Repairing and upgrading Erevo

[MeanWeen]

Hi guys! Picked up a Erevo used. Been out of this for a while.
So, the truck does run. One of my employees bought it from a customer. He saw it run but my guy didn't know anything about them.
Looking at this thing I noticed the rear hinge pins are missing. Upon further inspection noticed the holes in the rear bulkhead are broken out.
Problems I have found.
-wire lead from motor is frayed (not sure how to fix other than solder and shrink wrap
-rear bulkhead and hinge pins (replace)
-bent toe bar end (replace)
-4 trashed tires (What would you recommend to replace them with?)

Other than this it doesn't look too bad. I am mostly just going to run it in the back yard and general bashing. No Huge jumps or anything.

Was looking to order parts and get this thing fixed up. What upgrades and spare parts would you recommend?

Looks like it has a few upgrades. Gold springs in the front, silver/grey in the rear. Some aluminum parts..
Bought (2)Traxxas 3s 5000mah 25c. Came with (2) Lectron pro 5200mah 50c batteries.

 

[pug]

I’d get some RPM arms, 7075 T6 links, and some nice CNHL or Liperior 3s LiPos. Solder on some XT90 connectors to the esc.

 

[Tunedfrog]

If you go to Jenny's RC they have pins for the Erevo available as we speak.
They run out fast and you can't beat that price.

 

[Chubaka]

I’d get some RPM arms, 7075 T6 links, and some nice CNHL or Liperior 3s LiPos. Solder on some XT90 connectors to the esc.

In conversations with @WickedFog I would avoid aluminum links. I do have some on my nitros that I don't beat on and on a drag car I'm working on.

If you can find Lunsford Racing Titanium, that's the stuff you want. No bending or breaking. Unfortunately they retired and shut down shop, and all the leftovers are pricey!

On my traxxas 2wd, I noticed factory plastic can bend pins, and rpm can bend them worse. Those pins I too would try to go titanium.

What was the price paid?

 

[MeanWeen]

I’d get some RPM arms, 7075 T6 links, and some nice CNHL or Liperior 3s LiPos. Solder on some XT90 connectors to the esc.

was looking at aluminum linkage. Is there a big difference between batteries? I have looked at the cnhl's. Not super knowledgeable with batteries. In my day the batteries were just getting started good and affordable Lol

In conversations with @WickedFog I would avoid aluminum links. I do have some on my nitros that I don't beat on and on a drag car I'm working on.

If you can find Lunsford Racing Titanium, that's the stuff you want. No bending or breaking. Unfortunately they retired and shut down shop, and all the leftovers are pricey!

On my traxxas 2wd, I noticed factory plastic can bend pins, and rpm can bend them worse. Those pins I too would try to go titanium.

What was the price paid?

He paid 200 bucks. I have 100 bucks in batteries. Not too bad. Would have just bought a new truck but Here we are. ha

I was on the fence. Ditch it and buy new or rebuild. Not real happy about the wire on the motor

 

[pug]

Never had an issue with aluminum links but titanium is the best for sure. High quality LiPos like CNHL have really good performance compared to cheaper brands such as Traxxas, Hoovo, or Zeee.

 

[Greywolf74]

was looking at aluminum linkage. Is there a big difference between batteries? I have looked at the cnhl's. Not super knowledgeable with batteries. In my day the batteries were just getting started good and affordable Lol

He paid 200 bucks. I have 100 bucks in batteries. Not too bad. Would have just bought a new truck but Here we are. ha

I was on the fence. Ditch it and buy new or rebuild. Not real happy about the wire on the motor

If you can't find titanium the 7075 T6 would probably be the next best thing. Wicked can correct me if I'm wrong.

You can try and take up that damaged wire but Id replace it the motor. Depending on how badly that wire is damaged inside you could be putting your ESC at risk by running it. The motor is a re-badged Castle 2200Kv, Id either replace it with one of those or something similar. They dont make the Castle re-badges motors and ESC anymore so its either an actual Castle motor or something similar. You can find 1:1 clones of the original Castle 2200 on eBay but they are direct from China so it will take 3-6 weeks to get it but theyre inexpensive and I can't tell the difference between those and the real deal.

As for LiPos the Lectron Pros are complete garbage. Id dispose of them. Traxxas LiPos are better but they arent great and they are waaaay over priced. You can check out my LiPo battery comparison thread HERE. Certain models of CNHL LiPos are really good. Others are not so good. Whatever you buy if they are Traxxas make sure you compare the dimensions of the batteries with the dimensions of the battery trays to make sure they'll fit.

 

[MeanWeen]

Never had an issue with aluminum links but titanium is the best for sure. High quality LiPos like CNHL have really good performance compared to cheaper brands such as Traxxas, Hoovo, or Zeee.

I'll probably grab some titanium.
Well that's 120 bucks I could have saved on batteries. Lol. Maybe I'll flip them. Thank!
Ant suggestions on tires?

If you can't find titanium the 7075 T6 would probably be the next best thing. Wicked can correct me if I'm wrong.

You can try and take up that damaged wire but Id replace it the motor. Depending on how badly that wire is damaged inside you could be putting your ESC at risk by running it. The motor is a re-badged Castle 2200Kv, Id either replace it with one of those or something similar. They dont make the Castle re-badges motors and ESC anymore so its either an actual Castle motor or something similar. You can find 1:1 clones of the original Castle 2200 on eBay but they are direct from China so it will take 3-6 weeks to get it but theyre inexpensive and I can't tell the difference between those and the real deal.

As for LiPos the Lectron Pros are complete garbage. Id dispose of them. Traxxas LiPos are better but they arent great and they are waaaay over priced. You can check out my LiPo battery comparison thread HERE. Certain models of CNHL LiPos are really good. Others are not so good. Whatever you buy if they are Traxxas make sure you compare the dimensions of the batteries with the dimensions of the battery trays to make sure they'll fit.

I'll check out the battery comparison for sure, Thanks!
So you think rebuild this thing? Looks like I'll be about 5-600 deep in this one. I liked the 3.3 revo but electrics or new to me. Thought about picking up a maxx v2 or Rustler vxl4x4 if I can get this running without dropping a lot of cash.
What do you like in trucks?

 

[pug]

I’d recommend some Dboots backflips for tires (4s version). If getting another RC go for an Arrma Notorious 6s, it’s extremely easy to work on, really durable, and has great parts support. Also, Arrma doesn’t shut down small companies like Traxxas does (Arrma got sued by Traxxas for using cantilever which is commonly used in RC).

 

[Greywolf74]

I'll probably grab some titanium.
Well that's 120 bucks I could have saved on batteries. Lol. Maybe I'll flip them. Thank!
Ant suggestions on tires?

I'll check out the battery comparison for sure, Thanks!
So you think rebuild this thing? Looks like I'll be about 5-600 deep in this one. I liked the 3.3 revo but electrics or new to me. Thought about picking up a maxx v2 or Rustler vxl4x4 if I can get this running without dropping a lot of cash.
What do you like in trucks?

New motor run yeah between $75 and $150 depending on what you get. The broken/missing parts maybe another $50ish. If you're on a budget I would just run the stock tires otherwise Id look at Duratrax 3.8 belted tires (they have different styles). You dont have to go $500+ deep in it to make it drivable.

That E-REVO is waaaay better than the MAXX or Rustler 4x4 imho.

 

[MeanWeen]

New motor run yeah between $75 and $150 depending on what you get. The broken/missing parts maybe another $50ish. If you're on a budget I would just run the stock tires otherwise Id look at Duratrax 3.8 belted tires (they have different styles). You dont have to go $500+ deep in it to make it drivable.

That E-REVO is waaaay better than the MAXX or Rustler 4x4 imho.

Stock tires are trashed unfortunately. 3 are split and torn.
I’ll check out those and the ones @pug mentioned.
I appreciate the input guys!

 

[KnowAir]

Looks plenty salvageable to me. I would put heat shrink tubing on all 3 motor cables. Not a fan of the braid TRX uses myself. Then head on over to JRC and browse for what you need to get it back together. If Ted (JRC) doesn't have it, some other ebay kit breaker surely does. Also, stock TRX parts are cheap even from a dealer generally.
Arrma backflips are great tires for the money.
I think the E Revo does just fine in stock form. If your gonna just rip around the yard, you don't need any upgrades IMO. My brother has 2 of them that are mostly stock. He beats the tar outta them on my track. It's not very well suited to big air jumping in general. Great for most anything else though. Stock batteries are perfect for stock electronics too. Pricey but, you already know and have them so
Good luck and enjoy! I think it's a good deal overall.

 

[Greywolf74]

I would put heat shrink tubing on all 3 motor cables.

I would not recommend doing that as that one wire is obviously damaged. The damaged wire is going to have higher resistance that the other wires. How much higher is going to be dependent on the amount of damage to the individual wires inside but if it to far out of balance you could end up damaging the ESC as well as the motor at which point you'll need a whole new combo instead of just a new motor. If that were a typical Traxxas ESC Id say screw but those older EREVOs had rebranded Castle electronics in them. The pic is blurry but if thats the Traxxas rebranded Castle ESC then its essentially got a Mamba Monster Max in it which would be a shame to have to replace. Just my

 

[MeanWeen]

Looks plenty salvageable to me. I would put heat shrink tubing on all 3 motor cables. Not a fan of the braid TRX uses myself. Then head on over to JRC and browse for what you need to get it back together. If Ted (JRC) doesn't have it, some other ebay kit breaker surely does. Also, stock TRX parts are cheap even from a dealer generally.
Arrma backflips are great tires for the money.
I think the E Revo does just fine in stock form. If your gonna just rip around the yard, you don't need any upgrades IMO. My brother has 2 of them that are mostly stock. He beats the tar outta them on my track. It's not very well suited to big air jumping in general. Great for most anything else though. Stock batteries are perfect for stock electronics too. Pricey but, you already know and have them so
Good luck and enjoy! I think it's a good deal overall.

Thanks buddy! I think it will be a good start. I already have it and would have to fix it to sell it so may as well give it a shot. The 3.3 revo was a lot of fun. I'm sure this will have more power than I need.

I would not recommend doing that as that one wire is obviously damaged. The damaged wire is going to have higher resistance that the other wires. How much higher is going to be dependent on the amount of damage to the individual wires inside but if it to far out of balance you could end up damaging the ESC as well as the motor at which point you'll need a whole new combo instead of just a new motor. If that were a typical Traxxas ESC Id say screw but those older EREVOs had rebranded Castle electronics in them. The pic is blurry but if thats the Traxxas rebranded Castle ESC then its essentially got a Mamba Monster Max in it which would be a shame to have to replace. Just my

I don't have alot of experience with the newer electric vehicles but I think this is the newer model.
I looked at the wire with loop. It looks worse in the pic than it is. 3-4 wires broken. I can solder it all back together if that would be a better solution. I see lots of people complaining about the wires getting beat up when the vehicles land on the roof. Just bad placement by design. Wires coming out of the top of the motor with no protection is asking for problems but here we are.


I Wanted to thank everyone as well for recommending Jennys. Ordered most all the parts last night. Some good prices over there for sure!

 

[Greywolf74]

Thanks buddy! I think it will be a good start. I already have it and would have to fix it to sell it so may as well give it a shot. The 3.3 revo was a lot of fun. I'm sure this will have more power than I need.

I don't have alot of experience with the newer electric vehicles but I think this is the newer model.
I looked at the wire with loop. It looks worse in the pic than it is. 3-4 wires broken. I can solder it all back together if that would be a better solution. I see lots of people complaining about the wires getting beat up when the vehicles land on the roof. Just bad placement by design. Wires coming out of the top of the motor with no protection is asking for problems but here we are.


I Wanted to thank everyone as well for recommending Jennys. Ordered most all the parts last night. Some good prices over there for sure!

ahhhh yeah you're right. Somehow I missed it in the pics but that is the newer one because that is the VXL-6S ESC which is the Traxxas ESC and not the rebadged Castle. I would still recommend replacing the motor personally but if you do want to try and salvage it I would definitely fill that whole area in with solder before heat shrinking it. If its just a 3 or 4 strands broken then you'll probably be ok.

 

[KnowAir]

I would not recommend doing that as that one wire is obviously damaged. The damaged wire is going to have higher resistance that the other wires. How much higher is going to be dependent on the amount of damage to the individual wires inside but if it to far out of balance you could end up damaging the ESC as well as the motor at which point you'll need a whole new combo instead of just a new motor. If that were a typical Traxxas ESC Id say screw but those older EREVOs had rebranded Castle electronics in them. The pic is blurry but if thats the Traxxas rebranded Castle ESC then its essentially got a Mamba Monster Max in it which would be a shame to have to replace. Just my

True. I'm no guru for sure, not familiar with the TRX esc history. Looks like current gen VXL In which case, nothing special. They work fine though. The wire looks to have a couple broken strands but I wouldn't be concerned myself. "RC Juice" has the v2 Hobbystar 150a for like $80, or an HW WP-8BL150 will do as good a job as the VXL for far less.. motor, say $60-70 for an equivalent. I guess the motor wire could be changed out as well. Not that hard, I've done it myself before. I don't really speak Castle, highly regarded for sure. I'm a low budget guy so, I buy what suits "my" needs/budget..

Thanks buddy! I think it will be a good start. I already have it and would have to fix it to sell it so may as well give it a shot. The 3.3 revo was a lot of fun. I'm sure this will have more power than I need.

I don't have alot of experience with the newer electric vehicles but I think this is the newer model.
I looked at the wire with loop. It looks worse in the pic than it is. 3-4 wires broken. I can solder it all back together if that would be a better solution. I see lots of people complaining about the wires getting beat up when the vehicles land on the roof. Just bad placement by design. Wires coming out of the top of the motor with no protection is asking for problems but here we are.


I Wanted to thank everyone as well for recommending Jennys. Ordered most all the parts last night. Some good prices over there for sure!

Glad to hear Jenny's had what you needed. I've ordered a ton of stuff over the years from them. Invaluable to me. Traxxas (and others) don't always seem to be thinking straight with regards to layout and cable routing in my experience. The motor can be "clocked" so as the motor cables are facing a different direction if desired. I find they often just have too much cable which they then bundle up somewhere on the vehicle. That bundled cable often times ends up chaffing from vibrations and such which leads to a shorted out component. Seen it too many times.. combined with the crappy "braided" cable covering AND cheap stiff motor cable, it's a recipe for disaster I feel.. sorry If I went a little off course there but for what TRX charges, they should be better built IMO.

 

[WickedFog]

Aluminum links - definitely not on a basher, even if they are 7075. 7075 T6 aluminum absolutely does not bend. It breaks. And being turned down and threaded that small, I could break them by hand. A hardwood dowel rod would last longer.

I've not read all the way through this, but @pug, no idea what you are using them on, but on my Jato they snapped just turning at speed, which caused a huge crash. I only used them because they came with the Jato. I had two complete sets. I broke every one of them in just a few runs. Stay with the stock steel ones, or find some titanium ones. I highly advise against aluminum anything for the arms or linkage.

 

[MeanWeen]

The motor can be "clocked" so as the motor cables are facing a different direction if desired.

Good to know. I may do that once I get it soldered.


I ended up just ordering all stock parts to go back on this thing. Going to get it back to factory and run it a few times. If it seems to hold up I’ll start looking at upgrades. Didn’t want to go crazy before I even get a chance to run it. Should have it all put together Wednesday. I’ll report back with results.
I have a buddy that just decided. To get back into RC as well. He has bought about 7 used trucks. Even grabbed a xmaxx that needs the diffs serviced. We have some work to do! Lol

I appreciate it guys!!

 

[pug]

Aluminum links - definitely not on a basher, even if they are 7075. 7075 T6 aluminum absolutely does not bend. It breaks. And being turned down and threaded that small, I could break them by hand. A hardwood dowel rod would last longer.

I've not read all the way through this, but @pug, no idea what you are using them on, but on my Jato they snapped just turning at speed, which caused a huge crash. I only used them because they came with the Jato. I had two complete sets. I broke every one of them in just a few runs. Stay with the stock steel ones, or find some titanium ones. I highly advise against aluminum anything for the arms or linkage.

The aluminum links held up well on my Revo (until i promptly destroyed it), they're made by Traxxas as an official upgrade part.

 

[WickedFog]

The aluminum links held up well on my Revo (until i promptly destroyed it), they're made by Traxxas as an official upgrade part.

Yeah, that is the ones I had. They are crap.