nedMX

is there any tricks to do, any needed mods/upgrades and what should i check for.
also, does breakin need to be done all in one shot? is it easy and how hard is to tune the carb?

MaRtInHAHAH

get a new spur gear

nedMX

a spare one or is the stock one faulty?

crazyotto

My Feedback: (2)

stock one is fine for now unless you put a bigger motor in it like me i had no problems w spur gears or anything , my suggestion if this is new to you have someone who knows nitro trucks help you break it in , that is most criddical my first engine a while back lasted 2 weeks because i broke it in incorrectly . so when you start it run it slow for 3 tanks of fuel and make sure it smokes so you know you arent too leak but from factory the engines come rich so you usally have no problem . i drive mine safly and dont jump them LOL take a look at the pics dont do this to yours !!!

Dale Gribble

My Feedback: (4)

I recommend this to all of the newer members. Ok, you just dropped $350 for your Savage 25 and you are unsure of some things. Spend the $10 and get the RC Car Action Nitro Tuning Guide. It is INVALUABLE. It goes through break-in, engine disassembly, performance and reliability with a lot of great pictures and tips. It is WORTH it. I was about a 2 year veteran when I got that book, and I still learned a lot.

In the meantime, you can download the Savage manual from HPIs website, and just read it, read it, read it.

Dale Gribble

My Feedback: (4)

Oh, some other pointers-

Get a failsafe. Usually run $20 (USD) for a decent one. This will prevent your truck from running away full throttle due to radio interference or low batteries. Venom, Duratrax make em.

I like to use some electrical tape and tape the servo and battery connectors to the receiver.

If you have a few extra $$$, I really recommend a 6V 1100mAh niMH rx pack and get a charger for it. The AA's always seem to die at the most inopportune times. At least with an RX pack, you can peak charge it before you take it out and you know it will be fine.

-SomeGuy-

If you need more info just look around in this forum, at least 5 other ppl have asked the same question in the last 2 weeks alone...

nedMX

i did search...couldnt find much.

is a temp gun nessecary?
should i pick up an extra glow plug?
is it true that i should loosen the glow plug when starting and then tighten it back up once its running?

MBX5T Maniac

My Feedback: (-1)

lock-tite all screws that are metal to metal contact.

Check that all screws are tight.
Break in the engine properly.
Have some extra glow plugs handy
Check the temp of the engine when breaking it in, to see that it's the right temp.
check the gear mesh; make sure it's not to loose, or too tight

R/C fan-addict

definitly get a temp gun, I didn't and I felt really scared whenever I ran it cause I didn't know if it was over heating or not
extra glow plugs are always a good idea in case the one that comes with the truck dies then you wont need to wait for another to ship or drive to the LHS and loosening the glow plug a tiny bit before starting the engine for the first time is a good idea because new engines are very tight and this will let some compression out

nedMX

so heres a list of everything i will be buying extra at the LHS

blue loctite
air filter oil
after run oil
spare glow plug
temp gun
failsafe

heres what i will be doing before starting

o2 silicon the backing plate on
loctiting all metal contact screws
tightening the wheel nuts
and make sure everything is tight and functional.

HerrSavage

I'm still new to all this as well - got my Savage 25 two months ago and have put just less than a gallon through it. I love it. The thing's tough as nails, but the number one thing is "the spur gear-eating syndrome". Since I thrashed the first one I haven't quite managed to get the mesh right. So now I've been through three. I really do LOVE my truck, but spur gears are a pain in the ass.. I guess it's complicated by the fact that I don't really have any RC friends or contacts, and the LHS guy is a f'ing d-head who I want nothing to do with.. So the only place I have to turn is here...

I had a racer RC guy break in and tune my engine(from the shop in another town that sold me the truck... Part of the deal of buying it.) Seems awesome to me(BUT!!! I was watching some vids the other day and noticed once and for all that mine doesn't sound as crisp as the others I hear. I'm almost positive I've been running quite rich.. Which of course means - I think - that if I lean it a little it'll just get even more awesome.. I'm sure most experienced people in here will be aghast - but to be honest I've never touched my needles. I know now that I need to, but up until now my thinking has just been, too rich isn't such a bad thing. And in any case I don't think it's THAT rich, and it still rocks performance-wise..)

So far, based on my experience, the two things you ABSOLUTELY need to have when you go out the first couple of times is:

1.) at least one, preferably two spur gears(try a 52t for more crazy aggressive acceleration..)
2.) at least one, preferably two extra glow-plugs..

On the maybe list I'd have:

3.) I suppose a fail-safe if it's in an area with lots of other potential disturbance..
4.) a temp gun, but I've just been spitting on my cooling head and kind of touching it to see if it isn't TOO hot.

The other stuff you can get later(the more experienced guys are sure to criticize my advice, but though they definitely know more than I - I wish I knew what they know, I think it is relevant to hear from people who are equally clueless..) I live in the city center, so I always have to pack up my girlfriend's car with all my stuff and drive somewhere, so it's extra important that I don't end up going through all the steps and then end up out in the park without something as simple as a glow plug..

MBX5T Maniac

My Feedback: (-1)

to set ur mesh right, just stick a piece of printer paper inbetween the spur and clutch bell teeth, and press the two together. Tighten the screw while presssing the engine so that the paper is pressed between them. I did this, and tightened the two very well, and haven't messed up a spur gear since.

nedMX

i have been told to use a plastic freezer ziplock bag to set the mesh...the kind of thick plastic bags.

so does my list sound alrite then?

MBX5T Maniac

My Feedback: (-1)

If you have any hardware stores around you, go there, and buy some air filter oil meant for dirt bikes, and motorcyles. You can buy like a quart of the stuff for 10 bux, and it works just as well as the stuff from the LHS

nedMX

oh well ive got 10 litres of the motorcycle stuff here at my house so im sweet there.

MBX5T Maniac

My Feedback: (-1)

cool. Then you don't need any air-filter oil.

Get some WD-40 if you don't have any, and also some 50k diff fluid if you want to lock the diff's

PSG-1

They've listed off all the normal things you need. There are some things that aren't very good on the savage that can be fixed easily but they're not always a problem.

I'm not sure about new Savages but make sure you have the spider gear mod in your diff's or you'll run through them fast.

I highly recommend the ofna throttle/brake linkage mod.. it's just a better set up overall.

These are the two main biggies that most people end up doing. The rechargeable 1100 NiMH hump packs are amazing!! i'd invest in one for sure. and Lock-Tite is definately a good one too. Everything else is awesome. I highly recommend those two mods.

PSG-1

OH and as far as Spur Gears go... they're not a problem just make sure the mesh is right. The paper trick works well. I personally do it by eye/feel and i've only ever gone through 2 spur gears in 2 years of having it. And the last 6-8 months i've had a mach .26 engine on it. It's all about the mesh!!

nedMX

i will eventualy do the hump pack and ofna throttle brake mods but for now stock will do. i am debating wether or not to strip the truck pretty much all the way down and check everything before starting it. it would be good practice and once all screws are loctited it will make me feel better.
once i get it and check it out then i will decide. i think it will be easier for me to do all major mods once im back at home and have the forums to help me out. i wont be at home for the breakin period as im buying the truck and then going to see my dad on the other side of australia.

HerrSavage

I would definitely NOT strip the truck down first. A friend of mine and I bought trucks around the same time. He's been fiddling with his since he got it out of the box, and he has NOTHING but problems. I've been on the opposite extreme and just left it( I know, I haven't done enough..). Anyway, the only bad thing about my situation is that I feel genuinely bad sometimes when we go out and mine starts in ten seconds and he's stuck bending over his truck fiddling with the carb or whatever...

nedMX

hehe...thats whats kinda stopping me. i think the only thing i will seal/loctite is the carb and backing plate.

HerrSavage

I don't think you need to locktight ANYTHING on a brand-new truck(well, Savage)..

'Course I'm very much a rookie to all this. But based on my experience so far that's my two months' cents' worth..

nedMX

well im a newb as well and i have quite a few reccomendations to liquid gasket the engine back plate onto the engine cause it is one of the main reasons for stuffed engines.

also, patrick...what break in method did you use?

HerrSavage

I've never heard of that at all. As I said, I bought my Savage at a hobby-fair, and as part of the deal they agreed to break it in for me. So I went to an RC race-center and had a guy do it for me. He heat-cycled it fairly - at least as it looked to me in comparison to what's on the DVD - fairly aggressively. I'm happy though. There was another guy there at the time with a big dopey grin as he watched mine getting broken in.. He said the guy (doing the break-in) was really doing it right.. And I'd have to say he was right.

Anyway, if like me you're totally on your own and don't have people who really know what they're doing to help you out, I'd try to do what I did. (Drive an hour, if necessary - I did.. and) Get somebody who really knows what they're doing to break it in and tune it for you - then DON'T MESS WITH IT(unless I suppose you have big changes in temperature, etc.. Or, as over time you start to get a feel for things and react to needed changes as necessary. For ex. after watching videos on the internet and comparing them to videos of mine, I've noticed that mine sounds a bit different - more throaty-gargley, and not as high-pitched and crisp. I'm now pretty sure that I'm running rather on the rich side, so the next time I go out I'm going to lean it out a bit - for the first time...)

I was on here too before I got mine, and you hear a lot of stuff. For ex. guys were telling me to buy the kit cuz I'd end up having to learn all about it anyway. Well, THEORETICALLY that's kind of sensible advice. But in reality it doesn't make sense. Unless you want to buy(in my case) a €650 SS kit(+ radio) and learn by what will inevitably be expensive mistakes.

Much better as a newb(I hate that word..) to get a well-running truck from the get-go, and do your best to learn as you go. I'm still VERY clueless to be honest, but after just about a gallon, maybe less, I can say I've had A LOT of fun with my truck(I'd say my money's worth, to be honest..), and almost no excessive frustration(this spur gear mesh thing is difficult. You can see guys saying all the time that you have to have "a feel" for it. Yeah right! That's like getting frustrated that you can't throw like Peyton Manning, and he says you gave to get "a feel" for it... THAT MEANS EXPERIENCE, WHICH AS NEWBS WE DON'T HAVE. BTW, no offense whatsoever to the guys who do know what they're doing. Your advice is why we're here. But it is sort of like learning to throw touchdowns from Peyton Manning on a message board.. The advice can definitely be helpful, but ultimately it's not that easy to implement. Anyway, I'm still at the bottom of the getting-the-mesh-right learning curve..)

I think another thing to think about is you always have to try to look beyond peoples' words to what their perspectives and interests are. Some are more into hard-core bashing, some more racing, some more playing with kids, some(this I think is common) into having WAY more power or hop-ups than you really need, some are over-techy, etc.. etc.. For ex. guys talking about locktite all the time might have trucks that are two years old and have been through hell and back. Their situation is different from somebody's with a brand new truck out of the box..(I think.. - I haven't used locktite yet. But then maybe it'll fall apart next time out..)

Anyway, my recommendation is just read as much as you can, and in the process try to develop an intuitive idea about what's right for you and your particular situation. That's what I did. I anyway wouldn't go messing with your truck if it's not definitely necessary.