I was told to come here and ask yall about the mods and things for a Volcano SV. I was told that the Himoto and the Volcano were parts matching vehicles. If so, then what all can be used and what do yall recommend for this Volcano SV? I am looking to mod it as soon as I can. It has the Vertex .18 nitro engine in it. I would like to remove the pull start and put another starter on it. Thanks for any and all answers to my newbie questions.

You have come to the right place for help. Are you wanting to replace the pull start with a rotostart?

Yes and some other mods as well. Like suspension and motor parts. Maybe some servos and such. What do you recommend?

from what I know you will want to ditch the .18vx for a .18sh..not a must but yeah.....also you will want to throw some tmaxx shocks on it...

regardless if you yank the vx fer a sh you will want this
http://server.sohouniverse.net/~himo...&=SID#MOREINFO

and this
http://server.sohouniverse.net/~himo...&=SID#MOREINFO

as far as putting a roto start on it....yeah thats fine...but if you have your engine tuned and prime it properly it should start within 3 pulls (usually 1 or 2)...if you dont have your engine tuned properly and its hard to start you can actually harm your engine with a roto start if you continue to crank it and it not starting...just want to make you aware that a roto start isnt necassarly the answer...they can be handy though..

I'm sure Rich, Adam and Rod will chime in on mods for your truck....they have vipers and know them very well...plus there is Eddie...he has everything..lol

I leave my vipers pretty much stock, i like the aluminum shocks though, the aluminum suspension parts look cool but they are not that practical.  The upgrades for the viper will work on the sv.

I completely agree with Randy. The SH18 is a better engine than the VX. And the header and aluminum pipe are sure to provide better performance. I would also suggest a higher flow air filter like a Motor Saver - they also give a notable performance improvement. The stock shocks will not last very long. Some people like the aluminum upgrades. I have the TMaxx shocks and agree again with Randy that they are a good upgrade, specifically if you plan to jump much and drive rough. As far as servos, the stock servos are OK, but do not tend to last long. You can wait until they start to jitter, or go ahead and replace them now. But eventually, you will end up with new servos. For throttle, you do not need anything very fancy. For steering, a high torque servo with metal gears is really worth the extra money. I use Futabas since my LHS stocks them and have a 3004 for throttle and 3010 for steering on my Viper. Those are pretty basic servos, but they are more reliable than the stock servos, and the costs are reasonable. The 3010 is high torque, but not metal gears. I have a Futaba 3305 with metal gears on another vehicle, and prefer that and plan to use it on all my vehicles in the future. The Futabas do not fit the stock servo horns, but you can adapt the ones that come with the Futabas. I do not have them, but you should also consider HiTec servos. I think it is the HiTec 645MG that is the equivalent of the Futaba 3305. I think the HiTecs may fit the stock servo horns.

So... header, aluminum pipe, an SH if you want to drop the cash (use the ERP), shocks, and new servos. That will take care of some of the more obvious issues with the stock Volcano. There's lots more you can do, but many of the aluminum "upgrades" are just bling that at best does nothing for performance and at worst will make you break other more expensive parts. Stick with plastic, minimize your repair costs as you leanr, and you will eventually stop breaking stuff once you have the driving down.

Goo luck, and welcome to the family.

WOW! Thanks. So the Viper and Volcano are almost the same vehicle? Where do I find this "sh" engine? Is it available at my LHS or internet only? So stay away from the aluminum control arms? What is the deal with the Traxxas shocks? Is this just a simple swap or is there more involved in it?

some hobby shops may sell sh, even though you have a redcat, I would let you use our erp.  I think the shocks are just a direct swap. 

I wouldnt put aluim arms on it....as far as the engine, yeah it should be a direct drop in...

guess I didnt get your entire first post (sometimes I have selective reading...lol)...your servos should be fine fer the most part....however I would conceder this servo for the steering
http://server.sohouniverse.net/~himo...p?id=1144&=SID
its a metal gear servo...its faster and more powerfull...like I said..not a havta but I like to put a good servo on the steer...

also I dont know which batteries your using....if your not runnining rechargeables I would diff do that....and if your running just AA batteries fer the reciever make sure wrap a rubber band around them or tape them in...I like 5 cell hump packs myself....also dont know if your aware of failsafes...you will diff want one of them

sorry if yanno some this stuff...just tryin to cover all the bases man..lol

I would also, (being a novice myself) put a sh on it. Those engines are easy to start and are very versitile.

What is an erp and a fail safe? Who, how, where do I get them? I really appreciate yalls replies. If I didn't already have 2 Rustlers and NOW 1 Thunder Tiger Sparrowhawk XP, I wouldn't know what yall were talking about. It is a learning thing and I'll get it sooner or later.

ERP= engine replacement program....which means you can replace your engine for less money (I think they are like 1/2 price)...whether you just want a different one or your old one is ruined....Eddie offered you to use the himoto ERP and thats a hell of a deal

failsafe is just incase your reciever loses transmission from the transmitter...you adjust it so it applies the brakes when and if it should ever happen...this will help protect your rc running off on you (taking off and you have no control)

you can get these from Eddie

Oh ok then. So I need a failafe and then to upgrade the engine. Thanks Eddie. I may do that. I want to play with it so bad though. I've got some things to try out with it.

Even if you do not change anything, you can run it. The stuff we are telling you is all stuff that will improve the vehicle and resolve some basic shortcomings. But you do not have to do all that to run it.

The Traxxas shock upgrade is pretty simple, but there is a little bit you have to do due to the larger size of the Traxxas shock. Check this thread.

[link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7371275]http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=7371275[/link]

Some people have done that mod and only put on four shocks instead of eight. I did all eight because I like jumping and do not like bottoming out when I land hard. But it does make it pretty stiff.

Other than better power, the SH also has a LSN (low speed needle) for better tuning adjustment. The VX only has a HSN (high speed needle) and idle screw. I believ that is why my experience has been that the SH will get and hold a better tune.

The vx engines do come with a low end needle

some of the infinity .18's dont come with a low needle.

Oops - I got them mixed up. You are right. It was the Infinity in the MXB with only 2 needles.

the infinity in the mxb has 2 needles,  all the slide carbs have the low needle, just a few of the rotary carb infinity's have no low needle.

It wouldn't start. It would only run with the glow plug igniter on. When I did get it to run, the RPM's went to like 50,000 and it stopped. Never could get it to start again. I'm trying to get some help in the Redcat Racing sub forum. I was given some suggestions on how to set the carb to try to get it running. Wish me luck. My fingers have blisters on them I pulled the starter so many time on Saturday. I do however, get my Sidewinder System for my Rustler today.

sounds like you need a new glow plug and your setting are all messed up.

You need to be sure with the radio and car on, there is a 1mm gap in the carb opening. sounds like yours is bigger since the rpm's revved out like they did.

you also need to set your low and high needles.

the low needs to be set 3 out from closed (3 full 360 degree turns counter clocwise)
the high needs ot be set to 2 1/2 out from closed (counter clockwise)

This should get you up and going, if your engine is set to rich you may need to keep the igniter on it to keep it running so try the settings i gave you before you swap out the plug. I put a picture for reference for you

I put the glow plug on the igniter and it glows pretty good. Burnt my finger doing this. I'm just concerned that I burnt up this motor. I would hate to have that happen. I don't know if I did or not and would like to be able to know if I did.

Even a bad plug will glow, but it doesn't mean that it gets hot enough or stays hot. I would replace it like Eddie said.

Like Rod said, a bad plug can still glow but will loose its umph once the igniter is take off. Compression is the best key to an engines shape, a good test is to hold the rear of the car off the ground by the pullstart, let the car go and it should either be held up by the pullstart or should fall slowly, it will fall a little then stop, fall a little then stop, if it is falling quickly then most likely the engine is shot, also do this when its cold not when the engine is warm. It sounds to me like you have a tuning issue.

Ok. So what glow plug should I go with. I'm going by the hobby shop tonight to pick up my Sidewinder System for my Rustler. I can pick a few up. I have no clue what it in it now. Redcat Nick pmed me. So I think I have some more help now. I really like this place. Yall have really gone out of yalls way to help this newbie. I sure appreciate it. I hope I get real good at Nitro like I am at Electric and can pay it back sometime.

os a3 is what i recommend, its a good hot plug and most hobby shops will carry it