skootmaxx

sent ya an email thanks for helping me

Soothsayerman

The T Maxx linkages are such a wonky design.

SAVAGEJIM

I too say the same as Sooth told you earlier. Dont let this bad experience ruin your RC experience and dissuade you from the hobby. As for Traxxas customer support telling you it is your fault, I am not sure. You seemed to have done everything possible and reasonable to get your truck to run correctly. It could be that your TRX engine simply is a lemon engine. The TRX engines are all chinese made, and as such, suffer from poor chinese materials and the horrid chinese production standards. Your Maxx will run without a hitch if you get a qulity engine like OS .18TM, a direct drop-in engine fore Traxxas vehicles. I bet your carb woes will disappear and you can from then on focus on what the hobby is all about: Running, Jumping, Bashing, even racing.

I hope you do not give up, and please dont get me wrong, Traxxas makes some great vehicles (I, personally, really like the Revo for a truck). It's just that their TRX engine unfortunately do not always give the end users problem-free experiences. Most TRX engine I have personally worked on run okay, but there are some lemons I have come across as well. (It's hit or miss.) As a matter of fact, just about all of my off-road racer friends simply took out the TRX engines from their Revos and put in OS .18TZ and TM engines in their place. They sold off the TRX engines on E-bay as new in box since they did not even start them.

tommythecat

My Feedback: (2)

Try lengthening the arm between the throttle bell crank and the ball cup that connects to the carb. You can unscrew the ball cup on the end to make it longer. That will allow the carb to open fully with less pivot on the bellcrank. You usually need to do this if you change gearing to the point where the engine has to be slid further right for proper gear mesh. You should lengthen it to a point where the limited travel of the carb prevents the bell crank from rolling over. When adjusted properly, there is no way for the bell crank to flip over and lock like that as the carb arm will not let it travel that far. Once you lengthen that arm as much as you can lengthen it comfortably without worrying about it falling off, then you need to adjust the rest of the linkage stops etc, to properly throw the throttle from fully opened to fuly closed without binding.

You didn't by chance put a larger spur or clutchbell on it recently did you?

tommythecat

My Feedback: (2)

Completely agree. I spent countless hours fiddling with the linkages on my maxx until I got everything just right. Tried many spring length, spring tension and stop locations before getting everything just right, then ran some allthread all the way up through the bell crank and bolted it down to the chassis. The t-maxx is a great MT, but it needs work, it is a tinkerers dream, and can be a great learning experience as a first or second nitro, but it requires patience and you really have to get to the point where you enjoy working on it and problem solving, then eventually you end up with a creation all your own, that is perfect "in your eyes" and functions exactly as you want it to. But if you don't like fiddling and just want to drive the darn thing, there are better choices out there.

skootmaxx

I changed the bellclutch a while back but it was taken apart and put back togther after that . I am horrible with gear mesh so I had a friend do it . As far as the linkage extending as far as it will go. We tired that . She says the carb is as far extended as it can go no way it would lock out . Sure as this thing Hates me at half throttle it locked out . It a actually broke the ball cup. .

I have a chance to pick up a savage 2.5 for my maxx and 150 . Thats what he wants . I'm worried about the compression and the care of the truck but do yall think its a fair trade considering my servo's and 3.3 are new ?

tommythecat

My Feedback: (2)

Dude that is bizarre. If you have the link adjusted properly, the only way it could lockout is if the servo was overextending and phsysically forcing the bellcrank too far. You say it actually locked out and foced it hard enough open that it broke the ballcup. That would point to a bad servo or RX. have you tried a different servo? What kind of high torque monster servo are you running that is strong enough to break the ballcup?

skootmaxx

its a hs-475hb

tommythecat

My Feedback: (2)

hmmm. that servo shouldnt have the muscle to snap the ball cup. Actually, I don't know of any standard sized servo that has the muscle to snap one. You have me very intrigued. I know you probably won't consider it worth the shipping charges, but if you were willing to pay shipping, I would be happy to fix it up for you. I'm not trying to downplay your ability, but I spent so much time on my maxx and especially on the linkages that I am somewhat of a master at setting them up now. If you are interested, send me a PM. I know it is hard to trust that a stranger will return your truck to you at all, let alone fix it for free (unless parts are required in which case you would have to cover those), but if you have enough faith in mankind to trust a mostly anonymous stranger with a several hundred dollar RC, I promise you will no t be dissappointed with the results.

A better option might be a local RC club. Most of the hobby shops in my area have no tech skills at all, and it sounds like your's are the same, but your local track (if there is one) is bound to be swarming with skilled tinkerers, many of which would probably help you free of charge if you make a good impression and approach them humbly. With the popularity of maxxes, it is hard to find a track that doesn't have at least one local t-maxx expert available.

Soothsayerman

hehe, i think at this point skoot wants to pour gasoline all over the t-maxx and sing "burn baby burn".

Traxxas should really do all of RC a favor and just stop making the thing because there a plenty of better options from traxxas and others.

Yes, I know I know what I said is sacrilege, I'm a heretic, burn me burrrrrrrn

systemlord

I believe the problem is that skoot has non-stock servos with the stock Traxxas radio without the use of EPA causing the overextention. When I poppped in my HSC-5997TG it would try to turn the wheels past the point from which the wheels able to turn, this will kill a servos gear train quickly.

savageman1208

get a savage xl they are brand new you will love it

tommythecat

My Feedback: (2)

I agree the servo is likely at the root of the problem, but even a digital servo should have consistent travel with the stock RX, so that you can mechanically adjust for the end point one way or another. If it travels different distances each time you pull it full throttle them something is wrong with the servo, tx or rx.

skootmaxx

Well I went to look at a savage today for a possible trade. It looked like it had been rigged to hell all kinds of wires everywhere. the guy was asking for my truck and 150. I said no way I was not about to trade for all the time i had invested and get more work. So i have decided to make damn sure I fix this problem . Then from there I want to work on making it stronger . I cant stand to her people say t-maxx's suck. Thats all i been hearing. Now i want to prove them wrong. If anyone has any details on chassis upgrades. Something has to be done about the week points in the bulkhead to chassis .

Soothsayerman

Well first off I would get a new radio.

the futaba 3pm 2.4 ghz is great and you can get $20 off at towerhobbies now.

skootmaxx

well what if its not my radio. which i dont think it is. the things i see are not speculation. And yes I do want a better radio but . I also want to make this truck harder to break. If I could do this it would give me more interst in this truck.

skootmaxx

well I think i have decided to part ways with both the traxxas forms and these. The reason for this is little attention is being paid to what i am actually saying. I realize the hobby takes time blah blah blah. as if i have only been trying one day . I realize i need to set my end points. I've checked these types of things. There are a few things i need to check but . I seriously feel like i come across as the biggest dummy to you people.So rather than give up on the truck i am going to give up on forms.Do the new guys are favor and go easy on them. listen to their problems hear what they have to say. Understand what they are saying. Give them a chance . most are not as dumb as they seem.


THanks all and good luck.

systemlord

skootmaxx

No I am not ungrateful. Yes I feel that you can be very condescending. As for everyone else I should have made it very clear who I was addressing.

btw systemlord what I was asking you to do is listen to everybit of info because i know i have informed you that its not passing and end point. That factor was ignored.

what I was trying to make clear is that the servo is not extending further than it should. I think It maybe skipping a spline but saw no evidence of this factor .

tommythecat

My Feedback: (2)

If the servo is not extending past the normal endpoint (and you are 100% sure of this) and you also have the ballcup on the carb slide linkage extended out to the point where the carb slide limits its travel the bell crank should not be able to roll over and hit the spur like you've described. If the servo is traveling perfect and the ball cup is out far enough then the only way the bell crank could turn over is if the bell crank is not properly secured to the chassis, your idle adjust screw is not in allowing the carb arm to extend beyond normal travel (but that would be blatently obvious) or you have the linkage out to far on the servo arm and are forcing the bellcrank around with the servo.

Is the bell crank down tight on the chassis or does it wobble a bit?

Have you tried moving in on the servo arm one hole?

I think the reason that the new radio was suggested is that when you get a radio with endpoint adjustment it drastically simplifies proper linkage setup because you can control your throws electronically rather than mechanically.

The best way I can think of to figure out what is causing your problem:

Disconnect the linkage from the servo. Pull it out all the way. When the carb is fully opened you should be no where near flipping the bellcrank over, if you are, then you need to figure out why. It will be eaither a loose and moving bellcrank, a loose moving engine, loose carb turning or carb slide problem, or the most likely cause: too short of a linkage between the bellcrank and carb. If you have everything setup properly, you should be able to pull pretty hard on thelinkage that normally goes to the servo without being able to flip the bellcrank over, as the carb slide should hold it in.

skootmaxx

the bellcrank flexes but should be stiff it is tight . I have replaced it before

skootmaxx

intact thats how we adjusted it this last time before it broke. Using the carb as the limiting factor . Now with the ballcup not in place it goes neutral but returns to normal .m going to be repairing today

tommythecat

My Feedback: (2)

Have you done what I said? Disconnect the linkage from the servo and pull it, if everything is properly setup you shouldn't be able to pull the bell crank even to 90 degrees, let alone flip it over.

I have had the same problem as you before, after switching engines and gearing. In my case it has always been solved by properly adjusting the length of the linkage that goes from the carb slide to the bell crank.

There are other possibilities, but we shoul thoroughly eliminate the most likely possibility first, before we start looking into other things.

It would be very helpful if you could disconnect the linkage form the servo and pull it as far as you can (without overmuscle-ing it) and take a picture that shows the angle of the bellcrank.

systemlord

tommythecat

My Feedback: (2)

Woops, bad post!!!