Pro Boat PRB0200 User Manual

.18 Marine Owners Manual

Congratulations on your purchase of a
Pro Boat™ .18 Marine engine! Precision
manufactured and assembled, your
Pro Boat .18 Marine engine will provide
you with trouble-free performance if you
read and follow these instructions.

Using the Proper Fuel and Glow Plug

Using the proper fuel and glow plug is
critical in order to achieve maximum
performance and reliability. You must use
fuel and glow plugs that are specifically
designed for model car/boat applications.

Never use any type of model airplane glow
fuel! Use of model airplane fuel will damage

your engine and immediately void any
warranty.

We recommend using Blue Thunder™
or Blue Thunder Race Formula blend
fuels with 20% nitro, providing the best
combination of power and fuel economy.
Pro Boat Blue Thunder fuels are vigorously
tested, researched and formulated to deliver
excellent power as well as engine protection.

A glow plug has been included and is
ideal for breaking in your new engine. In
fact during the break-in procedure, it is
not uncommon to go through one or two
glow plugs, as microscopic bits of metal
(from the cylinder/piston wearing in) bond
themselves to the plug element causing glow
plug failure. We recommend a sport glow
plug (DYN2500) or an O’Donnell 1/10 racing
glow plug (DYN2521) as the absolute best
glow plug for this engine, delivering an ideal
balance of performance and longevity.

Carburetor Adjustments

Your Pro Boat .18 Marine engine comes
equipped with a precision rotary carburetor.
Take a moment to review the pictures below
to familiarize yourself with the various
functions of the carburetor. Loosening the
nut located on the side of the crankcase
under the carburetor body will allow you to
rotate the carburetor. Make certain to mount
the throttle arm to the side required by
your particular boat. Although preset at the
factory, some changes in the needle setting
can occur during shipping and handling. We
suggest the following settings for breaking in
your engine:

High-Speed Needle: 21/2 turns out
(counterclockwise) from closed.

Low-Speed Needle: 21/2 turns out
(counterclockwise) from closed.

When checking the adjustment of the low­speed needle, it is crucial that the throttle
barrel is closed completely when turning
the needle and that you do not overtighten
the needle.

High-Speed

Needle Valve

Idle Adjustment

Screw

Higher Idle

Use the included screwdriver to make
this job easier. When you feel resistance
in the needle, immediately stop
turning and begin turning the needles
counterclockwise, counting the number of
turns from “closed.”

Richer

Low-Speed

Needle Valve

Leaner

Water-Cooled Engine

Because the Pro Boat .18 Marine engine
is watercooled and not air-cooled, make
sure that you do not run the engine for an
extended amount of time outside of the
water. Continuously monitor the water outlet
when the boat is running to make sure that
the water is reaching the engine head. If the
water does not reach the head to cool it, the
engine will overheat and fail. This will cause
permanent damage to the engine.

Starting Your Engine for the First Time

The Pro Boat .18 Marine engine comes
equipped with the Pro Boat Pro Mix
Carburetor. Each Pro Mix Carburetor is
pre-adjusted at the factory. This setting
should be approximately 21/2 turns open for
the high-speed and 21/2 turns open for the
low-speed needle. This should give you a
slightly “rich” mixture of fuel to the engine.
This setting is the safest way to break in
your engine.

The first start of your engine is the most
critical time of the engine’s life, dictating
how well it will perform. After installing the
engine in your model and inserting the glow
plug, turn on your radio system and attach a
glow igniter to the glow plug.

When using a recoil starter, never pull the
rope out to its full length, as doing so may
cause damage and recoil starter failure.
Quick, short pulls of the recoil starter are
the best technique to use. Never extend the
starter rope more than 12 inches.

Should the pull starter be extremely difficult
to pull (will not extend out of the assembly),
the engine may be flooded (hydro-locked).
Excess fuel between the cylinder head and
piston will not allow the piston to travel
through its full range of compression,
effectively “locking up” the engine. Should
this occur, immediately remove the glow
igniter from the plug. Using a glow plug

wrench (DYN2510), remove the glow
plug and turn the model upside down.
Give the recoil starter a few short pulls to
clear out the fuel, re-install the glow plug
and start again.

You may need to “blip” the throttle on the
transmitter (applying throttle on/off) while
trying to start the engine, as new engines are
more difficult to start due to the tight piston/
cylinder fit. Never start an engine above 1⁄4

throttle. Immediate damage to your engine
can occur!

When the engine starts, the exhaust should
emit blue/ white smoke, indicating that the
engine is excessively rich (a good thing
during break-in). During the first tank of
fuel, you may wish to set a higher than
normal idle speed and/or leave the glow plug
igniter attached in order to keep the engine
from stalling. Drive the boat around while
“blipping” the throttle and avoid operating
the engine at full throttle for more than 2–3
seconds at a time. Consume the entire first
two tanks of fuel in this manner.

After the first two tanks of fuel, begin leaning
out the high-speed needle valve 1/8 turn at
a time. It generally takes about 5 or 6 tanks
of fuel before you’d want to start tuning for
“maximum” power. Do not skip this process

of breaking in a new or rebuilt engine!
Should you choose not to follow these
procedures, you risk damaging your engine
during the first tank of fuel.

Your patience during these procedures will
be rewarded by an engine that performs
reliably and to its maximum power potential.
First run attempts can be more frustrating
than with other (less powerful) sport
engines, so take your time—it will be worth
the wait!

Glow plug failure is a common occurrence
when breaking in a new engine. To test
your plug, let the engine idle at a properly
adjusted low-speed needle setting with the
glow igniter attached. Then, remove the
igniter. If you hear no appreciable change in
engine rpm, then the plug is still good. If the
engine loads up and the rpm’s decrease, it’s
time to replace the glow plug.

Setting the Needle Valves

When adjusting the settings, always adjust
the needles in small increments, about
1/8 of a full turn at a time. Do not set

the engine too lean, as it shortens the
reliability of the engine.

After you have attained the correct needle
settings, the engine will have a strong­sounding, high-pitched whine at full speed,
and a thin trail of blue/white smoke will
come from the exhaust.

An engine should not be run too lean; doing
so severely shortens the life of the engine.
When an engine is set too lean, it will run
very strong at first, but will soon begin to
sag and hesitate or stall when accelerating.

Tuning the Low-Speed Needle

The low-speed needle (also referred to as
the idle mixture or idle needle) should be
set after you’re satisfied with the high-speed
needle setting. After achieving the proper
operating temperature, reduce the engine
throttle to idle and pinch the fuel line with
your fingers close to the carb fuel inlet
nipple. If the engine dies immediately, the
lowspeed needle is set too lean. If the rpm’s
increase dramatically, the setting is too
rich. The ideal setting results in the rpm’s
increasing just a slight amount after pinching
the fuel line.

Idle Stop Adjustment

The last setting to be made is the idle
stop screw. Turning this screw clockwise
increases the idle speed; turning the screw
counterclockwise will make the engine idle at
a lower speed. Ideally, the engine should idle
just fast enough to be reliable in acceleration
and transition from idle to full speed.

Head Shims

Several head shims are added at the factory
to make the engine easier to start when
new. After break-in, you may remove all but
one of these shims to increase compression
and power.

Engine Maintenance

Periodic maintenance must be performed
in order to keep your engine in proper
operating condition. After each day of
running, it’s critical to use high quality
afterrun oil to protect the internals of the
engine and guard them against corrosion.
The methanol used in the fuel attracts
moisture that can cause corrosion
(particularly in the ball bearings). We
recommend Blue Thunder™ Final Run
(DYN2255) as it’s specifically formulated to
protect your engine between uses. Follow
these steps after running your engine:

1) Empty all fuel from the tank and fuel lines.

2) Use Final Run fuel following the
instructions on the container.

3) Clean and inspect the engine and
fuel system.

Troubleshooting Guide

Problem

Engine won’t start

Engine starts, then dies

Engine starts and runs
for 1⁄2 tank, then quits

Possible Cause/Solution

• Clogged fuel line

• Bad or improper glow
plug

• Glow igniter not
charged

• Engine flooded

• Pressure line blocked or
disconnected

• Bad glow plug

• High-speed needle too
lean

• Hole or tear in fuel line

• Bad glow plug or idle
speed set too low

• Overheated engine
(too lean)

• Improper needle
settings

Warranty

Warranty Period

Exclusive Warranty- Horizon Hobby, Inc.,
(Horizon) warranties that the Products
purchased (the “Product”) will be free from
defects in materials and workmanship at the
date of purchase by the Purchaser

Limited Warranty

(a) This warranty is limited to the original
Purchaser (“Purchaser”) and is not
transferable. REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT AS
PROVIDED UNDER THIS WARRANTY IS THE
EXCLUSIVE REMEDY OF THE PURCHASER.
This warranty covers only those Products
purchased from an authorized Horizon
dealer. Third party transactions are not
covered by this warranty. Proof of purchase
is required for warranty claims. Further,
Horizon reserves the right to change or
modify this warranty without notice and
disclaims all other warranties, express or
implied.

(b) Limitations- HORIZON MAKES NO
WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION,
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, ABOUT NON­INFRINGEMENT, MERCHANTABILITY OR
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE
OF THE PRODUCT. THE PURCHASER
ACKNOWLEDGES THAT THEY ALONE HAVE
DETERMINED THAT THE PRODUCT WILL
SUITABLY MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF
THE PURCHASER’S INTENDED USE.

(c) Purchaser Remedy- Horizon’s sole
obligation hereunder shall be that Horizon
will, at its option, (i) repair or (ii) replace,
any Product determined by Horizon to be
defective. In the event of a defect, these are
the Purchaser’s exclusive remedies. Horizon
reserves the right to inspect any and all
equipment involved in a warranty claim.
Repair or replacement decisions are at the
sole discretion of Horizon. This warranty
does not cover cosmetic damage or damage
due to acts of God, accident, misuse,