critical part of the assembly of any Nitro car, and thread lock should be a standard part of your tool box.

Check your car before running
Before running your Nitro car, ALWAYS look over your car to see if there are any loose screws or nuts. Many races have been lost because a wheel fell off a car, to the embarrassment of the driver! Check all the screws and nuts throughout the car to prevent damage to your car or embarrassment to yourself.

Secure that battery pack!To prevent the battery pack from falling out of your car in the event of a crash, try wrapping the battery wire around the reusable nylon tie that comes in your kit. You can also use another nylon zip tie lengthwise for extra insurance. This helps keep the battery pack in place during races, which will keep the car under your control!

Wrap the battery wires around the nylon tie, as shown

Maintain your 2 speed one-way bearing
We have had reports from some Nitro racers that they are damaging the one-way bearings in the spur gear of the 2 speed transmission. This is usually due to the fact that the bearing has gotten dirty, and/or the one-way bearing has no grease to lubricate it. If you have the #A906 Front One-Way Diff, you can use the dark grease (with the blue cap) to lubricate the one-way bearing in the 2 speed assembly. You can also use the Associated black diff lube. Lubrication of the 2 speed one-way bearing should be done every several hours of running, or every time you tear apart the car during routine maintenance.

Hard to start a hot engine?
If you are having trouble re-starting the engine after is has run for a little bit, there are a couple of things you can do: 1) open the needle valve 1/2 turn to a full turn and re-prime the engine, or 2) wait for the engine to cool down and start it up again later. The reason why you may need to do this is because the carb gets very hot as the engine is run, and if the engine is stopped for some reason and you have to re-prime the engine, the heat from the carb could evaporate the fuel before it gets a chance to get inside the engine.

Seal your exhaust
When assembling the muffler and attaching it to the engine, we've found that Permatex RTV Silicone is great for preventing fuel leaks. It also helps to make sure the screws that hold on the muffler are very tight. Use threadlock on any metal-to-metal screw surface!

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Put some spring in your brakesTo help to prevent the brakes from dragging when the power is on, when assembling the disc brake use RC10L .022 springs (# 8431 from Associated Electronics) on the silver screws between the metal brake pads. The return action of the springs keeps the plates away from the disc. You may find that the spring are too stiff. In this case, either cut a loop or two off the springs or use the 0.20 or 0.18 springs from Associated.

Prevent fuel foaming
The fuel in the tank can foam or bubble from the vibrations that the engine makes, causing air bubbles in the fuel line to the engine. This can make the engine stall from lack of fuel. Loosening the screws that hold on the tank can keep the vibrations down, and you can use old o-rings between the screw and tank to help further cushion any vibrations.

Update: To break in the .15FE engine, the needle valve should be turned no farther out than two and a half turns. The three turns suggested in the instructions makes the engine run too rich.

Air out your wheels
Use a small drill bit to put two small air holes in each wheel, opposite each other. This lets air inside the tires in case the tire is glued all the way around the tire making it almost airtight. If a tire that is almost airtight is compressed, the tire may not fill back up with air and expand, giving you a temporary flat spot on the tire. A couple of 1/16" holes will prevent that problem.

Clean the tire bead before gluingUse rubbing alcohol to clean the rims where you will be gluing the tire to the rim. Doing this will ensure a good bond so that your tires do not come off during a race.

Use good glue for tires and wheels!
HPI racers have found that Pacer Zap CA (CyanoAcrylate, or Contact Adhesive) works best to bond the rubber of the tire and the nylon of the wheel. It is super thin, and it runs very well between the tire and rim. It may run too well, so don't use too much, and have some debonder (super glue solvent) available in case it gets on your fingers.

Smooth out your graphite parts
With the woven graphite option parts, you should remove any sharp edges with fine-grit sandpaper. Make sure the edges are rounded so that the graphite edges do not cut through your wires and short-circuit the electronics.

Do break-in correctly - slow and easy
Make sure you break in your engine correctly! Do not give the engine any throttle or run the rpm's very high at all. The whole idea of breaking in the engine is to seat the washer on the head of the engine head and wear in the piston and sleeve. If you run the engine at high rpm's during break in, you may find it very difficult to start the engine.

Too rich or too lean?
If your engine stalls at idle speed, you may have a bad glow plug. You should get an O.S. #8 glow plug to replace the stock glow plug, it is a very good all-around plug and should last a long time. If the engine stalls at mid-throttle, you are running too lean. Back out the needle valve a couple of clicks, and try again. If the engine stalls at full throttle, you are running too rich. Close the needle valve a couple of clicks, and start the engine again.

Shock clip information
For Your Information: The shock clips that are included in all HPI shock sets are 1mm, 2mm, 4mm and 7mm thick. This will allow you to know what the measurement is, instead of thinking, "the third thickest spacer".

The silicone tube that leads the exhaust from the stock muffler has a 7mm inside diameter and a 10mm outside diameter. This information is provided just in case you wish to use a longer tube.

Zip ties rule!
To prevent oil and fuel from getting on the inside rear of your car's body, use a narrow nylon zip tie to hold the tip of the exhaust tube down so that it faces the ground. You can also use servo tape to attach a piece of scrap Lexan where the exhaust seems to hit the most. It will act as a shield and prevent your paint from being eaten away by the fuel and oil.