New Savage owner needs your help.........

[theg12eato17e]

Hey guys, I'm new on the board and I have a few concerns. I bought my Savage almost 2 weeks ago and have been having problems from the get-go. This is my first nitro powered vehicle and I've always enjoyed R/C's. I'm just starting to learn about how to tune the engine properly, and how to adjust the needle settings so you're not running too rich or too lean. I'm still in the breaking in phase so maybe this is why i'm having some trouble.

My concern is that everytime I prime the carb and the fuel reaches the carb, there are too many air bubbles in the line. I can get it to where there are no more bubbles, and the truck will start off fine. The fuel tank is full, and I can run the truck for about 5 minutes before suddenly it shuts off. I check how much fuel has been used and it's not that much. Then I try to prime the carb again, but the fuel reaches the carb and a hissing sound is heard. I see air bubbles going back and forth. The fuel line never fills up with fuel after that. I just see the air bubbles move back and forth each time I press the primer.

I took it to Hobby People and the sales clerk said it could be a leak in my fuel tank. We took off the fuel tank and inspected it for any cracks. I would assume that if there were, there would be visible evidence of fuel leaking from the hole. He said that this is maybe why I'm having problems with the truck not running until the tank is empty. I'd appreciate it if any of you guys who have the know how on these issues can help out. I had the truck tuned by the shop where I bought it from and it ran a little better. The guy who helped me said the factory usually sets their settings on the rich side. I'd just like to be able to run it with out having to stop every 5 minutes and sit there for 15 minutes trying to get the thing started again. I've been reading the boards for tips, but if any of you have answers, it would be great.


Thanks..........

 

[Error401]

First off, welcome to RCNT.

From your description it sounds like there is a leak somewhere in the fuel system. The most likely culprit is the priming button. Just about every "racing tank" does not have one of these for that very reason. The bubbles in the line are a good indicator of such a leak if everything else has been checked out (ie good fuel lines, no visable cracks in the tank, etc.). The bubbles would make your engine run lean, and heat up and thus die. When you try to prime it again, the metal carb is so hot that the fuel that does reach it boils off and forces the fuel back towards the tank.

There are a few things you could do to solve this. First (and not the most preferable) is get a new tank. The one you have might be defective. Second, is get a small o-ring (HPI part #6819, silicone o-ring P-3 in the manual), pull the primer button off (it will come off), pull the spring off the primer shaft, put 1 of these o-rings on top of the one that's in there, then reassemble the spring and button. This will put more tension on the button and makes for a double o-ring seal. The third solution is to plug the primer all together. This envolves drilling the primer shaft out, putting a screw in the primer hole and using JB Weld to seal it. Priming the engine after doing the last thing requires putting your finger over the exhaust tip and cranking the engine to get the fuel to the carb.

Also, check the o-ring that's under the filler cap. Make sure that it seals good.

Some tips to do for a new Savage: install a good fuel filter on the fuel line going to the engine. And turn the top left shock mounting bolt around (this is the one closest to the tank). Believe it or not, if you blow a jump and land on that corner, that bolt will punch a hole in your tank. It can be fixed, but it's a pain. Turning the bolt around is alot easier.

Also, get an IR temp gun from Radio Shack or Sears, or get one of the high dollar ones with the laser pointer. Tuning your engine is a snap with a temp gun.

I hope this helped, and good luck.
Whitt....

 

[theg12eato17e]

Thanks for your help, I will go tomorrow to Hobby People and see what I can get. They're very helpful over there and they've hooked me up with good prices. I hope that it's only the fuel tank's o-ring seals that need to be replaced. What else can you recommend for me to do so I can get the most out of my truck. So far, I've only installed a new Motor Saver air filter.

I've check out some of the videos you've posted, they're pretty bad ass. I want my truck to perform like yours. What have you upgraded/changed on yours?

 

[Renegade88]

I took my primer out and welded the hole closed with a solder iron

 

[SkyMaxx]

What you are describing could also be attributed to an engine overheat. If you are following the break in to the letter, then the fuel settings should be pretty rich. So I might rule the overheat out and stay on the leak in the system, but I'll mention it just in case.

I assume you are at the point in the break in where you are driving the truck around a little. If so, the bubbles in the fuel line could also come from the bumpy ride causing the fuel to trap air. Try a spritz of armor all in the gallon of fuel that you are currently using. This little tip will stop the fuel from frothing and trapping air during bumpy rides.

 

[Error401]

Never knew that one Sky, live and learn I reckon.

theg12eato17e, thanks for the compliment, SkyMaxx's vids rock also. Most of the upgrades on my truck are performance related. Ofna Hyper 21 8 port engine, heavy duty dogbones and/or CVDs, metal brake, and a good pipe will do wonders for the performance. Right now, I'm running an Ofna Picco Outlaw .26 in the Savage and it's unreal.

I'll eventually have more info on my website about what all I've done to my truck, but I gotta find the time to code the pages.

Whitt...

 

[theg12eato17e]

I was going to try that Armor All tip, I think I read it somewhere here on the site. I would think that it would be bad to add some of it to the fuel just because it's not made for being mixed with fuel. What does it do to keep the air bubbles from forming?