mike1980

The engine in my baja has finally given up. Took it out yesterday and after five minutes running it cut out and refused to start again. After trying various things to no avail I checked the compression and it was practically nothing. Whipped the head off this morning to find this Obviously the top end is scrap but I cant work out where the foreign objects have come from. Could they be bits of a crank bearing that have been sucked up from underneath? I cant see any damage or swarf in the crankcase but I havent stripped it down fully yet. Any ideas guys? Ta Mike

The needle is facing downwards, that is the fuel inlet. That can face anyway really shouldnt make any difference.

I ate, slept and breathed Minis for 15 years. This was the last one we built This is my daily now that I have owned for the last three years

I have the exact same radio gear and have been using these for ages, never had a problem http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__34382__Turnigy_nano_tech_1700mAh_2S2P_20_40C_LiFePo4_Receiver_Pack_UK_Warehouse_.html

Took the Baja out today as the sun was out and I needed to test my mates GoPro for him. Whilst I was thrashing down the field I thought 'thats smoking a bit more than usual'. Reason being, the tinder dry grass cuttings had built up under the exhaust and caught alite! You cant see it on the video but the grass was properly burning. Scary thing was that not 60 seconds before there was no grass at all in there as I had poked it out with a stick. Think im going to start carrying a big bottle of water in my pit bag lol.

Thanks for the replies fellas I have tracked down the problem. Took the steering servo apart, everything looks fine, reworked the solder connections, regreased the gears a tad but still the same. It was while I was testing it that i noticed that the throttle servo seemed to be pulling alot of power too. Out of pure curiosity I removed the on/off switch from the circuit and hey presto, voltage drop gone! Zero drop when operating throttle and a drop of about three leds on the meter when going full swing on the steering whereas before it would go solid red at the slightest stick movement. Tried a bit of switch cleaner on the contacts but still the same. Well at least I havent got to fork out for a new servo Any recommendations on a reliable switch? mike

Hope you can help me with this one guys. The steering servo in my Baja seems to be pulling huge power out of the batteries (two 1700mah LiFe's in paralell), so much so that it causes the killswitch to activate. I tested the car yesterday by sticking on a box ie no load on the steering, and watched the volt meter as I turned the steering. The tiniest movement from the steering servo and the volt meter drops straight into the red. Now, I know that if it is pulling that much juice there is obviously a problem somewhere but is it worth opening it up and having a look? Could it be something as simple as a dodgy solder joint or is it more likely to be a dying motor or something on the PCB? Thought I would get some advice before lashing out on a new one. ta Mike

Ive got a query about the settings on this chart. Am I right in thinking that the bolts that hold the air filter back plate on are the same ones that hold the carb on? If so, then which is the correct torque for the carb to inlet manifold, 3-5nm or 5-7nm? Thanks in advance.

Probably had about three tanks through it since I recorded that video so the fuel should be fine. Currently runs on 32:1 but i tried it on 25:1 and it made no difference. The weird thing is nothing has changed on it, I just noticed the noise one day and that it seemed a little flat at top end.

Tried the NGK thats in it now and the Torch branded one it came with still the same. Tried a brand new coil too and no change. Might order a brand new plug on the off chance both the old ones are dying. Thanks for the reply.

Could someone have a look at this video and point me in the direction of what could be causing the strange exhaust note at WOT. On a flat out run the exhaust note changes to a raspy sound as if it is struggling for fuel but it has been richened to the point where it starts to bog but the noise is still there. Got me baffled as the noise wasnt always there. Its specs are 29cc TGN redneck DDM lightened flywheel Dominator clone pipe 55/19 gear set All the gaskets are 100% no air leaks at all. It has been suggested that the engine simply has no more power to give and is flat out but im not sure. Bottom end and mid range power are pretty brutal but top end seems a bit lacking. Any help greatly welcomed.

Looks pukka mate

JetPro V3 is supposed to be a really good pipe.

Anyone tried Mad Max Big Digger tyres? They look very similar in design to Hostiles but are a bit cheaper.

Ok I have an update to this and I 'think' I may have found the problem. Tried everything that was suggested to try but nothing made any difference. I fitted my own radio gear to it and it ran perfectly without issue. With the old radio gear refitted I realised that when the car was cutting out, it was actually going into failsafe mode. I had never seen this radio gear go into failsafe before which is why it was confusing when it cut out. I took a look at the batteries in the transmitter and they are some extremely cheap generic branded rechargables my uncle got off a market stall somewhere. They are only 800mah compared to the 2000mah I used to use in the controller. Although they show fully charged when tested I reckon that they just dont have the guts for this application. I havent seen him since to try my own batteries. What are other peoples thoughts on the cheap batteries, could they be causing the range issues?

Cheers Lee Ill ttry what you suggested. I didnt think it would be the killswitch but couldnt think what else it could be. Cheers again.

its a Switchblade mate.

Hey. My uncle is having some frustrating range issues with his KM Baja. It is randomly cutting out but doesnt always do it when its far away, it can be right next to you or ten feet from you and it will cut out. I have tried almost everything I can think of and my uncle is becoming a bit disillusioned with the car. Heres what we have tried so far Flysky GT3B what came with the car - randomly cuts out Absima CR3P - randomly cuts out Ace RC 3 channel gear from my MTA4 S50. Never ever played up in the MTA4 but randomly cuts out now All accessories disconnected other than Throttle, steering and killswitch. No change Tried different batteries, all fully charged. No change Fair enough I know the first two are known to have range issues but I know the Ace RC radio gear is perfect. The other weird thing is that when it cuts out, 50% of the time the car goes totally dead ie no brakes no steering nothing, yet other times they still work fine. We are going to try the radio gear from my own Baja next but if that dont work then the only thing left is the killswitch at fault. Any thoughts people?

Thats the results of bashing hard mate. Repair it and bash some more lol

I had a feeling this may be the case but just wanted it confirmed.

Is there much difference power wise between a ported and non ported 29cc engine?

The only Tamiya I own now and the one I have had the longest. It has had several different identities/paint jobs and this is its current guise. Kind of a Sand Scorcher meets Monster Beetle look.

As the title says really. I can find plenty of info on the benefits of switching it around but non explaining the issues it can cause, if there are any? mike