6
Preparing to Run
Charging the EZ-Start
®
Battery
The included charger can be used to charge the included EZ-Start
battery pack. Do not charge batteries inside of an automobile. Read
the Safety Precautions section of this guide.
1.
Plug the charger into a 12-volt automotive auxiliary power socket.
The charger is compatible with 12-volt automotive auxiliary power
sockets only. The LED on the charger will glow red to indicate it is
ready to charge a battery.
2.
Connect the battery to
begin charging. Plug the
battery into the charger. The
charger’s LED will flash green,
indicating that charging has
begun. The flashing green
LED on the charger indicates
the charge progress.
3.
Disconnect the battery when charging is complete. When the
battery is fully charged, the LED will light solid green. The battery
will be warm in your hand. Disconnect the battery.
Installing the EZ-Start
®
battery
1.
Press the tab in the end of the battery compartment
door to open. (A)
2.
Plug a fully charged 7.2-volt battery pack
into the connector inside. (B)
3.
Twist the battery 2 or 3 times to twirl
the battery plug wires. This helps
hold the wire and battery in place
when the battery is installed in the
compartment. (C)
4.
Install the battery into the
compartment and press the wires
securely into place.
5.
Snap the battery compartment door back on and lock the end tab. (D)
Using the EZ-Start
Your EZ-Start controller plugs into a 4-prong receptacle on the
battery cover of your Nitro Stampede. When the red button on the
controller is pressed, the EZ-Start motor begins to spin the engine,
and power from the control unit heats the glow plug. Assuming all
settings and preparations are correct, the engine should start almost
immediately.
Each of the two status indicator LEDs on
the handheld control unit, the Motor LED
and the Glow Plug LED, should light green
while starting. If either LED fails to light while
starting, there is a fault indicated with that
function.
If the Glow Plug LED fails to light, the glow
plug may be bad, or the glow plug wire
may be damaged or disconnected.
If the Motor LED fails to light and the
starter fails to operate, then the EZ-Start
is in protection mode.
Protection Mode
The EZ-Start uses Smart Start
™
technology to monitor the
condition of the system and detect failures. The controller
monitors the load being placed on the EZ-Start motor. If the load
becomes excessive, the system shuts off power to the motor
to prevent costly damage to the motor and the controller. This
may occur, for example, if the engine floods with fuel during
starting. The starter spins at first, but when excessive fuel in
the combustion chamber begins to lock up the engine, the
starter motor slows under the heavier load. This causes the
protection circuit to shut off the power to the motor. Allow at
least three minutes for the starter motor to cool and the circuit to
automatically reset before continuing. Use the time to find and
eliminate the condition that caused the excessive load on the
starter motor.
Use a Strong Starter Battery
A weak starter battery, or one that has not been fully charged,
may not deliver enough power to crank the engine over at the
appropriate rpm to keep the piston from sticking at top dead
center (TDC). A new engine will typically have a tight fit between
the piston and the top of the sleeve. This is a tapered fit, and a tight
piston sleeve fit on initial start-up is desirable for those who want
the best-performing engine. Make sure you are using a good quality
battery pack that is fully charged (new batteries usually require
several charge cycles to reach peak voltage and full capacity). This is
especially important with a new engine that needs to be broken in.
Starting the Engine
Installing the air Filter
Remove the protective cap from the carburetor air
intake. Install the rubber air filter base and pre-lubed
foam element onto the carburetor intake. The foam air
filter element may be cleaned and reused.
always
be sure the filter element is oiled properly before
running the engine.
For the best filtration, use the
type of oil made for foam air filters. Traxxas air filter
oil is recommended (part #5263). Lightweight motor
oil or after-run oil may also be substituted. When the
element gets dirty, clean it with dish soap and rinse. Next, saturate
it with oil and then squeeze out the excess oil. For extremely
dusty conditions, special two or three-stage, pre-lubed filters are
available from Traxxas (part #4062 and #4063).
Filling the Fuel Tank
Use a small fuel bottle or bulb, such as the included fuel bottle
(Part #5001), to put fuel into the tank. Only fill the tank to the
bottom of the fill neck. The Nitro Stampede can be carefully
refueled while the engine is running.
High-Speed Mixture Setting
The high-speed mixture screw
controls how much fuel enters the
engine during mid- and high-speed
operation. Turn the high-speed
mixture screw clockwise by hand
until it stops (
do not tighten or
the needle may be damaged
).
Then, turn the mixture screw
counterclockwise 2½ turns.
Setting the Idle Speed
The idle speed screw regulates the
throttle opening to control the
idle speed. The throttle opening at
idle should be set as shown in the
drawing. The opening should be 1
to 1
½
millimeters at the widest point
in the opening. The engine may not idle
well until it is warmed. Always use the idle speed
screw to control engine idle.
NOTE:
Your carburetor has been factory preset for break-in. Do not
re-adjust your carburetor settings unless you suspect a problem.
The following steps are for reference only.
Motor
Glow Plug
Motor
Glow Plug
Motor
Glow Plug
Motor
Glow Plug
Motor
Glow Plug
Motor
Glow Plug
Motor
Glow Plug
Motor
Glow Plug
Motor
Glow Plug
Motor
Glow Plug
Motor
Glow Plug
Motor
Glow Plug
Motor
Glow Plug
Motor
Glow Plug
Motor
Glow Plug
Motor
Glow Plug
Motor
Glow Plug
Motor
Glow Plug
Motor
Glow Plug
Motor
Glow Plug
Motor
Glow Plug
Motor
Glow Plug
Motor
Glow Plug
Motor
Glow Plug
Motor
Glow Plug
Motor
Glow Plug
Motor
Glow Plug
a
B
C
D
CHARGE PROGRESS
1 green flash
0 - 25% charged
2 green flashes
25% - 50% charged
3 green flashes
50% - 75% charged
4 green flashes
75% or more charged
Solid green LED
100% charged
LED INDICATION
MEANING
Solid Red LED
Ready for Charging
Slowly Flashing Green LED
Charging (see Charge Progress chart)
Solid Green LED
Battery Fully Charged
Flashing Red LED
Charger error
Note:
If there is a problem with the battery, such as a short circuit, the charger’s LED will flash red.
Disconnect the battery and unplug the charger from its power source to clear the error. Determine the
cause of the error before continuing.
