gmacy

I just purchased a slightly used savage x and ran it for a while - the engine is working great ... but, the problem i am having is with the tranny or drive train ... basically, the engine shaft and gear turns and that turns the high gear on the transmission, but, if there is any resistance to the truck moving, my foot in the way or tall grass, the wheels will not turn - i checked the transmission (3 speed) and the gears look fine) - i tightened the nut on the gear per the instructions and still no help ... please help me - i am new to this, so, please keep it simple as possible - thanks a ton for any help!!

azzman

Okay, so when this resistance is applied and the engine is revving and wheels arent spinning, the flywheel will be spinning...now look at the clutchbell and see if that is spinning (and the spur), cause if the clutchbell isnt spinning then it is you clutch shoes that may be fried...try that first and report back...

DaveG55

Ad if the CB and spur gear are spinning then it's probably the slipper to loose or bad.

gmacy

the flywheel and the clutch wheel were spinning freely - i spoke to the person i bought it from, i made the mistake of running it through grass (thick st augustine) and he said it sounded like i stripped out the differentials - luckily, it came with 2 new differential sets - so, following the instructions, i changed them out - much better - but, either the battery was low or something else, but, it does not turn as well as it did before - i charged the battery and have to test it, but, could i have messed up the steering by changing the differentials??

also, how do i adjust the transmission - it is a 3 speed and i can't tell if it is shifting to early or late?? thanks for all of your help.

amwhite2005

The diffs have an oil/grease in them. They are labeled by weight. If those new sets have a heavy weight (say 50,000), then it will not turn as well as one with a weight of 10,000. If you race, you use 10,000 in the back, and 7,000 in the front. For bashing, use anything between 20,000 and 100,000 in the back and between 10,000 and 30,000 in the front. You change them as nessesary.

gmacy

i was afraid of that - i did not have the assembled differentials, just the replacement gears ... they came with stock HPI heavy diff. grease and that is what i lubed them with ... will that work okay?? I only intend to use them for bashing - no races - thanks for the feedback

amwhite2005

That is very thin (I think 3,000). You should be able to steer phone with that. Are you sure your batteries are charged real good? Sure the tie rods are attached correctly (you would notice though, one wheel would be lose). If not it could be your servo, but I doubt it.

EDIT : Check the servo horn (the bit that attaches to the servo), to make sure it isn't lose. This would definately stop you from steering.

gmacy

my guess is that it is the batteries - i have charged them real good, but, i am going to check it tonight following the charging - should i just role with the 3000 and when and if those strip out again, replace them and pack with the higher weight??

also, if i purchase the assembled differentials, should i take them apart and repack with the heavier weight?? i am assuming those are packed with 3000 as well???

as for the transmission, any suggestions there?

one other question (sorry for so many), can i buy bigger tires to raise the truck up higher to allow more off road driving?? if so, what tires and wheels would you suggest?

TIA

amwhite2005

You can run with that weight. It will be fine for the mean time. If you ever have to replace the diffs again, buy the ones that come with the Savage X SS. They come with shims and should last almost forever. If you shim these, they should last almost forever, but the plastic may bend/warp.

Remember if you buy bigger tires, you have more work for the engine, steering servo and drive terrain. They put stress on all of the car. They also add a lot of weight. They will raise the truck up and look good, but that is the only good factor about them. Weather all that is worth it is your choose.

gmacy

thanks - how difficult is it to change out the entire differential assemblies?? are they basically these ...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll..._promot_widget

amwhite2005

No no, you dont need all that! That will be good if you totally ruined your truck, but to replace the diffs this is all you need. To replace the gears inside, you need these. It is easy to replace all of these.

http://www.hpieurope.com/piw.php?lang=en&partNo=87193

To replace the whole diff unit, you need this (only if you bend the plastic and break the cups etc., or something major)

http://www.hpieurope.com/piw.php?lang=en&partNo=87192

Heres the plastic bit separately if you need that

http://www.hpieurope.com/piw.php?lang=en&partNo=85044

You can type the part numbers in to wherever you buy your parts, or tell the LHS. If you wait a bit, most shops will have the X SS ones in stock. They are metal, so the plastic cant flex.

gmacy

okay, i used the setup you listed this past time - i have read that you need to shim these to make them last longer, - any thoughts on this? thanks

amwhite2005

Yes, you will need to shim them, otherwise they will strip in a few tanks. Here is a handy link. It is fairly easy to do. It has pictures

http://www.madmanluke.co.uk/DB2DAAEB...DD4D9C3C6.html

It has some other tutorials on it aswell, you might wany to check out the rest of the site.