Redcat Vortex SS
 

Hello everyone,

I am very new to the Nitro world, so please be gentle. Ihave a Redcat Vortex SS with a 3.0 18SH engine. ( Proper breakin was done 7 tanks worth)The problem i am having is that after tonights run i seem to have loss some power. the truck no longer shifts into 2 nd gear. This happend on my 3 rd tank in the run. the first 2 tanks seem to go just fine. i have not adjusted the needles since finally getting to what appears to be proper adjustment. Engine temp hovers right around 185 to 195. Nice smoke trail may be a little fat and only at high speed but consistant. This may have beena noob move on my part but even with the truck off the ground there is no shifting. up unitl now its been very obvious when the truck shiftsboth in speed and sound of the engine.

One of the problems i had tuning was the previous owner did some messing around with the needles. then the redcat maual shows the LSN to be the large needle on the gas line and the HSN to be the small needle on the throttle body. My local hobyshop pros told me it was the other way around. so my tuning was a disaster. i think have finally got the tuning down.


Any help or advice would be appreciated.

RE: Redcat Vortex SS
 

Don't run it thru the gears in the air, you could damage the engine from over revving.
Find factory settings for that engine, reset to those, then tune from there.

To get it tuned, First get the engine fully warmed up!
Never tune a cold engine.
Start from factory settings on all needles. (Maybe 1/8 to 1/4 in on the HSN from factory if already broken in.)

Be sure to set the idle gap as well as needles to factory settings before retuning from scratch.


Get your HSN set first.
Keep leaning the HSN 1/8 turn in at a time and watch the performance increase.
Making a couple top speed passes each time to let the engine get used to the new setting.
When you see a decrease in performance turn the HSN back out 1/8 to 1/4 turn to richen it back into the safe zone. Keep an eye on temps as well.
Good top speed and good trail of smoke at all speeds is what you want.

Then set the LSN.
You can do the pinch or punch test, or both.

PUNCH TEST-
Once you have the HSN set, engine warmed up.
Make a couple top speed passes and bring it in and let idle for 10- 15 seconds.
Then give it 3/4 to full throttle.
If is slow to take off and smokes alot you are too rich and need to start leaning the LSN.
If it takes off fast, rev's and dies, etc... it is too lean and you need to richen the LSN.

If it smokes and is slow taking off, start turning the LSN in 1/12 to 1/8 turn and again make a few passes to get it used to the new setting in between adjustments.

PINCH TEST-
Make a couple top speed passes, bring it in and pinch off the fuel line near the carb.
Start counting 1...2...3...
It should run for about 3 seconds before it revs and dies.
If it runs longer you need to lean the LSN.
If less than 3 seconds you need to richen the LSN.


Once you have good acceleration and still have smoke at all speeds you are done.
You may need to reset the idle on the carb once you are done tuning.

Weather always plays into your tuning and you will need to adjust the HSN for day to day conditions.
I.E.- colder weather requires more rich settings and vice versa.

I am just a basher and no expert so use this info at your own risk!

SLAYER
__________________________________________________ _________________________________________________
Supplied by Robin from Extreme RC Mods.

This is the way that I tune engines, there are many other ways to tune but I figured this is the most simple way to do it so I will share my info. This technique is for a fully broken in engine that is ready for a full performance tune. This tuning procedure will set your needles where they need to be for optimum performance, a temp gun is not required (other then high temp safety check) because there is no guessing, the engine will tell you.

For this to work the engine has to be at running temps (or as close to it as possible) as well as having the standard 1mm gap for the carb opening.

#1) High Speed Needle.
Pull a wot pass a couple times and listen what the engine does when you let off the throttle. As long as the rpm drops right to idle, the HSN is either good or on the rich side. At this point you can lean the HSN in 1/12 increments until the idle seems to hang a little after a wot pass, when it starts to idle high after a pass it is just on the lean side of a perfect tune. Back the HSN out 1/12 turn at a time after a wot pass until the engine drops right to idle after a pass. Now your HSN is set.

To give an explanation to what is happening is simple. If your HSN is too lean, after a wot pass when you let off the throttle the engine is still lean causing the idle to hang and idle high until the LSN has a chance to take over and meter the right amount of fuel to bring the idle down to normal running speed (given the LSN is set correctly)

Now if the opposite happens, after a wot pass when you let off the throttle, if it drops to a good idle right away and then starts to idle back up too high, this is a sign that the LSN is too lean. If it comes off wot with a good tune and will drop rpm nicely then the HSN is metering the fuel properly but once it hits idle the LSN being too lean will quickly take over causing the rpm to go back up.

#2) Low Speed Needle
Most of this setting was explained above but there are a few little tricks you can use to make sure the LSN is adjusted perfectly. We all know that you don't tune for temps but a temp gun is very handy for this part. After some wot passes with the engine good and warm, bring it in and let it sit for about 10 seconds. At this point take your temp gauge and hold it as steady as possible on the head, what you want to see is the temp dropping a degree every 4-5 seconds. You want the temp to drop very slightly at idle because when your off throttle the engine should be cooling, if not, the temps will keep pushing higher with on and off throttle running and will cause temp issues.

This is how I do it and I have tuned a lot of engines for people whether bashing or racing. I have seen across the board from beginners to veterans that when they hear the high idle after a pull, the first thing they go for is the LSN when in fact it is the HSN causing the issue. The veterans are surprised when we richen the HSN an hour or two and the problem goes away. I hope it's not too hard to understand as typing it out is much harder then explaining it to someone first hand, if you have any questions feel free to ask.

Robin

RE: Redcat Vortex SS
 

Any idea on where i can find the factory settings for my engine?

RE: Redcat Vortex SS
 

Maybe contact SH/ Golden Horizons, unless someone else knows what engine manual this is compatible with.
http://www.shengines.com/SH%20NEWS.htm

Or try the Redcat forums.
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/forumid_427/tt.htm

RE: Redcat Vortex SS
 

I actually found it on the recat forums. for the SH .28 its HSN is 2 3/4 out and LSN is 2 1/2 out. This will still be rich as its break in settings. Then start leaning from here for performance and temperature.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_93...tm.htm#9367313


found it here.

RE: Redcat Vortex SS
 

What you may find after break in, is the engine will comfortably "loosen up" then you may find that you will have to usually lean the HSN to get a good run. the HSN and the LSN do rely on each other for a perfectly set carb so adjust carefully and don't go too far on one and not the other.

RE: Redcat Vortex SS
 

I thought the post i found with the settings was for a SH 18 tuns out to be a SH 28.   I am still looking for the factory settings for a 3.0cc SH18 engine.

RE: Redcat Vortex SS
 

In your first post your main problem is that it will not shift to second gear, this will mean the engine is not reaching a high enough rpm to engage the second gear clutch. This could be caused by the HSN being too rich (unscrewed too far) or because the second speed clutch is out of adjustment (too much tension on the spring-screw in too far).

When tuning the engine try not to gauge your adjustment by your temperature reading, only use the temperature as a safety check and tune the engine by sight and sound. A correctly tuned engine will have a light trail of smoke and will have a certain sound...of course this is very hard to describe in words and will seem daunting for newcomers....but it really is not as complicated as it appears.

Base settings for any engine are just that...a base...if the figures are totally unavailable then it will just mean you will have to start from a state where the engine at least runs..you already have that...and you are not saying the engine is hard to start or has sluggish acceleration meaning that the throttle slide gap and LSN are in the ball park. Try leaning the HSN (turn screw clockwise)...does it sound like the engine is unhappy (?)...then it is the second gear clutch that needs adjusting.

Only ever adjust the HSN/LSN by very small increments (if the screw was an hour hand on a clock then move it by an hour at a time)...have a play...you will know when you have gone too far by the sound and smoke trail....but only one high speed run at a time...when you reach what you think is the maximum engine rpm it is best to richen the HSN an hour or two for longevity.

If you have reached maximum engine rpm and still second gear does not engage then adjust the second speed clutch.

RE: Redcat Vortex SS
 

<span style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;">does anybody know if the 2075 traxxas servo can be used on the vortex ss? if yes can it be used for steering and throttle?</span>

RE: Redcat Vortex SS
 

I would imagine so...but also would imagine there are better servos to be had.
You could even start you own thread to ask your question and you might get a much better response.....try the general forum- http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/forumid_179/tt.htm

RE: Redcat Vortex SS
 

ok thanks!

RE: Redcat Vortex SS
 

for the money, the traxxas 2075 servos work just fine for bashing. plus there waterproof. u can use those, mite have to get servo horn adapter tho.

RE: Redcat Vortex SS
 

Thanks, what does the adapter look like? Am I going to need that for steering and throttle? I

RE: Redcat Vortex SS
 

i just got my 2075 traxxas servos and i installed them on my vortex ss but they don't seem to work, i'm using a new receiver (the same that comes with the truck) RCR-2C, is there anything i have to do with the receiver and transmitter to make them communicate with the servos?

RE: Redcat Vortex SS
 

Make sure that you have the servo plug correctly seated in the receiver. On some servos it is possible to have the plug go in 180 degrees wrong. Black and red are the power leads and the white lead is for signal. Your receiver should have small markings next to the slots.

BTW, I hope the 2075 works for you, but being a plastic gear servo it is more prone to gear damage. Next time I would limit my servo search to metal geared servos.

RE: Redcat Vortex SS
 

thank you for the suggestion!, i just made sure the cables were connected correctly but justnoticed that the receiver is blinking slowly, is that normal? it seems to me that it's not communicating with the transmitter

RE: Redcat Vortex SS
 

hi , can somebody please help me? a car ran over my son's vortexx ss and broke the high speed needle valve, does anybody know the part number for this or where i can get it from? thanks in advance!