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Can't get the truck to idle at all!

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Sorry, I told you 'how' but forgot the 'why' part. The motor relies on 'pinch' at the top of the sleeve to keep the combustion above the piston and drive it down with the maximum pressure. You'll notice if you rotate your flywheel (with the glow plug out) that there is more resistance (or pinch) as you get towards the top of the sleeve. If you allow the piston to sit at the top of the sleeve after a run, as the engine cools down the piston can prevent the sleeve from retaining it's shape. This can cause premature engine wear and affect the longevity of your motor. I didn't know this in the beginning and I believe my motor has been affected. It still runs like a crazed animal, but I feel it doesn't have the same amount of pinch it did in the beginning. You won't ruin your motor overnight, but keeping the piston at the bottom after every run will definitely prolong the life.
 
well, that's a very good explanation of why i should do this. from now on, i'll do it for sure. thanks for the advice. easy to do and sounds like it'll make a difference for the better. have a good one!
 
5 turns out might be a little rich. Go with the original factory specs. With each tank you can lean it just a hair more till you're about tuned in for performance at tank 10. It sounds like a lot, but you'll learn what each needle does, and why, and your engine will thank you for it in the long run.
You'll need to lean the LSN for improved idling and takeoff, and the HSN for WOT, so start with the LSN and keep a close eye on the temps.
 
you guys aren't gonna believe this. tried to start the break in process on the newly rebuilt engine today and half way through the first tank, stalling problem came back. if i lived near a river i'd have thrown it in. i brought it back to my work bench in the garage and tore into it again. first i thought it something in the ez start was binding ever so slightly so i went and bought a pull start, put it on and started the truck... stalling just the same. took the engine out again and took it apart. this time i noticed that the the bottom of the piston rod or shaft (whatever we call it) had some damage to it. it had some small pits in it and the sides were dented, just on the bottom. i guess that this is where all my problems started. it seems that either the bottom of the rod wasn't machined correctly or the same could be said for the space below the rod. i took out my dremel and shaved down the bottom of the rod ever so slightly and rounded the edges along the bottom just a bit. put it all back together and started it up. idled for, well i could've let it idle a whole tank away it was running so well. this was it. a piece of the rod must've chipped, got into the cylinder and caused the pitting up there as shown in the pictures i posted earlier. i think (fingers crossed) that i've finally got it fixed for good. i'll continue with the break in tomorrow and let you all know how it goes...
 
i really think the worst is over now. there was a bit of a pining sound when the engine was started and went away some when it was running. that sounds is completely gone now. it has to all tie back to the piston rod rubbing inside the engine. i'm looking forward to running it again tomorrow. will let you know.
 
it's official. my engine rebuild project is over. it's been raining pretty bad up here for the past two days so i didn't get to finish the break in process on my engine until today. it's running even better than it did when it was new. fires up really quick and stays running until i shut it off. didn't stall one time through 4 tanks today. my wife and i are going to visit some friends on cape cod tomorrow through sunday and i figured since the truck is finally running well again it would be a good time to bring it to the beach for the first time. i got a pair of paddle tires for the rear end today and can't wait to try them out on an unsuspecting sand dune sometime in the next 48 hours. this whole rebuild was a good learning experience and kept my mind off my surgery coming up next friday. i'll be out of commission for a while as far as rc goes but doing this stuff this past week really got me hooked on the hobby for good. thanks for the help guys. talk with you all soon...
 
Good luck with surgery, let us know when everything is well with you.

Make sure you use compressed air and blow all the sand out of all the nooks and crannies after running in the dune. Sand and bearings don't make a good pair. LOL
 
thanks for the advice on cleaning him after running on the sand. i'll pick up a can of air when i get back. it'll be about a 3 month recovery time after surgery. below the knee amputation. can't wait to walk again. it's been 14 months since i last walked. this may sound odd but it'll be good to take out the trash again!!!
 
:whhooo: damn Jim, I bet you are going crazy, well you must be if you can't wait to take out the trash.... LOL. I'd be loopy too after not walking for that long. Hope it goes well and you get back to walking sooner than expected. We'll be thinking about ya.
 
Oh, man. I hate to hear that. I wish you the absolute best through the surgery and your quick recovery. A lot of us will be eager to hear from you, so anytime you can sit at a computer, just drop in and bs with us.
 
thanks for the support guys. this was easily the worst year of my life but it'll all be over soon. it's hard to describe what it's like not walking for that long. i had to do it to try and save my leg but it just isn't working out. that's that. the guys at my hobby shop are always in disbelief when i tell them all the things i do with my revo and 8ight because i've done it all on crutches. i can't wait to be able to chase after my truck without crutches when it flips. well. thanks again guys. i'll be back online soon and will let you know how things are going...
 
Hey Take care man don't rush it listen to the doctors. You might get that itch to run'em. But take it easy would be a good time to do some good customizing Maybe some custom bodies tear em apart make them yours. Polish heads whatever.
 
Hey, back from the Cape with the truck. I was so ready to throw it in the ocean on the way back. Same crap is happening again with the pitting inside the cylinder on the piston head and bottom of the cooling head. Stalling symptoms came back again when I was running it for a little while and it got up to running temps. The rig never got over 210 and the needle settings were ever so slightly leaner than factory. I wasn't running hard or anything, just on a flat dirt road. I took the cooling head off to confirm my suspicion and although it's not looking even close to as bad as the first time, it's the beginnings of it. I stopped running it and am calling Traxxas tomorrow. The truck is less than 3 months old and this just shouldn't be happening. I'm sending them the engine with the carb and ez start set up on it and letting them know, if they can't fix it, I don't think it's unreasonable to ask for a brand new engine. I'll let you all know what they say. Hope it goes well...
 
Dang Jim, that's just weird it's happening again. It's like the thing is getting ran without an air filter, which of course it's not. Traxxas has some good customer service that's for sure. Let us know what they say.
 
I believe they'll take care of you. Just send the engine. Take off the EZ start. You might also want to contact them first to get a confirmation number before you ship it.
 
I called them today and spoke with Dean in the service department. Based on our conversation I'd say I have a 50/50 shot at getting taken care of or being told to buy a new engine through the Traxxas ERP. Dean seemed to think that the issue was with me and the engine started out fine. In the end we agreed to disagree and I sent it. If it's fixable but they won't fix it for free I think I may scrap it and have to buy a new engine. I've already put close to $100 into fixing it to this point. I got pretty darn well scolded from Dean for smoothing out the bottom of the piston connecting rod. He said if it was defective I should've just replaced it rather than trying to fix the part. Isn't that what the hobby's all about though? anyway, that's where I'm at with it. I'll let you know what they say when I hear from the, It'll probably next week. They won't get it for two to three days and I'll have to have come down off the surgery meds enough to put a complete sentence together for you guys to understand (although i'm sure you guys would love to hear the jibberish that'll come out of my mouth while i'm all drugged up after surgery) HA!
 
yeah My wife was a riot when she had her back surgery, She was asking us why we aren't sharing our french fries with her nobody had any fries.
 
last surgery i had i was soo excited to have a sip of ginger ale in the recovery room, i called it the elixir of life. i'm in for it again aren't i...
 
Hey guys! Surgery is over. According to my doctor it was 100% successful and he sees no reason why I won't be walking just like anyone with two full legs within 3 months time. Really happy about it now. Pain at times has been off the charts but they've got me on some good meds that have started to get things under control. Last night wasn't bad at all. Didn't sleep through the night but it wasn't a bad night considering what I went through. My wife brought my laptop to the hospital so that I could use it as a dvd player and I somehow managed to get onto one of the hospital's wireless networks so I'm pretty busy here for the moment. Home to be home by Monday. Talk with you guys soon...
 

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