brand new 3.3 problems
 

hey guys my buddy just bought a brand new trx3.3 for his 2.5 t-maxx. we just had it out side to start to break in and he pulled the pull start like maybe 4 times and the motor locked up. bought it inside and checked it out it wasnt flooded or could have been but the motor is locked! removed the engine and tried to spin the motor over and it wouldnt turn over. so long story short. we ended up pulling the motor apart to check it out and the piston will not travel the length of the sleeve!!!! it gets stuck just before top-dead-center. now mind you this engine has had NO fuel ran through we were just going to start breakin process when this happened and it was on the first ever start try.

RE: brand new 3.3 problems
 

you got a lemon, a standard with traxxas and the erp plan...

RE: brand new 3.3 problems
 

BS!!
Some people are so anti Traxxas they'll take any oppertunity to slam them - even at the expense of the truth.


Blackdogafd
It's a brand new engine. It's not unusual for the p/s fit to be so tight that the piston sticks at the top. It's not a bad thing at all.
What you do is to free up the piston from the sleeve, reassemble the engine with the piston at BDC, put a small drop of ARO in the sleeve when you put it back togeather, put the motor back into the truck, get it all ready to start then take a hair dryer or heat gun and pre heat the engine, get it good and warm. Now, try starting it. Once you get it started do your break-in. When ever you shut the engine off be sure the piston is at BDC or it could sieze up again as it cools.

RE: brand new 3.3 problems
 

Yes, warm it up first with a hair dryer(you can free the piston and sleeve using it too, just use some WD-40). A hair dryer can usually get the enging hot enough so you can't hold on to it for very long. You can easily get it up to at least 140 degrees. Always put the piston at bottom dead center before it cools(which I never did because I was a newb). They don't tell you these things with the cd it comes with. These are some things I didn't do when I got my 2.5, and it lasted me 1 gallon. [sm=frown.gif] I used the heat cycle method on my 18cvrx, always put it at BDC and it has about 3 gallons through it and it still runs like a champ.:D

RE: brand new 3.3 problems
 

he siad the psiton was locked in the sleev, not stuck, atleast that was my view on it. But i'll use this as a good way to let off some steem! Why does traxxas rip pepale off with the erp plan? Its like buying a new engine but giving them your old one so they can refirbish the block and put a new crank, piston,sleev in, and then they sell them as new? IF oyu guys wnat to get rid of your old engines, i'll buy htem for $20 and you'll be better off!:eek:

RE: brand new 3.3 problems
 

Then he needs to find the key to get it out.[sm=49_49.gif]

RE: brand new 3.3 problems
 

... no coment

RE: brand new 3.3 problems
 

Read [link=http://monster.traxxas.com/showthread.php?t=321459]THIS[/link]. It is really good to read especially when breaking in a 2.5R or 3.3. I hope it helps.:)

RE: brand new 3.3 problems
 

Im just messing around. It's the weekend and I just got my 18cvrx tuned, so im in a joking mood. Sorry if I offended.[sm=angel_smile.gif]

RE: brand new 3.3 problems
 

im not ofended at all, i never am;)

RE: brand new 3.3 problems
 

The difference between locked up and siezed up is all in the eyes...and talent of the person doing the job. To some it will remain locked forever, to others it may just take a little longer to separate it. Remember, everything man puts together eventually falls apart!;)

RE: brand new 3.3 problems
 

hey guys i though i would just give ya'll an update on this engine...

what happened was the top of the sleeve like all new 3.3's are. is tapered at the top of it and thats what cause it to get stuck, plus it didnt help that my buddy had a pull start on it so that didnt help either. i took that pull start of it and put the ez-start back on and made sure the piston was at bottom and put some ARO in it and we got the 3.3 fired up and running so we are all set to go now.... Thanks for all of your help on this guys!!! hope i can return the favor if you all need advice next

andy

RE: brand new 3.3 problems
 

"what happened was the top of the sleeve like all new 3.3's are. is tapered at the top "

Duh, all of them have tapered sleeves.

RE: brand new 3.3 problems
 

Andy,
It's not just the TRX engines, it's all ringless nitro engines. That's the "pinch" that lets these engines build compression. That's also why breakin is so important with these engines. Break in is really nothing more than a controled wearing of the pston and sleeve so that they fit togeather exactly right.
Also, there's nothing wrong with breaking in an engine with a pullstart. Some people actually prefer it over the powered starts. The real trick, as you discovered, is the ARO and preheating the engine.
If you think that 3.3 was tight wait till you break in your first big block engine!! You WILL want a heat gun for that - no matter what starting system you use.

RE: brand new 3.3 problems
 

I always reccomend heating your engine up with a hair dryer or heat gun and dropping in a bit of ARO or full synthetic motor oil before the first start, just to avoid this type fo a problem...it also cust down on the excessive wear that is generally caused when turning over a dry P/S for the first time and allows for a gentler break-in.

RE: brand new 3.3 problems
 

hey easy man i didnt have this problem when i broke my 3.3 revo, it was "kinda" new thinig that i have never seen yet!! i just thought i was odd!!!

RE: brand new 3.3 problems
 

I wouldn't waste too much time with that engine. I thought mine was OK until I got my OS 18TM. Wow, was I wrong. You mean engines are supposed to "keep" a tune? The Traxxas engine led me to believe that you need to tune by the hour. An torque? The 3.3 is a real big dog. The TM makes it look silly.

RE: brand new 3.3 problems
 

i have a 3.3 on a revo that will smoke your tm18 my friends o.s.30 can'T mess with it !!

RE: brand new 3.3 problems
 

Wait, will the flywheel turn?

RE: brand new 3.3 problems
 

read the manual to get the piston off the TDC......it couldn't be more straight forward.....here is the lesson for you.....read manual...do not ignore it!!!