R/C Tech Forums - View Single Post - I am planning to Break in my MT12, Give me some tips
Old 02-21-2002, 11:30 AM
  #5  
psycho
Tech Master
 
psycho's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Silicon Valley, CA
Posts: 1,520
Default

Team_Akina_1

As adelmundo said, there's no magic setting to tune the engine. You just have to listen to the way it's running and check the temperature to set it right. You will also make changes to the high speed needle each time you race. Here's how I tune multi-needle carbs (based on the info from Paris webpage.)

1. Get the thing running with the factory needle settings. You might need to increase the idle slightly to get it to stay running, since it will be really rich. Once it's running, let 4 complete tanks run through it. I usually let it die after each tank, move the piston to the middle of the stroke and let it cool down before running the next tank through.

2. Once you have 4 tanks through, start tuning. The first needle to start with is the low speed needle. This is the one that is in the middle of the slide. It is black! Don't touch any brass needles yet! What you need to do is get the idle mixture set. This is a little tricky until you know the sounds to listen for. What you are going to do is get the engine running and warm it up a bit by blipping the throttle for a minute or so. Then pinch off the fuel line right where it attaches to the carb. You should hear the engine idle increase before it dies. This means it's too rich. As you lean out the mixture, the amount of time that it stays reved high will shorten. You should lean the low-end needle 1/12 of a turn at a time, since it's very sensitive. Each time you adjust it, blip the throttle a few times to clear old mixture from the crankcase. There will come a point where the engine barely increases speed at all when you pinch. Once you reach that point, richen it up 1/12 of a turn and you should be very close.

3. Don't mess with the brass needle on the end of the carb opposite the slide. It's the spray bar adjustment and should be left at the factory setting (flush with the carb housing) unless you know EXACTLY what you are doing.

4. Now, adjust the idle. You should have your idle set as high as it needs to be to run smoothly. Just listen to it and adjust it until it runs smoothly. Don't worry if the clutch is engaging. You can adjust that later.

5. At this point, the car should be fairly close to being tuned and it should make it around the track without dying. Run a few laps at "race speed" to get it warmed up. I usually try to go at least 2 laps. Once it's warmed up, richen the high speed needle 1/4 turn until it starts bogging down. You'll hear it sound almost like it's gurgling and it won't be very fast. You want to lean it out 1/8 turn at a time until it starts going fast, running a lap or two between adjustments. You will reach a point where it doesn't go any faster. It will probably be too lean at this point, so you should richen it up 1/8 to 1/4 turn. You should always see lots of blue smoke coming out of the exhaust. Race temperature should be around 270 degrees F. It helps to have a temp gun. You will probably have to retune the low end needle slightly now that you can get the engine up to race temp. I find that, once the low end needle is set, I don't have to change it.

I hope this helps. There really is no magic setting to get it tuned. As far as pipes go, any pipe will work on any engine. Some work better than others. They are called "tuned pipes" because they are designed to work with a particular size engine. As long as you get a pipe that's designed for a .12 engine, it should give you good performance. I prefer the RB X12 or X15 one piece pipes. Good luck! Man! That was a lot of typing...
psycho is offline