Dear Experts,
Probably going over old ground here, but I'm about to strip, clean and lube my engine and wanted some advice. Engine is silicon filled crankshaft REDS M7 WCS.

1: Planning to clean the bearings with either WD40 or Brake cleaner. Presume both is fine (as they will be properly lubed after). Will re-lube with Hudy after run oil. Seems a quality oil and will be instantly replaced by the fuels caster oil anyway.

2: Any massive do's or don'ts cleaning the silicon filled crank? Was planning to not clean and just coat with oil sparingly, I'm concerned about solvents on the silicon.

3: Will probably not clean the piston head or head cap unless massive deposits (doubt it, pretty new). However worth cleaning with a tiny bit of Silvo? Any good alternatives?

Thanks for any comments! Great forum as ever.

You don't want and shouldn't have to clean the inside of the engine. Just simple strip and check for damage/wear. Don't use any solvents on a silicone filled crank either. Arguably when using good fresh fuel after run oil is not needed either! If I do decide to wash out an engine if a plug failed for example I use nitro fuel and allow it to evaporate leaving the oil behind.

All I do is check the engine for wear/damage and clean the exterior of the engine with brush/cleaning putty and if very dirty use brake cleaner. Make sure you have caps firmly installed on the carb, hsn fuel Nipple and exhaust port.

I store the engine in a plastic sandwich bag sealed with a silica gel bag inside. I have never suffered any corrosion or engine degradation in 20+ years of racing nitro and I don't use after run oil - it isn't needed.

Dan,
Appreciate the feedback, and actually I rather agree. More damage is done by striping an engine than leaving it alone, oiled, bagged up, de-humidified and ready!

However, in principle I'm looking to better understand should I need to strip and clean it (metal shielded front bearing, dirty track, a little insurance of cleanliness), what would be a good process and material?

Agreed, crankshaft, rod, piston, sleeve and head left well alone, and maybe rebuilt lightly oiled etc. However when I used to race back in the day I always did an ARO routine (3in1 actually!) and my engines were notably more reliable than most. I understand now however as materials have changed best to use oils designed for purpose (really hence this post), but I'm a believer in ARO.

So thoughts on cleaning bearings and lubing? WD40 ok for both the ceramic and metal, then just relube with ARO, or is there something better? Nitro fuel is more a wash, I feel a little blast is required.

Do not use WD40 anywhere near your engine at all, it's horrendous stuff and will ruin your engine.

Just do what Dan said, clean the engine components using the fuel you race with, and leave them out for a few hours so only the oil is left on them, and bag your engine up in a resealable plastic bag so it's not drawing in moisture.

The silica gel packet is an excellent idea too, and I will also be doing this in future.

James.

If you must clean your engine out just use brake cleaner and keep your thumb over the silicone insert to avoid getting any on that, and use Novarossi rebuild oil for the rebuild.

But doing this all the time does no good for the engine at all.

James.

Cheers Guys,
Thanks for the tips, especially the sandwich bag idea! Living in Singapore so it's rather humid and that doesn't play fair with engine insides, so that's a great little idea.

I've binned the WD40 and replaced with a gentle brake cleaner for those times when needs must.

JBSpeed.

Why fuel? The main ingredients in any R/C nitro fuel we use in our models is hygroscopic which attracts moisture in your nitro engines causing rust when left sitting.

I pull down and flush my engine out after every race meet with brake cleaner and rebuild with after run oil for the last few years no problem.

Different philosophy I guess, I clean out with brake cleaner and oil with Novarossi rebuild oil after a wet race, but after a dry day I just leave the engine alone because quality fuel oils the engine and doesn't require after run.

Most castor based fuels do not require an afterrun treatment, castor is a good sealing oil. On the other hand most synthetic oils are hygroscopic and with the nitro residu (acid/oxigen) rust will devellop. But even then if the engine is good stored rust isn't that huge issue.

On that pic is the result of driving in the wet or store it in a moisture environment like a garage/shelter.

When I have driven in the rain I first let the engine run idle with a rich setting. Then I drip some afterrun oil in the carburatot whil running idle, the engine will stay idle if you do it drop by drop. Then I open the throttle to a higher idle and flush some afterun into the carburator and the motor will stall. Now the engine is well treated to store without issues.

James:

We don't run in the rain, to be honest the engine in this picture didn't have anything done too it. Was left with fuel sitting in it till next fortnight when we raced again. Fuel has always been a synthetic/castor blend but no idea percentage of castor.

I believe most of the rust will be caused by the humid climate we have in Brisbane. We are in Autumn, 20 degrees at 9pm with 73% humidity.

Storing engines in a humid environment certainly doesn't help.

I should have mentioned that if i do wash the engine out with fuel post a glow plug failure for example (which is extremely rare when an engine is tuned properly, running on good fresh fuel with the correct rating plug installed for the climate and nitro %) I let the engine air dry leaving the oil residue behind and then use a little bit of the Novarossi special oil for engine parts to rebuild it.

I maintain that ARO isn't really needed 99% of the time if the engine is stored correctly and actually there is an argument to support leaving the engine alone if all is running well - the engine will give higher performance.

The use of ARO is a personal thing I guess but for me storing the engine indoors (not in a damp shed!) in a sandwich bag with the silica gel has been fine for many years and it has been a very long time since I suffered an engine failure of any description. Jeez now I've just hexed myself

Why is wd40 a big no no in engines?

Only the silicone insert seems to pop out. I have tried it once on a novarossi crankshaft but the putty is still on its place. But yes, beside the possible problem with the putty WD40 is well used.

I was told by an acquaintance in the marine outboard field a long long time ago that when WD-40 dries the remnant is slightly abrasive , he recommended Marvel Mystery oil and I've never had corrosion issues.

I have always been told to never use WD40, I don't remember why though. The best ARO I've ever used was the Tornado ARO. Now I use MMO, like Rick said. There used to be a renown engine modifier here on RCtech back around 08 that recommended MMO as well. Ive tried the Novarossi oil and I just didnt like it, I have my reasons...