Transmitter/Receiver Issue

[Brad777]

Firstly I have to admit I'm pretty green within the RC Scene. I need some help here.
Today, I was driving at the Sand Dunes with my Savage XL...ran super for about 5 minutes...then it was like I suddenly turned off the receiver on the truck while driving it. The engine continued to run, but no throttle, steering or brakes. I double checked all of the connections, batteries and antenna. Everything was good. It is only a week old. Any ideas on what has happened and how to fix?

Thanks in advance for your help and replies.

Brad

 

[Bad67bird]

did you check the crystal?sometime they lose connection....try pull it out of both tx and rx.......do you have a power light on the rx? was there still power on it?do you have some sort of failsafe? if the truck stopped but the motor still ran,then the tx may not be sending a signal,try different batteries,maybe.

just my 2 cents worth....plenty of great guys with great knowledge here,so I'm sure ideas will start comin in.

 

[frddyj]

Great advice Tony. another common problem is an uncharged/undercharged receiver hump pack on the savage.

if your using that charger that came with it (the wire that plugs into the wall)

you have no way to tell if your batt pack is actually receiving a charge or not.

i charged my hump pack overnight once (or so i thought) only to have a run-a-way at the track the next day.

invested in a hyperion charger shortly there after

 

[Brad777]

Guys, I'm good in all regards suggested so far. Other ideas. It is very strange the engine could keep running and everything else suddenly shut down.

Brad

 

[ohmygahitscoby]

When the radio is on, does the engine idle or does it keep running? You may have to adjust the idle on the engine if the engine runs while the servos are neutral.


On another note, I had a similar problem. My charger was false peaking while I charged my battery packs. Turns out they didn't charge all the way. I almost had a run away when my battery pack lost juice from not charging fully, but I had a return spring. You may want to make sure your charger isn't false peaking. How far of a range are you getting before the radio cuts out? You may be out of range when it happens.

 

[Brad777]

When the radio is on, does the engine idle or does it keep running? You may have to adjust the idle on the engine if the engine runs while the servos are neutral.


On another note, I had a similar problem. My charger was false peaking while I charged my battery packs. Turns out they didn't charge all the way. I almost had a run away when my battery pack lost juice from not charging fully, but I had a return spring. You may want to make sure your charger isn't false peaking. How far of a range are you getting before the radio cuts out? You may be out of range when it happens.

I'm familiar with the runaway situation. The truck pretty much stopped and idled. The out of range situation and less than adequate batteries lets it run away out of control...and fast. Seems this has to be a receiver problem. What do you think?

 

[frddyj]

just pulling at straws here..... check your antenna. did it somehow get cut or insulation rub off & contact metal?

 

[Brad777]

I couldn't wait for HPI. I went to a local hobby store and picked up a Futaba 75 Mhz Transmitter/Receiver and Servo package. It was only a bit over $50...I actually like the Transmitter better than the HPI. Anyhow, I up and going again. I really like the XL. A bit more tuning and it should be awesome.

Nice thing about some of the issues I've had...at least I'm learning about the truck. It's sometimes frustrating since it was so expensive, but I'll certainly be better able to read it and make repairs in the future.

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions here. You guys are great.

 

[Brad777]

To update my comments, I wanted to add that we did validate that the receiver had gone bad. I contacted Chris at HPI, he is sending me a replacement receiver with a set of crystals. While the failure was a bummer...I had a bunch of people excited to see my truck run, the response from HPI is a testiment of how they feel about their products. It was awesome to experience their outstanding customer service. I want to commend and thank everyone at HPI for both their product and service.

Brad

 

[MikeK1981]

I just wanted to add to this that I also got excellent customer service from HPI when my starter shaft quit working. They are semding me a shaft and a OWB and they didn't ask for any sort of proof of how old the truck is or if I even own a truck. I just told him my problem and he took my name and address and told me he was mailing them out that day, simple as that. I highly recommend if anyone has a problem with their truck to call HPI FIRST, rather than going straight to the hobby store.