Raceway RC Cars and Trucks - Articles

How Do You Know If Your Fuel is Bad?

If you picked up your fuel jug to go fill your RC car and noticed droplets of water inside, stop. Those droplets of water inside a fuel jug will contaminate the fuel. It is best to safely dispose of that fuel and invest in an airtight fuel jug and there are other ways to fight the moisture problem.One of the first ways you can tell you are using fuel that has been water contaminated is your car will have degraded performance or may not start at all.

Your RC cars fuel is made up mainly of methanol (alcohol). Methanol is hygroscopic meaning that it attracts moisture. This can cause your fuel to be contaminated with water, which will cause poor engine performance. Additionally, the UV (ultraviolet) rays in sunlight will eventually break down the nitromethane if the fuel jug is stored in sunlight for long periods of time.

Use a metal can first off out in the field. When you store your fuel at home, squeeze all the air out of the fuel container and an even better idea is to store your fuel in smaller containers that you have removed as much air as you can before sealing. When you're racing your RC car outside, especially in warmer weather, you can all but expect condensation to happen in your fuel bottle. When you're racing, just bring the fuel you'll need for the day and leave the rest safely stored at home, this will keep your fuel supply uncontaminated by moisture and always ready to run.
 posted by  Raceway RC Cars and Trucks