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3.3 longevity?

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scootr

scootr

RCTalk Basher
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Location
Australia
RC Driving Style
  1. Bashing
Hey guys. I've put around 2 gallons of 30% thru my 3.3 and up until now it has run great! Brilliant even..

But yesterday I blew a plug and since then I had to go in a half turn on the high just to keep it running.

Now it can't idle for too long, even on factory settings. Its strange because until it blew the plug it run perfectly.

Temps have always been around 250f - 270f, so no issues there.

And seems to have good compression when cold.

I've been in this game for a long time, so tunning isnt a problem. Starting to think this piston/sleeve has had it..

What can one possibly expect tho, my 90 size heli engine alone costs more than my 4907 t maxx.. :)
 
You might wanna look at the engine bearings and the conrod, because something's not right. A 3.3 should last around 5-7 gallons if you change the bearings once. You might as well forget about the factory settings, they're nothing more than a starting point for when the engine is new.
 
You're doing better than I am. I won't be replacing my 3.3 with another 3.3. Tuning isn't an issue for me either. And I run mine a little on the rich side to make it last longer. But it never seems to matter if I lean it or enrich it, I get the same amount of life from the 3.3-about 1.5-2 gallons. And that two gallon mark is a stretch.
 
Nitro_Ninja said:
You're doing better than I am. I won't be replacing my 3.3 with another 3.3. Tuning isn't an issue for me either. And I run mine a little on the rich side to make it last longer. But it never seems to matter if I lean it or enrich it, I get the same amount of life from the 3.3-about 1.5-2 gallons. And that two gallon mark is a stretch.
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If your cooking a 3.3 in 2 gallons it probably won't matter which engine you buy,at the 1 gallon mark a nitro engine is just broke in imo,I've run trx engines for a good 15 years and have always got a good 7 gallons out of em,

transmited from a mobile communications device
 
hotrodrob said:
If your cooking a 3.3 in 2 gallons it probably won't matter which engine you buy,at the 1 gallon mark a nitro engine is just broke in imo,I've run trx engines for a good 15 years and have always got a good 7 gallons out of em,

transmited from a mobile communications device
Click to expand...

i agree cause I'm on my 2nd gallon now and i got the rig used and its still running great.
 
hotrodrob said:
If your cooking a 3.3 in 2 gallons it probably won't matter which engine you buy,at the 1 gallon mark a nitro engine is just broke in imo,I've run trx engines for a good 15 years and have always got a good 7 gallons out of em,

transmited from a mobile communications device
Click to expand...

I got a 3.3 revo with 5 gallons still runs strong. My old beater maxx has 7 gallons run through the little 2.5 and she is still going, it is starting to get a little finicky with tuning though. I have replaced the carb on the 2.5 three times due to breakage.:D
 
Thanks guys.
@ Dub c.. It was the standard traxxas long plug.
 
new to nitto

So you guys are saying that these engines have be replaced or rebuilt in that short period of time? I was expecting much longer run time then that! What is common rebuild or replace?
 
I would just replace internals.

---------- Post added at 11:47 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:45 AM ----------

Just depends on how much you run it. As much as I run mine I will prolly have to refresh mine once a year. And with traxxis engine thing they have it's just half the cost of a new one just have to give them ur old motor.
 
mpsully2013 said:
What is the Traxxas Engine thing? LOL! I missed that. Is this an addtional cost?
Click to expand...

Traxxas "Power up" program, you send in your old engine and they will send a new one. I think the 3.3 was just under $100 if you went this way. If your engine is in good condition, it may be better to go the ebay route, then you'll have your old one for spare parts (head, carb, block).

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
 
i'm currently in the process of starting a slayer build as you apparantly can not buy one in australia according to my lhs which he could order on in for around $600 lol
anyway now i'm looking at a powerplant that wont be over the top for this thing so i'm lookning at a new 3.3 but havent really had much luck with them ,my first pop in under a gallon due to pilot error but the second one was much better and only died when we snapped off both mounting tabs in a nasty crash in my stampede.after that i have tried to rebuid about 3 of them and they just never ran right no matter what i did
what i guess i'm trying to say is given its price and the price of rebuilding one i say go for a new one and save your self any unnessary pain
 
hotrodrob said:
If your cooking a 3.3 in 2 gallons it probably won't matter which engine you buy,at the 1 gallon mark a nitro engine is just broke in imo,I've run trx engines for a good 15 years and have always got a good 7 gallons out of em,

transmited from a mobile communications device
Click to expand...

I disagree with you. I get 4-5 or more on OS engines, which I've been running for almost 20 years. I've also ran TRX for 15 years and the 2.5 was a good engine. Then I upgraded to the 3.3 I've not had much luck with them. I keep the temp between 250-270. They just don't last long for me, hotrodrob.
 
I have a couple gallons on my 3.3 in a revo. Was pretty flaky for the first half gallon or so, but has been fairly stable since. Doesn't idle down as cleanly as my LRP's, but runs with decent power between 230-250 all day long.

It's hard to keep track of quantity though these days. 5 vehicles all burning the same fuel. I should buy 5 of those golf score tools, one for each rig, then I can keep track of the tank count on each rig... just for curiosity purposes.
 
I am new to this hobby and have no clue what I am doing but have 5-6 gallons through my 3.3 with no upkeep and it runs better than it ever has with the same tune....
 
I also think it depends how you drive as well. Make sure you are up to temps before you let it rip stuff like that.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
Lol well this really is starting to get to me lol. I practically have a new tranny which works great I might add. Well today this happens. Yup rod broke and bugered up the piston. Well at this point might as well replace the motor. I'm getting very discouraged about this crap lol.
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---------- Post added at 8:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 8:00 PM ----------

I'm wondering if the vp fuel I was using did it. It had 9%oil in it.
 

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