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Cyclop3000

RCTalk Racer
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Location
Quebec, Canada
RC Driving Style
  1. Bashing
  2. Racing
Hello all!

My first post on this forum. Long story short, I've had a Savage 21 for about 5 years, my first nitro truck. I love it of course, but with newborn kids and the house I had to put it aside for over 4 years. In a box, dirty, in the basement (I know, stupid).

Now I want to go back to it this summer, so I pulled it out to start fixing it. Needless to say, it's in bad shape. The engine crank and pullstart won't even budge, I am thinking the engine is good for garbage. I see a lot of talk about replacement engines, but never within a Savage 21...

So my question is, can engines like Picco .28, or the HPI K-9 and such bigger blocks can be put in a Savage 21? If so, what should I also consider upgrading at the same time (i.e.: clutch, pipe, servos, dogbones and such) to make sure the bigger engine won't break everything in the truck? I am looking for a bit better speed, and more torque, and don't want to spend 500$ on an engine...

Sorry for the newbie question, but hey I am a newbie! hehe. Thanks! :)
 
Pretty much any big block mill will fit in a Savage.

How many gallons was put on your current mill?

It may just be gummed up with old fuel. Soaking it in new fuel may free it up.

Be sure to replace all your fuel lines even if the current ones look OK.

Welcome to the site.
 
Welcome to the site. Rob is correct, most any big block engines will fit the Savage. That engine probably deserves a complete teardown to see if it's just gunked up with fuel or if it has taken on corrosion.
 
robmob said:
How many gallons was put on your current mill?
Click to expand...

Oh easily two gallons.

robmob said:
It may just be gummed up with old fuel. Soaking it in new fuel may free it up.

Be sure to replace all your fuel lines even if the current ones look OK.

Welcome to the site.
Click to expand...

Ok sounds good, I will take it apart then and see if that works. I had everything I needed like after run oil and all, but I am pretty sure I didn't do it the last time I used it, go figure why...

Well thanks for your replies, I appreciate :D
 
You will need to upgrade the diffs to handle any newer engines. The old .21 Savages only have 2 bevel gear diffs. They cannot take any abuse. Check E-Bay and find a whole diff assembly for it. They run around 30 bucks.
Take the engine apart and soak all the parts except the carb in denatured alcohol for a few days. Then scrub them good with a toothbrush and rags. Oil it up, reassemble it with a new O-ring kit.
 
yeah take the engine down clean it out and reassamble it and if you still want to go faster and upgrade the engine i put a 30 o.s engine in mine they are a bit hard to tune but once u get ther they go like nothing I've ever seen but dont forget to upgrade the diffs and check with ur hobby store what else may need to be done.
 
Scrogg said:
You will need to upgrade the diffs to handle any newer engines. The old .21 Savages only have 2 bevel gear diffs. They cannot take any abuse. Check E-Bay and find a whole diff assembly for it. They run around 30 bucks.
Take the engine apart and soak all the parts except the carb in denatured alcohol for a few days. Then scrub them good with a toothbrush and rags. Oil it up, reassemble it with a new O-ring kit.
Click to expand...

Ok thanks, new differential on eBay is a great idea, but what should I be looking for exactly? Differential for say .28 engines? Or 3-bevel gear diffs? Is this the way it works? Sorry I know even less about differentials that I know about the rest :hehe:

2yld said:
yeah take the engine down clean it out and reassamble it and if you still want to go faster and upgrade the engine i put a 30 o.s engine in mine they are a bit hard to tune but once u get ther they go like nothing I've ever seen but dont forget to upgrade the diffs and check with ur hobby store what else may need to be done.
Click to expand...

30 OS engine, noted, but what do you mean by harder to tune...when I broke in my engine, and adjusted the screws after break in for what I think was optimal, I remember all the steps I took and I thought it would be the same for all engines pretty much. What would be different in an engine that is "hard to tune"?

Oh and as far as hobby stores around here, all of which I have tried are completely useless. Either they want to charge you for advice :whhooo:, or they know less than I do about nitro engines. I hate this province lol.

Thanks all for the help, this forum is great!
 
Ok just as a followup, and maybe a question...

I took apart the old .21 BB, and it was in good shape besides that most parts inside were all stuck together. Looks like the after run oil actually dried up and acted as glue to stick everything together. Needless to say the sleeve just wouldn't come out so I had to force it a bit, and I screwed it up made a dent in the metal.

Once I got the sleeve and piston out, the crankshaft came out with a few hammer hits, and then I noticed the internal bearing was packed with dried after run oil. Now when I turn it it's kinda scraping and not turning well.

So looking at the replacement parts price (just the sleeve/piston are 60$, add a new set of bearings, and a new crankshaft...) it not really worth it. I think i'll just go out and buy a new engine for the rig.

I don't want to pay too much, cause this spring I intend on buying a 1/5th scale, but hell I still want this Savage to run :)

Any of you guys know where I could get a .21, .25, 4.1 or the 4.6 engine for cheap? They all seem to be the same price new, so maybe I could get a decent price somewhere? I just want to run it and have fun, no need for a high performance mill...keep my dough for the 1/5th :)

Thanks!
 
How much are you looking to spend? You can get a new axial .28 spec1 for around $100 bucks on ebay. Its supposedly a good mill. Or a used one for even cheaper.
 
Cyclop3000 said:
Any of you guys know where I could get a .21, .25, 4.1 or the 4.6 engine for cheap? They all seem to be the same price new, so maybe I could get a decent price somewhere? I just want to run it and have fun, no need for a high performance mill...keep my dough for the 1/5th :)
Click to expand...

You could always look at HPI's Engine Exchange program. They'll take any old HPI mill and replace it with any brand new engine in the same category (small block, BB, fuelie). Even completely disassembled and beat to hell. The 4.1's are $99, the 4.6's are $149. Not too shabby. I did the exchange for 3 old/dead small blocks I had... couldn't beat $60 for new G3.0's :)
 

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