Does my piston and head look ok?

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REVO-5309

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Hey guys, decided id take of my head to turn it around to get better air contact as a couple fins had fell off the front. realised it only goes on one way which i should of picked up from the 5 screw pattern lol. so while the cooling head was off i noticed a bit of eh on the piston.

what is it caused from and whats the best way to clean it if i have to at all and will the inside of the block be at all the same?

after i put the cooling head back on it for some reason felt like the compression was a lot better. could there be a reason for that? or would i just be blowing smoke out of my **** with that one? i can't go give it a test run atm cuz its dark here...
 
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That doesn't look too bad. It may have been lean a little bit here and there. I would'nt try to clean it though, just make sure no dirt gets in and run it.
 
yeh at one point a while ago it was running lean. its running 1/2 to a full turn rich on both needles now. not sure if i should go through and seal my engine or not or if that will make a difference.
 
I have NEVER seen a need to "seal", a Traxxas engine, the factory o-rings are perfectly capable of sealing air leaks. I replace the o-rings in my carbs frequently, otherwise, I have no issues. That looks like you ran alot lean more than a few times to me. I still use a thermometer just about every time I run, to get my tune dead on to no more than 230 to 260 F, and all issues i ever have had with engine problems have disappeared, hopefully forever,lol. I have seen alot of Traxxas bashing, with guys with spilt rods, and other bad problems, IMHO, they have all been tuning issues, and not product problems!
 
yeh i always get my temp gun out. i aim for a max of 260F after i WOT pass. but iv heard a bit about sealing them top to toe. but yeh. o rings from my knowledge should be good enough. ill be pulling down my motor in the next few weeks to make sure all that is ok and replace the bearings if need be as i have a set here ready to go.

was thinking today actually. is it possible to stoke the motor. like getting a larger piston and sleeve etc?
 
My head looked like that too until I saw a doctor and assured me that it was treatable, haha sorry I had to go there.

My piston looks a tad lighter than that and she still rips just fine, so seal it up and bolt it together and run that bish!
 
yeh i always get my temp gun out. i aim for a max of 260F after i WOT pass. but iv heard a bit about sealing them top to toe. but yeh. o rings from my knowledge should be good enough. ill be pulling down my motor in the next few weeks to make sure all that is ok and replace the bearings if need be as i have a set here ready to go.

was thinking today actually. is it possible to stoke the motor. like getting a larger piston and sleeve etc?

I to, have heard alot about "sealing", and that guy Squirrel on youtube. I have worn out probably six Traxxas engines, all with the oring backplate seals and head shims. I think if one was gonna leak, even after repeated teardowns, I would have experienced it. Therefore, I think i would follow Traxxas instructions, and not worry about ANY, RTV sealer usage....:) P.S. Multiple gallons on each worn out engine!
 
I don't think it's funny, because I only seal engines that won't cooperate with me.....ok, I do use lucky seven on them, but that doesn't require dis-assembly. It takes 5 minutes and there's no mess.

As for the split conrods, that is product failure. I've run several traxxas mills without splitting one rod, but no rod should ever fail regardless of people's careless tuning.
 
I wish you hadn't posted that link, Olds. Just because of YOU I had to order 2 of these for the Bling Thing Savvy.

tdr310099.jpg
 
^^LOL @ this guy...^^[/



Although I would like to know what you think was funny......

Lol.....:hehe:
I think I was a little tipsy when I posted that, but ever since I joined here, I was always reading how everyone should seal their engines before such a thing can cause mayhem, therefore it was funny to this now sobered up member.

I don't think it's funny, because I only seal engines that won't cooperate with me.....ok, I do use lucky seven on them, but that doesn't require dis-assembly. It takes 5 minutes and there's no mess.

As for the split conrods, that is product failure. I've run several traxxas mills without splitting one rod, but no rod should ever fail regardless of people's careless tuning.

Same response, always was under the impression that engines should just be sealed from the get go to prevent problems down the road, thas all :D
 
okay, so maybe i was a little miffed..lol

I think I was a little tipsy when I posted that, but ever since I joined here, I was always reading how everyone should seal their engines before such a thing can cause mayhem, therefore it was funny to this now sobered up member.



Same response, always was under the impression that engines should just be sealed from the get go to prevent problems down the road, thas all :D

being a long time GM technician, I have seen a thousand ridiculous sealing jobs with two parts having a gasket, with some jackleg using a half a tube of sealer spilling out all over the place, along with the gasket. IMHO, if the factory uses a gasket ,or o-ring to seal a part, then no sealer should be necessary. I am only familiar with Traxxas engines, and have no experience with any air leaks, in the actual engine, thats what I'm baseing my comments on...I understand the tipsy part! LOL:hehe:
 
I seal all of mine out of the box. I also take them completely apart and clean them with DA/q-tips to get any milling material out of them. You'd be surprised how much aluminum dust/shavings you find in brand new engines. Every engine I've bought has had garbage in it. Then I lube everything with ARO and seal all joints lightly with high temp, sensor safe RTV as I put it back together.

Just a general habit for me now, seems to work as I don't really get leaks, ever. Until wear on the back plate/starter shaft or bearing seals becomes an issue.
 
I do that too^^. But instead of rtv I just use a little green slime on the o-rings. The lucky seven is a 'wicking' sealant and will find leaks then seep into them. It worked great on my picco 21 carb. It was leaking where the composite and aluminum are joined.
 
I agree on initial teardown, and removal of possible casting flash,etc, in a new engine. For a good while now, to get a new engine, I have been buying them in pieces off of ebay....Makes it much easier to clean, before reassembly! Lol.....cheaper too!
 
I do that too^^. But instead of rtv I just use a little green slime on the o-rings. The lucky seven is a 'wicking' sealant and will find leaks then seep into them. It worked great on my picco 21 carb. It was leaking where the composite and aluminum are joined.

Should have tried that on the axial I gave up on...
 
I went through hell to get my picco 21 running right, and lucky 7 fixed it! Now it sits on a shelf.:)
 

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