sundevil67

Anyone know where I can buy one of these?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3qk585mzeU ?

I've pretty much thrown in the towel trying to start my kyosho spada reliably with the starter box - if I can't find an easier way to start this thing I am going to have to sell it, which would really be a shame since I think I've run all of about 3 tanks through it.

blis

The rotostart won't solve your problem.

Make sure all your air and fuel lines, manifold gaskets and tank are sealed and there's no leaks.

1) Remove the plug
2) Remove the fuel line and cap it with a screw.
3) Clear the cylinder of any residual fuel. (Turn engine over)
4) Look down the carby, the gap should be no more than 1mm, set it to 1mm.
5) Check throttle linkages and use a spring or rubber band to keep the idle shut.
6) Put the plug back in
7) Connect the fuel line
8) Attempt to start the engine. Take note of when it starts to fire and if it floods from that point on. Return to 1)

9) If it's idling, gently give it 1/4 blips of the throttle and let it warm up, otherwise one of two things happens.
a. If idle starts to climb as engine warms - Options: Lower the idle / richen bottom mix / use colder plug.
b. If idle stalls, raise the idle / lean bottom mixture / use hotter plug.

If you can keep the engine idling, even if you have to blip the throttle every now and then, you're on your way. Once you're confident it starts, you won't be bothered if it stalls. Get it on track, let it warm up and then tune the top needle and have a go.

sundevil67

Thanks for all of the tips...for this particular issue, it's really not so much a matter of engine tuning as the fitment of the starter box & template. The flywheel protrudes from the chassis so slightly that it is nearly impossible to get a solid groove to make contact with the starter wheel. It is my 2nd starter box, and I got all of the OEM Kyosho stuff hoping it'd make this easier. I'm thinking there just has to be a more modern/convenient way to start this thing than lugging that dumb box around and keeping a 12v battery charged to power it. This Handy Start thing looks like just the ticket, but I am a little worried that it is from overseas and there is virtually no information (in English) about it - so I don't even know if there are any additional parts/accessories needed if I were to order it. I may just take the gamble and hope I can figure it out - found it on Amazon for about $60 - I've risked more than that on a hand of Blackjack

Paper2

Very comfortable to start the car with this system

martinslezak

Hi sundevil67, I am facing an issue very similar to yours right now and am looking for a solution. I seek a reliable way to start the engine of Spada I recently bought. Did you buy the Handy Start thing? And if you did, did it start the engine just out of the box, no extra parts needed?

sundevil67

To which system are you referring? I bought the Handy Start system and am working on getting it setup. I'll post the results here. This is my last-ditch effort before throwing in the towel and doing a brushless conversion .

Geezatec

This is what I use to Start my Sirio .09. Hudy 18scale Starter box. Never had Problems.

Second pair of photo is my carb setup. If yours don't look like this, you'll have problems starting it. Notice the airgap of throttle, second the LSN setup. Took me 3 hrs to find this adjustment. It'll start up 3 second after priming. Sirio set up with my NT18 6 yrs ago. never had problems.

Good luck!!

sundevil67

Thanks for the tips. I've been using the OEM starter box that Kyosho recommends, after trying a similar model from Duratrax that didn't work. The issue isn't with the engine itself, but with making consistent and direct content with the flywheel from that position underneath the car. I am trying to avoid any drastic chassis modifications that I will probably screw up if I attempt...but I would run down the starter batter or even heat it up to the point at which the rubber wheel begins to melt and it just barely turns the flywheel. This is even with a special foam 'template' I bought from the Far East at no small expense. Once out of every 50 tries I was able to position it just right with the right amount of pressure and get it to start or almost start. However all of that time bent over kneeling on the ground scraping up my hands, etc. just became way more effort than it was worth. I don't see why this new gadget wouldn't work, so I have my fingers crossed. If it doesn't, sadly I think I have to convert to brushless or more likely, just throw in the towel and see if I can sell the car.

sundevil67

One other thing - the ball-cup that is supposed to remain attached to the throttle linkage keeps coming off and there doesn't seem to be a really permanent way to secure this thing. I have to believe it isn't just held there by gravity or that any imperfection in the angle of the bend in the rod would cause it to detach. Any advice?

See what I mean

Geezatec

If you look at my photo of Sirio, you'll notice my carb is not square, Its a couple degrees from parallel. that will straignten the linkage.

Starter box, bump start, look at it a different way. Start wheel to flywheel. What ever the what it turn, try adjusting a degree off of 12 o'clock contact. You get a more contact with the starter wheel, been using that for year with no wear of the rubber wheel. After you break in the engine you'll find it easier to start.

sundevil67

Well, it looks like I finally had some luck with this thing. After literally years of watching my Spada collect dust on the shelf, I finally have a system that allows me to start the engine consistently. That Handy Start thing is fantastic....my Spada starts up almost instantly! I did the best I could to document it on video...though it was tough to hold the camera while starting the engine.

Now I have to figure out why the brakes are being applied randomly while driving, causing the car to spin out...but at least now I'm motivated to troubleshoot stuff like this now that I know I can start the engine.

Thanks to everyone on the thread who posted suggestions!