Newbie with two blown motors in one day.

[evan_w]

First time poster...

I bought a Stampede (3605) for my son and we have about two hours run time on it and we have blown two motors (the stock one and a Venom Fireball mod 17d).

Everything on the truck is stock out-of-the-box. The Titan 12T motor lasted four runs. Replaced it this evening with the Fireball and after five minutes the motor belched smoke and actually blew the negative wire right off the motor terminal (popped the soldered joint right off).

The gearing is as it was out of the box - 19 / 90.

Any idea what is going on with this truck? Went to the local hobby shop to get the replacement motor and was told this was a drop in replacement. Told me how to break it in (which I did) and then five minutes later it's dead.

I am definitely not too happy with the Stampede thus far. So far the $25 toy R/C truck this was to replace has lasted longer!

Any suggestions? Is this a gearing issue? Crappy motor choices? Should I leave the truck on "trainer" mode so it doesn't ruin motors as quickly?

Thanks - evan

[dragonslayergh]

i can't imagine whats wrong i have a grave digger ran it pretty hard on the T12 motor and replaced it about 3 weeks later with velinion brushless and i have had no problems at all. i'm guessing ur gears are clear of debris

[reod12x2]

how close is your gear mesh? to tight and over heat things an to lose and you strip the gears

[evan_w]

For the gear mesh, I noticed that when I took the T12 out that the gears were not even meshing. I thought that was odd, so I checked in the manual and followed the guide there - close enough to not bind when running a strip of paper through them.

Just for the fun of it, I soldered the negative lead back onto the motor and hooked it up to the battery pack / VSC. I ran it while holding it in my hand and from cold the motor only spins at a slow speed and starts to smoke in a few seconds. This thing is toast, isn't it?

[ReaperGN]

The Stampede is over geared out of the box. With something like a Titan 12T you should be geared 16/90 or less for use in grass. Then you replaced the stock motor with a 17T fireball. Which has to be the worst line of motors ever made. What you should do is get some smaller pinions and do not install a pinion past 16 teeth unless your motor is over 20T. Now for the motor you are in luck. Trinity has stated producing brushed motors again. They produce some of the very best brushed motors. So gear down to 16/90 and get yourself a Trinity TEP1403. Its 19T and should be an excellent motor for you as long as you dont over gear it.

Here are some other good choices.

Traxxas Stinger 20T
Traxxas Titan 21T
Team Orion Method R 19T
Team Orion Method R 20T
Trinity SpeedGems 17T (requires lower gearing)

[Oaks]

Regardless of the gearing, it sounds like you guys are looking to operate outside the threshold of brushed motor performance. You may want to consider upgrading

[Donlisk]

I would contact Traxxas and tell them your frustration with the original 12T motor and how little use you had with it. See if they can do something for you on the Power Up deal moving up to the brushless system.

[pavmentsurfer]

what most have found is that first, breaking in the titan well is key. The way the manual says to do it isnt correct IMO. Prop the rear wheels of the truck off the ground, put in a fully charged pack and set your throttle trim to full, then let the truck run like that for about 30 minutes. Take the motor OUT, spray it out with motor cleaner, blow it dry with a compressed air and lube the bushings on both ends with 3 in 1 oil. Then re-install it.

Next, get a 16t pinion... thats AS important as step one. The titan is VERY sensitive to heat... if it gets overly hot the brushes and excess brush material seem to stick to the comm and the motor stops running. Keeping it cool is super important and the way to do that is with a 16t pinion.

Lastly, you need to keep it clean. Every 4 - 5 packs take the motor out and repeat the cleaning and lubing process. This will ensure you get the MOST life out of your titan motor. No matter what, they are not known to last long.

The LHS your going to doesnt know what they are talking about and sold you a junk motor. My FIRST upgraded motor was also a Venom fireball. It was a 19D and it also melted the wires completely off it in less than one run. The name "fireball" is so ironic is almost maddening.

My suggestion for a cheap replacement motor is an Electrifly S-600. You can get them on e-bay or from tower hobbies for $16. They do require you to solder on the motor wires and the capacitors from your titan but they will be a great motor and will last. You still need to maintain it, but it has a much longer lifespan than a titan.

Sorry to hear about all the trouble youve had so far but keep in mind, the stampede is not to blame. Its too bad traxxas over gears it from the factory but generally if you call them and tell them your motor burned out on the first run and you want lower gearing they will send you a new motor and a 16t pinion for free. Tell them you read about the gearing on the forum...

The 2nd motor was not the stampedes fault at all. It was Venoms fault for producing such crappy motors and your LHS's fault for selling you junk. Get a good motor in that truck and you'll LOVE it... I promise.

[upbasher]

Absolutely everything pavement surfer said is 100% correct. Exactly what I was going to say!
Nicely said, pave.
Except for the part about the break in. I did what it said in the manual and my titan lasted for like 2 months of hard abuse.

[Oaks]

I agree upbasher,+2 to what pavementsurfer said.

You can take all of the necessary precautions with a titan, but if you are enjoying the performance from the 19/90 geared stocker, you may want to consider stepping up to brushless. a 19/90 geared stampede running the titan 12t is a fun ride, the motor just wont survive. and I would have loved to have taken a water dunked titian and tried running a 20 tooth on 8 cells, but that's just not econimical. Limp-by with the titan, but if you are looking for more speed, consider brushless. But know it could potentially change everything and flip your world upside down when you start considering lipo batteries and whole other host of upgrades

[evan_w]

Keep in mind that my son is only 6 and he's the one driving this beast. I'm always with him when he does it, so he's not abusing things. And getting the most speed out of this truck is not the point right now. At his age, he just wants something that will be reliable and give him a lot of fun. It's sad to see him put the Stampede in the closet and get out his little toy store truck that, well, just runs. I feel like I blew $250 on a gift that is going to collect dust since it's turned into a hassle for us rather than a good time.

Here's my plan to resurrect the Stampede. I have contacted both Traxxas and Venom to see what they might do about the blown motors. Hopefully Traxxas will send a replacement motor. I won't hold my breath though...

In the meantime, I am going to head to a different LHS and get another motor (prob a 17 or 19 turn) and also get a 16T pinion gear.

I need to get some maintenance supplies. I will plan to do the wet break-in on the next motor(s). What I need to know is what's a good water-displacing spray that I can use after it's broken in and in the future after I clean it. I have read that I also need gear oil and commutator oil.

Is there anything else?

Thanks - evan

[Oaks]

Yeah, you tried to use reliable and brushed in the same sentence . Don't get too caught up in the mystique of brushless = mega speed. A VXL system on a stock 7 cell nimh doesnt exactly turn the stampede into a rocket ship. And the training mode setting on the esc cuts power In half. Im just saying. If the kid enjoys continous play with this hobby grade rc, it might be something to consider. Good times

[mark c]

I really empathize with your headaches. We had great luck with my daughters xl5 stampede. I burned up the first motor in a few weeks because I didn't break it in. When I called traxxas to make sure my hunch was right about killing the motor they sent me another motor and the 16 tooth pinion, just as pavementsurfer said. To be honest I never oiled it or used motor cleaner at all for the second motor. I just propped the truck up with my foot and ran the motor while blowing some compressed air on it for @ 15 seconds. We got another year or more out of that one with an 8 cell nimh. Sadly my daughter is a preteen and has lost interest in the hobby so I just sold hers to a friend w an 8 yr old son and not much money and they're doing fine with daily runs for a couple weeks now.
I would recommend the motor cleaner if you could find it and occasional oiling though. I think we were very lucky.
Sad to say from my own experience with the vxl model you do get way more truck for the money. Less maintenance for the brushless motor and a way better radio that only needs 4 batteries. But if you can resolve the motor issue you should be happy for a long time. If the stampede were a piece of crap it wouldn't have been around since 1995 or so (can't recall the exact yearbut its mid nineties I'm sure).
Bear in mind too that hobby grade does not mean unstoppable. This can actually be a good thing and help teach your son responsibility. Reading the literature that came with your pede and involving him in a little maintenance will teach him a lot.
This is an indescribably enjoyable hobby but when you're new and have troubles it can be unbelievably frustrating. Trust me it does get easier. I have several other brands of rcs and to be quite honest their support is laughable at best compared to Traxxas. And this online community is the best for help by far. Good luck and keep us posted.

[pavmentsurfer]

I would suggest a 19t motor minimum if you want it to run cool. Even a 25 or 27 turn if you want it to last a long time. But the s-600 motor will be your cheapest and most reliable choice.
Traxxas will take care of you for sure. They give out titans like skittles. Venom may be more difficult. I've never dealt with them to know.

[ReaperGN]

In the meantime, I am going to head to a different LHS and get another motor (prob a 17 or 19 turn) and also get a 16T pinion gear.

I need to get some maintenance supplies. I will plan to do the wet break-in on the next motor(s). What I need to know is what's a good water-displacing spray that I can use after it's broken in and in the future after I clean it. I have read that I also need gear oil and commutator oil.

Is there anything else?

Thanks - evan

Until you son shows more interest in it dont get caught up in upgrading every little thing. Thousands of people ran stampede's with just a fast motor and bearings for over a decade. Everything else is extra.

For the motor just get a Team Orion or Trinity motor and be done with it for now. They dont require any sort of break in and when the brushes get worn out you can install new ones or upgrade to a brushless system. And I suggest you stick with a 19t or above motor. They produce enough torque that you can always gear up for more speed in you want to.

As to special cleaners about all you need is some motor cleaner and a light weight oil for the bearings. Any light weight house hold oil will work.

[evan_w]

Thought I would update with today's developments.

Went back to LHS and got a new motor free of charge. Also installed a 16T pinion and had the remainder of the drivetrain checked out.
LHS agreed that the truck was over-geared for our intended use (backyard bashing on grass and loose dirt). LHS owner had my son run the truck for a while then checked the temps in the motor and electronics - all checked out great.

I picked up some motor cleaner and oil and plan to clean the motor every 5-10 runs depending on how much "nature" comes back in with the truck.

Thank you all for the great advice and exchange of knowledge.

- evan

[Oaks]

Gotta love the lhs for that attentiontoo. Good luck getting that off eBay. Glad to see the 16 tooth is working out for you! I wish I had stumbled upOn the community back when I had my titan

[commander23]

I'm sure it was posted somewhere already about Brushless and how much better it is than Brushed so I'll just add my two cents.. I went through 5 brushed motors (around $140) and then I went to E-Bay and spent $90 for a used Novak SS pro 13.5 3300RPM Brushless motor ($25) and a Castle Creations SV2 speed controller ($65)
You can use 4 Cell Batteries and run it slow for your Son.. you spent $250 and don't want to spend more but if You are using Brushed Motors it is a Promise you will spend more money and have to take the motor apart to True the Armature and clean it all the time to keep it up to shape.. if you do find yourself looking on E-Bay and don't find anything Cheap then just give it a few days/weeks.. It took my 4 weeks and I got a 13.5T for $25 and have had NO problems what so ever (except for keeping the front wheels on the ground!)

[keys1222]

i found on here to use a q-tip with the cotton removed with a piece of sandpaper wrapped around it cleans the comm really good. spray it down with electrical cleaner, and re-oil it and have run my my stock Titan hard and when it seems sluggish just do it all over again. but before i did that i called Traxxas and they sent me another motor. So with the original one im seeing how long it will last

[f687s]

First time poster...

I bought a Stampede (3605) for my son and we have about two hours run time on it and we have blown two motors (the stock one and a Venom Fireball mod 17d).

Everything on the truck is stock out-of-the-box. The Titan 12T motor lasted four runs. Replaced it this evening with the Fireball and after five minutes the motor belched smoke and actually blew the negative wire right off the motor terminal (popped the soldered joint right off).

The gearing is as it was out of the box - 19 / 90.

Any idea what is going on with this truck? Went to the local hobby shop to get the replacement motor and was told this was a drop in replacement. Told me how to break it in (which I did) and then five minutes later it's dead.

I am definitely not too happy with the Stampede thus far. So far the $25 toy R/C truck this was to replace has lasted longer!

Any suggestions? Is this a gearing issue? Crappy motor choices? Should I leave the truck on "trainer" mode so it doesn't ruin motors as quickly?

Thanks - evan

check your bearings, upgrade to ball bearings for less friction. make sure the connectors are placed right. make sure the xl-5 is able to handle the motor and setup. also check you tranny for binding.

[f687s]

The Stampede is over geared out of the box. With something like a Titan 12T you should be geared 16/90 or less for use in grass. Then you replaced the stock motor with a 17T fireball. Which has to be the worst line of motors ever made. What you should do is get some smaller pinions and do not install a pinion past 16 teeth unless your motor is over 20T. Now for the motor you are in luck. Trinity has stated producing brushed motors again. They produce some of the very best brushed motors. So gear down to 16/90 and get yourself a Trinity TEP1403. Its 19T and should be an excellent motor for you as long as you dont over gear it.

Here are some other good choices.

Traxxas Stinger 20T
Traxxas Titan 21T
Team Orion Method R 19T
Team Orion Method R 20T
Trinity SpeedGems 17T (requires lower gearing)

here are some more to help:

reedy radon
axail 20t motor (from wriath)

[JMG]

Wow this thread sounds so familiar!!

I'll be honest, we broke in the original Titan just the way pavementsurfer said to and it lasted around 20 runs. This second one, we did it the way Traxxas told us to. So far, its been a better motor but we are only 6 runs in.

Basically the bottom line is the Titans are junk, they will fail, its just a matter of when. We replaced a Titan with a Reedy 13T and replaced that with a Photon Speed 2. The Reedy lasted about 2.5 packs and the Photon lasted about half a pack. We didnt even leave the hobby shop parking lot before that one hit over 200 degrees!!


However, saying all of that, we found this issue was the ESC. I suggest you find a replacement brushed motor of your choice, and then beg a local hobby shop to swap your ESC with a new one that is being sent back to Traxxas as part of the upgrade trade in. My hobby shop did this for me and swapped an old school Yellow XL5 (circa 2006 - 2009) for a brand new never ran XL5 Waterproof with low voltage detect.