9-6-2022
Thank you for choosing the K&B .18 size marine engine.
All K&B engines are designed for highest power output and easy tuning.
All K&B engines include crankshafts supported by double ball bearings, ABC type piston and cylinder technology, and superior quality. All K&B engines are manufactured on computerized manufacturing equipment to ensure every engine is of exacting quality.
SPECIFICATIONS
Bore & Stroke
16.4 mm x 13.5 mm --- 0.646" x 0.531"
Displacement
3 ccm --- .18 cu. in.
Weight
7.95 oz.
Crankshaft thread
5 x .8 mm
Crankshaft bearing
double ball bearing
Connecting rod type
super alloy bronze bushing both ends
Piston/cylinder type
aluminum piston, brass cylinder with hard plating
Carburetor
single needle rotating barrel with preset idle mixture
Porting type
Schnuerle ports with boost port
Glow Plug
K&B 1L Standard Long
Horsepower
1.15 with tuned pipe & 30% nitro
Practical RPM range
2,500 ~ 28,000
Max RPM
32,000
Prop size
Prather Prop 215
Recommended fuel
10~30% nitro (minimum 18% oil by volume)
Warranty
1 year limited warranty against defects.
Pull starter
included
Muffler/pipe
not included
 
PLEASE READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS COMPLETELY TO FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF
WITH THE FEATURES AND OPERATION OF YOUR NEW K&B ENGINE.
 
CAUTION
K&B engines will constantly give you dependable performance and reliability and will be a source of satisfaction and pleasure if you follow these instructions as to the engine's proper care and tuning.

You are responsible for the safe operation of your engine, so act sensibly and with care at all times. This K&B model engine is not a toy. It is a precision-built machine whose power is capable of causing serious injury to yourself and others if abused, misused, or if you fail to observe proper safety precautions when using it.

Never use any other fuel in your engine other than glow fuels specifically designed for use in model boat engines. NEVER use any other types of fuel as these can cause severe damage to the engine, or personal injury. NEVER use gasoline!

Never operate your model on any lakes, ponds, or ocean that could interfere with full size marine operations. This could cause accidents, personal injury, or property damage.

Glow engines produce exhaust gases that are poisonous and can be dangerous to your health. It is important that you operate your engine outdoors only.

Before starting the engine, make sure the throttle arm is set to the idle position. Starting the engine at any setting above idle can cause the engine to over-rev and become damaged.

When the engine is running, there are parts that rotate at high speed. Be careful not to touch any hot or moving parts. Serious injury could result.

It is normal for an engine to get very hot during operation, especially the cylinder head and muffler or tuned pipe. Never touch the engine or muffler assembly during or soon after running, they could be very hot and can cause serious burns.

Model engines vibrate when they are running. Periodically check all the engine screws, mounting screws, muffler screws, and other assemblies to ensure they are tight. Running the engine with loose screws can lead to severe engine and/or hull damage.

 
CARBURETOR
The carburetor on your engine is pre-installed at the factory, however, you may need to remove/replace it, so read the following:

The carburetor is held in place using two screws. To replace the carburetor back into the engine, slide the base of the carburetor into the crankcase. Be careful to keep the carburetor perpendicular to the front of the engine. Push down on the carburetor firmly with your thumb so the base of the carburetor fits completely into the crankcase and the carburetor neck O-ring seals between the two parts. While holding the carburetor in place, install the two screws in place.

Do not over-tighten these screws. The screws only need to be tight. Over-tightening the screws can cause the threaded holes in the carburetor to strip.

 
BECOMING FAMILIAR WITH THE CARBURETOR
Your engine is equipped with a rotary barrel type carburetor. (photo)

Idle Stop Screw:  The idle stop screw adjusts how far the barrel will close adjusting the speed of the idle, not the fuel mixture. We recommend that the idle stop screw be adjusted so that the carburetor barrel stays open about 1/32 of an inch. Turning the screw clockwise will cause the barrel to open, counter-clockwise will allow the barrel to close further.

 
MUFFLER ASSEMBLY
The K&B .18 engine does not include a muffler. The muffler is typically designed for the particular boat that you have. Usually a pipe designed for a car will adapt well for a boat. Both standard mufflers and tuned pipes that use the standard two bolt-mounting pattern will work with the K&B .18 engines.
 
FUEL RECOMMENDATION
Fuel is an important factor in how your engine will perform. For the break-in period, you should use a fuel specifically designed for R/C engines that contains no more than 20% nitromethane. Once the engine has been broken in (about 30 minutes of run-time), you can switch to a fuel containing up to 30% nitromethane. We do not recommend exceeding 30% nitro.
 
LONG PLUG RECOMMENDATION
The correct glow plug must be used so your engine will perform as it was designed to. We recommend using the K&B 1L (#7311) if you are running 25% or less nitro, and the K&B HP (#7300) or the K&B HD (#7310) if you are using more than 25% nitro.

Do not use other types of glow plugs or those intended for four-cycle airplane engines. Using the wrong glow plug will cause the engine to run poorly and make it difficult to tune.

The glow plug element should glow bright orange when connected to your 1-1/2 volt battery. If it only glows red, your battery needs replacement or charging.

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BEFORE STARTING YOUR ENGINE
WARNING: Please read before starting
If at any time the pull-start becomes very tight or difficult to pull - STOP! The engine has become flooded and the excess fuel must be removed or damage to the pull-starter and/or engine could occur.

To remove the excess fuel from the engine, follow the steps listed below:

Remove the glow plug from the cylinder head.
Open the carburetor barrel to the full throttle position.
With the top of the engine pointing away from you and others, pull the starter several times to clear the excess fuel from the engine
Check to make sure the glow plug has not been fouled, you can connect it to your battery to check and clear the excess fuel from the plug. Now, reinstall the glow plug.
Close the throttle barrel, connect the glow plug battery and start your engine.
 BREAKING IN YOUR NEW ENGINE
HIGH and LOW SPEED ADJUSTMENTS
High-Speed Needle Valve:  The high-speed needle valve is used to adjust the air/fuel mixture at full throttle. Turn the needle clockwise to lean the mixture or counter-clockwise to richen the mixture. When you start the engine for the first time, the needle valve should be turned in clockwise completely (do not force it), then backed out about 3 turns.

Low Speed:  The low speed is preset from the factory and needs no adjustment, just the idle speed is adjustable by the idle speed screw.

-
STARTING PROCEDURE
Your K&B .18 engine is equipped with a pull-starter, you should use this to start the engine.

To make the engine easier to start it should be primed. This can be done by placing your finger over the carburetor inlet and pulling the starter. You will see the fuel being pulled up to the carburetor. When the fuel reaches the carburetor, stop priming. Over-priming the engine can cause the engine to flood and "hydraulic lock". This is a result of too much fuel in the engine. The piston cannot compress the excess liquid fuel in the engine and this could cause serious damage to both the engine and the pull-start assembly. Never try to start the engine if it is in a hydraulic locked state.

If the engine becomes hydraulic locked, do not pull on the pull-start cord. Read the warning describing how to remove the excess fuel from the cylinder.

The engine is started by connecting the 1-1/2 volt power supply to the glow plug then pulling on the pull-start cord. The proper way is to pull the cord in short, quick, successive pulls until the engine starts. Once the engine starts, release the pull-starter.

Never pull the pull-start cord out to its maximum length. This may damage the pull-start assembly. Always use short, rapid pulls. Do not pull any harder than necessary to turn the engine over.

 
BREAK-IN PROCEDURE
The K&B .18 series engines are ABC type construction. The cylinder sleeve is tapered at the top, causing the piston to bind as it moves through the top of the stroke. It is normal for there to be a tight spot while turning over the engine. When the engine heats up to operating temperature, the top of the cylinder expands more than the bottom and proper piston clearance is achieved. This break-in procedure will guide you through the steps necessary for proper break of your new K&B .18 engine. Please follow these steps closely:

The break-in process allows the engine parts to mate to each other and prevent premature wear. The engine should be broken in using a good quality R/C fuel that contains 20% or less nitromethane.

Close the main speed needle (clockwise) all the way but do not force it. You just want to turn it until it stops as there is a tapered seat to adjust the fuel mixture and over-tightening the need will cause damage to the seat. Now open the high-speed needle valve about 2-1/2 to 3 turns from the fully closed position.

Follow the starting procedure to prime and prepare the engine for starting.

Open the throttle barrel just above the idle position and connect the power to the glow plug. Pull the pull-start cord in short quick bursts until the engine starts.

Once the engine starts, allow it to run for about 1 minute without giving it throttle. This will allow the engine to warm up. At this point, the engine should be running very "rich" and there should be excessive white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe.

After the engine has been running for about 1 minute, remove the power from the glow plug. Launch the boat by pushing it into the water and advancing the throttle. Drive the boat around for about 2-3 minutes. If the engine is running rich enough, you should notice excessive white smoke coming from the exhaust and the engine should sound like it's running very rough. Also, the boat will be moving slowly. If there is not excessive white smoke coming from the exhaust, open the high-speed needle valve another 1/2 turn. After 2-3 minutes, stop the engine by pinching the fuel line to the carburetor.

 Set the high speed needle valve mixture to a slightly leaner setting, about 1/8 turn more in.

  Repeat the procedure in the step above, while leaning the needle valve slightly more each time. In all, you should run the engine for a total of 30 minutes. After 30 minutes of running, the engine will be broken in. Run the engine with the needle valve set slightly rich, but lean enough to power the boat. At this point, the engine should hold a good setting on the high-speed needle valve and you can fine tune the needle valve settings to increase performance.

  It is very important that the engine never be leaned out too much. When running the engine, you should always be able to see a trail of white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. If there is not white smoke, stop the engine immediately and richen (unscrew) the high-speed needle 1/2 turn. You should also make sure there is plenty of water flowing through the cylinder head to keep the engine from overheating.

 
FINE TUNING THE K&B .18
Now that your engine has been broken-in, you can set the high-speed needle valve for the best engine performance.

Never lean out the mixture settings too much. Remember, the lubricants for your engine are in the fuel. If you lean out the fuel mixture too much, you will also be starving the engine of lubricant. Less lubricant will cause your engine to overheat and cause premature wear. This will cause engine failure.

Setting the High-Speed Needle Valve: Start the engine and remove the power from the glow plug. Allow the engine to warm up for about 1 minute.

After the engine has warmed up, run the boat as you normally would. If the engine seems to be running rich, lean the mixture screw about 1/16 of a turn at a time until the desired setting is achieved. Always make sure you run the engine slightly rich, you want to be able to see a white exhaust trail at all times.

Needle valve settings must be determined by how the boat runs in the water. DO NOT TUNE YOUR ENGINE OUT OF THE WATER.

To get more power from your engine, you can use fuels containing up to 30% nitromethane. However, we suggest adding and additional .005" head gasket to lower the compression ratio if overheating and erratic running occurs.

Setting the Low Speed Needle Valve: Adjust the idle stop screw to raise or lower the idle speed.

Now, run the boat in the water for a while to get a feel of how the engine reacts and runs. Now that you know the proper way to tune your engine, you can make slight adjustments to the carburetor until you are satisfied with the performance.

 
MAINTENANCE
Basic maintenance on your K&B .18 engine will extend the life of your engine and keep it performing like new.

Always use good quality "wet style" air filter on the carburetor. The air filter should be cleaned frequently, but if in doubt, replace it.

We recommend using an in-line filter in the fuel pick-up line to prevent particles that may be in the fuel being drawn into the engine.

Always use new fuel and keep the cap on the fuel can tightly closed. As glow fuel ages, it absorbs water which degrades the fuels performance and causes erratic engine operation.

After you have finished using the engine for the day, remove the glow plug and squirt several drops of a high quality after run oil into the carburetor and cylinder. Crank the engine over a couple of times to distribute the oil and re-install the glow plug, this will prevent corrosion inside the engine.

The outside of the engine should be wiped off using a soft cloth and rubbing alcohol to prevent build-up of dirt and grime.

 
WARRANTY

All K&B engines returned for warranty service must be within the warranty terms as stated in this instruction sheet. Do not return the engine to the place of purchase. They are not authorized or equipped to perform warranty work on K&B products. When requesting warranty service, please observe the following:

Call K&B first to receive a returned goods authorization (RGA) number, at 626-359-6972.

Always send the complete engine including the carburetor.

  Include a note detailing the problem you are experiencing. Warranty service cannot be provided without this information. Include your daytime phone number, address, or e-mail address in the event we need to contact you for more details pertaining to the service you requested.

Tell us where you purchased you engine and when. A clear copy of your purchase receipt is required for you to receive a warranty consideration.

After you receive your RGA number and have prepared your written information, send the engine to us at:

K&B Manufacturing
Attention: Warranty Department
16015 Adelante St
Irwindale, California 91702

 
NON-WARRANTY SERVICE
If your engine is not eligible for warranty service and you wish to have it repaired, please, click here for repair service.