rebelracer246

the carb was bad with his 454
i havent ran the smart diffs but people at my lhs have and they said its like racing a stick with the on and off power but i still want to see for my self

djzachtyler

My Feedback: (4)

Please do not be traumatized by my experiences my issue was that the LSN in the carb was not seated right, or just had a bad seal. it caused me to have a world of idlng issues that ended in the engine going WOT with the throttle closed and in turn burning the clutch prematurely, sinc I had ahold of the vehicle (thank god for that chasing this would be like chasing a bat outta H***). that has been my only downside experience, One other thing to check would be the bottom plastic connector on the shocks. I had one on the rear come loose right out of the box. this comes from th ebox being roughly handled. otherwise I have gone over this vehicle thoroughly, and it is one solid beast IMO. Thankfully Losi Support is there 100% and backs their products. Hell they even let me send in my older DX3S radio, after I discovered it was buggy as hell compared to the radio that came with my 8ight-T 2.0 using the receipt from my new setup... They really back their stuff and do their best to support it, just have a long turnaround time...

If you are going to be racing, the smart diffs will help with the handling of the vehicle to gove you more of an edge in and out of corners since it helps balance power output to the wheels between the center and fron drivetrain. if you are going to race you will want them.

you can also find the lightened TFT chassis and shocktowers on ebay relatively cheap sometimes. alot of people seem to makking money hand over fist on parting out the kits.

Aside from that... this thing is rockin out of the box, and truly a race ready truggy as soon as you get it broken in. IMHO one of losi best offerings to date with everything it comes with.

supertib

Awesome Truggy guys...the 2.0 rocks !

All you need now is a good little race .21 and your set to go...... if you think its fast with a 454 just wait till you see it with a good .21 , it will blow your mind ! Yes .21's are alot faster then 28's...

djzachtyler

My Feedback: (4)

yes true, they are rated for higher RPM, thus higher speed, the reasoning behind the .28 is to give it better low end acceleration which in my case where I have a smaller technical track, I don't get to open it up much, so the lower end grunt is what helps me out more...

I do want to get a quick change engine mount tho, so I can just swap my engines on a whim... that would be cool as hell to just have a different enginer for different types of runs and just be able to drop em in on a whim IMHO...

djzachtyler

My Feedback: (4)

well I am stoked as all get out, got my Mach 454 returned today, final call from Losi Support was that the front bearing had a bad seal and was causing the idling issues. just took it out and ran it up and down the street, and can say it is definately running better... seems the idle is a bit higher than what I am used to, but then again that cold just be the engine too.

Also an interesting FYI regarding the 454 stats, it is made for Losi by GRP engines in italy and was designed by a M. Rossi. Losi sent me back all the old clutch shoes and spare parts that were leftover (which is cool after the shoes getting torn up in my backup clutch the other day I now have replacements) in a parts bag that happened to have a label denoting all of this info.

Anyways, even running on the rich side, this thing is a bullet, and handles like a dream. unlime many other off roaders I have driven on the street, this thing would just not flip over, and stayed well planted, across the grass if given the opportunity it would have left divots

I am truly impressed at this point now that I have actually gotten to run it a bit.

WALL22

Well breaking in my new truggy 2.0 has been a nightmare. The motor is so tight that the wheel on the started box is gone. I called up horizon and they sent me a new wheel. They also sent me a new set of tires becuase the one that where on the truck were warped and wobbling really bad. So i called them and told them all this stuff and they sent me new stuff. Well no the problem is getting a new wheel on the box. I cannot find anything that tells me how to change it out. And i have asked on here and no one has replied back to me about this issue. I have been a LST guy since i started RC cars and i know **** about a starter box.

djzachtyler

My Feedback: (4)

it takes some doing to change the wheel. You will need to open the top, and then remove the screws that hold the motor inside the box from the bottom. once you remove the motor/ wheel assembly from th box it should be easy to figure out from there. I'll have to take a look at mine when I get home from work, and at that point can give you better insight... Also the motor after it is broken in is quite a force to be reckoned with IMO. very impressive off the line, has gobs of power...

JPKII

Yeah, I started breaking mine in last night. The motor was so tight on the top end that it would stall the box out with 2 freshly charged 3800 mAH batteries. lol. When the piston was stuck I would "unstick" it by moving it with my fingers on the starter wheel (scars to prove it as well). I got my heat gun out and put some heat into the head and finally got things going. I got thru 2 tanks idling and it runs like a top now. My starter wheel in the starter box is a little worse for the wear though.

I also found that I needed to really push down hard on the starter box for the rubber wheel to get good enough traction. Otherwise the wheel would slip a bunch and I would end up with a little pile of rubber.

I can't find any instructions on how to replace the wheel either. Looks like you'll need to remove the 6 or so screws that hold the motor/gear/belt frame assembly and pull the entire unit out to split the frames and pull the wheel. I think my wheel still has a lot of life in it so I don't plan on doing it too soon. Maybe when you do it take pics, make a few instructions, and post it up so we can all see??

djzachtyler

My Feedback: (4)

Hey guys, just an FYI as far as starting proceedure using the box that dawned on me as suggested by losi... When you go to start the vehicle you actually push down on the glow driver to activate the starter box. for some reason it works and I have not had the issues getting my started wheel chewed to heck. I think I saw this in one of the manuals actually. but yeah you NEED to apply downward pressure at the motor for it to engage the wheel correctly. I was having a heck of a time at first too since I was trying to just attach the glowstarter and press on the rear like my other vehicles and having the same issue.

SO remeber push down ON the glowstarter, and I'll be willing to bet you have fewer issues. Also they say the pegs are "supposed" to be set at the factory to fit the chassis, check them, mine weren't quite set right, and thus causing the chassis edge to rub on the starter wheel.

now as far as starter box disassembly, here is what you have to do...

1) at the end with the handle loosen the 4 screws that hold the mounting bracket and slid it forward to expose the screws (3 of em) that hold the lid to the activation switch and remove them this should allow you to flip the lid open fully and allow you access to the motor and wheel..

2) next you will want to make sure all electrical leads are diconnected from the motor assembly so you have enough play to remove the motor & wheel assembly from the box.

3) now close the lid and flip the box over and remove the 6 screws that hold the motor and wheel assembly inside the frame of the box. This should allow you to slide the whole assembly right out the top when you flip it back over and flip the lid open, or at lest give you evough clearance to "jack the assembly up and expose the Belt and drive assemblys.

4) once you have popped the motor assembly up you will see 2 screws on either side of the starter wheel, remove them and you should be able to slip the starter wheel out and slide the drive belt off.

5 replace the wheel slip it into where the old one came making sure to get the drive belt back on, and follow these directions in reverse order and you should be good to go.

Hope that helps you guys out a bit.

WALL22

Sound like good guidance i will give this a shot and i will take it apart and i will picture some stuff. I will let yall know how it is. Another question where is a good place to get batteries cheap I dont want lipos i just need good batteries that will last longer than one start or even work at all. I bought a venom 6 cell NIMH 3000 for 12 buck on ebay. Thats about what i am looking for.

djzachtyler

My Feedback: (4)

I personally went cheap on my stick packs, and got (2) 1800mAh packs for 13.99 each at the hobbytown up the street, I have charged them 1 time initially, and haven't had to since, gotten my 8ight through break in on that same charge and there is plenty of juice left... with 2 3000 packs you should have no issues whatsoever...

Definately take some pics of the tear down wheel replacement and rebuild of your box, and post them for future reference to others! sometimes a Show and tell post is the best educational/self help tool available to new owners etc!

JPKII

Welp, not so good luck last night...

I was about half way thru my third tank, still idling it and working on low speed needle tuning. Tuning was going beautifully, temps were right around 185 and then the truck dead stopped. Put it back on the starter box and it wouldn't turn over. Tried rotating the flywheel by hand and the engine was seized tight. I thought maybe the piston was just stuck at TDC. Pull the head off on the piston was half way down the sleeve. Tried rotating the flywheel again with the head off and no movement. Pulled the engine apart and the counterweight on the crank was binding on the block casting. As you are looking from the backing plate in it was binding in the 2 o'clock position and it was binding in the same crank position every time. As you rotated the crank (piston, sleeve, and rod out) the center punch mark of the counterweight was "pointing" to the same spot every time it bound up. Found some small burrs on the raceway where the counterweight swings. Piston and sleeve were in perfect shape and showed no signs of heat or any scratches, etc. Took it back to my LHS and we took some jewelers files and filed the burrs down and now the crank spins free. If it happens again I'll send it back (LHS assured me they would take care of it and I trust them) but for now it seems to be good. The only thing I can think of for a plausible explanation as to why it didn't bind up until half way thru the third tank is this is the hottest I have had the engine to this point and maybe things expanded enough for the burrs to become an interference. I'm not sure.

Anyone else have any theories??

Oh, and once I had the engine out I put the truck back on the starter box to check alignment to the rubber wheel and mine is off to the right. The flywheel wasn't riding directly on top of the starter wheel.

Also, what is your air gap between the RPM reflector and sensor? My RPM is not registering and I suspect the air gap is too large.

dominicevans

this 8T sounds so problematic

xxxtcr

Hey for you rtr guys, Us boys over at BCE Speed are just about finished with our 2.0 truggy chassis. Head over to www.bcespeed.com if you would like to purchase

The chassis give the truck more steering and better handling through bumps and rhythm sections, something the rtr or the tft chassis cant do.

djzachtyler

My Feedback: (4)

My best guess would be the expansion theory like yours... at least yours was an easy fix, there is about a 2and a half week trunaround from when you send an engine in for support.

As far as the RPM sensor. first thing would be to check that the sticker is still on the clutchbell, anotherthing, is to periodically make sure you clean any dust off the sensor. the spektrum RPM sensor can be a fussy little thing at times. According to the manual it should be mounted as close to the flywheel as possible, however on the 8ight it is mounted on the diff case, so I coudn't even wager a guess as to how close it should be. I know mine works just great, so you may want to contact support and tell em you have a bum sensor...

JPKII

I'd guess the gap between the sensor and the sticker is about 3/32". I'm not sure how much closer I could get it. I think to test it I will use one of the spare stickers and put it on a piece of paper and just flag it right in front the sensor and see if I pick anything up.

JPKII

RPM sensor is working. I shimmed it out 3/32" and works like a champ.

Break in is done. Took it for a couple laps around the yards and am real happy with it. Our track is closed for the week because of ROAR Fuel Nats so I won't be able to race it for a couple weeks.

My throttle brake servo is shot. Bought a replacement and will fit it tonight.

So far so good. Really happy with this truck!!

djzachtyler

My Feedback: (4)

Ya me too except I cannot get it to idle right... idles really high and no amount of adjusting seems to help, if I lean it out to where it jams with the throttle it idles wayyy too high... Oh well I'll Call Losi monday and tell em to send me a new carb... I think that is where the issue lies. aside from that it drives awesome, like it is on rails. worst caes I just toss my Axial .32 in it till I get this Losi motor whipped into shape.

JPKII

Ya know, when I was disassembling my motor I noticed two things: 1. the glow plus gasket sucked. I had fuel puddling out from underneath it while it was running and 2. one of the screws holding the head down was loose and I could see an uneven wear pattern on the head gasket.

djzachtyler

My Feedback: (4)

Ya, I am going to do just what supertib said and probably get myself a good race .21 as soon as I can get my slayer sold... looking to maybe get a O.S. .21 VZB Vspec or something along those lines... Allthough my engine is slowly starting to act right more and more after each run, but the high idle is just killing me...

djzachtyler

My Feedback: (4)

I just scored a EB Mods OS .21 VZ-B V-spec motor for 50 bucks on ebay... says it has a busted con rod, but that's an easy fix... I know Ed Bridges does wonders with OS engines, so I am looking forward for sure!!!

just got the con rod for 27 bucks... pretty cool as long as the engine is in good shape, I just scored a sweet deal...

djzachtyler

My Feedback: (4)

got my EB Mods OS .21 VZB V-spec today, and can say I got a screaming deal! the sleeve has excellent pinch, and there was no internal damage from the conrod breaking... The anodizing on the cooling head is a little worn, and has a little crusted dirt here & there, but the case and everything else looks to be in good running order, the true test will come when I go to start it up, but the button head looks to be almost new also.

Not every day you get a deal like this by any means, score for me!!!

khudzik

http://www.overdriverc.com/proddetai...RI20212&cat=47

rebelracer246

i wish i could run my .21 but my losi starter box broke and i jsut got a new dynamite platnum .21xp so i ordered an ofna chrome top 12v motor so i think that will work good

djzachtyler

My Feedback: (4)

surprisingly enough the duratrax universal box I have starts EVERYTHING under the sun, plus hols up to a 12v gel cell, and runs 2- 540 sized motors... have not found a vehicle it couldn't get started yet...