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New Savage X, already a headache

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BIGRed333

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I got my Savage X in the mail on Wednesday. I placed a decent sized order with Tower Hobbies that included a 3 Speed Transmission and a Reverse Module with Mixer. Those goodies came in the mail Friday.

So here I go, ready to take apart my new X. I get all the way down to the tranny and ripped it apart. I put together the new 3 speed and popped in the reverse module. I get the tranny all put back together. (Sounds a lil rough when the gears move, I hope it's alright.) Next step in the reverse module instructions talks about adding in a 3rd servo. My jaw dropped, I screamed WHAT?!, said nuh uh, this can't be right. I sure wish I had known a new servo was going to be needed. I guess this is the mark of a noob, but I had no idea another servo would be needed. :bowned:

I made a very careful order with Tower. I made sure I had everything I'd need from the basics of fuel, to adding a fail safe, fuel filter, safe stopping thinggy, 3 speed tranny, and reverse module. Made sure I had everything at the front of the manuals where it said THIS IS NOT INCLUDED AND WILL BE NEEDED. No where on the reverse modules instructions mentions adding a servo until the very end when you start to put the car back together. I have never owned nor operated a nitro r/c vehicle of any sorts. I thought I had done all my homework on what would be needed, thought I'd be able to break in my X on Saturday, only to be disappointed. ARG!!! Being a noob sux. :mad:

Well, off I go to Ebay to find a damned servo, might as well look for 3 channel radio while I'm at it. I sure hope there's nothing else that I need. If anyone can think of anything, please let me know.
 
MY FRIEND WAS WAntin to get a reverse module also and eh lhs said that he needed only that and the mixer, never talked about any servo, and why do you need reverse, i took mine out and its alot better, no more worries about stripped reverse gears and it strengthens your tranny also, i would say return it and get someting better like steering servos or something cause i find that the steering sucks
 
I am a bit of a ditz and I am uber lazy. So the ditz part comes into play when I ram head on into something, and the lazy part comes into play when I'm too lazy to walk over and turn my car around. Reverse is a capability I really want to have.
 
i say get rid of your laziness and save yourself the trouble with reverse, like someone said to me''reverse is for sissies stick with foward only, and it can't be that far to get your truck you have certain distance anyways you can go
 
I've been running a savage for over 3 years and IMO the reverse module is great mod.

To the OP - take your time and relax. This is not a quick and easy hobby but it is very rewarding. Ask questions here before placing orders. You should be albe to find an inexpensive servo at a LHS.
 
wow...

haha

you didnt know you needed a 3rd servo?
well what did u expect to shift?
 
Well I guess I'm a SISSIE as well........I like reverse....


Z400 - he just said he was a TOTAL NOOB! I guess some people know everything from the get go.....


Bigred - take your time with it, do plenty of reading, (mags, forums, etc) and you'll pick up ALOT of info. As Rossb said, it's a very rewarding hobby. Good luck with it!

-NB
 
hey there bigred- dont feel bad, i've only been into this for about 6 months, and i've got well over $1000 in a used savage 21 (includes motors and servos, upgrades as well as replacing all the broken crap that came on the used truck)...talk about getting :bowned: and i'm still, in every sense...a :n00bie: also, if its a small mod like reverse...especially if its a mod that you really want, that provides a big result-go for it. after all it is your truck and your hobby. having reverse doesn't make you a sissy, it makes ya smart...you can avoid a rollover when your driving offroad like a crawler!!! thats my :2cents:

by the way...what does the mixer for the reverse module do? whats it for? i thought it was supposed to be a small servo...since the reverse didnt need much force to be activated.

and take advantage of the forum for help, these guys have been invaluable to me! i'd be a gold member on here, but my "salvage" has all but bankrupt me!!!
 
Z400 said:
wow...

haha

you didnt know you needed a 3rd servo?
well what did u expect to shift?
Click to expand...


z400,

i remember someone (you) that a week ago had no idea that the big seemingly obvious ears on the bumper mounts held in the upper hinge pins, then had a attitude when a member tried to help you.....now your the top dog know it all.. & giving crap about honest questions from a person that already said he was new?
 
Z400 said:
wow...

haha

you didnt know you needed a 3rd servo?
well what did u expect to shift?
Click to expand...


Ahhhh, so a servo does the shifting? I thought that'd be the transmission. Thanks for clearing that up. Now I know what a servo does. I just thought it was part of the radio. I will assume that the servo is what tells the transmission it needs to shift. And in which case, being the ultimate noob that I am, I would still have thought oh well, there's already one in there for that.

The first nitro powered R/C I ever saw was mine when I opened the box. I decided less than 2 weeks ago that I wanted to get into this hobby. I think I have done fairly well thus far.

mrvern_04 said:
by the way...what does the mixer for the reverse module do? whats it for? i thought it was supposed to be a small servo...since the reverse didnt need much force to be activated.
Click to expand...

Because the Savage X comes stock with a 2 channel radio, the mixer is what allows you to still use a 2 channel radio and have the reverse function. Instead of flipping a switch and turning to a 3rd channel, you engage the breaks for 3 seconds to switch into reverse. When you're ready to go forward, you engage the breaks for another 3 seconds to switch back into forward motion. The mixer splits off the 2nd channel kind of creating a makeshift 3 channel radio that is activated by the breaks. Near as I can tell that's what it does at least -- again, total noob here.

I am contemplating on whether or not I want to get a 3 channel radio. I am thinking maybe a lil fiurther down the road. I am a college kid, so the funds are a little low at the present time.



As to everyone else's replies, thank you. I have been trolling around on these forums like you wouldn't believe. It has been an immense help. I owe a great deal of gratitude to HeartBreak as well. I had seen on the forums where he had done these exact same mods, so I sent him an I'm on AIM to ask him more questions about it.

I wish it was as easy as going down to my LHS to pick up a servo, but I am unaware of any HS within 20 miles. I did a search on the internet and all it brings up for the Bryan / College Station, TX area is a Hobby Town USA and a KB Toys & Hobbies that have both closed for business.

Again, thank you to all replies. Hopefully I will be able to figure this hobby out. Seems like a great deal of fun.
 
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I'm just saying that you should think twice before doing that , I'm not caling you a sissy , it was just a post that someone said to me when i wanted reverse, but i would save that money for something else to upgrade on your truck , trust me revere isnt that big of deal, i lost mine due to stripped gears and been doing really fine wothout it , no more worries about that
 
I realize that there are other things on the truck that could be upgraded. However, going in reverse happens to be something that I find paramount. If and when I decide to upgrade something else, I will do just that. I appreciate your input, and I will be keeping a close eye on my tranny to make sure the gears don't get stripped.
 
good man , keep with your idea and go with it , thats a good quality , i give you that ,when something breaks upgrade right away instead of getting the stock replacements, so have fun and do some good bashing!!
 
Glad to see your in the hobby. I have a feeling the 3 speed is a bit tricky to get it shifting right all on it's own. Reverse is nice, but typically is a weak addition. I don't know much about the one for the savage, just the revo/t-maxx and they were weak. When it worked, it was cool, but they had a tendency to not engage or come out of gear or something stupid that made me walk over to it anyway.

The transmission does do the shifting, but the servo actuates the lever to move the gears around in the trans.

Buying upgrades or additions is sometimes frustrating. When in doubt, throw out a question on a forum. Sometimes you can search and find an answer, but sometimes you can't. It's easier to wait a day waiting for help to make an order than it is to wait 3-4 days for that missing part after your already waited 3-4 days to get your new stuff.

Good luck. I hope reverse works out well for you. Hopefully it's better than the traxxas ones.
 
reverse is pretty good in the savage, you just have to make sure your totaly stopped & the engine rpm's have died down to idle...if you try to shift while the rpm's are a little higher the reverse gears will strip.
 
Not only that, but the 3 speed is kind of a pain to get it shifting in the right range, unless you install the pre-built one. I finally got mine somewhat in the neighborhood, but it took a lot of effort.

Just make sure you're using the X center trans case. 6 screws vs 36 screws....
 
I did the 3 speed conversion, not the prebuilt. Not quite sure what you mean about "shifting in the right range." And what kind of effort, like what did you have to do? I have it all put back in the case, when I turn the different aspects coming out of the case (the big gear wheel that connects to the engine and the knobs connecting to the front and rear turny thinggies [very high tech terms, I know, damn noob]), I can't turn everything clockwise and counterclockwise smoothly. It's like it sometimes hitches. But I didn't know if that was because what I was turning isn't supposed to go in that direction or what.
 
When you assembled it, you would probably need to settle the gears to each other. Just take the top of the case loose and wiggle the spur gear a little; that should seat them.

If that doesn't cure it, check the spur/bell mesh.
 
Well, I still haven't recieved the servo in the mail. It was shipped USPS on Monday, 30th of April. Slowest I've ever seen the USPS. Maybe Saturday, 5th of May it'll come. Really makes me want a LHS. I am going insane here. Really wish I would have driven the truck before taking it apart now. Ants in the pants does not begin to describe my feelings right now.
 
I've owned my share of savages, the reverse in them is a great addon for a basher, you find yourself it places and can't turn around so instead of running way over there, you flip the switch and your out of it.

i was reading your thread here, and was fixing to send you a message for your address so i could send you a servo lol, i live in houston and the shipping wouldnt have been anything.

if you have questoins on the rig, my messenger handles are in my profile. or just post up here, alot of guys here have or have had a savage at one time or anther. very good starter rig.
 

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