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3.3 max start up problems

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5150nitro

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Recently just bought the 3.3, took it out of the box and did all the instructions for the pre-start. Went to start it and the flywheel spun once and it sounded like it was going to start but then it froze. I read the trouble shoot and it says to take a flathead screwdriver and rotate it, so I did, and added some oil like it says. Went to start it again, same thing. The only thing I can think of is the started battery only charged 3 hours, not 4. I took the glow plug out and it spins maybe 3 times then freezes. Has this happened to anyone else? What is a solution I should try?
 
make sure your starter battery is fully charged ....the light should turn green on the charger ......to start your engine , heat it up with a hair dryer as hot as you can before trying to start it ( dont focus the heat at the head ..heat below the head where the piston is ) ....a temp gauge is a good thing to have .....hope that helps

and dont forget to put the piston a the bottom when you let it cool down
 
I'll try it out, I appreciate the info. Is this common with new t-maxx's?? I'm already thinking of a pull start instead of the ez start.
 
i have had some problems with the ez-start ...but once fixed , everything is good .....and its normal for the engine to do that ....my first 3.3 i didnt have to heat it up ...but my second one was tight and i had to heat it up before starting it until i had a few quarts ran through it
 
You also can loosen the glow plug just a tad to lower the compression. And after its running for a little bit tighten it up. My friend had to do this with his 3.3 on his jato when it was new. A hairdryer also works well.

Where do you live? If its cold out I would wait to break it in.
 
I'm in so cal, it was 59 today and tomorrow is suppose to heat up. I'll have a 2 day widow to break it in with temps around 70. Also thinking about getting the slayer or the ten t losi
 
Ok so I heated up the motor and it started like a champ! My next question is after my third tank, the idle got extremely high, so I shut it off. I let it cool for half hour and it started up sitting on a stand, but again the idle was kind of high, when I sat it on the ground, it died out repeatedly. It fires right up on the stand but then it goes into gear and acts like I'm giving it gas and gains rpms. The idle screw does absolutely nothing for this, anyone have any ideas how to fix it? Like I said I'm going onto my fourth tank so I'm kind of worried. Any solutions? Should I adjust the linkage? Also the throttle trim on the remote seems to do nothing aswell
 
Make sure nothing came loose that could cause an air leak. Header, coupler, tank cap. Pop the air filter off, turn the transmitter and receiver on, and make sure the gap in the carb is around 1-1.5mm. Bout the thickness of a credit card.
 
I'll try it out, I've never seen anything like it. My old maxx was a champ and never gave me any problems. An air leak would cause it to gain rpms? When I put the brake on to place it on the ground it dies out. I'm totally dumbfounded on this little glitch. And the remote throttle knob does absolutely nothing
 
Yes they spin like no other. When I roll it I can hear something possibly grabbing but it was like that when I took it out of the box. Do I need to tighten the clutch? I can already tell this car is built to be unleashed, just need to tame it for now haha
 
You have to pull the engine off the truck and take the clutch bell off of the engine. You'll either find a broken spring and/or shoe.
 
Do you know if this is common in breaking in a motor? Still need to figure out why the throttle trim isn't working on the servo from the remote.
 
It's not uncommon for the stock clutch to break, though I've had good luck with them. Don't know why the trim adjustment wouldn't work. Are you looking at the throttle servo when you turn the nob?
 
I am, and it does absolutely nothing. The steering works great but the other doesn't do anything. Kinda wierd.
 
5150nitro said:
I am, and it does absolutely nothing. The steering works great but the other doesn't do anything. Kinda wierd.
Click to expand...

do you have the transmiter that uses 4 batteries ??? if so , you need to follow the instructions on how to program it and activate the throttle trim

as for the stock clutch , i never had good luck with them ...springs would snap or shoes would break ...i had a new stock clutch that lasted for less than 5 tanks ......first upgrade you should do is a 3 shoe aluminum clutch ....best upgrade i made
 
Make sure the carb return spring is holding pressure on the carb to keep it closed. Also just check the linkage (as per the manual) and make sure you haven't cranked the low speed needle in instead of the idle screw.

Your engine may have a small air leak, but I doubt that's causing your problem.
 
The problem was a broken clutch spring, bend a new hook at the end, put it back together and it solve all problems. Motor had no leaks so that was the problem. Man the 3.3 has serious power, totally fun to drive. Need to make some minor adjustments and then in track bound.
 

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