Why Does My Nitro Engine Stall When Accelerating?

Remote control cars are playful, but their internal systems are just as intricate. Like regular cars, they require appropriate care and maintenance to give their best performance. And it doesn’t feel so great when you encounter troublesome issues.

For instance – why does the nitro engine stall when accelerating?

To irregular crawlers, the stalling feels like a defect. But in reality – the time-to-time stalling is most often a result of a fuel leak and jamming within the system. Again, if the fuel’s too rich for the system, then it can take longer for the engine to respond to the initiatives. Either way, they’re easily fixable.

Let’s find out why a nitro engine seems to stall sometimes when you try to accelerate out of the blue. We’ll also try our best to include a few common solutions to help out further.

Should A Nitro RC Car Stall When You Accelerate?

No, a remote-controlled nitro car shouldn’t stall when you pump it full of gas. The car should run at full throttle and shouldn’t take too long to achieve maximum speed as well.

If the car constantly keeps stopping even when you’re accelerating, then it’s hardly good news. It means something has either gotten jammed up somewhere inside or maybe some of the parts have been malfunctioning.

Again, a nitro RC car can sometimes stall due to irregularities in the surface area. If you’re trying to get past a ravenous terrain, then it may sometimes feel like you’re halting.

But in reality, the throttle is indeed at full speed. You’re just not getting ahead as far because the extra energy is spent on overcoming the friction or obstacles in the road. And that’s why you’re not traversing as much distance as you should have.

So, before immediately worrying about internal issues every time the nitro car stops, take a look at the surroundings. Make sure whether the car is indeed halting or if it’s just trying to catch up and get used to the treacherous grounds. 

Common Reasons Why A Nitro Engine Stalls During Acceleration

A nitro engine shouldn’t abruptly stop out of the blue. But if it does, it’s usually because of one of these few reasons –

Polluted Filters

Fuel combustion is an ugly process and can result in pollution if you’re not careful enough. If you add too much nitro during combustion, the heat sink will go into overdrive.

And that’ll cause the engine to overheat and eventually stall. Again, incomplete combustion will let out toxic white fumes. 

Channel Blockage

While accelerating, there are a few valves within the system that dictate the airflow and the fuel pathways. They work just like the bicuspid or the tricuspid valves in our hearts. When they get stuck, the engine can cease to work until the pathways get cleared again.

Pressure Issues

Without a balanced fuel intake and performance output ratio, the engine will suffer degradation over time. If the nitro concentration is too high, but the pressure hose is equally as weak, then it’ll refuse to cope with the new pressure.

The car will continue to vibrate or growl, or even jerk to let out signs of dissatisfaction. The engine and, by default, the entire RC car would simply stall and keep growling until the pressure situation slowly dissipates as the engine stops.

RC Issues

If there are any issues with the transmitter or the receiver, then the car may not get the signals. Or any signal, for that matter. And when the command chain is broken, the engine automatically goes to standby mode. If you don’t hear any revving sound while accelerating, then look for RC problems.

Nitro Engine Stalling Troubleshooting Guidelines

The following table includes a few conventional and not-so-conventional methods to fix the stalling problems –

Stalling Causes Potential Remedies 
Blocked ChannelsClear all the dirt, grime, grease, etc., within the fuel channels. Make sure you’re using a cleaner with grease-dissolving properties. Keep cleaning until the water runs fully clear. 
Broken ChannelsIf there’s a leak within the pipelines of the fuel intake, then you’ll not only experience stalling but will also lose a lot of fuel. To prevent that, fix these leaks or replace the pipelines. You can use foil tapes to temporarily fix the fuel leaks until you can go see a professional.  
Faulty ValvesTo fix the issues of faulty valves, you should try cleaning them thoroughly first. If cleaning doesn’t work, you should get better-quality replacements made of industry-grade combos.
Carburetor ProblemsIf the carburetor is blocked or if it heats up enough, the engine takes the big hits. Try adjusting the carburetor to keep it in a more comfortable position. By comfortable, we mean someplace where it can receive air from all directions. Proper airflow will reduce the chances of overheating significantly. 
Imbalanced PressureIf there are issues with the pressure hose, there’s one way you can spot it directly. The engine will start to jerk violently when it fails to cope with the pressure. 

To fix the pressure issues, you should either invest in low nitro concentration fuel or better quality fuel pumps and pressure hoses instead. 

FAQs

Q: Will a higher percentage of nitro in my engine give me an acceleration boost?

Ans: Theoretically, yes. If you upgrade your nitro engine to have a higher percentage of nitro concentration, then you should have an equally comparable acceleration boost. But the concentration ratio is of utmost importance here.

Your gasoline can’t consist of 100% nitro, obviously, regardless of the amperage. Again, the engine should have an equally promising heat sink situation to absorb all the heat from the ignition system. 

Otherwise, if you run with a high percentage of nitro, the engine might just heat up enough to fire the system entirely. So, in short, a higher percentage of nitro in your engine won’t always give you a boost. Without a balanced ratio between performance and stability, a nitro engine can’t run smoothly.

Q: Why’s my engine not receiving enough oxygen?

Ans: Oxygen is needed to oxidize the fuel to generate power. Without fuel oxidation, there’s no mechanical power sufficient enough to run the engine.

If you sense lower levels of oxidation, then the engine is likely not receiving enough oxygen inside the system. Oxygen gets inside with the help of the air filters that push inward the fresh oxygen and push outward the polluted fumes. If your engine’s not receiving enough oxygen, the air filter is likely broken or clogged.

To fix this issue, you should immediately clean up the filters with the appropriate grease-dissolving solvents. Again, you can try rewiring the pathways to initiate better air flowage.

Final Verdict

So, why does the nitro engine stall when accelerating during a friendly race? Apparently, all possible reasons point to one direction – the fuel intake. The nitro engine halts when it’s not getting enough fuel power. Similarly, the fuel can’t supply enough power in the presence of a fried system.

Overall, it’s important to ensure a balanced nitro proportion within the gasoline to get maximum performance. And if the engine still keeps stalling, take a look into the mechanical system one by one, starting with the fuel intake. See if the system is clogged anyhow, & resolve the issues accordingly. 

Chris Goforth

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *