3.3 Upgrade

[Mager2007]

I am currently running a TRX 3.3 upgrade in my nitro sport and I keep melting slipper clutches and today it stripped my spur gear any suggestions? Thinking a steal spur gear and maybe my slipper wasnt adjusted.

[shizcol]

yeah im thinking u had the slipper too lose.. how does the 3.3 run it that truck? im gonna be puting a 33 in my nitro rusty..

[Mager2007]

Its quick moves fast I put the Jato 2.8 tires on the proline talons for the rear and it was amazing off road but half a tank in I fried up the spur gear. So thinking maybe a steal one since there is so much power

[shizcol]

Always have a spare spur gear they are always good to have

[Powerman]

When running a 3.3 keep the slipper tight. At most 1/8 turnloose from tight. It will melt a plastic spur quick if too loose. A steel spur was my answer for alot of years. Only downside is weight. If your just bashin. Go steel. If your trying to keep it light and fast. Keep it tight. Also put all 12 pegs in.

[DogZombie76]

+1 Powerman. I was inpatient with myself on a rebuild and melted the spur gear in about five minutes if that.

[pbflash]

I keep ripping the drive shafts off of the stub axles. It was pulling out from the stub axle so I replaced them. Now it's pulling out from the drive shaft. I have a new set of drive shafts and stub axles on the way. If it keeps happening I'll probably switch to CVD's.

[Powerman]

Switch to slash 4x4 rear axles. Much heavier. Or change over to good steel shafts. A 3.3 is kinda hard on the driveshafts. Stock shafts arent going to last long if your getting good traction.

[Mager2007]

Any Ideas on how to keep the front end down maybe some weight in front any suggestions?

[Dustin Fowler]

I had to switch back to the stock drive shaft and I keep throwing em out too. I had steel shafts but the wheel hub was too big for me get my rims to tighten down. The ones I put in are from the Jato so I figured they would hold but they dont. Does anyone know where I can get steel shafts that will fit my hubs?

[pbflash]

Any Ideas on how to keep the front end down maybe some weight in front any suggestions?

I have my batteries zip tied behind the front shock tower for some weight in the front. I also have my rear suspension setup very 'soft' so it will squat instead of lifting up the front.

[pbflash]

I had to switch back to the stock drive shaft and I keep throwing em out too. I had steel shafts but the wheel hub was too big for me get my rims to tighten down. The ones I put in are from the Jato so I figured they would hold but they dont. Does anyone know where I can get steel shafts that will fit my hubs?

What steel shafts are you using? I don't think the MIP or FLM CVD's will work with my extended A-arms. I'm also using Jato drive shafts which I thought would hold up but they're not. I guess I'll try the slash drive shafts.

[Shaggy101086]

I don't like the steel spurs. You can get about 10 stock spurs for the cost of one steel rrp spur. If you keep it tight, with 12 pegs, you won't have any problems. When I used a steel spur, it wore through my cb, bearings and clutch much faster. Kimbrough makes great plastic spur gears for around $4.
The slash/ pede 4x4 rear shafts are a great option. I've had the stock shafts in for a long long time without issues. I like the Jato shafts cause there sealed up so you never have to clean or sand them down.
As for weighing down the front end, it may not be your answer. I'm assuming you want more steering; less understeer. I'd keep the batteries where they are. If you move them you will loose traction in the rear and loose control. Bring your front cambers in a little, soften and lower your front shocks, and maybe your rears too. Suspension is key. Post some pics so we can see where your at with it. If your wheelieing way out of control, gear it higher. Pb has the right idea with a soft rear end. Also you can get rid of the stock toe in angle with 0º arm mounts, and/ or stand the rear tires straight up with no camber angle. Reducing the camber and toe takes away some bite. If you really want to add weight, get a few aluminum parts in the front and keep the batteries in the rear. Theres endless ways to tune the suspension. Its gonna take some time but you will get it tuned just right. Keep extra shocks, preset cambers, wheels + tires and gears to swap around when you run some where different. If you spend the time to tune for the track or area your running on, you will love it so much more. It just takes some trial and error to figure out what works. Good luck for now.

[Dustin Fowler]

I have no idea what shafts I was using, they came on the rusty when I bought it. I had to switch to Jato shafts and I keep blowing out the for lack of a better term the U joints they look like this + and it always pops out after a few minutes. I would like to go back to steel shafts but I dont know which ones will work with the Jato hubs that I am also using.

[pbflash]

That's the part I keep blowing out as well. I saw a mod for the stub axles using the steel output shafts which would solve the problem on that side but then they'd probably blow out on the drive shaft side.

I was testing the batteries on the front to see how it works but haven't had much time to run it due to the drive shaft problems. My front end is already all aluminum (a arms, bulkhead, shock tower, and c hubs) and it was still hard to keep the front wheels on the ground.

Maybe I'll try some different gearing. I'm running 19/72 now. Need to see what parts I have laying around. Or better yet, convert it to the Jato transmission with Revo gears.

[Powerman]

Gearing is way too low. 20/72 is as low as you want to go. Your ripping your shafts apart because your throwing a ton of torque to them. Once you get your shafts to stop snapping it will be your idler gear next. From my expeirence I have found 20/72 to be the best gearing for a 2.5. For a 3.3 22/72 is as low as I have been able to gear without blowing out idlers. For the 18tm I had to gear 24/72 to keep the tranny from poping. Most people running 3.3 are gearing them very high. Like 24/66 or close to it. Gear higher and your problem will solve itself.

[pbflash]

Gearing is way too low. 20/72 is as low as you want to go. Your ripping your shafts apart because your throwing a ton of torque to them. Once you get your shafts to stop snapping it will be your idler gear next. From my expeirence I have found 20/72 to be the best gearing for a 2.5. For a 3.3 22/72 is as low as I have been able to gear without blowing out idlers. For the 18tm I had to gear 24/72 to keep the tranny from poping. Most people running 3.3 are gearing them very high. Like 24/66 or close to it. Gear higher and your problem will solve itself.

All I have is a 72 spur but I found a 20 and 24 bell so I'm going to switch to the 24. I'm pretty sure I have the steel idler and the pro ball diff. With 3 different trucks, it's hard to remember what they all have.

[Dustin Fowler]

Right on thanks Powerman, I will have to look into getting those installed.

[Powerman]

All I have is a 72 spur but I found a 20 and 24 bell so I'm going to switch to the 24. I'm pretty sure I have the steel idler and the pro ball diff. With 3 different trucks, it's hard to remember what they all have.

The pro ball diff didnt work very well for me. Adjusting it was a pain. I kept breaking it when making adjusments. Went thru 3 before I gave up. When you jump to the 24t cb. Keep an eye on your temps. Tune HSN a little rich. Set LSN to shut off engine at 5 to 6 seconds on pinch test. Its better to be a little rich than to burn up your engine. With the higher gearing you will notice less wheelies. No need for the extra weight on the front end. Control of the car is greatly improved. Plus a real nice top speed.
I just want to add. My comments is what has worked, or not, for me. Play around till you find whats right for you. I am running with an extended chassis. Results will vary.

[pbflash]

The pro ball diff didnt work very well for me. Adjusting it was a pain. I kept breaking it when making adjusments. Went thru 3 before I gave up. When you jump to the 24t cb. Keep an eye on your temps. Tune HSN a little rich. Set LSN to shut off engine at 5 to 6 seconds on pinch test. Its better to be a little rich than to burn up your engine. With the higher gearing you will notice less wheelies. No need for the extra weight on the front end. Control of the car is greatly improved. Plus a real nice top speed.
I just want to add. My comments is what has worked, or not, for me. Play around till you find whats right for you. I am running with an extended chassis. Results will vary.

I'm not sure if I have the ball diff or not. Most of the mods to my Rustler were done over 5 years ago and I've been doing work on my Revo and Jato since then. I'll find out when I do the full tear down and cleaning.

I changed the clutch bell to the 24T last night and I found a new pair of stock drive shafts so I put them on. Hoping they'll last until my order from Tower arrives. My son is going to run a few tanks while I'm at work today so we'll see how it goes.

[Mager2007]

My issue just seems not matter what I tap the throttle and it stands up on two wheels how can I lower it. I have the nitro sport sorry for being so newbie!

[pbflash]

My issue just seems not matter what I tap the throttle and it stands up on two wheels how can I lower it. I have the nitro sport sorry for being so newbie!

Read Shaggy's post above (#13) about the suspension and Powerman's post (#16) about gearing.

[Shaggy101086]

A 24t cb may be a little high if your running a 2.5. To be honest i'm not sure though. I blew up my 2.5 the week I got my first rusty and its been a couple 3.3s since. I would try a 20 or 22. I was running 18/72 on my off roader with extended chassis. Its much bigger and a little heavier than a stock rusty and it would of wheelied if I wanted it to. Unless you add much bigger wheels and extra weight and a longer chassis to handle it, you don't want that low of a gearing. Its just too peppy to control. I could be wrong but I believe the Jato's 1st gear is lower than a rusty's tranny. I think you could have the same wheelie problem with a Jato tranny in your rusty. Like I said, I could be wrong about that. The rustys with jato trannys looked real strong in the videos I seen. If anyone wants to know more about the Jato tranny mod, go check out youtube. A few guys did up some nice videos going through the mod. I like the single speed in my trucks. I like the smooth control and the instant power you get when you smash the throttle. Post up some pics when you can. Good luck

[pbflash]

I have a 3.3. My son tried it out today with the 24 and said it was moving pretty slow and the engine didn't sound right so he put it away. I'll have to check it out over the weekend.

I doubt I'll be going with the Jato tranny. I would like to try it but I've decided that the Rustler will go home with my son when he goes back to his mother in a few weeks. He's spent a lot of time learning to tune and fix the Rustler the last few weeks and I think he knows enough to be able to take care of it on his own. I'll still have the Revo and Jato here for me and my other son.

[Shaggy101086]

With the high gearing, the tune may seem a little picky. You can't get away with rich settings as much. Your son had the right idea to hut it off where is didnt sound right. I'm sure its not too far off but if you don't have any luck getting a good tune, try a 22t cb. There is a chance 24 is a little high, even with the 3.3, if it was broken in on a much lower gearing. What wheels and tires are you running? Definitely don't use the 24 with large off roaders like talons or badlands. Good luck

[pbflash]

It was actually broken in on my Revo. I moved it to the Rusty when I put the BB in. He was using 2.2 Proline Masher's (not the 2000's) on aluminum rims. The tires have no tread left on them so they were like slicks. The aluminum wheels were probably a bit heavy for the higher gearing. I only have a 19 and 20 tooth cb here so I'll probably switch to the 20 for now. I'm trying to find a 22 and some smaller spurs so I can try a few different setups to see what works the best.

[rustlernate7504]

How do you like the 3.3 in your truck,I'm picking my new 3.3 up tomorrow for my rustler.is it alot faster?
Top end wise.or just slot more torq.I have been wanting to do this upgrade for a while so I hope it's worth it.
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[Shaggy101086]

Its definitely worth it and then some however I recommend waiting till you kill your 2.5. Engines are expensive and only last so long. Also take into consideration the learning curve with nitros. Its best to learn as much as you can on your current engine before buying a new one. My first 3.3 lasted a few gallons over 9 months. My second 3.3 lasted about 12- 23 gallons over 3 years. I wait till they blow before I get a new one. It has much more mid to high rpm horsepower. It dosent rev much faster so the top speed will go up a little but not a huge amount faster, but you get to top speed so much faster. The 3.3 is the best bet for a rusty for its power and how easy it drops right in. Unless you add a pound to your truck you really don't need any more power lol. The rusty handles the 3.3 just fine. I almost never have to work on my tranny or the rest of the drivetrain. Keep the truck light and she will go like a bullet. I like how this thread is going, lots of good info thrown out there.

[Powerman]

The 24cb will be too high for a 3.3. A 22cb seems to be the best choice. I am only using a 24t cb because of the 18tm thats pushing it. 22/72 should work well with larger tires as well. Like the badlands and the trenchers. Only if using the 3.3.

[pbflash]

I ordered and 22cb tonight and a new idler gear (stripped it today running the 20/72).

[rustlernate7504]

I just dropped in the 3.3,and finished breaking it in around 10 o'clock at night so I could not open it up all the way.but man this thing is fast, as long as you ease into it slow you can keep the wheelies to a minimum.my 2.5 would always run close to 265 with the high speed needle out 4 or more turns,but after break in with this new motor I have the high speed needle out 3.25 turns and only hit just under 200,is that normal? There is still plenty of smoke. How far out do you guys have your high speed needle on average? Also any one considering this up grade should go for it.it's like having a whole new truck! And for only $110 you can't beat it.

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[Powerman]

I ordered and 22cb tonight and a new idler gear (stripped it today running the 20/72).

Didnt I say something about that. LOL. You guys need to allow yourself to learn from my expeirence. LOL.
The 22t will work out better for you. And I would still keep a few idlers on hand. I blow them out less often now. But you never know. For a 3.3 and general have fun use. Stick with the 22CB. Swap your spur gears for different speeds. 22/72 for torque, 22/70 for a little more speed. Those 2 combos will allow you to run pretty much anywhere. Its gonna give you top speeds of 45 to 55mph. Maybe a little more/less. Pending tire size and fuel. Once you start gearing higher your limited to the street. Lower, your gonna trash the tranny.

[Shaggy101086]

Nate, I would repeat tank 5 and then start to tune for performance. Where it was getting late when you were breaking it in, the outside temp probably dropped a little in the process. Repeat step 5 and work your way to full throttle for a few seconds for a run or 2 before you start to tune for performance. The 2.5 and 3.3 run around the same temps; 250º-270º so you can lean her out when she is 100% broken in. When the engine is all set, then play around with the gearing for what you want to do with it. Best of luck!
PB, your on the right track. Just a few tweaks from perfection but that just how the hobby goes lol. You and your son are going to have lots of fun with this truck. I can't remember if I said this yet but use spur gears to fine tune the gearing after you do the cb. The cb makes a much bigger difference in gearing than the spur so use the cb to get the gearing roughly where you want it and then swap spurs to finish the job. Best of luck
Powerman, I was running 20/66 (about the same as 22/70 but less rotating mass) on a lightened off road rusty out in my woods with great luck. Gearing our big trucks is a new ball game in a way. I'm going to be oving on to a big block so the gearing will be swapped again. I been running 18/70 or 72 in the big one with 3.3

[Powerman]

I expext that the talons are spining easier than the badlands and the trenchers. With badlands I was just ripping trannys apart.
I agree with having to play around to find what works best. Everybody has their own style of driving. And different surfaces provide different results. Even the fuel has an effect on gearing.

[pbflash]

Didnt I say something about that. LOL. You guys need to allow yourself to learn from my expeirence. LOL.

I knew it was a matter of time. Now I'm trying to figure out how a cb and an idler gear cost me $104. Maybe it was the wheels, body, battery pack, glow plugs, and CA glue that fell into my Ebay cart. I forgot the 70t spur. Hopefully my LHS has one.

[Powerman]

The $$$$$ adds up quick. For the years I have been in the hobby and the number of cars I have had over the years. I would hate to know what I have spent on this hobby. But, I never get bored. And its been fun. I dont have to many regrets.

[pbflash]

The $$$$$ adds up quick. For the years I have been in the hobby and the number of cars I have had over the years. I would hate to know what I have spent on this hobby. But, I never get bored. And its been fun. I dont have to many regrets.

I agree. I don't want to know how much I have spent on the 3 that I have. Plus there's so much more I want but the wife would kill me if I bought it all at once.

[Powerman]

Buying it all at once takes the fun out of it. For me, the best part is the build. I like to use all the best parts I can. It takes a while to complete a build when your on a budget. I do alot on the auctions site to save money. Just have to know how to shop to get the cheapest price.
I have been fortunate with my wife and the hobby. She knows everything will be taken care of before I go shopping. My kids will still be able to go to the college of their choice. But sometimes its difficult to wait.

[pbflash]

I usually only upgrade as I break stock parts. After 9 years my Rustler has only 2 stock parts left. The lower chassis and the battery box. If I see a good deal on something that I can't pass up (like the titanium a arms on my Revo at 1/2 price) I will usually get it. My next truck will be a ground up build but not sure what it will be yet.

[Powerman]

I went thru several rustlers before I created the slutsler. Over the years of breaking parts. I learned what was weak and what wasnt. I am down to the tranny, fuel tank, modded tank brackets, and battery box. I usually upgrade as I find better.