Picco 21 max..need help!!!!

[Adron boyd]

I just purchased a picco 21 Max. I'm on the 15th tank and engine is still sluggish.. I stopped because engine temperature was 350. Coming to realize that I blew out my Turbo glow plug. Need to get a new one. How many tanks does it take for me to break in. The stock 3.3 that came in my T-Maxx had more power... I know this isn't right because it's engine has 2.7 horsepower.. extremely frustrated can someone please help me....

 

[cbaker65]

I just purchased a picco 21 Max. I'm on the 15th tank and engine is still sluggish.. I stopped because engine temperature was 350. Coming to realize that I blew out my Turbo glow plug. Need to get a new one. How many tanks does it take for me to break in. The stock 3.3 that came in my T-Maxx had more power... I know this isn't right because it's engine has 2.7 horsepower.. extremely frustrated can someone please help me....

That's weird ,after 15 tanks ,it should be pretty close to break-in ,your plug is probably fouled
from the rich setting!
Have you been lean the carb. in as well?

 

[Adron boyd]

That's weird ,after 15 tanks ,it should be pretty close to break-in ,your plug is probably fouled
from the rich setting!
Have you been lean the carb. in as well?

What was weird is when I read instructions on break in it said the carburetor was preset to break in. when I checked the high speed needle, it was at one and a half turns out which is crazy so I did the settings myself and put it flush which is three and a half turns out after two tanks. It's my first high performance Engine I've had but I'm pretty familiar with breaking in the Traxxas 3.3. I just recently tuned it to see what kind of power it has and it still has less power than the 3.3. I'm using 20% Traxxas fuel.. And I live in Albuquerque New Mexico so the altitude is pretty high.. please. I need all the help I can get

 

[cbaker65]

What was weird is when I read instructions on break in it said the carburetor was preset to break in. when I checked the high speed needle, it was at one and a half turns out which is crazy so I did the settings myself and put it flush which is three and a half turns out after two tanks. It's my first high performance Engine I've had but I'm pretty familiar with breaking in the Traxxas 3.3. I just recently tuned it to see what kind of power it has and it still has less power than the 3.3. I'm using 20% Traxxas fuel.. And I live in Albuquerque New Mexico so the altitude is pretty high.. please. I need all the help I can get

I think your answer to your ? ,is your fuel ,Traxxas fuel has a high oil content!

Try 30% fuel of a different brand ,an your engine will kiss you for it!....

 

[pitbull14218]

I think your answer to your ? ,is your fuel ,Traxxas fuel has a high oil content!

Try 30% fuel of a different brand ,an your engine will kiss you for it!....

My local Hobby shop said traxxas fuel is only ok to use in traxxas motors?

He said it could damage other engines, is that right?

 

[cbaker65]

My local Hobby shop said traxxas fuel is only ok to use in traxxas motors?

He said it could damage other engines, is that right?

I don't kmow ,I've never used it ,an what I've heard about it ,I wont!
I heard that it had a real high oil content an because of that ,it doesn't burn well an
leaves a bad residue on the internals.

 

[Adron boyd]

I think your answer to your ? ,is your fuel ,Traxxas fuel has a high oil content!

Try 30% fuel of a different brand ,an your engine will kiss you for it!....

thanks so much my bro.. what fuel would you suggest?

 

[cbaker65]

thanks so much my bro.. what fuel would you suggest?

Over the years I've used several different brands in my engines ,my engines are still running strong!

I'm using Torcco 30% now ,My engines seem to like it.An its pretty reasonable priced on on-line order
with shipping.
I've also used Byrons gen2 ,nitrothane ,an I think some people use VP nitro.
Torrcco is like VP ,they both make racing fuels for rc an full scale car racing fuels.

Look up Torco racing fuels ,You can find them on e-bay as well!

http://www.torcoracefuel.net/index.html

 

[griff7373]

My Picco that I bought years ago said run a 8% oil content when I ran more oil content in ran like crap.

 

[Certified Mike]

The settings that you are reading about are only guidelines. A motor tune and carb settings can literally change during the course of a day, never mind with altitude, temos, humidity, fuel type, what surface you are running on, the type of car you're running and a while bunch of other fun stuff. You need to be sure that you have a quality fuel. That is certain. Once you've got that set, you need to get your carb dialled in. Make sure you have a temp gun and are monitoring the temps all the time. There is no such thing as a 'right' carb setting per motor or otherwise.

 

[bobthebob]

Traxxas doesn't actually publish the oil content of their fuel anywhere, unless someone found the secret. It's supposed to be like a trade secret. I'm using 20% nitro in my k4.6 and well, it runs.

 

[cbaker65]

Lol....I wouldn't let no body know either!....Infact ,I wouldn't have my name on it!...

 

[olds97_lss]

The picco engines are pretty tight and do take longer to break-in. You running the 125cc tank or the 150cc? I know my LRP28's didn't really settle down until about a gallon. I drove them pretty easy though from tank 15 up to 20-25. 1 gallon is roughly 30 tanks @125ml and 25 tanks @150ml. So, you may still be in the wearing in stage and should stick with a richer tune. Clearly your running lean or running it too hard at this point to hit those temps. Or your temp gun is drunk.

Also, I'm pretty sure traxxas fuel has far more than 8-10% oil in it. I used to run with guys that used that fuel and oil just oozed out of their pipes all day long whereas mine with byrons 2500 "race" fuel was 25% nitro/11% oil and I didn't have near the mess they had. Also didn't have near the issues keeping my cool and getting decent performance.

Here's a bit of info about nitro/plugs and what they do:
https://help.rcdiscuss.com/index.ph...iew/7/0/maximize-your-engines-power-potential

A small blurb about altitude from there:
Altitude. Altitude is an important factor that most of us ignore, yet it affects the engine’s performance possibly more than any other element. The general formula for power loss with increases in altitude is 3 percent for every 1,000 feet above sea level. If you race in Colorado at 5,000 feet instead of in California at sea level, you can expect to lose about 15 percent of the engine’s potential power output, if the engine is tuned properly.
Air is thinner at higher altitudes, which means there’s less fuel-burning oxygen than at sea level. You might sense a common theme here: less air (oxygen) means less fuel to maintain the proper air/fuel ratio. So, running at higher altitudes requires a leaner mixture setting than running at sea level.

 

[cbaker65]

Lol...me an my b-law bashed about a half a day down in the valley with out issues ,then decided to go up to the
mountains above 5000 fft ,are trucks wouldn't even stay running ,they were hard to start an as soon as you
throttled ,they would die!

I may have a vid of that day ,I will look later!

 

[Certified Mike]

Not to point out the obvious here but you should be checking your temps more frequently so as to avoid temps that high. You're Def in the 'kill your engine' territory there!
So as not to assume anything here, are you still running your car in 'break in' mode so to speak? Following break in procedures? If you're not convinced that your engine is broken in properly, you need to be following those guidelines. I would go so far as to say at this point, go back to factory carb settings and start at 'square one'.
Something else to consider is where you are running. I recommend running on pavement during break in because it is always consistent. Grass particularly will raise your running temps and put a LOT of stress on a new motor. Try to stay on a flat, open, paved surface for consistency. It will help a lot as far as getting your setting right.
You're WAY lean at temps like that. I would guess that you didn't have smoke from your exhaust at that point. Making sure you have a steady stream of somewhat heavier than 'normal' (after you're broke in) is something you should watch for. No smoke='s a lean condition and that is super bad for break in! If you are running at high altitude, running 30% will help get more air in your mixture... It's a good point!
When you do swap fuels, go thru the WHOLE break in procedure again. Starting out like you have just fired for the first time. You're supposed to do this whenever you up your percentage anyways, but where you are having delemas, even more important to follow. Another thought, are you breaking in with or without a body on your rig? If you run a body (after your 3rd or 4th tank) be sure that it is cut and breathing properly, giving the engine PLENTY of air over your cooling fins.
Sorry if all this is redundant but I don't want anything taken for granted here. You're obviously having a tough time. Please post back and let us know how you are making out, what you're experiencing and how we can help. Good luck!!!