i have a 1998 nitro rustler. i just got it. i dont call myself an expert in RC. i have three other cars which all work fine. but this car i got for 45$ from a friend. its a 1998' EZ start .15 pro, i cant figure out whats wrong with it. the engine floods real bad! and it goes through a tank of fuel in 2 minutes. i believe i have the carb set correctly. another problem is it will accelerate randomly. and the car will barely stay idle!

please help me!!

cars:
HPI firestorm 10t
Caldera 3.0
Traxxas T-Maxx 3.3
98' nitro rustler .15 pro

Hows the compression on the motor?

idk, idk how to even test engine compression. i just ran it after a couple starts and i couldnt even hit full throttle with out it stalling, i had to milk the engine to keep it running.

its sounds super rich..... start leaning it out to see if u can get the rpms up.

also it was real hot? like smoking real bad from the engine and smoke in the gas tank.

sounds like it's time to rebuild the engine. A new piston and sleeve, new o-rings for the carb, ect. Random acceleration is typically the result of a rich setting and the engine burning the excess fuel off. Take the engine out and clean it really well with a degreaser, get all the old nitro fuel off of it. Then disassemble the head and clean it up. Tighten te head bolts back down and make sure the carb is securely attached as well. Your motor does bare the signs of wear though.

How do you know it's hot other than the smoke? That could be excess nitro fuel burning off the head, and smoke in the fuel tank is typical if your engine is running rich. Remember the tank is pressurized from the exhaust. You could need a new tank as well. It may not be holding a stable pressure.

will it be cheaper to buy a new engine? maybe another .15 pro? or just upgrade to a 2.5 or 2.5r? or just rebuild

If its that old and has been sitting I would replace all the fuel lines, tank and filter. Also I personally would pitch the .15 and get a new one or upgrade it before rebuilding it

umm i have pictures up with the same question on the traxxas site. i will have video up there as well. since i havent posted enough i cant post URL. so go to traxxas nitro rustler forums look for same title as this forum..thanks