Damn pullstarts

[newnitrofan]

Sup guys,

Well we have had a good string of weather up here lately so I decided to get all the parts it was going to take to make my touring car run. Well I have a brand new Fantom FR12 that I am going to be breaking in. When I got it I pulled off the pullstart to check the backplate and make sure it was tight and it grenaded. So last night I bought another pullstart for it and the spring in it grenaded. I just went and purchased another pullstart and am praying it will do ok. I need help here anyone have any good advice for me??

 

[SkyMaxx]

What do you mean by grenaded? If you mean it unwound itself violently, then you are wasting money buying new pull starts. You can rewind the spring and go from there.

 

[newnitrofan]

Sky buddy I tried it. I will wind up needing a replacement string. Guy at the LHS said that I was pulling too far. I am too stubborn to believe that honestly. I have two other working cars with good pullstarts. Maybe I am pulling too far on it but I am not sure I am. Might be sending you all my non functioning pull starts dude. Honestly I tried to rewind the spring and it just wouldn't work.

 

[SkyMaxx]

It does take a bit of patience. I just redid a Fantom pull start the other night. Took me about fifteen minutes (but I have a bit of experience with that brand of pull start). Feel free to send them my way. I'll only charge for shipping and any parts needed to rebuild them (that is if any are needed). PM me if you choose to go that route.

 

[gutterboy]

What do you mean pulling it to far. I had that happen to me and it will take a few times to get it. It is a pain but after you get it you can do it agin and again. You did waste money on buying new ones. And if your string broke you can replace that also. I broke my string and still used it. It was a little shorter but it still worked. I just hope that hobby dude wasn't trying to make money. Hope you get it straighten out.

 

[SkyMaxx]

You can actually over pull a pull start. After doing so several times, you will fatigue the spring and snap it. The pull should be between 6 and 9 inches tops. If you pull much longer than that on a regular basis, you can expect the pull start to not like you very much after a while. From there it will most likely choose to break in the most inconvenient of times.

And yes, you can restring them. The string isn't expensive and the only thing required for restringing one is...patience. That and a little know-how, but not too much.

 

[Error401]

Originally posted by newnitrofan
Maybe I am pulling too far on it but I am not sure I am.

Short quick strokes. =devil

Originally posted by SkyMaxx
(but I have a bit of experience with that brand of pull start).

Extreme understatement. Sky has mad pull start skillz. I've acutally witnessed some in the field, I was flabbergasted and utterly awed.

 

[newnitrofan]

Guys Honestly I think I got two defective pullstarts. Put on the last one and I was able to get the motor started. Again I can't even begin to think I was pulling too far on the pullstart. I have two other pullstart motors and those are workin just fine honestly. The third one was the charm. I will send the one I just had into HPI for warranty. Hopefully they will in fact do that. New problem developed though. Whenever I get the motor started it dies with in a matter of about two seconds maybe five. I can't even begin to think which needle is possibly off but I know one of them is.

 

[Error401]

I was being a peepee. bad day at the track. So you're saying the spring broke? On to PS's. How hard did they try to pull the string back in? Maybe the springs were wound too tight at the factory and a normal pull made them fail.

 

[newnitrofan]

Originally posted by Error401
I was being a peepee. bad day at the track.

Well I full on know how that go's. I wasn't even able to get to the track today let alone even get to be able to bash. Cuz of the damn pullstart. See I got the motor off of ebay for like $40.00 and yes it is brand new. Was a steal. I only pulled off the pullstart to see if it would fit on my 21BB and it didn't and it pretty much broke from there. Got me the new one last night and tried it and within 4 pulls it was toast. The spring was actually able to get turned backwards.

 

[Vincemaxx119]

Man my pull start broke and I was freaking out. Cursing left and right! So I took it apart and after having to deal with that f****** recoil thing, I finally put it back to gether. I figured the technique to mine. I don't know if all pull starts are the same or similar. I love pull starts.:bling:

 

[SkyMaxx]

Originally posted by newnitrofan


Well I full on know how that go's. I wasn't even able to get to the track today let alone even get to be able to bash. Cuz of the damn pullstart. See I got the motor off of ebay for like $40.00 and yes it is brand new. Was a steal. I only pulled off the pullstart to see if it would fit on my 21BB and it didn't and it pretty much broke from there. Got me the new one last night and tried it and within 4 pulls it was toast. The spring was actually able to get turned backwards.

If you don't get the satisfaction you desire from HPI, send them my way. I find it hard to believe that the spring was f'd up from the factory. They can get unsprung pretty easily, but it usually has something to do with the way the pull start is pulled from the engine or if the pullstart spring was about to unsprung itself and just needed to be triggered by someone pulling it off the engine.

Either way, your problem does not sound beyond repair. Let me know.

 

[Error401]

Damn Sky, sounds like you got yourself an addiction. Please, please send me pullstarts to fix. j/k bro, you are da PS man.

 

[Lt.Doomsday]

if you can actually make the spring turn backwards,maybe you are pulling too far.

 

[SkyMaxx]

Originally posted by Error401
Damn Sky, sounds like you got yourself an addiction. Please, please send me pullstarts to fix. j/k bro, you are da PS man.

Got nothing major to fix...figured I would offer to help the members with their problems. Guess I better get those spring cleaning issues squared away for when the weather is nice enough to do some spring cleaning. Until then, pull starts anyone?

 

[olds97_lss]

I can honestly say, the first time the spring came out of mine, I was pissed and it took forever and sore thumbs to get it back in.

Now I can take an engine off the truck, rewind the spring, put it back on the truck in 20 minutes. You just have to take your time while winding it up and have a pair of needlenose visegrips to hold on to it as your putting it back in.

 

[joneser4u]

I want have any other means of starting my nitro's,pullstarts when properly used are the most reliable way I've found to get the job done,I also like how you can actually feel the entire stroke of the piston in the sleeve,this helps if there are any problems with bearings,compression,flooding,and you know your not gonna try to force the engine if there is any damage!I've broke a couple of PS. but they never let me down like some of the electric starters I've tried!Good Luck man!

 

[Racer-X2]

Here is what I did when I was tired of pulling and breaking strings and springs. Lose the pull start and buy a small cordless drill and a HGI Yank Eliminator. I got one from Tower Hobbies and my car fires up right away. No more sore arm or blisters on my hands.:redbuggy:

 

[SkyMaxx]

If your arms were sore and you were getting blisters, then you made the right choice in getting the yank eliminator. I have not gotten any blisters from a pull start since I broke in my first .21 engine. After that, gloves worked their magic and no more blisters. Pull starts work great and save me from having to carry around a power tool to start my RC.

 

[newnitrofan]

Yeah pull starts are great when the friggin string doesn't break on them. OH well I seem to be working out just fine now.