Earthquake 3.5    Gallery
View related threads: (in this forum | in all forums)

Logged in as Guest



Users viewing this topic: none
    Search This Thread  
 
Printable Version



All Forums >> RC Cars, Buggies, Trucks, Tanks and more >> Redcat Racing Support >> Earthquake 3.5
Page: [1] 2   next >   >>  

Tower Hobbies Get Coupon Codes Brands  
Login
Message << Older Topic   Newer Topic >>
Earthquake 3.5 - 12/17/2011 7:47 AM   
dalexander


 

Posts: 9
Score: 100
Joined: 12/17/2011
Last Login: 3/18/2012
From: sarasota, FL, USA
Status: offline

I bought my son a Earthquake 3.5 for his birthday i also got the fail safe and the stater kit , We ran 4 th tank with no issue , the 5 th tank it had a hard time staying running  and it would rev but not go anywear  at this point i found the plastic Spur gear was striped, I ordered a new steel Spur gear and instaled it . We tryed to run the truck again the truck did not move at this point we took it to the hobbie shop they kept it for a week then said the trans was bad and we had a broken clutch spring . The hobbie shop then told me they do not work on redcats and to come and get it ( waste of a week ) at this point i ordered  clutch slice w / sping , flywheel ( ground up )  clutch bell ( broken teeth) and a crankshaft w / E - clip ( e- clip fell off the old one )  and a trans . Got it all back togather went to start it broke the pull start string  so i am ordering a new one , My question is the clutch bell is very lose i think that is what binded up and broke the pull string , Snice i lost the e-clip, did i also lose a washer or somthing ??? or bearings??  we had the truck 2 months and only had it running 1 day no one will warranty it or help all parts got to be mailed in PLEASE HELP !



Hide Signatures
       Post #: 1

RE: Earthquake 3.5 - 12/17/2011 3:59 PM  1 votes
Dads like rc too


 

Posts: 709
Score: 540
Joined: 11/14/2011
Last Login: 6/19/2013
From: myrtle beach, SC, USA
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: dalexander

I bought my son a Earthquake 3.5 for his birthday i also got the fail safe and the stater kit , We ran 4 th tank with no issue , the 5 th tank it had a hard time staying running  and it would rev but not go anywear  at this point i found the plastic Spur gear was striped, I ordered a new steel Spur gear and instaled it . We tryed to run the truck again the truck did not move at this point we took it to the hobbie shop they kept it for a week then said the trans was bad and we had a broken clutch spring . The hobbie shop then told me they do not work on redcats and to come and get it ( waste of a week ) at this point i ordered  clutch slice w / sping , flywheel ( ground up )  clutch bell ( broken teeth) and a crankshaft w / E - clip ( e- clip fell off the old one )  and a trans . Got it all back togather went to start it broke the pull start string  so i am ordering a new one , My question is the clutch bell is very lose i think that is what binded up and broke the pull string , Snice i lost the e-clip, did i also lose a washer or somthing ??? or bearings??  we had the truck 2 months and only had it running 1 day no one will warranty it or help all parts got to be mailed in PLEASE HELP !


Man this is the frustrating part of this hobby.  First off..you said you bought this for your son, how old is he and are you or him mechanically inclined?  These cars are a great learning experience for a teen but they definately need a dad who can troubleshoot and make small repairs, if not I'd almost have to say a nitro car is definately not for you!

It sounds like you have a lot of things going on here.  As far as the clutch bell goes when you say loose do you mean it spins freely of the flywheel, or if you were holding the enging in your hand you could wiggle the bell up and down?  The bell should turn when the engine is at rest since the clutch is not engaging it.  If it is wiggling up and down you did not install the bearing that goes in the hub of the bell and slides onto the crank.   There should be two or three washers between the clutch screw on the end of the crank and the bell assembly.  

Do you know how you broke the pull start so you don't break your new one?  Either you flooded the engine and kept pulling against the bound up motor or you just pulled it too far.  It takes awhile to realize you should only be pulling a few inches turning the engine over 4-5 times per pull quickly instead of pulling longer and slower.  Sometimes they can just break but most of the time they break due to a frustrated guy trying to start a engine that simply will never start for numerous reasons like bad glow plug or dead ignighter.


_____________________________

Caldera 10e : Volcano EPX : Monsoon XTR : Sumo x2 :

Hide Signatures

(in reply to dalexander)
       Post #: 2

RE: Earthquake 3.5 - 12/17/2011 9:30 PM   
nitrosportsandrunner



Posts: 8128
Score: 296
Joined: 9/1/2007
Last Login: 6/19/2013
From: skowhegan, ME, USA
Status: offline 		It really ticks me off when hobby shops wont help a guy out just cause its not a model they sell.

IMO, this usually means the hobby shop guys dont know how to work on a model unless they got a manual for it.

anyway, the manual for the E 3.5 doesnt show any washer as part of the clutch assembly.

You have both of the ball bearings in the clutch bell tho, right?

As already mentioned, a flooded motor can cause you to break the pull cord.

Also, it sounds like you have only just broken in the motor(which takes 4-5 tanks) and its possible the last time the motor stopped it did so at TDC (top dead center) and this is the point where the pistion it touching the cylinder wall. Thus, the motor cooled down causing the piston to get "stuck"

When you install the new pull cord, pre-heat the motor with a hair dryer before starting. This can make the motor easier to turn over.

EDIT: here is the link to the manual on redcat's site: http://www.redcatracing.com/site/partsbypicture/Earthquake30-35.html

_____________________________

SC10 brushless, Thunder Tiger Phoenix XB Brushless, 1/5 custom rock crawler, Slash 4x4, Atomik Barbwire

Hide Signatures

(in reply to Dads like rc too)
       Post #: 3

RE: Earthquake 3.5 - 12/23/2011 5:17 PM   
dgoose


 

Posts: 9
Score: 100
Joined: 9/21/2011
Last Login: 2/1/2012
From: Enid, OK, USA
Status: offline 		   I just got mine yesterday, too! The third tank of fuel was about halfway out at half throttle when it quit moving!! The motor throttles up, but the spur gear is stripped also!!

  Is this a common problem with this model?

  Does the metal gear hold up better?

  I wasn't even goosing the throttle or nothing against the break in procedures. It almost seems as if it wasn't lined up good on install at factory. I watched all the break in videos before even putting fuel in it and it looked like they did not have any problems of this kind.

I am not breaking it in right? Or is it just a faulty gear?

Hide Signatures

(in reply to nitrosportsandrunner)
       Post #: 4

RE: Earthquake 3.5 - 12/23/2011 10:54 PM   
Valgath


 

Posts: 117
Score: 100
Joined: 9/22/2010
Last Login: 6/18/2013
From: Parkersburg, WV, USA
Status: offline 		 get a metal spur gear  will last alot longer then the plastic ones  mine stripped also on my EQ 3.5  and i am glad i did  .

Hide Signatures

(in reply to dgoose)
       Post #: 5

RE: Earthquake 3.5 - 12/23/2011 11:02 PM   
dgoose


 

Posts: 9
Score: 100
Joined: 9/21/2011
Last Login: 2/1/2012
From: Enid, OK, USA
Status: offline

 I just orderd it from redcat. Hopefully the $13 will be worth it. I would like to get it broken in so me and my son can have some fun together.



Hide Signatures

(in reply to Valgath)
       Post #: 6

RE: Earthquake 3.5 - 12/23/2011 11:12 PM   
kelynsdad1023


 

Posts: 119
Score: 100
Joined: 5/25/2010
Last Login: 6/13/2013
From: Maywood, NJ, USA
Status: offline 		if you get the metal spur just make sure your mesh is dead on cause if its not it will strip the bell gear..... if the mesh is right it will definately last a long time !

Hide Signatures

(in reply to dgoose)
       Post #: 7

RE: Earthquake 3.5 - 12/25/2011 4:57 AM   
dgoose


 

Posts: 9
Score: 100
Joined: 9/21/2011
Last Login: 2/1/2012
From: Enid, OK, USA
Status: offline 		 Is there a way to ensure it is meshed right?

 Maybe a website to research it?

Hide Signatures

(in reply to kelynsdad1023)
       Post #: 8

RE: Earthquake 3.5 - 12/25/2011 2:40 PM   
Valgath


 

Posts: 117
Score: 100
Joined: 9/22/2010
Last Login: 6/18/2013
From: Parkersburg, WV, USA
Status: offline 		 you could check you tube  i know there are tons of how to videos on how to do anything you want to a nitro  on there . Check out  Alishanmaos   you tube channel he has tons of how to videos  . 

Hide Signatures

(in reply to dgoose)
       Post #: 9

RE: Earthquake 3.5 - 12/25/2011 3:04 PM  1 votes
Dads like rc too


 

Posts: 709
Score: 540
Joined: 11/14/2011
Last Login: 6/19/2013
From: myrtle beach, SC, USA
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: dgoose

 Is there a way to ensure it is meshed right?

 Maybe a website to research it?
Commanly there's the paper method or the feel method.  You'll see in some instructions where they instruct you to crush a piece of paper between the spur and clutch bell when tightening down the engine.  Then your supposed to run the paper out of it for the correct clearance.  I've never had much luck with that method.

I like the feel method myself.  Run the clutch bell all the way into the spur, feel how tight that mesh is when you hold the spur with one finger and wiggle the clutch with the other.  It won't wiggle at all.  Now just crack the engine back a touch, you should just be able to move the clutch now while holding the spur.  I mean very slight wiggle of the clutch bell "just enough to feel movement" you should almost not be able to see any movement.
  Try it out, have fun with son!

_____________________________

Caldera 10e : Volcano EPX : Monsoon XTR : Sumo x2 :

Hide Signatures

(in reply to dgoose)
       Post #: 10

RE: Earthquake 3.5 - 12/25/2011 3:19 PM   
dgoose


 

Posts: 9
Score: 100
Joined: 9/21/2011
Last Login: 2/1/2012
From: Enid, OK, USA
Status: offline 		@Dads Like RC Too, 
    
     Thanks for that info. When the new gear gets here I will try that out. 
I'm sure that I will watch a few videos on YouTube also. That is where I watched the break in process too. 

@Valgath,

   Thanks for the info as well. I will look them up and see if they have recommended techniques as well. I have found its better to have many back ups. 


Hide Signatures

(in reply to Dads like rc too)
       Post #: 11

RE: Earthquake 3.5 - 12/26/2011 11:54 PM   
dalexander


 

Posts: 9
Score: 100
Joined: 12/17/2011
Last Login: 3/18/2012
From: sarasota, FL, USA
Status: offline 		Thanks for the reply  first off !!!!!!! My son is 14 ( but knows it all ) but i do the the repairs !  don't think he could make weed eater gas mixture lol ( darn teens )  ok loose with the new crank shaft installed then the clutch bell then E/clip i can pull the clutch bell in and out about along the crank shaft about half a inch ,, i am not shure about bearings i did not even know  the clutchbell had any i will have to look ,,,, it almost looks like there sould be a washer after the E-clip ,, i been trying to deal with where i bought it but they keep sending me to training videos that do not apply to my truck ( like how to fix the pull starter in the video did not look to hard opened mine , lots of 4 letter words and little spring fell out and then un-sprong ) in the videos i also saw a clutchbell with a screw mine just has a E-clip, Because the clutchbell can move when the engine is installed when the clutch bell is in contact with the spur  the clutchbell will turn at a angel and bind against the spur gear i think that is what broke the pull start,,  i will have to order a new pull start this week but i hope to get the clutchbell issue fixed  it is not droken in and i got half the price of the truck in replacment parts ,, grrrrrrr  Dan

Hide Signatures

(in reply to Dads like rc too)
       Post #: 12

RE: Earthquake 3.5 - 12/26/2011 11:56 PM   
dalexander


 

Posts: 9
Score: 100
Joined: 12/17/2011
Last Login: 3/18/2012
From: sarasota, FL, USA
Status: offline 		I spen half the night on youtube watching him , my truck engine is differnt then the one he works on ,, do i have a black sheep ??

Hide Signatures

(in reply to Valgath)
       Post #: 13

RE: Earthquake 3.5 - 12/27/2011 12:07 AM   
dalexander


 

Posts: 9
Score: 100
Joined: 12/17/2011
Last Login: 3/18/2012
From: sarasota, FL, USA
Status: offline 		i went to the hobby shop for help , they told me they would have to mail order the parts i said no problem , i was ready to pay the $ 30 dollors and hour and for them to order the parts to get the truck up and running ,  the part that made me mad was after a week i called them then all of a sudden they did not want to work on the truck , well a waste of a week ,, they were fast to tell me after it was running for $ 70 dollos they will tune it ,, i just don't understand i was willing to pay money then they did not even want that ,, that makes me think wonder about the brand , i mean if i brought my car to the shop asked them to fix it , then after a week get a call saying come get my car i don't even want your money in these times i be like ?????  Dan

Hide Signatures

(in reply to nitrosportsandrunner)
       Post #: 14

RE: Earthquake 3.5 - 12/27/2011 12:12 AM   
dalexander


 

Posts: 9
Score: 100
Joined: 12/17/2011
Last Login: 3/18/2012
From: sarasota, FL, USA
Status: offline 		I have not been able to test the new spur gear yet ,, i did see on one of the traing videos to use blue loctite on the 4 motor mount screws so i will have to get some to add $$$ to the repairs

Hide Signatures

(in reply to dgoose)
       Post #: 15

RE: Earthquake 3.5 - 12/27/2011 2:02 AM  1 votes
Dads like rc too


 

Posts: 709
Score: 540
Joined: 11/14/2011
Last Login: 6/19/2013
From: myrtle beach, SC, USA
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: dalexander

i went to the hobby shop for help , they told me they would have to mail order the parts i said no problem , i was ready to pay the $ 30 dollors and hour and for them to order the parts to get the truck up and running ,  the part that made me mad was after a week i called them then all of a sudden they did not want to work on the truck , well a waste of a week ,, they were fast to tell me after it was running for $ 70 dollos they will tune it ,, i just don't understand i was willing to pay money then they did not even want that ,, that makes me think wonder about the brand , i mean if i brought my car to the shop asked them to fix it , then after a week get a call saying come get my car i don't even want your money in these times i be like ?????  Dan
Dale it sucks that your going through all this.  This is a tough hobby to get started in without a buddy who knows the ropes.  Don't get discouraged, you'll get it and then curse all of us for your new obsession.  At least your son has you to help him out, most kids get these as gifts and don't know what to do with them.  Your problems aren't with the brand, your just having to learn the hard way on your own.  Most people's first car is a disaster until they get a little experience with it.  And I have to agree with the others and say shame on your local hobby shop for saying they don't work on your brand.  Your a customer with options like the internet.  I try and buy whatever I can locally first but my shop does not stock Redcat either, but that's never stopped them from helping me improvise with Traxxas parts.  Stick with it and let us know how it turns out.


_____________________________

Caldera 10e : Volcano EPX : Monsoon XTR : Sumo x2 :

Hide Signatures

(in reply to dalexander)
       Post #: 16

RE: Earthquake 3.5 - 12/27/2011 4:07 AM   
dalexander


 

Posts: 9
Score: 100
Joined: 12/17/2011
Last Login: 3/18/2012
From: sarasota, FL, USA
Status: offline 		I will stick with it ,,, i got to much into it now  i shure hope to be tooling around with it , it is a far cry from my lobo's ( sears back in the day )  i had the car , 4x4 truck and the air boat ,  i allready been looking for a truck fro myself once the 3.5 gets up and running  so we can race and stuff ,, of corse mine will be faster ( race for chorse ) i am looking at the t-maxx 3.3 , or the rampage , but it stinks to whait a week to get a part when i can go down the road for traxxas parts , i love to be differnt , time will tell i got to whait for my child support to start comming in ( took one for the guys )   Dan

Hide Signatures

(in reply to Dads like rc too)
       Post #: 17

RE: Earthquake 3.5 - 12/28/2011 4:15 PM   
dgoose


 

Posts: 9
Score: 100
Joined: 9/21/2011
Last Login: 2/1/2012
From: Enid, OK, USA
Status: offline

  Is there another brand spur gear that works on the earthquake 3.5?

  My hobby shop only carries limited Traxxa parts. I have to two hours away to get to a decent hobby shop, so if  there is traxxas parts that work I could save alot of time waiting on snail mail.



Hide Signatures

(in reply to dalexander)
       Post #: 18

RE: Earthquake 3.5 - 12/28/2011 11:28 PM  1 votes
Dads like rc too


 

Posts: 709
Score: 540
Joined: 11/14/2011
Last Login: 6/19/2013
From: myrtle beach, SC, USA
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: dgoose

  Is there another brand spur gear that works on the earthquake 3.5?

  My hobby shop only carries limited Traxxa parts. I have to two hours away to get to a decent hobby shop, so if  there is traxxas parts that work I could save alot of time waiting on snail mail.


have you tried bringing in your spur to match it up with a Traxxas spur?  You'll find many other spurs will interchange depending on size and specific model.  For example my .18 engine will accept HPI spurs, pull starts and a few other things.


_____________________________

Caldera 10e : Volcano EPX : Monsoon XTR : Sumo x2 :

Hide Signatures

(in reply to dgoose)
       Post #: 19

RE: Earthquake 3.5 - 12/29/2011 12:04 AM   
dgoose


 

Posts: 9
Score: 100
Joined: 9/21/2011
Last Login: 2/1/2012
From: Enid, OK, USA
Status: offline 		I have not attempted to take it off yet. I don't want to misplace any parts. I will take it apart and check with my LHS tomorrow. I should get the one I ordered soon too, I hope.

Hide Signatures

(in reply to Dads like rc too)
       Post #: 20

RE: Earthquake 3.5 - 12/29/2011 9:41 PM   
dgoose


 

Posts: 9
Score: 100
Joined: 9/21/2011
Last Login: 2/1/2012
From: Enid, OK, USA
Status: offline 		  Ok, got the new spur gear, put it on and then it wouldn't start. Nothing had been changed on it since the gear stirpped and it was running then. I finally got it to start by turning up the low idle screw. It ran for about a minute or so and died. Then it wouldn't start at all. Ocassionaly it will fire but not run for more than a second. 

  The igniter is charged also.

   It has gas going to the motor, checked it twice by taking off the fuel line and  putting my thumb over the exhaust port while pulling on the starter rope until all the air bubbles were gone. 

  I also turned the high idle srew all the way in and backed it out 2 1/2 turns to where the manual says it should be when broke in, then turned it another time since it hasn't finished the break in process yet.

Any suggestions?



Hide Signatures

(in reply to dgoose)
       Post #: 21

RE: Earthquake 3.5 - 12/30/2011 1:48 AM  1 votes
Dads like rc too


 

Posts: 709
Score: 540
Joined: 11/14/2011
Last Login: 6/19/2013
From: myrtle beach, SC, USA
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: dgoose

  Ok, got the new spur gear, put it on and then it wouldn't start. Nothing had been changed on it since the gear stirpped and it was running then. I finally got it to start by turning up the low idle screw. It ran for about a minute or so and died. Then it wouldn't start at all. Ocassionaly it will fire but not run for more than a second. 

  The igniter is charged also.

   It has gas going to the motor, checked it twice by taking off the fuel line and  putting my thumb over the exhaust port while pulling on the starter rope until all the air bubbles were gone. 

  I also turned the high idle srew all the way in and backed it out 2 1/2 turns to where the manual says it should be when broke in, then turned it another time since it hasn't finished the break in process yet.

Any suggestions?


Has the temp changed  a lot like it has here?  Temp changes drive these engines crazy.  Really they don't run that well bellow 50-55 degrees.  You can adjust them to run but they just don't run that well.  I doubt your low speed needle is the culprit.  It really only affects acceleration and then the high speed needle takes over.  I would check your specs and run both needles back to factory settings.  The motor should start like this, it may cough a bit and spit some fuel but a small turn in on the high speed once it's running should get you going again.   Once it's running right you can adjust the low speed for better acceleration later.


_____________________________

Caldera 10e : Volcano EPX : Monsoon XTR : Sumo x2 :

Hide Signatures

(in reply to dgoose)
       Post #: 22

RE: Earthquake 3.5 - 12/30/2011 1:50 AM  1 votes
Dads like rc too


 

Posts: 709
Score: 540
Joined: 11/14/2011
Last Login: 6/19/2013
From: myrtle beach, SC, USA
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Dads like rc too


quote:

ORIGINAL: dgoose

  Is there another brand spur gear that works on the earthquake 3.5?

  My hobby shop only carries limited Traxxa parts. I have to two hours away to get to a decent hobby shop, so if  there is traxxas parts that work I could save alot of time waiting on snail mail.


have you tried bringing in your spur to match it up with a Traxxas spur?  You'll find many other spurs will interchange depending on size and specific model.  For example my .18 engine will accept HPI spurs, pull starts and a few other things.

And I just realized I was completely thinking clutchbell or pinion gear when you were asking about spur gear...my bad!


_____________________________

Caldera 10e : Volcano EPX : Monsoon XTR : Sumo x2 :

Hide Signatures

(in reply to Dads like rc too)
       Post #: 23

RE: Earthquake 3.5 - 1/1/2012 3:56 AM   
dgoose


 

Posts: 9
Score: 100
Joined: 9/21/2011
Last Login: 2/1/2012
From: Enid, OK, USA
Status: offline 		  Well, I got the motor to start and even idle without the igniter. But it wont run more than few seconds to a minute with it throttled up. Some times it stalls when I just slowly throttle up. It hasn't ran more than a full minute yet. I put the high idle back to factory setting and it will idle that all. I don't have the factory setting for the low speed,  but i got it set to idle with out stalling. 

  Tried starting it again today, and the pull rope broke. I think I have been pulling on it too much trying to get everything set to stay running! Another week waiting on parts!

Hide Signatures

(in reply to Dads like rc too)
       Post #: 24

RE: Earthquake 3.5 - 1/29/2012 7:34 AM   
dalexander


 

Posts: 9
Score: 100
Joined: 12/17/2011
Last Login: 3/18/2012
From: sarasota, FL, USA
Status: offline 		Here is a up date ,, I got in a new pull satarter ( 30 ) dollers , it has a little spring i have no idea where it go's .. the engine has been off the truck i was looking at the clutch bell , poped it off and new ( never ran ) clutch spring is broken ,, i have over $ 500 dollors in this thing and the engine is not even broken in ,, now the truck is going 50 miles away to a shop to see if they can fix this thing ,, soooooooooooooo PIS_ !! this is the last chance !! if it costs to much a video of this truck burning  will be on the web ,,

Hide Signatures

(in reply to Dads like rc too)
       Post #: 25



Page:   [1] 2   next >   >>  
All Forums >> RC Cars, Buggies, Trucks, Tanks and more >> Redcat Racing Support >> Earthquake 3.5
Page: [1] 2   next >   >>  




Jump to:


 
Google 



Search | Marketplace | Event Calendar | Local Clubs | Magazine | Product Ratings | New Products | Discussion Forums

Photo Gallery | Instructor Search | Field|Track|Marina Search

Advertisers | Hobby Vendor Resources | Rate Manufacturers | Sign In/Sign Up

SITE MAP!   : :   FORUM RULES

RC Universe is a service of Internet Brands, Inc. Copyright © 2001-2013.

Charities we support that also need your help
Yorkie Rescue | Humane Society | ASPCA | Crohn's-Colitis America


1.609RCU1