Need help with my Traxxas Nitro Rustler starting up. I'm out of ideas

[Dougyyyyy]

Let me preface this with the fact that I am fairly new to the Nitro world, but I am fairly handy.

I have a Traxxas Nitro Rustler 2.5. When I put the EZ start in and push the button it just will light motor light will come on and the glow plug one will come on and off. The engine will try to budge and get going but won't. The more times I push the button the less of a noise the truck will make. It seems like that could be a battery issue but the EZ Start is charged and there are brand new AA batteries on the car. The remote will turn the wheels and throttle but that is it.

I took a couple videos which I hope might be helpful...

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0siNqJxpotfRHFqYTFIWFN1OHc/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0siNqJxpotfX3JfWTZhTnItYnM/view?usp=sharing

Any input would be very appreciated.

 

[BamaFan]

Your engine is flooded. Remove the glow plug, turn the truck upside down while using the easy start to turn the engine over. Your glow plug could be fouled out too. Cut the blue wire that goes to the glow plug and invest in a good glow starter. Rechargeable ones are better. Hope this helps.

 

[Dougyyyyy]

So I pulled the glow plug and took the ez start plug and detached it from the motor and ground and installed a new one and turned it over and tried it like you suggested at first it spun really slowly and then hiccuped and wouldnt go. So I flipped it back over and plugged a new glow plug in just for good measure and tried again. As my new video will show, when I press the ez start button it sounds like it is trying to start but almost immediately slows and stops. The motor button on the ez start remote turns on when it is not plugged into the car but when it is neither of the lights will stay on. I figure it is the ez start alternator or whatever the thing on the car itself is called but is there a way to know for sure?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0siNqJxpotfbFNtYkRiUW9keGc/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0siNqJxpotfX2EzWXdKTGlZVmM/view?usp=sharing

Any more suggestions would be highly appreciated. thanks again

 

[Rolex]

Use a separate ignitor. The glow circuit in those EZ-Starts is known to fail.

 

[Dougyyyyy]

What exactly would that consist of? Can you find a link? Thanks

 

[Kris407]

 

[hotrodrob]

Buy a pull starter for it while your buying the igniter

 

[BamaFan]

Buy a pull starter for it while your buying the igniter

I wouldn't suggest a pull start for a beginner to the hobby.

 

[Kris407]

EZ start my ass, that thing almost drove me out of the hobby!

 

[hotrodrob]

Why not? that's how most of us started out!..the cheesy start turns into nothing but problems,not to mention that newbs ruin many a glow plug flooding an engine because they simply can't tell unlike you can with a pullstart

 

[BamaFan]

To each there own. I have never had a problem with the EZ start minus the blue wire that I cut off and use a igniter. I put a pull start on my first revo and about sold it from frustration lol. Now that I'm a lot more experienced it would probably be ok but I still like the EZ start on my small blocks and bump box for my big blocks.

 

[hotrodrob]

View attachment 15352


I wouldn't suggest a pull start for a beginner to the hobby.

aren't you the guy that suggested a newb buy a bump box for a t-maxx....sorry but I do not value your suggestions

 

[BamaFan]

aren't you the guy that suggested a newb buy a bump box for a t-maxx....sorry but I do not value your suggestions

You can modify the bump box to work and I really don't care what you value.

 

[hotrodrob]

Yeah have a good one dude,no need to start trashing the thread

 

[Kris407]

i just remember that motor spinning and the gears not turning inside the case, take it off shake it, spray WD40 in it, put it on and it works for a minute and then back to the beginning. Always flooded my engine too and the first time i flipped the 4tech it ripped the blue wire off. but it did work fine many times and i was a noob back in 1999, it may be better now. pull starts are not error free thats for sure but i feel more manly using the pull start hahaha

wait.. i just remembered i'm still a noob

i never thought of using an igniter with the EZ start.. your a genius! lol

 

[hotrodrob]

Ya but your a more manly newb...realistically there is just less to go wrong with the pull start,and it's cheaper to replace,..a broken pull start can 9 out of 10 times be fixed in the field with no parts,

 

[Rolex]

Early in the life of the .15 narrow TMaxx, I thought the EZstart was absolutely the greatest. I didn't have it long before I had to buy a new one. It wasn't too much later I had the same problem. The motor still spun but the circuit to the glow plug quit. It wasn't long before everyone at that track quit buying new EZ starts and just used the motor drive with a separate ignitor. Another plus, the motor spun faster and the plug glowed hotter.

 

[hotrodrob]

I still have one I upgraded,..gets used for the break in" process,after that it comes off and old reliable takes its place

 

[Dougyyyyy]

Well I appreciate all the advise. As I said I am new to the nitro world. I adopted this car and my buddy had it working two days before and showed me what to do so it freaked me out that it wouldnt start now. I still don't grasp exactly what the "glow plug" is because when I take it out I don't see much there that could be so crucial. Something tells me I should stick to electric rc lol. I wish there was an rc shop close by I could take it to and learn hands on.

 

[hotrodrob]

The glow plug is the ignition sorce,sort of like a spark plug only it doesn't spark or require any voltage after the engine is running,that little coil inside there stays really hot! Like red hot