Air Filter Preparation on A Nitro RC Car

Here are some handy tips on how to prepare and air filter for a nitro based RC car from member Matt Parker...

"Having an effective and clean air filter on a nitro car is essential for stopping dust, dirt, and other bits of track debris from entering the Carburettor and effectively damaging the engine. Here is a quick guide on how I clean my air filters. I clean my filters after every two meetings at Adur or if I am running on a dusty track such as Kent then I will clean the filter after every meeting. In this guide I have taken the engine out of the car but this can easily be done with the engine in situ."

1. Cut the cable tie and remove the air filter from the car and straight away cover the filter inlet or use a carb plug to stop any dirt or dust in the carburettor while the filter is removed.
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Put some gloves on and work outside! I clean the old oil out of my foam filter element with Petrol and give the foam element a good going over with my fingers to work all of the debris out of it.
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Remove the filter and allow it to dry thoroughly ideally overnight.
   
   
   
4. Place the cleaned and dried element in a small polythene bag and squirt a generous amount of air filter oil in. Seal the bag shut and really work the new oil into the element. Doing this avoids you getting blue fingers and looking like a Smurf.
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. Refit the element onto the filter and remove the tissue/plug from the carburettor and refit the element to the filter.
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Using a new cable tie refit the assembled filter tube and element to the carburettor. A strong seal here is very important as if you get this wrong then there is a risk of debris entering the engine and ruining the engine. My test for a secure fit is to be able to lift the car up by the air filter without the air filter coming off the car.
    
   
   

7. Go out on track and have fun!
   
     

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