Used E-Maxx off eBay some q's

[NetMagi]

I just got my e-maxx a few days ago. Bough it off eBay. $225 shipped to my door. Came with:

(2) Trinity 2500 nimh batts (they charge fully)
(2) crummy nicad packs (charge to half)
RPM front bumper
some extra parts. . turnbuckles, half shafts, etc.

First of all. . was this a good deal?

The truck was in good condition, just out of adjustment (pillow balls, gear mesh, slipper, etc.). EVX and titan's seem to run strong.

Secondly, what, if anything, SHOULDN'T I do as far as motors and ESC go. Like. . right now one of the pinions wasn't on tightly and it flew when I was testing the truck. Of course. . I can't find it. So is it ok to run the truck with only one motor connected? Is it likely I harmed the other motor the few minutes I was running it before I realized the pinion had come off (it was running with no load).

How about batts? Not that I'd want to, but *could* I run with one battery? These are all just things that I think might come up and at $120 for a new EVX, I sure don't wanna fry it.

For now I'm mostly concerned about running just the one motor (the other is completely disconnected) for a few days until I can pickup new pinions.

-Rich

[Qball]

Do not run the Emaxx with only one motor!!! It was designed for two due to the weight of the truck, if you run one motor without the other your going to be buying some new motors along with your pinions. Just wait until you get your new pinions...

[SoCal-EMaxx]

Don't worry about frying a "$120 speed control", Traxxas will repair it for $20. Just keep it away from water and you should be fine. Prices vary and so does the condition, so it's hard to define a "good deal".

[EvolutionRacing]

its probly not a good idiea to run it on a single motor. but since you have to get new pinions any way, you should get 18T or 20T pinions. they are so much beter then 16. it makes 2nd gear so much more useable.

you cant run it with one batt. go ahed and try if you want, it wont hurt any thing, it just isnt enuf to even get the evx to send power to the motors.

if the truck is in good shape then you probly got a fair deal. they go for around 300 at most LHS's.

[Tervuren]

Stock maxx, is not 16t.

[MaxxMan]

I would strongly agree. Running on one motor is not a good idea. My nephew was playing with mine and one of the motors came unplugged :( needless to say I just got the motors in today. So one motors is not a good idea...

Yeah you can run it with one battery but I would say that is not a go idea either.

As far as a good deal you have a Maxx now... I bought mine of ebay also. I have spent a lot of money replacing and fixing stuff on it just because the truck was not kept up. I kinda question myself cause I bought it used and had to spend money to repair is just alittle. I'm perfectly happy with it now. My brother just bought one on ebay about a week ago and we had to rebuild the shocks and replace some parts.

I have always said when you buy used you are buying somebody else's problem....;)

Good luck and if you need any help you can refer here or you can PM me if you would like... I kinda know how you feel.

[NetMagi]

just another Q

is there supposed to be soooo much slop in the tranny?

I can hand turn my spur a full rotation before I feel resistance or the truck actually moves in either forward or reverse. . .

it seems like it would be real hard on the drivetrain goin from forward to reverse or vice versa when the slack gets taken up and it whips to a start.

-Rich

[Maxxman05]

you just think there is... its complicated to explain.. ok well although it takes 1 rotation think about how fast the titan motors spool up... a lot faster than your finger... so it may seem like its spinning without moving the truck but it is moving it just really slowly.

[NetMagi]

I understand the slack isn't perceptible with the titan's on there, but IT IS there and I would think it is hard on the drivetrain going from dead stop to sudden rapid movement.

I can turn it with my finger for at least a full turn before I see the output shafts move at all on the tranny.

-Rich

[Tervuren]

Its because of how the two speed works. Once you take apart your transmission, you will know. Its not gear slack, its how it shifts.

[NetMagi]

Thanks. . . that's exactly what I was looking for. I figured it might have something to do with the way it shifts, but as I got it used I just wanted to make sure that was the norm.

Thanks again,

-Rich

[EvolutionRacing]

the slack is not just for it to shift, it is there so the truck can wheelie easy. that sudne jerk is hard on parts, but they can take it. its when you throw more power at it that the parts hurt.

heres some pics that might help explane it.

http://www.thewebmine.com/images/P1210020s.jpg
http://www.thewebmine.com/images/P1210019s.jpg

(the stock gears are plastic, these are aftermarket sets)

[NetMagi]

yeah, makes a lot of sense now seeing the slots in the gears

-Rich

[NetMagi]

pics of this truck are here now btw:

http://rc.netmagi.com/

-Rich

[EvolutionRacing]

looks like the center rear shaft is about to snap, and the rears might be the same, i love the cut out batt slots, other then taht, it looks like you got an awesome dal. do you have any pics with the body off?

[NetMagi]

I'm guessing the previous owner lopped those off for hump pack's. . . At first I thought they were broken off, but if you look closely. . you can see a crummy dremel job on the edges. I was gonna replace it, but it doesn't seem to weaken the chassis any, so I'm leaving it.

I'll have some body-off pics soon. I didn't take any when I shot those, cuz I had two HP printer motors on there for low-speed crawling and it looks silly without the titan's :P

All the electronics including the EVX look pretty much new. I don't think the previous owner did much off roading.

I'm guessing it went something like this:

Owner bought truck.
Owner primarily drove truck on road.
Owner hit curb or something and mesd up front end.
Owner let truck sit for a while.
Owner bought replacement parts (including 2 titanium shock shafts and rebuilt front end.
Owner had no idea what he was doing :P.
Owner finished re-assembling front end, and it doesn't steer or rebound.
Owner sells truck on eBay to me.
Me realizes pillow balls are SOO tight suspension binds and truck won't steer.
Me adjust pillow balls and tops off front shocks with oil, checks seals, etc.
Me happy w/ truck :P for basically $150 (what it cost without the shipping and batteries included)

Why do you say the center rear shaft is about to snap? One of the rear shafts from the diff to the axle looks twisted, but I thought the center was ok. I'll have to have a closer look when I get home from work. Either way I'll get some spares off tower.

Thanks,

-Rich

[EvolutionRacing]

when you look at this pic: http://rc.netmagi.com/images/emaxx/chassis_bottom.jpg

the groves in the shaft dont line up with the pin in the other end. take the shaft right off and look down it. if the prevous owner was useing 7 cell packs, then it wouldent suprise me if the shafts are twizted. (you might want to look at the back 2 shaft to) when you look down the shaft it is probly bent, if it is minimul, then switch it with the fron (flip the back) and you should be all set for a while.

[NetMagi]

Thanks, I can't figure out which shafts to buy for a set of spares.

Tower shows:

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXDDS8&P=X

under "parts express" for the emaxx, but mine is the non-wide version and that part appears to be for the T-Maxx 2.5.

Problem is, I don't see any other short half shafts, except ones that look much smaller in diameter:

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXJH96&P=7

Ohh. .and these are the right shafts for the sides right?:

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXSP55&P=7

[EvolutionRacing]

you have the non wide truck right?

here ya go:
center: http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXDDS8&P=X

arms: http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXSP55&P=M

looks like you got em right. lol.
then center is the same as the old e, its just the arms that are difrent.

[NetMagi]

Thanks, I added em to my wish list.

-Rich

[NetMagi]

I've got the titans back on. .so here's the pic of the top I promised.


http://rc.netmagi.com/images/emaxx/chassis_top.jpg

-Rich