Nitro rustler keeps trying to move on idle

[gandalfnz]

How do I upload a video to here? I tried to attach files but it said something about it not being right or something and wouldn't let me

Upload on youtube, then post a link here.

 

[yfzracer450]

Upload on youtube, then post a link here.

Ok I'm copying the link to 4 videos. One video is I took the filter off after warming it up and getting it hot and it looks like the fuel is bubbling. 2nd video is showing what I was talking about where it like twitching or rocking the spur back and forth and running it a bit. Nice blue smoke off idle and at wot. 3rd video I'm letting it open up in the yard so you can hear how it's running and the 4th video is after I brought it into the garage and shut it off I did the pinch test like traxxas says and it kinda shut off to quick so I'm probably to a little to lean on the lsn but there was smoke or something coming from the glow plug. I assumed it was just something that maybe got down in there. I check the temp while it's running and I always get around 230 240 but after I shut it off I pointed my temp gun right at the plug wire going on to the glow plug and I got like 325 I think I may be running a bit lean on wot but I'm also in Florida where it's like 97° right now. Please help me. I have the idle set at like .7mm and I'm tuned it from there. I can't really get it to wheelie cause the tires spin so I don't feel like my tune is off. Any advice? Should I just run with it and leave it alone? Maybe richen the lsn and hsn up a bit? Before I came in and shut it off I was getting a little low on fuel cause I could like hear screaming a little more so I bought in and shut it off. Maybe it got hotter cause it was starting to lean out towards the end?

 

[yfzracer450]

So I just took it out and ran it some more. I kept back the hsn out until it started sounding like crap and then leaned it a bit. I think I went like 2 while turns so I guess my tune wasn't very good after all lol that would explain why it was getting so hot. Now after I richened it up a good amount I pointed the temp gage at the same spot and I read 205. I also did the pinch test and it shut off like right at 3 Mississippi. It still kinda twitches a bit but nowhere near like it was live and learn lol at least I'm trying and I new something was wrong and didn't just keep running it like that and burn it up. Probably coming close if I kept it going though lol

 

[gandalfnz]

Typical Traxxas overheating issue and HIGH idle, just as I suspected. Fuel bubbling is most likely because engine running very very hot.
The fact that you have the head smoking like that confirms that.
This is quite bad for the engine and will shorten its lifespan significantly.
You should never run the engine that hot, and it needs richening.
I would start with richening the LSN counter clockwise by 1 hr increments, until you get a nice and calm idle.
Also richen the HSN by half a turn.

I hate telling ppl to use a temp gun, but as a beginner it might be useful for you, just to know if its running too hot or not.
Temps should not exceed 300F.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[yfzracer450]

I'm getting frustrated so I got it out today and messed with it some more for like an hour. I got the temp way down to like 180 ish when I point it right at the plug wire to the glow. I ran it in the yard and got it hot and it was still like 200ish. After I shut it off I checked the same spot and got 230. Yesterday I was over 300 but I'm still getting that twitch and trying to move a bit. It's got a nice stream of smoke from low to high. It's sounds nice at wot and spins the tires and tries to do a wheelie but it spins. So I think I'm just gonna get it running nice and just deal with doing what it's doing. I dont know what else to do other then take it back to where I got and let them tune it for me but that's a last case scenario. I think I'm just gonna live with it

 

[tudordewolf]

230 is perfect, can even run a little hotter without worrying, if it stays below 250 you're golden.

 

[gandalfnz]

I'm getting frustrated so I got it out today and messed with it some more for like an hour. I got the temp way down to like 180 ish when I point it right at the plug wire to the glow. I ran it in the yard and got it hot and it was still like 200ish. After I shut it off I checked the same spot and got 230. Yesterday I was over 300 but I'm still getting that twitch and trying to move a bit. It's got a nice stream of smoke from low to high. It's sounds nice at wot and spins the tires and tries to do a wheelie but it spins. So I think I'm just gonna get it running nice and just deal with doing what it's doing. I dont know what else to do other then take it back to where I got and let them tune it for me but that's a last case scenario. I think I'm just gonna live with it

With traxxas anything under 300 is an achievement.
Sorry to hear about your frustration, you are in the exact same position I was, when I was starting with nitro.
My first nitro was a Rustler, for years I thought tuning was a science, until I got introduced to HPI and Kyosho, all of a sudden tuning became so simple.
Contrary to what some ppl might say, in my opinion Traxxas is the most difficult to tune platform, that carb will mislead you in so many ways.
In the end, I sold all my traxxas nitros, then later decided to give them another chance, this time with an OS 11k carb, and now that is the first part I change when I buy a Traxxas. I hesitated a long time on buying that carb, since its not cheap, but it will be the the best upgrade you can do to that car.
Just remember what I told you, keep richening the LSN until idle comes down, very common is to have a lean LSN on traxxas nitros.
Eventually you will learn to tune without even thinking about the temps, you will know when it sounds right, and no matter the temp, you just run it like that.

And here's a funny one, I just purchased a brand new Nitro Rustler in box for a very good price.
I will see whether to keep it or just onsell it, since I already own a Jato and Slash.

230 is perfect, can even run a little hotter without worrying, if it stays below 250 you're golden.

This is almost next to impossible achieve on a Traxxas sadly. They just love the heat!

 

[yfzracer450]

So I've been messing with it the last cpl days. It got running little rich on hsn because it's like 95° temperature wise without the heat index and humidity and it's running at like 205,210 maybe a little hotter. I ran it hard in the yard and the highest I got was 230 I think at the plug. I'm afraid to lean it out anymore then that. On the lsn it spins the tires when I pull the throttle hard from a stop and has nice blue smoke all around but it still does its little dancing that it does with the clutch and the spur gear. It doesn't necessarily move but it twitches. If I richen the lsn anymore it wants to fall flat on its face. I could lean it a hair a more but i feel like this is the best I'm going to get. I also did the pinch test like traxxaa says and it shuts off like right in the middle of 3-4 seconds whitch i guess is perfect so I'm just going to deal with it doing its thing with the clutch or whatever I'm tired of messing with it. I'm not racing it or anything. I just play in the backyard for a few tanks then clean it up and put it away so I'm gonna leave it alone. I was out jumping it in the yard and it was doing good. I have noticed that it doesn't particularly like getting below a 1/2 tank somewhere around 1/4 it doesn't like it but I think that's just more of a tank issue cause it's baffled I guess you could say in the middle and when it gets pushed to one side or the front it struggles to pick up fuel since the pick-up is in the back but as long as I keep it above 1/2 it goes and goes no problem. Thanks for all the advice. I'll probably eventually get that carb plus the tuned pipe and maybe the bigger head but for now I'm happy they way it is. I've already had more fun and play time with this then I did my tmaxx as a kid so I'm already winning lol

 

[gandalfnz]

The reason why idle is so high, and why you say its weird below 1/2 tank ( I assume idle goes up and down), is because your LSN is still lean.

 

[yfzracer450]

The reason why idle is so high, and why you say its weird below 1/2 tank ( I assume idle goes up and down), is because your LSN is still lean.

If I richen it anymore then it starts falling flat on its face. It won't have power and it bogs down hard and it takes a second for it to clean Itself out and Rev out at wot

 

[yfzracer450]

The reason why idle is so high, and why you say its weird below 1/2 tank ( I assume idle goes up and down), is because your LSN is still lean.

What happens if I tighten down the spur gear nut more? I was thinking maybe it's to loose and that's why it does what it does. There isn't like enough resistance or something

 

[gandalfnz]

What happens if I tighten down the spur gear nut more? I was thinking maybe it's to loose and that's why it does what it does. There isn't like enough resistance or something

I thought you were happy the way it runs?
Are we talking about the tune still, spur tightness will have no effect on the tune.

In order to set up the slipper clutch, have a look at cars manual.

 

[yfzracer450]

I thought you were happy the way it runs?
Are we talking about the tune still, spur tightness will have no effect on the tune.

In order to set up the slipper clutch, have a look at cars manual.

No I'm happy with it. I've learned to just live with it. No matter what I do it won't go away so I'll just leave it. If I richen it anymore then it boggs down real hard and has no low end. It's gonna idle high no matter what. I read the plug and it's got a nice brown color without black on it and the spring in the center is still silver so I assume the tune is good. I found a post on here talking about the color of the plug with a picture and what I'm looking at and what I'm reading I'm right on maybe a hair rich with my tune. I was just asking more out of curiosity then whether or not it would actually make a difference. Now I get Temps like 200° maybe as high as 230° with the body on running it in the yard hard so ill leave it alone. I just need to tune it a bit for the weather cause now it's set for about 95° but it's cooling off now.

 

[gandalfnz]

No I'm happy with it. I've learned to just live with it. No matter what I do it won't go away so I'll just leave it. If I richen it anymore then it boggs down real hard and has no low end. It's gonna idle high no matter what. I read the plug and it's got a nice brown color without black on it and the spring in the center is still silver so I assume the tune is good. I found a post on here talking about the color of the plug with a picture and what I'm looking at and what I'm reading I'm right on maybe a hair rich with my tune. I was just asking more out of curiosity then whether or not it would actually make a difference. Now I get Temps like 200° maybe as high as 230° with the body on running it in the yard hard so ill leave it alone. I just need to tune it a bit for the weather cause now it's set for about 95° but it's cooling off now.

Unfortunately not, until you sort out the Achilles heel of traxxas nitros - the carb

 

[yfzracer450]

Unfortunately not, until you sort out the Achilles heel of traxxas nitros - the carb

Maybe that will be my anniversary/Christmas present since my wife and I's anniversary is 2 days before Christmas

 

[gandalfnz]

Maybe that will be my anniversary/Christmas present since my wife and I's anniversary is 2 days before Christmas

Sounds like a plan, you better put the order trough today, so that you receive it by then.

 

[yfzracer450]

Hey guys. So I got with a neighbor who has been in nitro for a long time and he helped me out with my car. So I finally figured out that I was doing something wrong. When I was measuring the idle gap I was measuring the whole half moon instead of measuring like highest point of the slide which can give me to way different measurements. So now I actually have it set at .7mm. I used a paperclip that I measured and it's .7mm so the idle is set to just snug against the paperclip and it made a HUGE difference. You guys were right in saying the idle was to high but hey I never gave up and learned by trying. I also stopped using the traxxas fuel and I switched to the 20%nitro 16% oil from sidewinder called backyard basher. Now I just need to get the fine tune down but right now it's running like a champ