A few questions while I'm building my Savage...

[Form]

I've received my Savage X SS 4.6 two days ago (my 1st hobby RC) and I've spent the last two days building it (awesome!).

I have run into a few strange things / problems though. Could someone enlighten me? As soon as I get the answers I'll be able to continue building it (almost done!).

1- Pulling the pullstart on the K4.6 is very difficult. When the glow plug is removed, there is no problem (although there is some resistance at the top of the piston's travel). When the glow plug is in place though, it seems like compression in the cylinder is VERY high when near TDC, making the pullstart very hard to pull. What could cause this / is this normal? I'm pretty sure that the Savage would lift off the ground if the engine was attached to it and I was to try to start it. I haven't touched the engine except from removing the needles to add some green slime, removing the crankcase plate to add some gasket material and removing / screwing the glow plug back in. The inside of the engine seemed well lubricated so I haven't bothered disassembling it completely.

2- There is no indication in the manual on the amount of force to use for the clutch bell screw (the one that maintains everything in place). When I tried to screw it in completely, it was like the clutch bell was "glued" to the flywheel. To get the clutch bell to rotate freely I had to unscrew it until it barely made contact with the spacer. Is this normal?

3- Shocks. I stretched a cap o-ring for one shock (don't ask me how I did it, it simply warped inside the cap somehow :duh so it leaks all over the place; I'll have to get some replacement o-rings.

Second, one of my shock bodies has a hole in it. Where the shock body was attached to the mold, there is a microscopic hole which leaks oil like crazy. Another discarded shock.

My questions regarding this:
- HPI's warranty: how fast? do I need to ship the part for them to evaluate it?
- Could I run the truck with only two front shocks for now? (no 10ft jumps of course). Does that put too much stress on the two lone shocks?

4- How much thread lock to use? Do I apply a light coat on the screw, or do I drown it in thread lock? (I know it's a bit late to ask, but better late than never!)

Thanks in advance for your answers! :resp:

 

[canucksavage]

all right all these answers are just my opinion and should not be taken as gospel. hopefully others with far more experience will tune in soon enough
1) is normal to have tight pinch on a new motor. when i first fired mine up i had to back the glow plug out 1/4 turn or it would lock up.
2) i have mine cranked down pretty hard and cb still spins freely. i would check that your bearings are spinning (there are 2 in the cb setup) and you have the washer inside the cb as well
3) when i needed a part hpi warranty was approx 7 days to ship to my door but i am in canada so i am sure that adds time
4) i cover the screw thoroughly ( somewhere between dab and drown i guess)
hope this helps and good luck with the rest of your build

 

[Mickey]

1. yep the tight pinch on a new motor is fine
2 there is a shim inside the clutch bell make sure that it is there or the clutch bell will hit the shoes. if it is there and it is still too tight discard the brass shim and use a small piece of fuel tubing instead of the brass cut to size and make sure it is square. http://i425.photobucket.com/albums/pp333/convertedsavagex/sidewinderback007.jpg if you look close enopugh at the front of the bell you will see the purple fuel tubing
3 yes you can run only 2 shocks but no big air
4 just a dab of thread lock will do you

 

[frddyj]

I've received my Savage X SS 4.6 two days ago (my 1st hobby RC) and I've spent the last two days building it (awesome!).

I have run into a few strange things / problems though. Could someone enlighten me? As soon as I get the answers I'll be able to continue building it (almost done!).

1- Pulling the pullstart on the K4.6 is very difficult. When the glow plug is removed, there is no problem (although there is some resistance at the top of the piston's travel). When the glow plug is in place though, it seems like compression in the cylinder is VERY high when near TDC, making the pullstart very hard to pull. What could cause this / is this normal? I'm pretty sure that the Savage would lift off the ground if the engine was attached to it and I was to try to start it. I haven't touched the engine except from removing the needles to add some green slime, removing the crankcase plate to add some gasket material and removing / screwing the glow plug back in. The inside of the engine seemed well lubricated so I haven't bothered disassembling it completely.

just wanted to give a quick tip here bud. like the others said, thats just the pinch of the new mill caz the inside of the cylinder head is kinda 'cone shaped.'

when you go to start your mill, heat it with a hair dryer or heat gun & loosen the glow plug a tiny bit till the mill starts then retighten. that 'pinch' will loosen up as the mill runs in.

you will be amazed at how much easier it is to pull & you will be less-likely to snap your pull start.

make sure your piston is at BDC each time you stop runnin your mill.

Have fun & congrats on the new savage bro, you will love it.

 

[Form]

Thanks for the fast response guys!

Mickey, I considered your solution for the clutch bell spacer, but I found another way:

I found out that my problem was due to the inner bearing being pushed too hard against the shim, preventing it from working like it should:

So what I did was remove the clutch shoes. I took a big pair of pliers and held the flywheel using a rag to help from damaging the flywheel. I tightened the center bolt (the one between the clutch shoes) as much as I could. This made a noticeable difference, but it was not quite right yet. What I did then was put everything back in place, and I removed a small layer of metal from the spacer using fine grit sandpaper:

This way, the screw doesn't push the spacer against the bearings when it is tightened.

Voilà! It works perfect now. Hope this can help someone else in the future too!

--------

I have another question, if someone could help me:

The manual says to tighten the slipper clutch nut fully then back it off half a turn. This seems awfully tight, there is no way I can make it slip with my hands. In the diagrams, they hold the spur gear to tighten the bolt. I held the slipper pad (that means that I could tighten the spring completely, until there was no space between its "wires"). Then I turned it half a turn counter-clockwise. Is this too much, or is it OK?

 

[canucksavage]

try running it and see how hard it comes off the line. i like mine tight( spring compressed fully but not warping) then backed off 1/4 turn. i do hear a lot of people here like to run them tight with no back off at all. you just need to find your happy place

 

[Form]

Ok thanks, I'll see how it feels then.

 

[frddyj]

I have another question, if someone could help me:

The manual says to tighten the slipper clutch nut fully then back it off half a turn. This seems awfully tight, there is no way I can make it slip with my hands. In the diagrams, they hold the spur gear to tighten the bolt. I held the slipper pad (that means that I could tighten the spring completely, until there was no space between its "wires"). Then I turned it half a turn counter-clockwise. Is this too much, or is it OK?

i adjusted the nut like it says in the manual when i first got the truck & although you cant make it slip by hand, your mill & tires can do it.

I had a problem with the slipper nut working itself loose which got frustrating in a hurry.

Now i take a 6-point socket on a rachet & crank it down till the spring is 100% compressed & back off 1/8th of a turn.

haven't blown a diff or tranny (yet) and the nut has yet to back off.

i do hear a lot of people here like to run them tight with no back off at all. you just need to find your happy place

i agree canuck, well said!

 

[Form]

Thanks for the advice everyone, everything seems to be OK right now!