1/8th scale buggy has no power?!?!

[chriswhyte]

I recently purchased an Acme Warrior 1/8th scale nitro buggy for my brother. We are total novices when it comes to rc cars. We broke the engine in no problems, but recently as the buggy was travelling, a chunk of gravel became wedged between the chassis and the flywheel, shutting the engine off instantly. We removed the gravel no problem, but as we went to use it yesterday the buggy has no power whatsoever. Don't get me wrong it DOES move, but hardly. Full throttle is more like quarter throttle:\. We are starting to lose hope and pass it off as us just not having a clue about these things. Could the gravel have caused these problems or could it be something else? If anyone has any ideas to save it from death that would be great!

 

[Reddog]

Where EXACTLY did the gravel get stuck? It could have bent or twisted something causing a bind and resulting in the apparent loss of power. Also is there any more gravel stuck somewhere you did not notice? Like in a wheel? How does it run when on a stand? Does it run free and smooth or is it like the brakes are on? Also pictures or a video may help out here. Shaun

 

[srusinek]

It's possible the clutch might've gotten damaged and that would result in a loss of power.

 

[rchobbyist]

Agreeing with both these guys....

 

[Nitro Nerd]

How does it sound? Does it sound "different" than before, or simply like it's going only 1/4 throttle.
Have your touched any of the controls on your transmitter?

Have you looked at your spur gear/clutch bell to ensure they not stripped?

 

[Sixtysixdeuce]

My guess: The lodged rock caused your flywheel to stop so abruptly that the pilot shaft and/or collet spun inside it, which is now happening despite the debris no longer being present on account of the parts having clearanced themselves. The only thing that locks your flywheel to the crankshaft is friction, which is the purpose of the tapered split collet.

Remove the engine, remove the clutch bell, shoes and nut. My guess is you'll see damage where the nut has been spinning against the bell. If this is the case, the remedy will be a new flywheel and collet.

 

[chriswhyte]

Hi guys thanks for your replies! There's a small gap on the underside of the chassis which leaves the flywheel slightly exposed. The gravel became lodged in this gap. There appears to be no signs of any other gravel anywhere else. I'll see about posting a video!

As for the engine sound, it sounds as though it's struggling. Whereas before at full throttle it would be screaming, now it just appears the engine isn't reaching its full potential. It starts fine and idles well, but as soon as you hit the throttle it doesn't seem to want to go fast at all. For the last ten seconds of the first tank it returned to full potential but when we let it cool and added another tank it went back to being down on power again. I'll get a video up of it to give you more of an indication as to its performance

 

[Rolex]

You also need to check the simple and the obvious. Remove the filter and with the engine off move your throttle trigger full open to full brake and watch the barrel inside the carb. Does it ALWAYS go full open to closed or does it sometimes not quite make it? Could be something totally unrelated to the gravel, like a bad servo or a bent linkage.

 

[Reddog]

The last ten seconds is when it is the leanest. Could be a mix issue. Have you tried tuning it? Or is it at the factory settings?

 

[chriswhyte]

Yes it's still at factory setting. It's had about 8 tanks since it's first run