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Engine rebuilds

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Tremonic

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Hello everyone,

I'm new to the nitro scene and I have ordered a new 3.3 motor for my recently purchased used Tmaxx. I have read the tuning thread and plan on sealing the engine when I get it and all of that good stuff but my question is, when you rebuild your engines whats the best way to break them down without scratching or scarring anything? Any tips or tricks are appreciated. A couple of specifics I'm wondering about are,

What's the best way to get the sleeve out?
What's the best way to get the bearings out of the block without scratching anything?

Any other things you can think of are greatly appreciated. I know there might be a thread on here about this but I haven't ran across it yet. Thanks guys.
 
To get the sleeve out, I remove the cooling and head and head button and then the backplate. I slide a zip tie or 2 into the exhaust port (laying flat) and then use the flywheel to rotate the piston upwards. It will catch the zip tie and usually pops the sleeve out with minimal effort. Sometimes the sleeve will pop out if you just rotate the piston to TDC on it's own.

As far as bearings, remove everything from the engine that had any rubber on it....just leave an empty crankcase with bearings and toss it on a cookie sheet in the oven at 250-300 degrees for @ 15-20 minutes. Using oven mitts, remove it and put it backplate side down. Give it a firm tap on something solid (I use a cutting board) and the rear bearing will pop right out. If not....heat it for another 5 minutes or so. For the front bearing, I use the handle end of a wooden spoon. I slide it into the crankcase from the inside and line it up with the inner race. Then I do the same as I did for the rear bearing....tap the engine (with spoon in it) on the cutting board. The spoon should hit the cutting board and pop the front bearing out after a few taps.

If you toss your new bearings in the freezer for 30 min or so prior to removing the old ones...they just about drop into place with the crankcase all heated up.
 
Thank you sir. Those are some great tips that I will definitely use. Much appreciated.
 
when you take an engine apart. use this to assemble the engine, permatex ultra slick engine assembly lube item# 81950
 
I use After Run Oil on the parts when I re-assemble. I also seal the carb and back plate with Permatex Ultra Copper RTV Sealant ;-)
 
i have been using wd40 with out any problems.. But that is a neat trick for the bearings I will have to remember that one!!!!
 
Yeah I have read the tuning / sealing your engine thread (another great piece of info on this site) and have already bought locktite and permatex ultra copper gasket maker. I will be sealing the motor before I ever crank it up. And thank you for answering the reassemble lube question also. I was planning on using WD40 for that and my after run oil (Traxxas actually states that you can use WD40). I have to say once again that this site has been very helpfull to me. I have been reading everything on here and have learned a great deal of info in a very short amount of time that I believe will help me immensely with my nitro ventures. My thanks to all of the regulars that I see in thread after thread throughout this site helping people like me save themselves major headaches by giving out their experienced advice and knowledge.
 
Haha!Yeah moe I can agee with that.I have a few plane engines that I use alot that I got for free cause guys thought they were screwed.Some were worn,others got dirt in and scratched the sleeve.I just added abit of castor to my fuel and away I went
 

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