Reviving the X
 

Hey guys, so a few years ago I put away my Savage X 4.6

I had completely trashed the body, broke a few shafts doing too much sand-wheeling... Then I got the electronics wet, had to revert to my
old receiver from my nitro evader that's long been dead... then it started dying as well, which caused an accident that broke the piece on the
hub side of the rear right wheel tie rod.

So, now I am looking to get it going again. The motor was never properly put away, it just sat. But I will say that it probably only had about 2 gallons max
through it, and it spins easily and has great compression feel via the flywheel (to the point of almost not being able to turn it over)
You think the motor is still ok? How much is a rebuild kit for the F4.6?

Now onto radios. I am thinking of going with a Futaba 3PL and matching receiver. Don't think anyone will fight me on that one?

Servos, leaving stock for now...

Need a body - what's cheap and fits with minimal modding? I tend to roll a lot lol so nothing that will break easy.

What plug / fuel is most popular now?

I saw an hop up on ebay to get rid of the servo saver and it comes in different colors, it's $30, is it worth it?

I can't seem to figure out the part # for the right rear hub... anyone have it? I have the full manual for the RTR kit just can't pinpoint it...


Are there any local clubs in the southern NH / northern MA region now? There was jack !@$% when I was on here a few years ago, we were
going to start one up and get a track set up somewhere... but it fell apart.
Anybody willing to help get one going and maybe set up a track somewhere I can hook up with food for functions, track build, etc... I own a local sub
shop in Salem NH and can get us pretty much whatever.


So, in closing, please help me with:
a) Motor condition?
b) Radio system?
c) Body?
d) Plug/fuel?
e) Servosaver eliminator?
f) Part # for right rear hub?
g) Clubs?

Thanks for the help everyone, looking forward to getting the X on the dirt again.

RE: Reviving the X
 

1. The engine is fine. it may be sticky to begin with, and you may have to putcarb cleaner in the glowplug hole and carb opening to free it, but if you getting it spinningfreely and the carb sliding freely, it will run fine. Youmay have to remove the needles and clean them really gummed up, but most of the time they clear up after they run a little while. Fortunately, fresh nitro cleans up old nitro probably better than anything.

2. Radio is about how much you want to spend. I'd justrecommend 2.4ghz systems in case you find a place with lots of people playing because somebody will most likely interfere with you if you are running crystals.

3. I buy factory HPI GT-2 clearbodies because I go through them rather quickly, and they are cheap. They come precut and I like to paint them.

4. I run OS A5 plugs in my 4.6. O'Donnell, Byrons are very good fuels. I know some guys that swear by Blue Thunder race formula.

5. The servo saver mods is nice, it takes a lot of the slop out of the frontend. I don't know that it makes a lot of difference if you are bashing, but it can't hurt.

6.Here's your hub: http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-HPI-SAVAGE-X...item20b83a6a65

7. Can't help unless you want to drive south!;)

</p>

RE: Reviving the X
 

squirt some penitrating oil down the glow plug, and carb. It will help disove any gum that may have occured due to the caster oil sitting in the crank case.

RE: Reviving the X
 

Thanks guys, and thanks for going through every question!

As far as the radio, I'd still like to go with the 3PL, but I did find my stock savage one- can I buy the receiver for it and use that for now, and drop the $115 on upgrades for the truck itself for now?

HPI GT-2 bodies on tower aren't precut, where can I find precut?

Servo saver mod, http://cgi.ebay.com/Savage-Hop-Up-EL...item19c47faeed
Not sure what you mean that it takes slop out of the front end, this one is for the brake/throttle linkage because mine tends to not disengage the brake easily.
They make something like that for the steering is that what you are saying? I can't find that, that would be fantastic!

Thanks for the direct link on the rear hub!

And thank god the motor should be fine, it spins VERY freely, like brand new... probably all the excess oil leftover lol.

RE: Reviving the X
 

I am running these on 2 of my trucks. They are cheap (almost so cheap I was scared of them) but they have been great. They are2.4ghz, the transmitter is much lighter than the factoryone, they have a built-in fail safe that locks the brakes if you lose signal, and they have small receiver that fits the radio box much better than factory. If nothing else, it would be a great substitute until you get the one you want (That was my thinking when I bought the 2 I have, and I never eplaced them because it works so well -lol) For less than $20 shipped, there's nothing to lose, IMO.

http://www.hobbypartz.com/79p-gt2-bl...ProductReviews


When you said servo saver, I thought you were talking about the upgrade steering servo saver. My bad on that! The throttle linkage upgrade is a good mod. It improves throttle response and braking response, and eliminates the engine idle dropped when thebrakes are applied.

I thought you were talking about something like this: http://cgi.ebay.com/Savage-X-XL-Silv...item2eb41d3bbf

Here is clear body. You can buy the for $14 or $15 plus shipping on ebay pretty much all the time. Below is some of the bodies I have done. I don't like the RTR bodies because of their cheesy designs, so I like to make look a little more musclecar-ish -lol,

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-HPI-Savage-X...item1e62b27e23

RE: Reviving the X
 

Would you be offended if I said I loved you? LMAO... very very cool stuff man, thank you so much! I will get back with you when I am running!

RE: Reviving the X
 

Are the hubs you listed for all 4 corners, universal? I can't seem to tell.

RE: Reviving the X
 

Well, OK, but don't tell my wife!;)Let us know when you get it up and running.

And yes, the hubs are the same. The front and rear suspension, axles, knuckles/hubs, diffs, everything are the same from front to rear. I keep an assembled suspension unit in my tool box when we go to the park. No matter what I may break whether it be the ring/pinion/spider gears, axles, upper/lower control arm, hub, or if a diff or awheel bearing goes, I can swap the whole thing out quick. I can put the fixed tie bars on it if it's going in the rear, or I can bolt upthe servo saver and front tie rods if on the front. I can swap either out in less than 10 minutes, and be back on my way.

RE: Reviving the X
 

Got to the hobby shop today and picked up a new suspension hub. Also a crowd pleaser 2.0 , gallon of fuel, after run oil, a few parts bags totalling $30 or so, 20 pack of AA batteries...

Got home, got the hub in, wired up the old AM radio gear... fueled up, primed to get the old oil out of the tank, then attached fuel line and went to start motor.
1 way bearing in rotostart kept staying released, wouldn't re engage. Finally started working right, and my stupid glow charger (lost my good one) died... had to wait 30 mins to try again.

Got it running, ran about 1/2 tank through, was running better and better, then did a cartwheel after braking too hard and it stalled.
Went to fire it up, saw fuel line detached, fixed it. Fired up rotostart, acted like flooded motor... what the hell!

Turned flywheel by hand - MOTOR IS TOAST.
Yes, my F4.6 is dead. Story of my damned life. The one thing I wanted to lately was get this truck going. I have been evicted, blew up my daily driver car, and have had a TERRIBLE few months.
ALL I wanted was my truck to help the stress go away.

Now I have a blown motor. Was it the fuel line popped off and ran lean and fried? Doubt it. Was it blocked passages in the carb letting gas in but backing up oil flow? That's my guess.
Either way, I can't see dropping $90 on a rebuild kit, when for $160 I can get a whole new motor and just drop it in...

Been looking for other motor options, what other motors just DROP in? I don't want to have any problems with alignment or have to do any modding to get it to fit...

I've heard the Axial .32 is good, but is it better than the F4.6? I was thinking maybe an LRP .30, but is that too much power? I don't want to damage drivetrain parts etc... I just want a good reliable motor with the same power of the F4.6...

I know this is going to sound dumb, but my life has been SO rough lately, and with the combination of the truck dying today and then splitting my toe open on a pallet, then the thought of not wanting to spend so much damn money to get a truck going again that still needs full wheel bearings... ugh... I literally cried today. Everything sucks enough, then this? Really? The one thing I was looking forward to... SUCK!
Spent $125 total today on that truck, and it's all useless...

RE: Reviving the X
 

I picked up a Losi 454 .28 ( same as the Lrp.28 and sh .p6 .28) . I got it from one of them eBay chop shops (it was pulled from a Losi xxl Lst ) . It was only $124 shipped . So far it's been a great motor and lots of power . The sts .28 is a good motor to for the price but you will need to buy a oring for the high speed needle . I used one from a old os .12 cv-r carb ( your old savage engine oring may work) and it would hold a tune like a champ ..... The Lrp .30 is a powerhouse but the .28 revs higher . I hope every thing works out for you . IMO you should get a Losi 454 or a Lrp .28 or .30 they hold tunes well ....... I would say buy a picco but your drive line will take a hit :Dand cost a bit more .

RE: Reviving the X
 

Agreed! The Mach 454 and even the 427 are great engines that can be bought cheaper than a lot of engines.The Mach 454 is pretty close to the LRP Z28R, but the LRP is a little stronger. Both are WAYY stronger than your 4.6. The 427 isonly slightly strongerthanthe 4.6 down low and in the midrange, but has a lot more top end.

Whatexactly happened to the 4.6? Did it lock up or lose all compression? It could have very well ran lean if you had a hole in the fuel line.

RE: Reviving the X
 

I picked up a tf 20u 2.4 ghz radio and receiver for $40 bucks (2ch Hpi flux radio) and it works great and you can't beat the price . It's nothing fancy but it get the job done . It was also bought from a eBay chop shop ...... Hope this helps

RE: Reviving the X
 

From what I can tell, connecting rod let go. If I spin the flywheel by hand the correct running direction, it STOPS at one point like it hit the top. Run it backwards, I can feel a quick taptap every rotation, like the rod slapping side to side.
Either way, the motor will NOT turn over the right direction. I will probably be pulling it tonight to further diagnose, seeing as buying a new motor is more likey an option than spending over half price of a new motor and having to rebuild still.

Trying to find mach 427 / 454 online, not seeing any for sale besides ebay and there's a lot of junk / used there.

One thing I just thought of - I would rather the motor be a direct swap. Meaning fit my exhaust, and have the carb the right way, and the output shaft the same.
I've never done anything except a direct original swap on my nitro evader, and the savage isn't old enough and this is it's original motor.

I'd love to get something that is more reliable, but what motor will fit without modification? I have the rotostart obviously, but I am thinking I'd rather go pull start now as that seems more popular with most of you guys.

RE: Reviving the X
 

Hmmmm....

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-LOSI-LST-XXL...item483fe9ffa9

$162 shipped... w/ pull start...

Is it too much power, am I going to blow gears and stuff?

RE: Reviving the X
 

The Machs (as well all big blocks with SG crankshafts) are a direct swap. Your engine mount, air filter, exhaust, clutch will all swap directly. If your X has the aluminum diff cups, the 454 will be fine. If it has the plastic diff cups, I haven't had luck with with that much power. The Mach 427 would be a little easier on the drivetrain, but still run better than the 4.6 did. Here is a 427 thsat is 149.99 free shipping, but you would have to buy a pullstart for it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/LOSI-LOSR1002-42...item43a08b20a2

RE: Reviving the X
 

[link]http://www.hobbypartz.com/fs-g2-24ghz-radio.html?gclid=CLTC3uqYyKcCFQTNKgod7W5YFw[/link]

if your still looking for a raido check these out... i have two and many of my friends have them as well... i have nothing bad to say about them... i even sold my spektrum and bought 4 more with what i got out of it....[8D]

RE: Reviving the X
 

Well, here goes the list of items I just bought...

4' of dubro green fuel tubing
4 pack of fuel clamps
10 pack of 90 degree body pins
New glow starter with meter
Trigger style laser infrared thermometer ($2 cheaper than duratrax flashpoint, I prefer a trigger and a laser!)
Flyzone 2.4Ghz 2 channel setup

and...
I am totally forgetting something...





Uhm,



err...



Oh yeah, this...





http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...PPuR_LhMUDpgWd

Oh, damn, yep, got a shiny brand new 454 on the way.
FRICKEN PUMPEDDDD.


Thinkin' maybe someday I'll repair the F4.6 and retrofit it into my Evader... hahaha...

Should be runnin' by the weekenddddddd! Anybody got a links to good breakin procedures, I'm thinking two tanks REAL rich high idle on a block stand?

RE: Reviving the X
 

http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/a...article_id=397

Winnnn.

RE: Reviving the X
 

Goalllllllllllllllll !!!!!!!!!!!!

RE: Reviving the X
 

So a guy on youtube has a savage x with a 454, used to have the 4.6.

His name on youtube is floridasnookhunter, and I sent him a comment asking him if he's broke anything with it. He said he blows diffs and dogbones... YAYYY. I'm hoping he's just a moron and just smashes throttle all the time. I blew a dogbone when I was running in pure sand doing donut after donut and I know that was my fault. But I won't be driving like that.

Little worried I got too much power now!

RE: Reviving the X
 

Soooo get this... pulling apart old motor to see what really happened... piston/crank etc all seem fine! Then I noticed the starting pin for the bottom of the conrod.... was in the groove where the conrod runs in the crankcase. O_O The pin is what the motor was hitting as it turned over.

It seems I have NO starting pin SPRING. At all. Not even remnants.

Is the starting pin the same as the one for the .21BB as tower lists?

Now obviously I am keeping the 454 when it shows up Wednesday, but it would be nice to have this as a backup motor for cheap.
My main concern is - where is the spring? Turned to dust? I still seem to have the same compression I did before when the motor was running...
Everything seems to roll over smooth, when the piston comes UP, just as it creates a seal and builds compression, there is a little 'click'. It's TINY...
And it happens everytime it makes a seal past the exhaust port and if I wiggle it right there it clicks up OR down. Almost like the sleeve is moving an extremely small amount?
Is that possible? Is it worth buying a new OWB and pin/spring?

RE: Reviving the X
 

It sounds like are feelingthe sleeve pinch and the point where the rodchanges direction.It isnormal to have a "click" there.If there is no metal/scarring in the engine, you should be able to get the OWB and spring and fix it. I would completely disassemble and clean/inspect the engine before I bought anything, if it were mine. Check inside the crank for that spring. It could have made in there!

RE: Reviving the X
 

Will do man! Having issues figuring out how to get the clutch apart! lol, last time I did one of these it was a crappy .18 DTX!

I don't have a piston tool or any way to lock the motor, any tricks? I've seen some before but don't remember.

Oh and what do you think about that youtube guy telling me I'll blow diffs and dogbones constantly?

RE: Reviving the X
 

The only diffs I've blown with engines on that level are the plastic cup diffs in older trucks. Newer diffs with the aluminum cup andshimmed spider gears have held up well. If your truck doesn't have the newerdiffs, it was only going to matter of time before they go even with 4.6. They just flex too much and the gear can't stay meshed under hard acceleration. The 454 has tons of powerr, but it doesn't have the super hard hitting low end grunt of the LRP ZR30 or a Picco, so its not as hard on diffs/bondone as they are. I haven't torn up ring and pinions unless I'm doing huge jumps, which I don't reallly do much anymore...

RE: Reviving the X
 

On the flywheel, you can clamp a pair of vice grips on the edge of the flywheel to hold it and get it off. Just letdon'*** spin around and let it lock out on the carb, but I've seen people damage carbs and tear throttle boots this way. I don't really like to do it this way, but i've done it in a pinch.