Brand New Savage X 4.6 damaged question

[Odiin]

I just bought a brand new Savage X 4.6, and I followed the manual exactly for the break in process.
I put the fuel in it, and had the tires off the ground for the first tank of gas, but about half way through it started running wide open and sounded like it was going to explode. Then it shut off.
This happened twice. I looked inside it and noticed the spur gear was broken on 4 or more teeth but the tires haven't even touched the ground yet. I called HPI and they are sending me a new gear, but I needed to know what caused the issue to begin with to prevent a occurrence.
Any ideas?
This is my first RC ever, and I'm anxious to climb with it.

 

[X]

Likely the gear mesh was not set correctly. Or, something in the chassis is tweaked causing improper mesh.

 

[Odiin]

OK the mesh I can fix. Well I have to redo it anyways when i put the new Spur gear on. What do I need to look for in the chassis?

 

[Jam Racing 1]

as for running it with the wheels off the ground, it is better to put it on the ground and run in circles keeping it kinda close so you do not stretch the rod or worse cause damage to the

set the mesh with just a slight tick of play between the bell and spur... check the mesh all around the gear so it does not have any tight spots...

 

[olds97_lss]

Could also have been loose screws holding the engine down. You will know when you take them out to replace the spur if they were loose or not. As for why it rev'd up on you, not sure about that. Usually that kind of thing is either mechanical binding in the linkage causing it to get stuck when you blip the throttle or a bad connection between the servo/receiver or battery/switch/receiver or your throttle servo is junking on you. Or, you have a massive air leak somewhere. Make sure the carb is pushed down properly and the cinch bolt is tight.

 

[Odiin]

I think I found the issue.
The mesh seems rather loose. if i wiggle the spur gear a bit I can get the bell to spin/fall itself around a 1/4 a turn.

 

[Schlotz88]

I think I found the issue.
The mesh seems rather loose. if i wiggle the spur gear a bit I can get the bell to spin/fall itself around a 1/4 a turn.

I also just got the same truck and the exct same thing happened. I had the throttle trim all the way on full brake and I had manually turned the idle up to keep it running. The clutch bell overheated and melted the spur gear, it's been fine ever since but it took 2 spur gears before I realized it!

 

[Jam Racing 1]

One thing most new drivers overlook when they first get that NEW TRUCK is to skip the prep and just go run it, this hobby will either cause frustration or joy depending on how one approaches the fun.
I am very aware of vibrations and how it affects things due to a long time playing with RC toys, screws loosen and fall out all the time and leave some just mystified as to how a brand new rig just seems to fall apart...
making a good kit of spare parts,screws and tools can save you much headache, always check all fasteners, gear mesh, wheel nuts for looseness and tires for glue joint failures each and every run, keep some type of threadlocker handy you will need it alot....

 

[steveog]

i went through exactly the same problems ie stripped spur gears loose bolts , i have 2 savage 4.6. one was a pig the other has been a dream. obviously not put together by the same person , these trucks are sold as rtr (ready to run ) in my book shouldnt need screws and bolts tightened and gear meshing checks overall they are great trucks but in my mind rtr needs removing from the packaging , if i buy a new ford or bmw i don't have to get the spanners and screw drivers out before i drive it.

 

[Jam Racing 1]

Most all my rigs are used so I always strip them down to bones and set things like I prefer to have them. I can not say I have ever gotten a brand new RTR...
My Oldest son did buy a new Savage X 4.6 RTR though and we did try to run it, but it had lots of issues, gear mesh, loose wheel nuts,poorly setup linkages for throttle and brake and after running a couple break in tanks it suffered a blown up front differential gear, (which was made good by HPI with 2 sets of BP gears) and we had not even done 2 tanks... it destroyed 2 sets of slipper pads and one spur....
Needless to say this rig was also taken completely apart and set up correctly by him and I.....

Sometimes things happen even at the factory, who knows who built the thing, maybe they had a bad day and took it out on building the rig....
My point is that even full size vehicles have issues and they usually get handled by a dealer by way of recalls... sadly many issues with R/C vehicles are left to the unwary buyer and even though most RTR's work as advertised there still is a somewhat steep learning curve by the new hobbist and this is where having someone with some experience is going to be needed...