For long life and high performance, every engine should be run in. With care, running in of methanol engines can be carried out with it installed in the vehicle. Use the same fuel as is to be employed for all initial running and containing not less than 16% lubricant.Temporarily remove the glowplug to check that it glows bright red when energized. Open needle valve 3 turns from the fully closed position. Switch on the remote and the receiver and set the throttle very slightly opened from the idling position. Do not energize glowpug but apply electric starter to draw fual to carburetor. It is vitally important to set the throttle at the correct position before starting the engine. If the engine is allowed to run with the throttle too far open under "no load" conditions it will rapidly overheat and may be seriously damaged. When the engine starts, first allow it to operate in short runs at the very rich starting settings, with the glowplug battery still connected and the driving wheels clear of the ground.The rich mixture will, under these conditions, provide adequate lubrication and cooling, indicated by profuse smook from the exhaust. Next, disconnect the glowplug battery and try running the car on the track. If the engine stalls, open the throttle fractionally, but try to keep running the engine as rich as possible. If it stops because of excessively over-rich, close the needle valve 30º and try again. Run the car on the track until one tank of fuel has been consumed, then close the needle-valve 30º and run the car for another tank of fuel. Repeat this procedure until 5 more tanks of fuel have been consumed, during wich time the throttle may be opened for brief bursts of increased power. If the engine stops at medium speeds, close the mixture screw 45-90º. To stop the engine, close the throttle to idling speed, then shut it off completely with the trim lever on the transmitter. To cut off the fuel supply, pinch the fuel delivery line to the carburetor.
Final adjustment: Run the vehicle (with throttle fully open) over the longest available straight course, in order to observe the model's speed. Next return the car to the starting point, close the needle valve 30º, and repeat the run, taking note of improvement of performance. Continue with further runs, gradually reducing the needle-valve setting and aiming to achieve the highest straight-line speed. Remember, however that, if the needle-valve is shut down too far, the engine will overheat and accompanied by visible diminished exhaust smoke, the model will lose speed. At this point, throttle down immediately, stop the vehicle and reopen the needle-valve 45-90º. Having established the optimum needle-valve setting, check the mixture control valve settings as follows. With the engine running, close the throttle and allow it to idle for about five seconds, then reopen the throttle fully. If, at this point the engine puffs out an excessive amount of smoke and the vehicle does not accelerate smoothly and rapidly, it is probable that the idling mixture is too rich. In this case turn the mixture control valve clockwise 45-90º. If, on the other hand, the engine tends to speed up momentarily and then cut out abruptly when the throttle is opened, the idling mixture is too lean. Correct this by turning the mixture control valve counter-clockwise 45-90º. Note: Mixture control valve should be made in steps of not more than 45-90º, carefully checking the effect on throttle response, of each small adjustment. Carry out adjustments patiently, under actual running conditions until the engine responds quickly and positively to throttle control.
