T-Maxx 3.3 engine replacement

[mikewake]

Hi guys,
its been a long time since i posted here but i just need so advice on a new t-maxx engine. My 3.3 has finally died and i need a new engine to replace it, i know this has been covered numerous times on losts of forums but they seem outdated.
At the risk of starting a massive argument i need a bit of adive
I had pretty much made up my mind from reading other threads that i should get the picco .26 max which is a drop in however i have just been told that it's been discontinued.
I did also look at the force .28 jl engine but i think thats gonna be way to powerful for my little 1/10th.

any help much appreciated

 

[nikko508]

You can never have to much power.
I would go for it. I like the force engines, i run a force .32 and i like it alot.

 

[olds97_lss]

You would have to get a conversion kit to go with a real big block.

Personally, if you were happy with the 3.3, just get another 3.3. Cost and fuel consumption make it a pretty good engine when they don't grenade on you.

 

[chickenman242]

Since when has the picco been discontinued
Have a look at the novarossi 2.5, it only cost maybe 50 buck more than a 3.3 and is a great little engine
I have 1 in a slayer pro and it throws that thing around very nicely

 

[mikewake]

Thank for the replies guys there much appreciated. I don't really want another 3.3 I had nothing but problems with it. It seemed to have never run correctly from the day I got it and it lacked power often being unable to shift into second

 

[nikko508]

It most likely wasn't shifting do to it running rich. A 3.3 has plenty of power to shift a transmission.

 

[Childresshunt]

a 3.3 has the power to pull the wheels up and keep em there as far as you can go with a 2.5 t maxx and it will lift it with the extended chassis also

 

[mikewake]

I had it set up by one of my friends who competes with rc cars and is part of a club. Anyways I'd still rather stay away from the 3.3 and get myself a decent engine that's going to hold its tune and last for a decent while. In response to the previous comment about the picco being discontinued, I emailed ofna warehouse to see when they were getting them back in stock and it was them who told me it wasn't being produced anymore and to go with the force .28jl

 

[nikko508]

The force 28 is a good mill, keep in mind, running a big block set up is costly. Your drive train, axles, differentials and clutch all need to be upgraded to handle it.

 

[mikewake]

That's why I'm a bit confused why the guy at ofna would recommend it instead of the picco .26 when it's half a horse more powerful

 

[nikko508]

You would need to do the same with the 21.a 21 is a mid block. The 28 has more torque, the 21, i think spins more rpm's giving you speed. Ether way, both are strong mills.

 

[Childresshunt]

no matter what if you go up insize on the motor your gonna have some drivetrain parts break thats just how it is. Now how many you break will depend upon the motor you choose to go with i can tell you a picco .26 will snap axles and center axles on the 2.5 quickly the 3.3 will hold for a bit. but picco will also shred some trans gears

 

[hulkmaxx]

I would go with the Nova 2.5 or the O.S.21 engine

 

[mikewake]

Yet again thanks for the replies guys, I'm not too bothered about replacing parts that break here and there as the little blue rubber protectors on the axels have weathered anyway. I looked at the OS in large detail seems to be very reliable and easy to tune my only quibble is that if I'm going to get a new engine I think I'd want one that's alot more powerful than the 3.3 not slightly more like the OS

 

[hulkmaxx]

If your wanting serious power I would do a BB conversion. I would go the LRP .28 to .32 route like this one. View attachment 12910

View attachment 12911

 

[Ckeithnitro]

It's new for Revo/Tmaxx
Ofna Force JL.28 max OFN52205
New stronger CNC'd mounts are available as well...
NitroHouse has them in stock, ofna warehouse also, Amainhobbies will have it Aug15
It is the replacement for the .26max and .26reddot

 

[mikewake]

Looks like i have my definitive answer. i'll look into the price of the force engine along with a mount. I bought a 3 shoe clutch and a hardened bell will both of those be ok to go onto the force engine?

 

[olds97_lss]

Didn't realize OFNA made a newer mid-block
http://www.nitrohouse.com/Force-JL-28-MAX-Engine-for-T-Max-Revo_p_16050.html

Considering all the people who had success with the 26, I can't see the 28 being a bad way to go. Only downside is they use an OFNA specific engine mount and the revo version stunk as it wasn't adjustable and was prone to bending. But for a maxx, shouldn't be too bad as long as you get the right mount.

$180... would suggest a better pipe if your running a stock composite or you will be robbing that engine blind in the power/rpm department.

Still a cheaper way to go vs installing an actual big block with a bb conversion (if you can even find a good bb conversion anymore for the maxx). Even back in the day, there weren't many "good" conversions, but with revo spec axles, and this engine, it should hold up pretty well. I would definitely suggest putting a FOC in the trans if you haven't already and start saving up for RRP steel trans gears. My LRP in my revo chewed my trans up repeatedly until I upgraded to RRP steel. Probably a bit more torque than the mid-block OFNA 28, but still something to think about in terms of reliability for you.

 

[mikewake]

Would of preferred to keep my original ez-start (after having a pull start tamiya) but I guess it won't be able to turn over a BB ill have to do a bit more research into the force engine. Just a quick related question, what do ofna have to do with engines, I always thought picco and force were individual engine makers but in this and other threads engines are referred to ofna picco and ofna force engines?

 

[olds97_lss]

I think both are just distributed by OFNA. I don't believe OFNA "makes" engines, but distributes/uses engines from two different companies in their rigs and sells them as well. Typically, picco are the better of the two from a build standpoint, but probably more expensive in general.

Could probably be looked at as:
Picco=race (mid-high end qualtiy)
Force=rtr (mid-low end quality)

I know Omega used to be in the mix too with Picco. I had an Omega 21 as my first big block... was not pleasant. If I had known then what I know now, I would have probably treated the engine differently and realized it took much longer to break in, vs drop it in and run 6 tanks, then expect it to be done. As it was, it ran like garbage most of it's life until I threw it in a drawer then scavanged it later for parts. I should probably pull it back out and see if I can salvage it. Now that I have a bit better idea how to tune. May be a better revo engine than my LRP's. More RPM's, less torque perhaps.