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         EK4-S2 Accessories. 

This is a list of things you must, should, and might just want to have for your EK4.

Color Legend

     1.   Patience - Generally speaking, I myself am not a patient person. The EK4 has helped me to overcome that somewhat. Patience is most important during setup and especially break in. The more time you spend researching, loc-titeing everything, adjusting and setting up the radio and batteries, etc. the more time you will spend having fun before you run into any surprises.

     2.    Radio - You really should get a FM or PCM radio. While an AM radio will work, they are extremely susceptible to interference. You should check with your friends and any neighbors that you may know have RC vehicles to determine if a certain frequency should be avoided. It's no fun when one of your friends is on the same frequency as your RC vehicle making it so you can't run at the same time and are in constant fear of one or the other turning a radio on while you are running. Recommendations - I personally use the Airtronics M8 . It is FM, very comfortable and has more useful adjustments than you could ever imagine. It also has 10 model memory. I use the same Radio to run my MP, EK4 and Mugen MRX-3. It memorizes all of the adjustments for each vehicle and with a few presses of a button, it is ready to go for that vehicle. The only negative I can find on the M8 is you have to slide the battery tray out to charge it. The charge jack is on the bottom of the battery tray and is not accesible while in the radio.

   The Futaba Magnum Jr. FM is less expensive and is a decent radio. It doesn't have memory for different models and doesn't have as many adjustments. Also, I find it very uncomfortable for my big hands. My Brother uses one and he likes it as well as a lot of other folks, so it is worth considering, especially if price is a major concern. A few that I have no personal experience with but am fairly comfortable recommending would be, the KO Propo EX1 Mars,, Airtronics CX2P and the HiTech Lynx 3D.

   UPDATE - I used to be a big fan of Jr radios. I ran their XR-3 for a while and was very happy with it. As it turns out, after owning mine for app. 6 months, it started to disintegrate. It just started cracking everywhere and dropping pieces of plastic every time I picked it up. I was also having problems with my steering changing position on me. It was the most aggravating thing. Every time I fired a vehicle up, after running for a short time, the wheels would crank to one side or the other. I replaced servo's, servo horns and the receiver before suspecting the radio itself. A friend of mine was experiencing the same problem with his even newer XR-3. His has started to crack as well. Another friend also has one that is cracking and falling into pieces. Mine also started glitching like crazy and causing my failsafe to activate almost everytime I ran down at the local track.

   A good friend handed me his Airtronics M8 to try. I was hooked instantly. No glitching, rock solid performance and control that I couldn't even dream about with the Jr.

   If you purchased a Jr XR-3 on my recommendation, please accept my sincerest apologies if you experience any of these problems. I never tried to warranty mine as I have better things to do and didn't care to use it again, but it's quite possible that Horizon would have made good on it if I had given them the chance.

     3.    Servo's - You will need at least one high torque servo with a minimum rating of 130 oz. of torque for the steering. Some people recommend to use a high torque on the throttle as well, but in our experiences, all of the servo's we have tried worked flawlessly on the throttle. Everything from the Futaba 3003 that comes with the Mag Jr. to the JR ZR-250 standard servo's. They all have the ability to lock the brakes up solid. The only servo I have used on the throttle and didn't like, (Well, hated actually) was the Cirrus CS-80 High Torque. It is way to slow for throttle use. We're not much into spending big money on servo's, so I can't offer a lot of advice on the big money digital servo's. I can only say that the folks that do use them seem to be very happy with their purchase. We have used the Tower Hobbies TS-70MG with great success. For the money, ($37.99) I don't think they can be beat. We have also used the Cirrus CS-80. They work just OK for steering, but if you like the throttle to move with the trigger, don't use one there. They are very slow and very noisy. They also don't return to center very well. The cheaper servo's that may come with your radio will work fine for throttle/brake. At least for a while. They may not last as long as a high torque servo before they do start to loose power. They are also easily damaged by moisture. We have boxes of dead ones from running in the snow. I'll try to add more recommendations for servo's as I see them mentioned. For now, if your not sure what to get, either go with the Tower Hobbies TS-70, HiTech HS645MG or ask for recommendations on one of the forums.  The Hitech Digital HS-5645MG looks like it would be a killer Servo. I'm going to try one of these for my next Hi Torque Servo purchase. If you want to give it a try and let me know how it works, i would be delighted to hear your thoughts. Note: Make sure to match the servo you purchase with the radio system you plan on using.

     4.    Batteries -

Your Radio - will most likely require 8 AA size batteries. You can use alkaline or you can opt for rechargeable batteries. We use Nimh rechargeable batteries. Most radios mentioned above already have a charge jack for charging rechargeable batteries. If you go to your local wal-mart you can usually pick up a couple of 4-packs of the Quest Nimh batteries in the camera department for $9.99/-4pack. These pop right in the radio's battery holder and work extremely well. Their are also many other options. Some Radio's can accept a special battery pack, so that may also be an option for you depending on which Radio you choose.

Your EK4 - will require either 4 alkaline batteries or a 5 cell rechargeable battery pack. The reason being that alkaline batteries are 1.5v per cell. So 4 alkaline batteries equals 6.0 volts. Rechargeable batteries are generally 1.2v per cell therefore requiring 5 cells to make up the 6 volts that your servo's require to function properly. Your Radio doesn't really mind the lower voltage from using rechargeable batteries. However, the truck will function better with the proper voltage. I strongly suggest that you get a good Nimh pack for the truck. Those 4 cell holders that come with the radio's on most occasions are very prone to lost connections. It happens all of the time. I have seen so many runaways caused by a battery loosing connection in those plastic holders. We use the Dynamite 1000 mah 6V 5 cell flat pack and couldn't be happier. If you look around, you can find even better packs with a higher mah rating, (higher mah rating means they last longer between charges). The 5 cell 4/5th AA pack fits the truck perfectly.

Charger - I don't have a lot of advice on chargers. All I can say is make sure the one you buy is rated for the batteries you need to charge. A lot of chargers will not work properly with Nimh batteries. We use the Hobbico Accu Cycle Digital Charger/Conditioner. It charges the radio and the truck simultaneously overnight.

    5.    Failsafe Units - are designed to save your truck in the event of a radio glitch, loss of signal or interference. With a failsafe, you can turn your radio completely off and your valuable toy will stop dead in it's tracks. They hook to the throttle servo and will safeguard your truck under almost any condition short of a complete power loss on the truck. They do work if your trucks battery is losing voltage, just not if power is lost 100% all at once. That condition would generally only happen due to a faulty switch or the battery coming unplugged, unless you are using one of those cheapo plastic battery holders that come with the radio's. They quite often loose connection. The one we use is the Dynamite Race Guard. If you are using an Airtronics Radio, their is a special Dynamite Race Guard designed just for Airtronics radio's. Their are other ones that are very similar to the Dynamite Race Guard. I know OFNA markets one. The OFNA failsafe is a bit larger and impossible to get into the radio tray. The Dynamite failsafe unit fits, but with a little persuasion. Mine is stood on end and has some pressure asserted onto the wires coming out. I do need to take the time to do something different with it. I saw mention of someone removing the plastic outer shell from the unit and putting it in a balloon. That sounds like it will work perfectly.

          Throttle Return Spring - We personally don't use them, but a lot of folks do and would never run without one. A throttle return spring will save your truck in the unlikely event that your truck looses power completely all at once. It may not save you if your radio glitches or if someone on the same frequency turns their radio on. We choose to take our chances without a Throttle Return Spring due to the extra load and drain they place on your battery and servo. If you want to be as close to 100% as safe as you can be, you may want to use one. Also, please consider that a Throttle Return Spring may not  be feasible at all if you choose to use a high torque servo for your throttle/brake. The high torque servo's move very hard when not being driven by the servo motor due to the gear reduction in them.

Here is a picture of a nicely done throttle return spring, (compliments of Aussie/Peter). If you click on the picture, it will take you to Aussie's web-site.

    6.    LocTite - You will need at least one tube/bottle of Blue (242) LocTite. I highly recommend that you also pick up a tube/bottle of Red (262) LocTite as well. You need to remove and loctite all metal to metal screws on the truck. This procedure really isn't specific to the EK4, but is a common practice with any nitro powered vehicle. The EK4 with it's big .70 size engine requires it even more so than the kits with the smaller engines, IMHO. You should use Blue 9242) non permanent loctite on all metal to metal screws, with the exception of the four center drive cups. On those I recommend to use the red (262)  permanent loctite. Even with the red, we have experienced loosening of the center drive cups. We cured the problem by removing the set screw, applying a drop of red loctite into the hole, then applying a second drop to the set/grub screw. We haven't experienced any loosening since switching to that method.

Note: I have had to remove the drive cups on a couple of occasions and didn't experience any difficulty in removing the screws. Just use a good quality allen wrench. Not a ball end allen wrench. If you did experience any difficulty in removal of the screws, you could use a pen type soldering iron to apply a little heat directly to the screw and it should loosen. Don't heat it for too long or you could damage your plastic pieces or bearings.

    7.    Fuel Filter - The kit doesn't come with a fuel filter. I highly recommend that you pick one up. They are very inexpensive and are available in many shapes and sizes. We use the Dubro Fuel Filter available in Blue, Red, Purple and Aluminum color.

    8.    Fuel - The fuel recommended  by Ace, (TTR's Northeast distributor) for the EK4 should contain a minimum of 20% Nitro to a maximum of 30% Nitro. It should also contain a minimum of 20% lubricant in the fuel. We use Coolpower 30% competition helicopter fuel. It contains 30% Nitro - 22% synthetic lubricant. Some people use Blue Thunder 20% car fuel.

    9.    Fuel Transfer - Some of the options for transferring fuel to the EK4 are - fuel bottle, hand crank pump or an electric pump. They all work. It's just a matter of which method you prefer. We use the 12v electric pump at home and also have a fuel bottle for travel.

   10.   Glow Igniter - Again, their are many different glow igniters. If you have decided to use the MSJ head, I can highly recommend this Tower Hobbies extra long twist on igniter. We have had problems with more than one of the Great Planes Igniter's, so you may want to stay clear of them.

   11.    Glow Plugs - This ones pretty easy. If you plan to use 20% Nitro fuel, you should use the

MC-59 Glow Plugs. If you plan to use 30% Nitro Fuel, use O.S. #8 Glow Plugs.

   12.    Power Drill or Airplane Starter - Most people use a cordless power drill. We personally use either a Dewalt 12v,Dewalt 14.4v, Makita 14.4 or a Porter Cable 18v. They all work fine. Unless you own or plan to purchase a high torque airplane starter, you might want to stick with the power drill. A lot of the airplane starters can be pretty wimpy in the torque department. To use a power drill, you just loosen the setscrews on the large end of the starter rod that comes with the kit to remove the airplane starter fitting and insert the rod in your drill. We set the torque setting on the drill to it's highest position. Some folks prefer to set it at the lowest setting that will allow the engine to crank without slipping the clutch in the drill.

   13.    Good High Quality Metric Allen Wrench Set - The Allen Wrenches that come with the kit are about as good as the ones that come in other kits. They  are rubber. They may suffice for the initial strip down, loc tite and re-assemble, but then again, they may not. I have seen several people get frustrated due to stripping out Allen type screws. They usually blame it on the Allen design in general when in reality their frustration stems from using poor quality tools. The wrenches that come with radio control kits are very cheap. Hey, you can't blame the companies. They are thrown in for people that don't own tools. I personally would prefer to see the money invested in the kit itself and not into throw in wrenches. If you choose to use them, monitor the corners of the tips. You will notice that the sharp corners turn into rounded corners in a short time. You are guaranteed to strip out your screws if you continue to use them. If you monitor them closely and grind the tip off to get to a fresh part of the wrench, you can usually get by for a while. Your best bet is to invest in one or two good sets, then monitor them closely. I would recommend Sears Craftsman as a minimum for quality. Snap On, Mac, Matco, SK and other tools on that professional level are much better. Another brand that I use and have been pretty happy with is the Bondhus brand. I picked a set up at my local Hobby Town. Some of the forum members have reported that they are available at Home Depot as well. If all else fails, this is an excellent link, (courtesy of Thunder Viper) for Bondhus Tools.

Click on the picture below to see a close up of rounded corners.

           Ball Drivers - are a specially designed Allen Wrench that have a ball formed on the end. They are special in the sense that they pivot in the screw head allowing you to loosen a screw that you can't get a straight shot at. While they are super handy to have, try not to use them for initial loosening or final tightening whenever possible. They are far more likely to strip or even break when used for final tightening or initial loosening than regular Allen Wrenches.

    14.    Gear Grease - While the gears in the EK4 already have a small amount of grease on them, it certainly can't hurt to put a little more. We use a good high quality wheel bearing grease for this. The thicker the better. You'll know when you have the good grease if you put a dab on a finger and then touch another finger to it and pull them apart. The good stuff will leave strings of grease between the two fingers. That quality is what helps it to stay on the gears and not just be thrown off on the first run. Some folks have mentioned some type of moly lube, but I have no idea what it is, where to get it or if I would use it.

    15.    Foam Air Filter Oil - The EK4 ships with a two part foam air filter. While you can use it without oiling it, I feel it is good preventative maintenance to put a light coating of air filter oil on it. The oil helps to trap smaller dust particles that could possibly get through the filter and shorten the lifespan of your engine. You should be able to find foam air filter oil at your local hobby shop or an auto parts store.

    16.    MSJ Starter - This should really be considered a must have. Some people do use the stock starter, but for $42.00, it's just not worth the chance of loosing your engine. The MSJ is very well designed. It has no set screws to loosen and is designed so the shaft can't go into the engine and cause any damage. You can get the MSJ starter from Christian at www.autohausrc.com.

If you feel brave and decide to use the stock starter, be sure to use red loc tite on the two set screws and make sure the flats are lined up with the screws.

    17.    MSJ Fridge Head - I personally don't quite feel that the head is an absolutely must have. Some folks insist that you must have it. I almost agree with them, but I'm trying very hard to be realistic and not force what may be more of a preference than a necessity. Quite a few folks run with the stock head and usually don't over heat. It's your call. I feel it's worth the $67.00 just for it's looks. The engine is absolutely gorgeous with this head. The fact that it works as good as it looks doesn't hurt either. If you do decide to get one, (good for you) you can grab it from autohaus at the above link with the MSJ starter.

    18.    CA/Super Glue - The only thing you need this for is the tires. They come glued from the factory, but it will not hold for long. I recommend to break the EK4 in before worrying about gluing the tires. By that time, the factory glue hopefully will have let loose and you will be able to remove the tires to prep the rims. You need to scrape or sand the chrome away from the points where you plan to apply the glue. I usually apply it in four spots, centered between the small holes in the bead of the rim.

 I'm sure I missed a few things, so you may want to check back for updates.