got me going with my revo 3.3 thank you brother. very helpful video. made 2 trips to the hobby shop after watching this video. got my revo going and fried the spur gear and had to use what they had . keep doing what youre doing sir. truly appreciated. thank you very much...
Awesome job man! Was looking for a while but everyone else just wanted to show off their machine! EXTREMELY helpful! You knew where to look, showed the facts, hell man you nailed it!!
Very helpful video. All the info that I needed. I've just pulled my very old traxxas t maxx out of the shed and it's running poorly and cutting out alot, so this was very helpful to get me started again! 😁
Thanks for the information bro!! You are very clear and precise with your instructions and you are not shouting like some of the other vids I have seen. Spot on!! I hope to see more of your vids in the future.....PEACE!!!!
Thank you so much! Just bought a used Revo and was struggling to find this kind of practical info out. I am having every symptom you mentioned and I thought I was going crazy. Huge help!
I just want to say thank you, before this video I used to blow a glow plug every other tank which was a bummer now after this video I've ran with the same glow plug for 3 days straight 2-3 hours use everyday. This was super helpful and got my engine tuned as new. Very pleased with your video 👍
I appreciate you taking the time to make this video I just acquired my first nitro rc car and am having trouble getting it to run properly but this video made me see it a lot more clear and now understand how to properly tune.
Yes thank you finally bringing out the old tmaxx 2.5 again time to get it tuned and couldnt remember all the old tricks thanks alot very good detailed video!!!
I recently found an extremely comprehensive breakdown and rebuild for the 2.5 that was also able to be used on the 3.3, and basically most nitro engines. You should look for it. It seemed soooo simple!
For basic tuning and understanding you hit pretty much all the key points in the head. I wanted to add that this method of tuning may not work for everyone. back before I made the switch to brushless technology on all my trucks I would tune as follows. 1. Absolutely make sure your carb slide is set per manufacturer gap, generally about the thickness of a credit card - find a paperclip or similar that is the correct diameter and set your slide with that. 2) set both needles to stock manufacturer settings which should almost always be on the rich side. 3) make some short WOT passes and get your motor warmed up. refuel if needed (keep in mind a half tank or less of fuel will start creating a leaner condition) 4) turn in an 1/8th at a time never more, you always want to try and stay on the smaller adjustments side, making a few passes in between changes (remember needle settings don't happen instantly, you need to clear loaded up fuel out if the carb). lean in until you are happy with top end performance or just until performance starts to drop off and then richen 1/16th to 1/8th of a turn. your HSN should be set! 5) make a quick WOT pass and LISTEN to the engine - it will tell you what your LSN needs to do. when the motor is winding down after you let off throttle it should idle down smooth with a very slight hang in the transition point where the LSN starts taking back over. if the hang is long then you are loading up on your LSN and need to lean a touch (1/16th until the hang is minimal), if you go straight to an idle or below an idle and then hear it catch up to a normal idle then you are a touch lean so richen up a 16th at a time until you just start to hear the hang at the transition point. at this point you should be tuned and from this point it is all about the sound your motor makes. get familiar with what it sounds like and when you hear the tone change on top adjust, if you hear the tone change on idle down adjust. Hope this helps!! good video mate :)
Great tips. I broke the bank and ordered a T Maxx 3.3 Jato and rustler. Im afraid they are going to be discontinued. I'm going from Brushless to nitro lol. I want something different.
@@talonvaughn6175 Thanks, that is one thing I don't see Traxxas doing (though I'm not in the hobby much anymore) they always made their models last through the years with updates to the chassis, drivetrain etc. Good luck with your new trucks!!
@@cheezyrider1111 are they really? My shop said he could order anything. What parts should I buy extra of? Im guessing spur gears caster blocks and axels?
Thank you for all the info I have the 2.5 tmax your info helped me a lot the engine is running great pls keep the same detail info about the tmax thank you
Thank you for the video I've always ran electric cars and just bought a new nitro car and I was having a lot of trouble with it until I watched ur video helped a lot
What's missing is higher nitro content fuel requires richer settings. Lower nitro content fuel require leaner settings in general. This is because as the nitro content goes up, the methanol (The igniter) lessens. As the nitro content goes down the methanol content gets greater. When the methanol lessens it takes more fuel/richer settings to get enough methanol to even ignite. When the methanol is plentiful less fuel is needed so leaner settings can be used. Another point is the rule of thumb is the smaller the engine the higher the nitro content can be. I run Red max 60% nitro in my 4tec 3.3cc/.20ci, engine and must run the high speed needle at 5-6 turns out and that's a lean setting for racing.
Did you upgrade the receiver battery pack. I have the nitro rustler and was wondering about upgrading from using the regular AA batteries to 5 cell hump receiver.
I want to do a brake upgrade on my jato I just brought it but I don’t like those brakes. I brought a brake set I wanted to put on there. Do you know how to take the star piece the brakes are sitting on off?
I just got my tmaxx 2.5 im the second owner and the issue is its so hard to turn on and if does turn on it run away just a little bit and then it turned off by it self but still I didn’t try to touch the idles
I'm currently trying to tune a new 3.3 I just swapped in. Wont run unless the ignitor is connected. I've ran that low needle in an out over and over. Nothing. I did not check the idle screw tho. I guess I'll try there today.
I have a traxxas 2.5 Tmaxx. My ? Is on the carberater below the high speed needle setting there is a small manafold it has 2 little caps on it. I have one cap missing will thT effect it from running ?
RE: Tuning woes with REVO 3.3 The operating temps should be at 270ish, I run my engines at around 245-280 depending on the day. here the guide, I’ve just copied this from a file on my computer so sorry if there are some inconsistencies with your problems. (I’ll share this around. Cheers) now, for the idle being too high or too 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 can’t 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 is loading 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 visible trail of blue smoke coming from the 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 sign 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 wear 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 note 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 goes above 290 degrees F in both cases you need to richen the HSN by at least 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 tuning 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 gas, 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 rev up a few hundred rpm, then die on the count of 3. if the engine dies 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 than 3 or 4 seconds to die, you are too 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 doesn’t 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 idling high enough for the clutch to engage, or that low it won’t start.
Canada West coast Vancouver area and surrounding areas High oxygen on the west coast of Canada Settings need to be 4.5 turns out for optimal running for high speed needle Mabey even 4 and 3/4 turns out from closed. Low speed simple flush to throttle body NOT the throttle connector. Gap .6 to .7 mm No More At the 4 turns on the high flush on the low speed with a 1 mm gap is real high idle and still to lean on the high speed. Hope this helps anyone who reads these comments
Don't cut a square hole in the front window, cut a round one! Square holes make the body weaker and easily cracked or broken. Round holes do not have the same propensity for cracking as square ones!
so even though it takes about 6-8 secconds to stall with the pinch test i should leave it bit rich as is to run in.ok and the tiny screw in between the carb hi and lo is the idle and to decreace it i turn counter clockwise to reduse the egar jumping?but how much is needed enough so it doesnt do it very slowly? or is it the low speen one on the blue sleve on the carb slider?
Never new about the body thing. I'm gonna cut those out because my engine would still like you said. I've also noticed that my Rustler likes to run with a very wide gap unlike my slash. Im going to set all the screws to factory and go from there to try and fix some of my problems. Of you have any tips let me know
My rustler is Brand New. It started just fine with the Traxxas fuel but once it was started and I started the 1st break in process the car would roll forward freely. I didn't want to touch the needles but this is very frustrating could you give me some pointers.
@@favulus1 If you need any help man let me know. I struggled at first too and ppl here on RU-vid helped me out a lot. I learned that Nitro is a fun hobby but you have to have patience sometimes. Once you get it going it’s all worth it!
Good video but you forgot to mention that after a good bash you should take your glow plug out to let it cool down before you run it again I been doing this for a long time with my 1/5 scale one s an nitro trucks
Interesting. I too have been bashing for along time. I've never removed my glow plug in order to let it cool off. Wonder how many other guys have herd of this idea?
If it bogs down your HSN may be too rich. Try to lean out (clockwise turns) your HSN 1/8 increments, not too much or it will mess us your tune. If you see a lot of smoke coming from the exhaust while idling then it is definitely too rich. If you give it gas and light smoke comes out that’s perfect if you’ve got a ton of smoke then keep leaning out your HSN 1/8 turns. Also, High speed needle is on the top not the side of the engine and it will usually be brass. Hope this helps good luck 👍
I see you did this video 6 years ago but not much of anything has changed. Do you have a t Maxx? On that truck it’s very easy to see can you please do a video of tuning a 2.5 or 3.3 motor please? Thank you
I no longer have any Traxxas vehicles sorry. I went electric a couple yrs back and currently have 2 Team Losi SCT-E .. My son got my nitro rush and my wife drives a Traxxas E-Maxx. If you wont to sponsor me a T-Maxx Id be happy to make a video showing how to tune one.
my car is running almost perfect now but my pinch test stalls at about 6 secconds so i need to low speed screw in a tiny bit to lean it out and make it stall at 3 secconds i dont tough the high speed black one? i need to wear the engine in yet should i leave it a bit rich for now the exsaust cuts it off imidiately but i wanna protect my engine whyle im wearing it in for now would you advise. i will ask the other guy as well. cheers.
Mine takes 7 complete 360 degree turns to stay running. It's imperfect. I had to do a lot of trial and error to get a good, non rich and especially not Lean tune. The high speed needle is Sometimes inaccurate.
One of your needles might be too Lean. Try turning the HSN/LSN counter clockwise (richen) 1/8 increments. Give it throttle and keep checking the temp. Make sure you aim your temp gun on the engine block not heat sink fins. Hope this helps
It’s ok but not recommend because their is usually less oil content in the mixture. I’ve used 30% heli fuel in my nitro buggy and it works fine but you MUST run the engine on the slightly richer side just to be safe or else you will definitely overheat your engine and cause problems. Always check your temp now and then.
Having some major dramas with my 3.3, the car won’t even run/start with factory settings. Needs to have a V fast idol to even tick over. It runs smoky (rich) no matter how much I lean the HSN. The LSN has to be super lean to even keep the engine running and the idol open almost 2-3mm and even with all this it runs when off the ground but always stalls when on the ground. Not a noob at RC but I’ve stripped, cleaned, resealed and checked compression. The idol is rough and just wont run. New glow plug and 20% fuel 🤦♂️🤦♂️ I’m stumped any help? I feel like I’m chasing an error and never seems to keep running smooth at all
First Id ask how is the compression. If you have to go lean to get it to run then Id say no vacuum leaks present so maybe a bad need or issue with piston sleeve. check your head gasket. Finally if all that checks out check the gasket between the engine and carburetor.
mogyver69 that’s what I’m thinking the compression could be bad, the piston doesn’t go through the sleeve when I stripped it but think air could be leaking between the sleeve & piston when you rotate the engine slowly u get afew bubbles round the exhaust side
Bro, I was having so much issues with my revo 3.3 and I followed the paper and it started and stayed running, but I kept calling traxxas support and they couldn't help me and do this..
You really can’t steal carb settings from a different person, because a few things. 1 these engines are extremely sensitive to things like temperatures, Body shape, altitude, and humidity. 2, you really should know how to tune your engine. Just be careful and tune slowly
krOdyssey well, if the car isn’t shifting into 2nd gear it could be that your shift point is too high, I suggest looking at traxxas diagrams to help that, but I wouldn’t be able to help
There are lots of opinions on this matter. I believe if your going to change to 20% just make sure you toon your engine to the new fuel, and re break your motor inn before doing any hard runs.
