Got a FREE Nitro Vee

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All

My neighbor knows that my son and I race (Slashes) and bash around in the back yard (Stampedes) with RC cars. We live on a lake and he has stated several times that he should get his Traxxas boat down out of the attic and give it to us to see if we can bring it back to life. Well he did just that last weekend and brought it over to us. So now the troubleshooting begins!

I am not new to RC cars but am new to NITRO powered RC Vehicles - they always seems like more of a hassle than electric. I do have significant experience building and racing dirt bikes, sport bikes, offshore power boats - so this shouldn't be too challenging since the NITRO motor is essentially just a two stroke motor that runs Nitro, right!

The boat is complete and stock. After some initial assessment, it was discovered that the boat has the following issues...

1. Carb slide stuck
2. Throttle Servo bad
3. Piston stuck in cylinder
4. Crack in deck at right rear
5. Varnish in gas tank
6. Rubber bellows that go through transom for steering dry rotted

CARB
I was able to unstick the carb slide by spraying it with carb cleaner and it now moves with ease.

THROTTLE SERVO
I checked the throttle servo by hooking it to the receiver in one of the Slashes - it doesn't move. It has some brown sticky stuff on the bottom and when I removed the screws for the case, the gears on top still have grease on them but the circuit board on bottom is corroded. I will need to get a replacement for this and I am surprised they didn't use a waterproof servo.

STUCK PISTON
I was able to free the piston but only after removing the engine (with the mount and RTS system in it's entirety) from the boat. I soaked it with cleaner and then WD 40 and finally Marvel Mystery Oil. I think it was just gummed up like the carb slide was. It will now move up and down freely if I put a socket on the starter shaft. No grinding. scraping or wierd noises or anything.

CRACKED DECK
Need to fix it...low priority right now until I get the engine running.

GAS TANK VARNISH
Need to clean it - what should I use?

CRACKED STEERING BELLOWS
Need replacing - I assume this is a Traxxas part that is still readily available - no worries now, I need to get it running first.

QUESTIONS

1. On the carb, is there any thing else I need to worry about cleaning/unclogging. Typically on motorcycles that have sat for a while, I have to disassemble the carb and clean the pilot jet, main jet and the associated holes in the carb. This carb is so small, not sure what needs to be cleared. I have not removed the carb from the engine at this point - it is necesary?
   
2. On the gas tank, what is the best cleaner to remove the sludge in the tank?
   
3. On the engine, should I be concerned about the cleaner/oil that I used to free the piston? I don't want to try to fire this thing if you guys think there will be an issue with the residue...
   
4. How would you recommend that the crack be repaired. There is no way to get to it from the backside, so it would be a surface only repair. Should I dremel the groove wider and epoxy it or just use some CA (tire glue) in the crack to bond it together?

If we can get it running, I would like to replace the servos with waterproof ones (Traxxas 2075) and replace the AM radio with a 2.4 ghz one that I have laying around along with a Stampede waterproof reciever box that I have in my spares, that should solve the waterproof electrics issue. I would also like to put a rechargeable battery in place of the AA batteries for the electronics - is there an adapter for this?

Thanks

[mike-susieq1]

A heads up its a pro.15 engine with a water cooled head on it so if you look at this:http://traxxas.com/support/PDF-Downloads-Legacy-Models Search for the nitro vee and see if they have a pdf for engine and hull.

1. yes remove carb from engine and take apart as much as possible and soak it in wd-40 for a couple hrs then blow it dry with a compressor.
2. gas tank use water+soap like dawn dish soap soap that cuts through grease, you dont want any harsh stuff in there as it will stick to plastic and get inside engine which wont be good when running your tune will be off.
3. wd-40 is fine, cleaner is not good on the engine i would soak it over night in just wd-40 and blow dry it almost dry with a compressor, leaving a little of the wd-40 inside engine for lube. wd-40 is safe for all trx engines.
4. you can repair it or look on ebay for a new hull sometimes they have them cheap.

about the rest changing out the servos is perfectly fine recommended and the radio too and rx box. as far as changing out the wiring for to run a rx pack here's the wiring you need: http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXHFP4&P=Z
plus a rx pack flat pack i would say or a hump pack look at duratrax cheapest i could find that is good and will last a while tower, amain,stormer have them for like 14-16
Hope this helps you out.

[jumpinfool2414]

I have been rehabbing N-Vees for a while and flip them on ebay.

parts are starting to get pretty sparse since this model was discontinued quite some time ago.

Ebay is really your best bet for parts and stuff nowadays. as for those boots I may have some mint ones lying around...
I'm on vacation for the weekend but I will let you know.

typically when i get a new Vee i replace the servos with the waterproof Traxxas 2075, replace all fuel lines, and do a total tear down of the motor and carb. just to make sure everything is lubed up for a start up. and that there is no gummed up fuel in the card that would lean out this motor. also pop off the e-z start motor by removing the three screws on the back of the motor and check that WOB make sure its in good shape and still has some bite.

as for the Radio when you do get this boat running and invest some time into her. i highly recommend the Traxxas TQI radio it has ALOT better range and signal stability.

If you have any questions feel free to PM me.

[fallonguy]

Can you post some pictures.

[rsscoggins]

Ebay is really your best bet for parts and stuff nowadays. as for those boots I may have some mint ones lying around...
I'm on vacation for the weekend but I will let you know.

That would be awesome if you could check on those boots. If not I will try to source some locally. Things are moving along well - I got the tanks cleaned, carb cleaned and the piston unstuck. I bought some Omega 10 nitro and got the motor fired up. Based on that success, I got a Traxxas 2075 Servo to replace the throttle servo (I will eventually replace both).

Thanks for your willingness to help!

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Update on progress (albeit slow):

Motor is running with just a good cleaning of carb and getting the piston unstuck!

I installed two 2075 waterproof servos since one of the originals was no good and the other was questionable.

I removed the OEM receiver and put a waterproof radio box from a Rustler/Stampede - it bolted directly to the original holes. I am running a Traxxas 27 mhz micro receiver and TQi Transmitter from the Stampede as well. If things go well, I will replace with a 2.4 system.


With any luck, I will be launching this thing next week if the grommets/boats come in from the hobby shop over the weekend.

[revomaxx2223]

Pictures please.

[rsscoggins]

Can you post some pictures.

Pictures please.

can you post some pictures of your nitro vee please?

Wow lots of requests for pictures!!! I hope you guys aren't disappointed as it is pretty much a stock VEE at this point with upgraded servos and radio box.

[i killed kenny]

for the crack, i would recommend jb weld, we used it on one of our dirt bikes that had a crack in the gas tank

[rhardy60]

I would use an epoxy on the crack .

[MooseSlash]

Nice boat! Good deal on that...