sand in engine
 

I was just running my nitro rustler and my air filter fell off and i did not notice until it started smoking. It looks like sand got suck into where the air filter was supposed to be. the enginge was smoking a little bit. If anyone knows what to do please help.

RE: sand in engine
 

does it have any compression when u try to start it?? and will it still run???

RE: sand in engine
 

have u took it apart yet u might of got sand in between the piston and sleeve and might of made little scratches in the sleeve and if theres ne sand in the carb take some compresed air and spray it out and u might have to take the carb out to clean it good but check everything like the bearings,piston,sleeve,carb, and crank shaft


hope this helps


Ryan

RE: sand in engine
 

yea it still runs but it cuts off after about 3 minutes. I am not sure how to take everything apart because i am just a beginner. Thanks for the help.

RE: sand in engine
 

It is extremely easy to take it apart all you have to do is get an allen key/wrench and a screw driver and you can rip it apart :D

RE: sand in engine
 

just clean the engine, by taking it apart

RE: sand in engine
 

It's not difficult at all, but if you don't want to do it take it to your lhs if you have one.

Do not run it again until it's had a complete cleaning. And you may as well expect to have greatly shortened piston/sleeve life.

RE: sand in engine
 

Its done... once the engine loses compression from the sanding of the piston and sleeve, it will only run while cold. This is because when cold the sleeve has not yet expanded and it runs with compression. Then once the sleeve expands the clearance is very loose and there is no compression when hot... same with a used motor.... I would not suggest trying to rebuild or pinch the sleeve because the crank is now scored and won't seal with the case, the bearing are probably very gritty aand shot and the p/s is worn... You can have it pinched, but then you'll have bearing and crank problems....

good luck...

RE: sand in engine
 

ditto

RE: sand in engine
 

r

if there was wasnt compression when the engine is hot then how does the engine run then?it has compression, but not as much as it was when the engine was cold

RE: sand in engine
 

He is saying, when the sand got in the engine, it lowered the compression alot. When the engine is still in good shape, it has a high enough compression to keep running while it is hot. but the loss of compression will make it alot more difficult for the engine to keep running at higher temps.

RE: sand in engine
 

thats very true, but the if the engine lost alot of compression, it will just warm up and shut off

RE: sand in engine
 

yep. i had an engine that got sand in it. it would run like a bat out of h e l l for about 3-5 minutes, and then die and it would be very hard to start afterwards. I took the engine apart, and sure enough, the cylinder sleeve and piston were scratched pretty badly. keep your truck away from sand unless your air fliter is on real secure. I will never run n the sand again. That stuff is so fine and gritty, all it takes is one time and ur engine is done. clean it up real good and send the engine in for maintenance. if it has a warranty like most engines do, then you will get a new one.

RE: sand in engine
 

he said it cuts off after 3 minutes.... AFTER IT GETS HOT!!! It has no compression when the sleeve expands and doesnt run...

RE: sand in engine
 

I agree with your on the sand, but not on the sending it back in... If you got sand in the engine its not the manufacturer's fault and they shouldn't have to replace it under warranty... Only if your engine has a defect or a part breaks for no reason should an engine be sent back under warranty.. Sending back and engine that accidentally lost its filter was not the manufacturer's fault and they shouldn't have to replace it... Its just wrong to make them pay for your mistakes...

RE: sand in engine
 

u must own a hobby shop, or u r related to someone that does or something in that nature. those engines are a dime a dozen for those companies. i would send that **** in and get a hew one fo sho. who cares if they pay for a mistake. dime a dozen bro.

RE: sand in engine
 

what are you? a con artist? its plain unethical and immoral.... i dont own a hobby shop and am not affiliated with one in any way... I hate my LHS... If you bought a pair of tires, mounted them on a rim, the valvestem started leaking, you took them racing and they blew out, would you return them to the manufacturer and tell them that they were bad? thats wrong man.... most manufacturers wont even replace worn engines anyways... and i know that Traxxas wont.. they will however recommend their engine rplacement plan for $100... and even that is a bad deal because you'll still get the bad trx 2.5....



traxxarus: just go out and but a new engine like a os .18

RE: sand in engine
 

Good grief man, he's not trying to cheat them. It's good PR for a company to give you a new engine when you wreck it. I know if i lost my air filter and wrecked my engine, i'd send it in to see if they'd replace it. If they gave me a new one or a rebuild, great, i'm happy with the company, and i'll tell my friends. If they didn't, oh well, i wrecked my engine and need to replace it myself.

It's bad advice to tell him not to send it in. You may have enough money to throw it around needlessly, but most of us can't afford to at least give a company a chance to make us smile.

Send it in with a letter saying the filter came off and now your engine is toast. You may get lucky.

RE: sand in engine
 

I would try to send it back and if you cant I would do the engine replacement plan. I have a rustler and I like the trx it is a little fussy but it makes the hobby more fun. oh and if you do get a new engine, I put zip ties on my air cleaner and it stays put.

RE: sand in engine
 

9 times out of 10 they will hook u up with a new engine. and if they dont, u will have other options like the trade in plan, or they can fix it for u for a fee if u are mechanically unable to do it.

RE: sand in engine
 

If you're honest with them you probably aren't going to get another engine (for free, at least). Every manual I've read stresses heavily how important it is to keep that air filter on there. There error is your fault, not theirs.

Now, if you're willing to lie about what happened you might get away with it. But that's on your conscience, not mine.

RE: sand in engine
 

how would you lie about sand in an engine though... the carb leaked and sand got in? I dont think so...

RE: sand in engine
 

I was thinking more about completely lying about what had happened. Dunno if they check the engines when you do a return like that... I kinda doubt it.

RE: sand in engine
 

they do...