should i quit to this hobby???
06-14-2007, 08:02 AM
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should i quit to this hobby???
hey guys its been 3 months that i have completely broken in my trx 3.3 engine..its also the same months of frustrations for me because until now i didnt get the right tuned of my engine...FYI:this is my first nitro rc car, but i owned this truck for about 7 months ago..anyway this is my biggest problem aside from my work
i really cant tuned this engine until now...i already adjusted all the combination of HSN, LSN & IDLE SCREW and almost consumed a 5 liters of nitro fuel...the engine always die after a minute of running(this is always happening everytime i ran my revo) i had never ran my revo for 1 tank of continues running...(for God sake!)
if i lean the HSN and lean the idle screw & rich the LSN the result is a crisp and i think a good idle, but once a apply a throttle the ingine have smoke coming out and stall(i knw that is a symptoms of a lean HSN), but once i rich the HSN it wont start...and lean the LSN also wont start, lean the idle screw also the same result..note: i adjusted all this LSN, HSN, IDLE screw 1/16 increment...my question is, does the trx engine tuned in a exact turned (in & out) of HSN & LSN & IDLE SCREW?????
should i quite into this hobby? or is there any chance of fixing it aside from sealing this engine?or is it time to trash this ingine and replace it????thanks...
i really cant tuned this engine until now...i already adjusted all the combination of HSN, LSN & IDLE SCREW and almost consumed a 5 liters of nitro fuel...the engine always die after a minute of running(this is always happening everytime i ran my revo) i had never ran my revo for 1 tank of continues running...(for God sake!)if i lean the HSN and lean the idle screw & rich the LSN the result is a crisp and i think a good idle, but once a apply a throttle the ingine have smoke coming out and stall(i knw that is a symptoms of a lean HSN), but once i rich the HSN it wont start...and lean the LSN also wont start, lean the idle screw also the same result..note: i adjusted all this LSN, HSN, IDLE screw 1/16 increment...my question is, does the trx engine tuned in a exact turned (in & out) of HSN & LSN & IDLE SCREW?????
should i quite into this hobby? or is there any chance of fixing it aside from sealing this engine?or is it time to trash this ingine and replace it????thanks...
06-14-2007, 08:09 AM
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RE: should i quit to this hobby???
no dont quit, it just takes a bit of time, for the problem with the blue smoke when you try to take off, that is 100% normal, particularly when you first start the engine from cold, just let it warm up a bit, posted below is what i'v written in a few thread, i just saved it in my comp after a while and i post it where i feel it could be useful, with a few little tweaks depending on the problems the person i'm trying to help is having.
now, for the idle being to high or to low, first set it back to factory which is 4 turns out on the high speed needle and 1.75 turns out on the low speed, start the truck and run it around to let it warm up, once you have it warmed up bring it in and let it idle, if it's to high you will need to turn the idle screw out maybe 1/4 or 1/8th of a turn, and see how it's idling then, if you cant get the truck to start, give it a little bit of throttle, once the engine is warm it should start up very easily.
then one you have it idling you can start tuning, when your tuning, go in very small increments at a time, and ALWAYS tune the high speed needle first, i usually go by 1/12 or 1/16th of a turn at a time, but must guys go 1/8th of a turn, after each adjustment do a few high speed passes, take very careful note of 3 things.
1. the performance, has it gotten better or worse? when you start getting the rpm up does it sound like it's cutting out? if it sounds like it's cutting out then you are to lean and need to richen the HSN, if it isloading up and the performance is very sluggish then it is rich and you can go a little leaner
2. the smoke trail, there should always be a nice, clearly visable trail of blue smoke coming from he exhaust, always, if you cannot see a good trail of smoke, it is another sign of being to lean, if you ve a lot of smoke at all rpms then you can go a little leaner
3. the temperature, since this is your first nitro truck it is a good idea you get a good, reliable temp gauge, the engine should not go over 270 degrees F, if it does it is another sgin of being to lean and you should richen it up just a little bit, but something most people over look is that you should not run under 190 degrees, if you do the piston sleeve doesn't expand enough and the engine will ware out very quickly.
a last note on the high speed needle is, never tune by one symptom alone, never tune just by performance, or smoke trail or temp, use at least two, so if you lean the engine out and the temps go from 220 to 230, and you notes it's a little more powerful and go a little leaner, the only time you should ever tune by using just one symptom is when:
A: you run to lean and the engine start hesitating and cutting out
B: the temp go above 290 degrees F
in both cases you need to richen the HSN by at leas 1/8th of a turn if not more.
now for tuning the low speed needle
one the high speed needle is set to where you want it, you can start with the low speed, start off at the factory setting, and just like the HSN tune in small increments of at least 1/8th of a turn, if not smaller, when tuneing the low speed you are aiming for a nice crisp throttle response, if you run the low speed to lean you will eat through glow plugs very quickly and it can damage your engine.
once you start getting close to what you think is the best throttle response, tune in smaller increments, once you get it so as soon as you touch the throttle the engine start revving up and doesn't bog down at all, so as soon as you hit the gass, the truck takes off, once you get to that point do not lean it any further, and for a safe guard i like to richen it by 1/16 of a turn.
to test to see if the low speed needle is set to rich or to lean you need to do the pinch test, all you do is pinch the fuel line, and count how many seconds it takes for the engine to die, when you pinch the fuel line, the engine should idle normally for a second or two, then just before it dies it should revv up a few hundred rpm, then die on the count of 3.
if the engine die's in 2 seconds or less, or does not rev up at all, you are to lean and need to richen the low speed needle, if the engine takes more then 3 or 4 seconds to die, you are to rich and can lean the engine out a bit more.
for then engine not start, check to see if the glow plugs good, to do that just take the plug out, connect it to the blue glow wire, hold the glow plug up against the cooling head, insert the starter wand into the truck and press the red button, if the wire in the plug glows it's good, if it doesnt you need a new plug, if the plugs good it may be because the engine is flooded, so you need to take the glow plug out, pinch the flue line, turn the truck upside down and turn it over with the start wand and see if that helps.
once you have done all your tuning you might have to set the idle again, if you do just follow the steps i posted at the top of the page, you should never have to touch the idle screw unless the truck is idles high enough for the clutch to engage, or that low it wont start.
i have also put two pics up of the the needles just in case you didn't know where they all were, the high speed needle is circled in red, the low speed is circled in yellow, and the idle screw is circled in green.
best of luck with your REVO!
Scott.
now, for the idle being to high or to low, first set it back to factory which is 4 turns out on the high speed needle and 1.75 turns out on the low speed, start the truck and run it around to let it warm up, once you have it warmed up bring it in and let it idle, if it's to high you will need to turn the idle screw out maybe 1/4 or 1/8th of a turn, and see how it's idling then, if you cant get the truck to start, give it a little bit of throttle, once the engine is warm it should start up very easily.
then one you have it idling you can start tuning, when your tuning, go in very small increments at a time, and ALWAYS tune the high speed needle first, i usually go by 1/12 or 1/16th of a turn at a time, but must guys go 1/8th of a turn, after each adjustment do a few high speed passes, take very careful note of 3 things.
1. the performance, has it gotten better or worse? when you start getting the rpm up does it sound like it's cutting out? if it sounds like it's cutting out then you are to lean and need to richen the HSN, if it isloading up and the performance is very sluggish then it is rich and you can go a little leaner
2. the smoke trail, there should always be a nice, clearly visable trail of blue smoke coming from he exhaust, always, if you cannot see a good trail of smoke, it is another sign of being to lean, if you ve a lot of smoke at all rpms then you can go a little leaner
3. the temperature, since this is your first nitro truck it is a good idea you get a good, reliable temp gauge, the engine should not go over 270 degrees F, if it does it is another sgin of being to lean and you should richen it up just a little bit, but something most people over look is that you should not run under 190 degrees, if you do the piston sleeve doesn't expand enough and the engine will ware out very quickly.
a last note on the high speed needle is, never tune by one symptom alone, never tune just by performance, or smoke trail or temp, use at least two, so if you lean the engine out and the temps go from 220 to 230, and you notes it's a little more powerful and go a little leaner, the only time you should ever tune by using just one symptom is when:
A: you run to lean and the engine start hesitating and cutting out
B: the temp go above 290 degrees F
in both cases you need to richen the HSN by at leas 1/8th of a turn if not more.
now for tuning the low speed needle
one the high speed needle is set to where you want it, you can start with the low speed, start off at the factory setting, and just like the HSN tune in small increments of at least 1/8th of a turn, if not smaller, when tuneing the low speed you are aiming for a nice crisp throttle response, if you run the low speed to lean you will eat through glow plugs very quickly and it can damage your engine.
once you start getting close to what you think is the best throttle response, tune in smaller increments, once you get it so as soon as you touch the throttle the engine start revving up and doesn't bog down at all, so as soon as you hit the gass, the truck takes off, once you get to that point do not lean it any further, and for a safe guard i like to richen it by 1/16 of a turn.
to test to see if the low speed needle is set to rich or to lean you need to do the pinch test, all you do is pinch the fuel line, and count how many seconds it takes for the engine to die, when you pinch the fuel line, the engine should idle normally for a second or two, then just before it dies it should revv up a few hundred rpm, then die on the count of 3.
if the engine die's in 2 seconds or less, or does not rev up at all, you are to lean and need to richen the low speed needle, if the engine takes more then 3 or 4 seconds to die, you are to rich and can lean the engine out a bit more.
for then engine not start, check to see if the glow plugs good, to do that just take the plug out, connect it to the blue glow wire, hold the glow plug up against the cooling head, insert the starter wand into the truck and press the red button, if the wire in the plug glows it's good, if it doesnt you need a new plug, if the plugs good it may be because the engine is flooded, so you need to take the glow plug out, pinch the flue line, turn the truck upside down and turn it over with the start wand and see if that helps.
once you have done all your tuning you might have to set the idle again, if you do just follow the steps i posted at the top of the page, you should never have to touch the idle screw unless the truck is idles high enough for the clutch to engage, or that low it wont start.
i have also put two pics up of the the needles just in case you didn't know where they all were, the high speed needle is circled in red, the low speed is circled in yellow, and the idle screw is circled in green.
best of luck with your REVO!
Scott.
06-14-2007, 08:40 AM
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RE: should i quit to this hobby???
good write up to follow, my 3.3 preferred temps from 250 to 270, i reccomend staying close to 250 until you are comfortable with tuning, have a little patience and allways tune the engine after it is up to operating temperature
06-14-2007, 10:31 AM
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RE: should i quit to this hobby???
DONT QUIT i was in the same situation. My first nitro didnt know how to tune and that was with a pull start to. Talk about a pain in the *****, but then i found out my sisters boyfriend was into them, and he helped me out so much. I proly would have quit if it wasnt fo him. So my Suggestion to you is to find someone that will help you. You could go to the lhs, but they will usualy charge. So i think it would be beter to go to your local track. The old guys there are usual more than happy to help you out. I hope this helps you out, and good luck!!!
Justin
Justin
06-14-2007, 09:36 PM
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RE: should i quit to this hobby???
i thought about quiting the hobby but instead i quit the trx motor and i never looked back. i went to the os motor and it is very easy to tune which makes for more fun. if you had it with nitro i would suggest electic power. just as fast and no expensive nitro fuel charge it up and go.
06-14-2007, 10:47 PM
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RE: should i quit to this hobby???
Learning to tune is the worst part, unless you break every part on your truck and end up with a shop tab of 200 bucks (happened once). Fallow the big write up and youll be running no time flat. Run with fresh batteries, thats the worst, ready to try it out and the batteries are dead.
06-15-2007, 06:17 PM
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RE: should i quit to this hobby???
thanks for all your insights...and to scott thnx for the awesome writeups...keep it up bro! okay guys i would try again this weekend and lets see if i can start & ran my revo for a full tank straight...
cheers!
ryan
cheers!
ryan
