Restoration Project #5 - Kyosho V-One S III

[gandalfnz]

Hi Guys

Snapped this bad boy today for $30 usd. Came in box with some bits and pieces, including the Spetrum 2.4G radio gear.

Seems to be all there, I don't think I need to buy anything to get it going, that is nothing major is broken.

Just pulled the engine apart, and bearings look toast. Piston and sleeve look nice. Will check for pinch, once its loosened a bit.
Any chance these can be brought back to life, not really keen on replacing them.
I have a spare same engine GXR15, but would like to see this one back in business.

Thinking I will cook it in a ultrasonic machine at 80C for a few hours, see how it comes out.
How about the metal sealed front bearing, can the metal shield/seal be removed on these, like the rubber/silicone coated ones?

Please let me know what you think?

EDIT: AFTER RESTORATION!

 

[mzanzirc]

Nice find.

 

[Chubaka]

Your gonna hsve to show me your plug. Your finding all of the neat projects for cheap.

 

[gandalfnz]

Thanks!

I just find them cheap locally, as most almost everyone has moved away from nitro to battery.
So they let them go for cheap.

 

[gandalfnz]

Fully striped, cleaned, starting to assemble....
Engine cooked in ultrasonic bath, I thought there was no saving it, since bearings were so rusty.
Spins nicely now.

 

[gandalfnz]

Almost there, just waiting for a dog bone and some pulleys to arrive in the post. Also got new wheels on order.
Throttle linkage assembled, and I had to put a return spring on the brake linkage as well, as brakes just wouldn't release after braking.

 

[gandalfnz]

Does anyone know why Kyosho installed fuel restrictors on both in and out of the tank?

I am having a bit of trouble tuning the engine, always seems to be running rich, and was wondering whether these had something to do with it.

I removed them both while restoring the car....

Here is a pic....any idea?

Thanks

 

[gandalfnz]

So far, this engine has proven extremely tricky to tune. Rich, lean, rich....lean.
I was adjust the HSN with quarter of a turn left or right, only to realize this carb is super sensitive.
Not what I was expecting from Kyosho, still the car just seems too rich, but if any less fuel, it goes to lean symptoms.
Other than that runs great, there is so much power with belt driven models, I never was able to do donuts before with such ease.
Check out the video....

 

[gandalfnz]

Just an update, that surprisingly, this has ended up being my favorite RC for now, trumping the famous RS4.
I am not sure what it is, but the car just drives so well, accelerates great and smooth, goes straight, build quality is just that good.
Engine is so tricky to tune, but starts first pull.
I even managed to buy a spare piston and sleeve for the original engine that was on it for a decent price.

I have a brand new Kyosho FW-06 on the way, so it will be interesting to compare the two, the S3 being belt driven, and FW-06 is shaft.

 

[Chubaka]

Interested in hearing the new Kyosho review. Thinking I may buy both a nitro and electric current tc from Kyosho.

 

[gandalfnz]

Interested in hearing the new Kyosho review. Thinking I may buy both a nitro and electric current tc from Kyosho.

Might take a while before I post my findings, but I will keep you updated.
Its brand new, so will need a break in, prob wait for summer, as its winter here in NZ.

The old engine from the S3, I could push the piston all the way trough the sleeve, but I tested this engine just for fun, and it ran good
Then I removed it as I thought I couldn't tune it because of that, but a tight engine was behaving the same, in the end realizing it was my tuning, and this engine being super sensitive.

Now, I am thinking of retesting the engine, but weird that there was no pinch left, and it still ran good?

 

[gandalfnz]

Oh and another thing on this engine that is amazing is the IDLE.
I have never heard/seen an engine idle so low, its just pap pap pap pap....
Kyosho quality and tradition I guess.

And one thing that pisses me off about traxxas, is that their poopy plastic carbs can never fully close, I mean the idle cannot go all the way down, the slide just doesn't move past a certain point. I investigated this, and all my TRX engines are the same, in this regard.

 

[tudordewolf]

That's a gorgeous restoration.

I've been driving a new FW-06 and was also impressed by the butter-smooth idle. I'm sure the steel flywheel helps. I clocked it at 45mph with stock gearing, and it has no shortage of torque even with that high a second gear.

I was having trouble with the carbs on the TRX 3.3 in my profile, OS 11k carbs just came back in stock and I picked one up, itching to see how it does. Looks great.

I just replaced the cheapo composite carb on my HSP Onroad with an SH carb and it was like an entirely new engine. It seems carbs are secretly 80% of the equation.

 

[Chubaka]

That is

That's a gorgeous restoration.

I've been driving a new FW-06 and was also impressed by the butter-smooth idle. I'm sure the steel flywheel helps. I clocked it at 45mph with stock gearing, and it has no shortage of torque even with that high a second gear.

I was having trouble with the carbs on the TRX 3.3 in my profile, OS 11k carbs just came back in stock and I picked one up, itching to see how it does. Looks great.

I just replaced the cheapo composite carb on my HSP Onroad with an SH carb and it was like an entirely new engine. It seems carbs are secretly 80% of the equation.

got a link for the 11ks? Been looking! The old hpi 15fe was carb and exhaust.

Thinkong of a 3.3 with 11k carb and ported?

 

[tudordewolf]

Here's an eBay link, they're also in stock on Tower Hobbies' website.

I'm waiting on a few shims to finish a rebuild, haven't run the 11k on it yet, just installed and admired it.

 

[Chubaka]

Much appreciated. Gonna save my pennies.

 

[gandalfnz]

$100 for a carb? Wow

Better looking for a broken engine, with carb included, cost less....

 

[cbaker65]

It is common for an engine that lost its pinch for an engine to run for a while before the
sleeve heats up ,an further expand ,once that happens ,usually the engine will die or
run badly like the tune is off ,may explain why you have to run it on the rich side ,running
it rich helps keep the compression an the sleeve cooler an not allowing it to expand further!
Once you start leaning it ,the sleeve heats up an will expand to the point where there is no
compression left to keep the engine running!
So ,it is probably not your tune an isnt tricky!..

 

[gandalfnz]

That IDLE.....take note Traxxas!

 

[tudordewolf]

$100 for a carb? Wow

Better looking for a broken engine, with carb included, cost less....

That's what I thought, especially on a $100 engine, but having seen the difference in tune and idle between a barely passable and a nicely made carb, I'm sold.

I'd rather have a nice carb on a cheaply made engine than a cheap carb on a good engine.

I mean just look at this thing: