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What is the best glow starter?

What is the best glow starter?

Old 01-08-2003, 04:27 PM
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Default What is the best glow starter?

I've been through 4 different glow starters and I have yet to find one reliable or well designed. I am interested in a twist and lock glow starter. It seems that it would eliminate the problem of not having the glow starter completely capture the glow plug. So far, I've tried the OFNA plastic one, the Dynamite one that uses a D cell battery, the tiny Dubro, and the blue one with a battery meter on the top (don't know what brand). They all failed, some at first and others after a while of use.

Thanks
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Old 01-08-2003, 04:42 PM
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Default Re: What is the best glow starter?

Originally posted by Racing4Evo
I've been through 4 different glow starters and I have yet to find one reliable or well designed. I am interested in a twist and lock glow starter. It seems that it would eliminate the problem of not having the glow starter completely capture the glow plug. So far, I've tried the OFNA plastic one, the Dynamite one that uses a D cell battery, the tiny Dubro, and the blue one with a battery meter on the top (don't know what brand). They all failed, some at first and others after a while of use.

Thanks
I guess the most reliable one is getting power from your starter box! and the second one would probably be ofna or any other brand using sub C battery since you can buy those 3000 or 3300mah rechargable nimh battery and it will last you a month without recharging!

Just my $0.02
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Old 01-08-2003, 08:14 PM
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Post glow starter

I'm still looking for the "best" one!!!
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Old 01-08-2003, 10:21 PM
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Default What is the best glow starter?

Racing4Evo;

Try cleaning the Center terminal once in a while with a piece of sandpaper, etc. They will become dirty and the top post of the glow plug will not make good contact. You can also bend in the locking tabs to restore the fit when it's attacted to the glow plug

I've always used the aluminum bodied ignitors by Magnum (hobby people/global) and only replaced one in 3 years.

I believe that the Ofna glow ignitors that take Alkalines have a resistor wire built in to lower the voltage down to 1.2 volts. So if you use a NiCd/NiMh battery the voltage will be too low.
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Old 01-09-2003, 09:35 AM
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I been using the blue long one from great planes. It has been through hell and back. It's been droped, slamed, ranover, thrown etc and it still works great. It uses a rechargable sub-C battery. Although it doesnt have a meter, it doesnt give me any trouble by going dead. I just charge it a little every now and then. It last long on one charge anyways. You said you wanted the best, well that's a matter of opinion of course.
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Old 01-09-2003, 12:34 PM
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Use one that gets power from your starter box. As long as your box is charged, so is your glow igniter. If you have an OFNA box with a power panel you can even control how much juice the glow plug gets. OFNA also offers one with the power adjuster in the cord, for those who don't have a power panel.

Best part is, you can't lose it!
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Old 01-09-2003, 02:40 PM
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So which starterbox w/ glowplug......is the best then? for 1/10 and 1/8 scale.

.......I got tired of buying and losing glow ignitors too......and I need a new starterbox.
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Old 01-09-2003, 03:08 PM
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yea the best glow starters are the ones from the starter boxes. It's one less thing to worry about charging or losing. And I find that the make the glow plugs glow brighter because I think they put out more than 1.2 volts.
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Old 01-09-2003, 03:30 PM
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The starter box/ glow starter is great advice, only think is I don't have an OFNA box. I have a Mugen box and I don't think you can hook up a glow starter to it. So the question still stands. Great tips though. I'd try some of those tips but I lost the last one I had.
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Old 01-09-2003, 04:30 PM
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Well if you happen to use a 12V gell cell battery in your Mugen box, the option might still be there. The OFNA GLO-Driver & Connector Cable part #10216 has aligator clips to connect to a 12V battery. And it has its own dialable power setting for how much juice the glow plug gets, just like the OFNA power panel. That is of course IF you use a 12V gell cell in your starter box.

But, other than that, I'm out of my element, I haven't had too many non starter box glowstarters. After my first one(Du-Bro) crapped out on me, I stopped using those kind. Sorry

Good luck finding one!
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Old 01-09-2003, 04:45 PM
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I have one that uses a 4000MAH NiCad D-Cell - a charge lasts FOREVER and I've never had any problems with it.

I also have a cheapy and it works too.

What problems are you having with yours? I've never had any problems with mine. . .although I am thinking of getting one that plugs into my starter box. . .
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Old 01-09-2003, 05:44 PM
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The rechargable ones I had could never hold a charge. I remember countless times when it would only last 3 minutes on a full charge. Those batteries in my opion suck. The dubro was a little better than the Magnum. The glowstarters that used akaline D and C batteries could never stay on the glowplug. They would always wobble and break the circuit. That has caused me so many headaches because I thought it was my engine. I'd really hate to buy a new box just for the glow starter so it there a reliable twist and lock starter. I like twist and lock because I know its on there and will stay on there.
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Old 01-09-2003, 06:09 PM
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Seriously, most of the glow starter are the same thing since they are basically out of same factory just with different label on it anyways.
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Old 01-09-2003, 09:23 PM
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Default Wandering glow ignitors

Guys;

Dubro make a plastic clip for your ignitor, just screw it to the side of your starter box then keep the ignitor clipped to it. No more wandering glow ingnitors.

If your having trouble with your ignitors "Crapping out" then try my suggestion for cleaning the center terminal where it contacts the the glow plug. Has worked everytime for me.
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Old 01-10-2003, 04:08 AM
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I have only seen a glow ignitor go bad when the wire breaks or one of those tiny rechargable cells has been sitting around in the trunk of your car for a couple months.

I have the two OFNA (huge and hideously orange) D-cell dry glow igniters. I have like 3 alkaline D batteries and a rechargable (4000 mah) one around most of the time. Had these glow ignitors for 2-4 years.
Most starter boxes have a hole that is big enough for a glow ignitor to fit in, so use it. It may not be made for it, but stick it in there, anyways. If you have to be sheek ( I said sheek ) you can get one of those clips that pops was talking about.
A pit box is also a good idea too, because we all hate losing that special tuning screwdriver that fit perfectly through the window into the low speed needle, and just about everything else that we lug trackside.

These are just things that I do so I don't have to officially write my name on all of my stuff that I bring to the track.
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