New Nitro Tunnel

[Capt Vic]

I just got my first model boat and I have some questions. It doesnt seem to want to idle when I take off the glow starter, should I try hotter fuel?(I was using 20%) I'm not exactly sure how to launch, I just started the boat and kind of set it in the water, is this right? Any pionters would help!

[RickE]

A couple of questions: Are you running either a K&B or O.S. outboard on your tunnel, and is it brand new? The 20% fuel should be okay for either O/B, but the K&B will require a longer break-in over a new O.S. outboard motor. Good idling isn't the norm on the K&B or O.S., so run it about half throttle, and give it a good low launch into the water instead of dropping it at idle.

Let me know the answers and we'll get some more info to you ASAP.

RickE

[Capt Vic]

It's a K&B 7.5 outboard. I got the boat on ebay, and it is used. The engine seems to have good compression but thats only guessing from turning it over by hand, not with a compression gage like I would do for a chevy V8.The boat starts plenty easy enough and stays running as long as I tickle the throtle. I read a article last night on glow plugs and heat ranges. My first guess was the glow plug was cooling off to much after removing the glow starter and hotter fuel was my thought to keep the glow plug hot. Now iI see that the glow plugs come in different heat ranges. I have no idea what range I have so I will inspect the glow plug for identification. So how do you tell a glow plugs heat range anyway? It looks like the Delta breeze is going to let off this weekend so I'm going to take my model boat down to my real boat and try it again! This site has already given more clues than the clocest hobby shop! One thing I want to try this weekend is 40% with 18% oil(I read this on another reply that thats what K&B likes)what do you think

Capt Vic

[RickE]

The oil/nitro ratio sounds good, but glow plugs are tough to identify, so if your local hobby shop has K&B plugs I'd use them. If not, I'd contact Jerry Dunlap via R/C Boat Modeler Magazine as he's their O/B motor guru and could be a big help on anything related to the K&B engine.

RickE

[Capt Vic]

Thanks for the reply Rick, I'll call around and see if I can locate any K&B glow plugs. Untill then I'll just use the ones that came with it. Looking foward to running my boat this weekend!

My saying for the day (Got Nitro?)

Capt Vic

[Capt Vic]

I found lots of information on the net at modelengine.com!!
Like what I thought was the idle needle was in fact the high rpm mixture!Oops. The idle mixture is on the throtle arm, the high rpm is on the opposite side of the carburetor! This might make a differance! I'll try it this weekend.

p.s. Did you know they make a compression gage for these motors? I have one on order already!!

Capt Vic

[RaiderFootbal27]

most nitro boats use 10%, so i think your using the wrong kind