Miss Bud 1/12 Problems

[pulliamt]

I just got one of these last week. It is the newer model with the hull upgrades.

I broke it in on the stand while running water through the head via a homemade apparatus. I ran a total of 4 tanks of fuel (20%) through it. I never ran it WOT until the fourth tank and then only at 3-5 second intervals.

I then took it to the lake and ran another 3 tanks through it. On the 4th tank at the lake I started to lean it out. The 5th tank on the water (9th tank total) is was really starting to scream. The 6th tank on the water (10th tank total) it starting sputtering and so I brought it in. I couldnt ever get the 6th tank to run right and all the sudden it seemed like it lost a lot of its compression. It would still run, but it would make zero power. Then...All of the sudden it stopped and then engine was locked up. Did I blow it? Did I lean it out too much too quick? If so, is the Dynamite .15 worth rebuilding or would I be better off replacing it with an OS .15 or even an OS .18?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks!

[Hydro Junkie]

By running it without a load on it, you probably damaged the piston/sleeve/conrod/crankshaft/case. The reason I listed all of these is that you never loose just one. Pull the engine out of the boat, pull the glowplug and GENTLY TRY TO TURN IT OVER BY HAND. If it turns easily, you could have a problem with the strut or flexshaft as well. If it binds or won't turn at all, contact Horizon and see how they want to handle it. If the shaft is the problem, you may be able to lubricate it, as well as the strut bearings/bushings. Before you touch the flexshaft, contact Horizon. If you try anything to fix it first, they may say you voided the warranty and won't do anything to help you

[Ron Olson]

You may have cooked the driveline with it being out of the water if you didn't damage the engine.

[pulliamt]

I dont get it...I have read several threads on this board, as well as other boards, that breaking in a boat on the stand is just a personal preferance and everyone has their own way of doing it. Are you saying that if a boat is broken in on a stand it more than likely will ruin it?

[yellow-hydro]

I dont get it...I have read several threads on this board, as well as other boards, that breaking in a boat on the stand is just a personal preferance and everyone has their own way of doing it. Are you saying that if a boat is broken in on a stand it more than likely will ruin it?

I would say so,
running an engine at high RPM without any load is never a good thing.
think of it this way, it takes much less throttle and fuel to achive very high RPM if there is no load on the engine.
just like your car.... you can easily rev it to red line with 1/4 -1/2 throttle. except you got plenty oil to lubricate things.
with nitro or 2 strokes it is not the case.

I broke in my 1/12 mslumar on land in a tub of water.

what I've read is that most people that brake -in engines on stand put and airplane prop on it (load)

[Hydro Junkie]

Pulliamp, I ruined a brand new K&B 7.5 back in 1989 by doing the very same thing. I ran a tank or two through it on the stand, then took it to the lake. Net result was a destroyed conrod and a hole in the bottom of the case. It cost me about $75 to rebuild that engine and another $40 to repair the damage to the boat. I learned a few valuable lessons that day:
1) NEVER run an engine without a load on it. This includes aircraft engines as well
2) Only use good quality running gear(I had used Dumas parts, but never will again)
3) Fuel proof paint is only as good as the prep work done before the paint is applied
4) Build your boat light enough to run properly(A Dumas Kit is way too heavy)

[CFRACR]

I dont get it...I have read several threads on this board, as well as other boards, that breaking in a boat on the stand is just a personal preferance and everyone has their own way of doing it. Are you saying that if a boat is broken in on a stand it more than likely will ruin it?

Its an unfortunate thing that happend to you. To sum things up, take what you read on the B-boards with a grain of salt. I have read way to many post with bad advice. Things like what happened to you that were done by someone that got lucky and posted what they did for others to read. This is a hobby of course and finding new ways and new gadgets that enhance the experience is good. Having logged many years in the hobby will tell you whether something is a bad idea or not in some cases. There is always the basics that usually must be adheared to though.

So with that new knowledge, fix your boat, and start to have fun. Trust this, there is no one that has been in r/c for long that has not messed something up one time or another. The longer your in, the more you make & learn from. But, thats the learning curve & what gives you the know how so that you don't hopefully make the same mistake twice.

[pulliamt]

Just a quick update on this...

I pulled the motor out of the boat and took the head off. It was full of metal shavings, so I put the head right back on and called Horizon. They were very helpful and asked me a few questions about how it happened. I told them and they asked me to send the motor to them for inspection. They recieved the motor and immediatly turned around a brand new motor to me. Apparently a bearing went out in the motor or at least this was their explanation.

I am probably to blame, but they sent me a new motor at no charge anyway. To me, this is a great example of great customer service and I appreciate them treating me this way.

Now, any advice on how to break in the new motor once I get it back in the boat? Thanks for everyones help!

[Hydro Junkie]

TAKE IT TO THE LAKE AND RUN IT VERY VERY RICH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Be sure you have some way to retrieve it when it quits, and it will many times. Don't go for the wide open throttle either. Also, before you head to the lake, pull and lube the flex cable. It's probably dry after the abuse it received. Be sure to use no less than 18% lubricant in your fuel. If you used aircraft or car fuel, that could be another reason why the engine failed.

[yellow-hydro]

TAKE IT TO THE LAKE AND RUN IT VERY VERY RICH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Be sure you have some way to retrieve it when it quits, and it will many times.

I agree with , that is the proper way, but......
My experience was that I spent more time retreiving it than actually running it.
Running it very rich will not allow it to rev out and get on plane unless you go near full throttle.
it is a catch 22.

[Hydro Junkie]

Almost any engine will be hard to keep running in a rich setting. If you can keep it close enough to throw a ball out to it, it's not so bad. I look at the benefit down the line, as a properly broken in engine can be a pleasure to run. Besides, you don't want it to "rev out" for a few tanks anyway, so I tend to believe in erring to the side of caution. Ruin an engine or two and it tends to have you thinking that way

[pulliamt]

Thanks for all the info! One question though....Do I need to always run a 18% oil fuel, or just during break-in? I havent seen any fuel that high in oil content expect for that which is labeled as "break in" fuel.

[Boataddict]

I recommend that you use nothing less than 18% oil content. Do not use Airplane fuel as this does not have enough oil.

I had a similar issue with my bud motor failing after running about 2 gallons +.

If your bud was newly purchased and you have the receipt then you may be able to get that Dynamite motor repaired under warranty at no cost. The motor has a 2 year warranty.

I had my motor covered under warranty - I wrote more about it in a post here: http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=2937529

[babflyer]

I had a abc hobby boat once with an air cooled head and thouht that breaking the motor in on a rc truck would be a good idea. That dynamite motor was quite a headache so I thought I would pull an os off of my truck, that didn't like to have anything to do with boating either lol so who knows. Ive come to the conclusion that in ohio ponds and lakes with a little vegatation in them nitro is just a big headache for recreational boating electric seems to be the way to go.

[Ron Olson]

Don't laugh, my little OS .12 powered boat scoots along just fine!