Nitroholic

thanks Creamsoda, the steering servo horn will be off tonight I probably won't bother with the throttle one as I adjusted the linkage already. I might fiddle with it more later, as I am not 100% sure it will be giving me all the throttle opening. that's one to play with over the winter in those quiet moments as I dream of Baja's and the smell of 2-stroke. I will also check with the steering that I am getting the same amount of movement each way. If this is not even then moving the servo horn may not be the whole answer, unless of course, it was hitting full movement in one direction. Still..it's only one screw to undo!

Having just invested in 2.4Ghz for the RC fleet, I spent a happy weekend swapping out the old RX's from both cars to put in the new Spektrum kit. The XT2 was pretty straightforward, aside from it having RX connectors that were oddly fat and not able to fit in properly... nothing that 5 minutes with an old connector, soldering iron and heat-shrink sleeving couldn't fix. Fired up the kit to bind it, and it worked fine. Everything seemed pretty much as it had been before aside from my aeriel now being teeny and there being far more space in the rx compartment now that the failsafe is part of the RX. So..I moved on to the TT ST1. hmmm Now, whilst I like this truggy a lot, it has been somewhat of a problem child from day 1. If this had been my first buggy, I would have kicked nitro into touch and gone and spent my wages on something else...Suffice to say, the thing arrived with the idel set to fully close on dead throttle so she stalled every time hte brakes went on. The LSN needed to be wound out 1.5 turns before it would stop winding it's idle speed up to dangerous levels if you paused for 30 seconds ( once I had stopped it stalling ) and last ...but by no means least....I found the throttle linkages snagged on the brakes at full throttle and would apply the brakes. I wondered why the clutch was overheating .... Anyways....that's all in the past! Now, she has some new things I don't get. 1) I had to reverse all the servos to work with the DX3. Is this indication of something in the way the servos are wired? I think I read somewhere about US and EU kit being different in this respect. Do I have 'US' servos or is this just one of those things that happen? 2) The throttle linkage now sits at a different start position even though it was in it's correct 'neutral' position when the new RX was put in and the binding process done. Easy enough to adjust...but gave me a surprise when I started it up. Rrrreeeeeevvvvvvvv! Fortunately I always put her on a block when startinng up. 3) Steering. I now have stacks of full left lock, and limited right lock. I can even it out with te Spektrum using the end-point adjustment, but the steering servo does not seem to want to behave as it did before. I had trouble with the start point being wrong, manually set the wheels straight ahead, then re-connected and re-bound it and that sorted the middle...just won't behave on the turns. I know the RX/TX kit is good as I swapped them over onto the XT2 and they behaved fine there. At this point, I did what any sane man would do, and headed off with the XT2 for a bit of bashing. I assume this is something in the way the thing was set up or something I skipped on installation, as the servos worked OK before and the RX/TX is fine. Just not sure exactly hos I should go about setting this up so it works PROPERLY rather than with reduced steering.

Yes.... I was joking. I am ALWAYS careful of bystanders and the like when out with the buggies. Most uninitiated onlookers have no idea how fast a nitro buggy can go, let alone a hulking great petrol job. With a second hand Baja, what should I be looking out for in terms of spotting a genuine one as opposed to a clone, and what should I watch for in terms of wear and tear? Marders seem to go for a lot less on E-Bay but I don't like the look so much. Also....a lot of the ones I have seen have damaged bodies or ones cut for custom pipes. Really has to be a Baja for me.

Like all overgrown boys, I want bigger toys Nitro is fun, but I have the urge for something bigger and badder to blast round the park terrorising the dog-walkers. The question is, how best to dip my toes in the water. Currently, the sluch fund for toys is running at around

I don't think there is a definite yes or no to this. It's all a question of dimensions. Assuming the inner bearing diameter is the same, and the clutch inner diameter is the same, all you need to do is make sure the gears are the right pitch.... If life were simple they would be standard. Best bet would be to head for your nearest hobby shop with your clutch bell, and measure up the options.

That's it exactly. I wanted the one with the extra rx unit which is why I paid a bit more. If you don't need all the extra toys, then this is a great way to get quality at a giveaway price

No probs. I'll leave them in the spares pile and stick with the current setup.

Have you tried here? http://www.lstshop.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=391_395&products_id=2682&osCsid=9c251c21acefe00e1fcab85122d8ee04

Having dodged the postal strikes my Spektrum DS3.0 arrived this morning. And it looks lovely I ended up getting it from Bolton Model Mart, and I must say I can't fault the service at all. Polite and efficient, box was well wrapped, anddelivered exactly as promised. I would happily buy from them again without hesitation. Anyway....I digress. Opened up the box, and not only do I get the Tx, RX plus free Rx ( all for

If pure straightline top speed is what you want, then the 2 speed will give you that. Most of the time, though, it will just be a pain. For general mucking about, a tuned pipe will give you a bit more power and that will probably give you more enjoyment more of the time. Of course...you can always look at 2-speed later on.

I have an ST1, so if you need any bits measured or photographed, let me know.

Actually, I have a spare tin in the shed. Willing to part with it for

Thanks Mr Terminator, that makes things clear for me. My XT2 is about ready for a new set of wheels, so this info will come in handy for me as well

I must admit, I am also somehwat confused about the actual measurements and such like. The hex diameter is easy enough...this is the size of the cutout in the wheel where the hub actually fits in to drive the wheel. Both my cars have 17mm which for a 1/8th scale seems pretty standard. Offset...this is the one I don't know for sure. Is it the distance from the inner edge of the rim to the point where the hex is? If so, then a 1" or 1/2" would affect the amount of clearance available on full lock for the steering and also on the overall width of the buggy. Have I got this right? Wider is better for stability in the turns. Also, when it comes to wheel diameter, is this pretty much the same for most after market wheels? Quite often this is not listed and would obviously depend also on the tyres fitted. Make too much of a change here and it will affect final gearing. As long as you don't buy monster truck wheels for a buggy..... is it pretty much all down to personal taste?

Cleaning hte air filter can't hurt. If it is clogged up it will reduce the airflow through the carb, leading to richer running. On it's own, though, it would have to be pretty bad to stop a motor running...but combined with all the other issues you are having, it is a quick and simple job that will add one more thing to the list of what is DEFINITELY NOT wrong!

Wd40 is king. Cleans, degreases, lubricates....and smells nice I would consider binning old fuel and getting fresh. The largest portion of the fuel is methanol (alcohol). Methanol is hygroscopic meaning it attracts moisture. This can cause your fuel to be contaminated with water, which will cause poor engine performance. Also, the UV rays in sunlight will eventually break down the nitro methane if the fuel is stored in sunlight for long periods of time. 'Bad' fuel will make your engine run poorly or not at all, which you don't want if you are trying to bring it back to life!

Best advice I can give is read the manual carefully, take special note of the instructions it gives for breaking in, and follow them carefully. While you wai for the car to arrive, read how many variations there are on the best way to break in and tune a nitro engine It'll help to pass the time! Also, before you run the car, give it a good check over to make sure everything is bolted up tight, and where it should be. Check things like fuel pipes are not kinked orin the way of moving parts etc. It's also a good chance to get to grips with what is where under the bodyshell! Also look at the wonderful extras just waiting to lighten your wallet If you haven't already, budget to replace the servo power supply with a rechargable hump-pack and buy a failsafe. These things are pretty much essential. Tuning wise, there is a pretty neat flowchart stickied on the forum....it is fairly simple to follow and looks pretty easy to follow if you are new to all this. Carb setting is a bit of a confusing subject to begin with, but you will soon begin to realise what does what. Complete the break-in before you think about tuning. Also, expect to have to set things like the idle so that the carb is open 1mm when the throttle is closed. This is not always set right out of the box. Same applies to the other carb settings. Make sure you know what the baseline settings are, and which screw does what on your buggy before tweaking. If you get lost in tweaking, you may need to return to the stock settings as a baseline. Make small changes when tuning and see what effect it has. Avoid making big changes to the carburation in one go, as you are aiming The Savage is a pretty good piece of kit, and should perform well once setup and sorted.

Personally, I wouldn't run the car until the cause is identified and sorted. You are running the risk of causing more damage. It may not be a major issue.....but are you prepared to take the risk? I would advise caution until you know the nature of the problem. If a bearing is giving out, then it's just a question of replacing it. If a bearing disintegrates at 20,000rpm then it will make a bit of a mess.

Bearings that have collapsed would be obvious, as should any serious play in them. Any broken springs would also be obvious. The gears and clutch bell should not be showing obvious signs of wear or scoring...you will see marked wear on the gears if they are worn. The gear on the clutch bell tends to wear more as it is smaller...you will see the marks where it meshes with the larger gear on the transmission. If your engine mounts were loose, this will cause wear here prematurely. You will see the teeth thinned out or chipped. The manual should show the clutch assembly .... make sure the shoes look like the picture, and are not missing bits! Lastly, make sure the engine shaft is OK, not scored or bent where the clutch shoes fit. Wear here will follow according to the way this all works together. The engine shaft spins at high revs, forcing the clutch shoes out until they meet the inside of the clutch bell. Then friction builds until the clutch bell spins. The springs pull the shoes back and control the amount of centrifugal force needed to bring hte shoes into contact with the clutch bell. Look for anything that might indicate metal to metal contact somewhere it shouldn't be happening!

Generally speaking, a rechargable battery will last a lot longer if it is discharged before you re-charge it. If you are prepared to accept a shorter life for the battery pack, then charge it when you need to. I find the battery pack lasts pretty well for a couple of sessions and then re-charge it. A worthwhile thing to do is to invest in a spare pack. They are not expensive. Run one right down and then just swap it over. Recharge the first one, and it will be ready to swap back when you need it. Both my buggies have the same size servo battery pack, so I always have a spare to hand. I tend to run the thing until I notice the steering losing it's responsiveness, then swap the battery pack over.

12 tanks through is a bit short time for a major breakdown. First thing to check is that everything is properly tightened down. It's possible the clutch has come apart, but also possible you may have anything from a loose engine mount through to loose clutch bell. If that isn't on properly, the gears will rattle against each other. Check the big bits are all tight first, then start taking the clutch area apart. Dead bearings should be obvious, as should the state of the clutch when you look at it. As a rule of thumb...if bits fall out when you take of the clutch bell, it's time to get out the Visa card....

Ahh..the K&N air-filter. As a long time motorcyclist brought up on a diet of ratty old jap fours, I have had more than my fair share of fun with these beauties. Enough to know I wouldn't want one on a buggy! They don't filter out the dust and grit unless you get an oiled type...then they clog up really quickly. They are also virtually impossible to clean and re-use. If used dry, they allow more air to flow through which would tend to lean off the mixture. Fine if you can tune to suit, but with the limited amount of tuning available on a nitro engines carb, it will always be a compromise between pick up and top end. Both my buggies run oiled foam filters...one a single layer one...the other has a second outer layer. Judging from the fact that they need a good clean after every run, I wouldn't run with anything else. A K&N with a chrome end may look shiny....but when you think of the revs these engines run at, getting grit and dust in will ruin an engine in no time at all. On top of that, I would think the air filter is probably one of the most likely reasons for your motor to be running lean. If you have just fitted the filter, I would swap back and see if the trouble goes away. If not, check it for damage or holes etc.

Looking at the details on that Hyper 7 with the .28Cu motor, that is a lot of buggy for the money, and should go well. The tuned .21 is for those who want to go racing in competition, but would be a bit more temperamental in 'ordinary' use. Though I don't own a HoBoa buggy myself, there are lots here who do, so you should have no probelm getting advice on setup etc. Also, there seems to be a decent spares backup for them too. VERY important for a first buggy. If I wasn't saving my pennies up for a HPI Baja, I might be tempted to add this to my shopping list for next summer

The failsafe should only cut in when the signal is lost to the receiver. When that happens, the failsafe should be set to kill the throttle and return the engine to idel, plus apply the brakes. That has happened in your test ... but more because the thing got confused! If you have normal control and turn off the transmitter, the failsafe should activate and close off throttle and apply brakes. Nothing else should cause that to happen. Double check everything is connected properly and that you have followed the failsafe setup instructions carefully.

Looking at the spec of the buggy, it's a cheap buggy...but you pretty much always get what you pay for! The radio kit that gets supplied with it will be of low quality ( The one Nitrotek include is a low cost 27Mhz AM job ) and the whole thing is advertising 'features' like a single needle carb for ease of tuning ( read: impossible to tune it to run well ) and things like a '2.5mm aluminium chassis ...(read: at least 25% too thin to be any good on the rough ) Aluminium suspension arms ( read: what would you EXPECT them to be made of? cheese? Hit a bump or a jump and they take a beating) and so on. If all you want to do is trundle round the local park, then it will probably be OK. Try to do more and I can see it breaking into little tiny pieces quite a lot. To be honest, buying cheap will not be the best introduction to the hobby and whilst I fully understand that money is hard to come by these days, you really want to get the most from the thing for as long as possible. Look to spend about