The glow starter (or glow heater) is a simple spring operated 'battery on a stick' which is used to start your RC car's nitro engine. Clipping the glow starter in place on top of the glow plug causes power to flow through the small coil of wire inside the glow plug. This glow is enough to ignite the fuel when you pull your pullstarter. Once your engine is running, you can remove the glow starter as the engine's natural cycle maintains enough heat in the glow plug to keep the engine running. Be sure to not leave your glow starter clipped on for too long, as the glow plug can cause the battery in the glow starter to run down quite quickly!