Engine Maintenance!!!

[kuskye25]

Well i was out beatin up on the maxx... noticed some weird noise coming from the engine that i didnt hear before...

haha found debris stuck to the head and to the top of the piston, not sure how but got some dirt in my engine... also i noticed now when i turn my crankshaft at one point it gets kind of gritty feeling, i assume bearings are bad too...

ill be replacing the crankshaft bearings, also cleaning off all this debris.... glad i caught it when i did as the engine still runs perfectly just was making a bit of noise...

take a look, most of it lets me pick it off with my fingernail...

[Snook Man]

Bearing failure, that shrapnel is most likely pieces of the bearing cage…

I know that noise

[kuskye25]

Bearing failure, that shrapnel is most likely pieces of the bearing cage…

I know that noise

ok that makes sense.... wondered how all that got into my engine made for some pretty cool looking carnage... just glad it didnt seem to damage my engine...

the bearings lasted pretty long, engine has 8 to 10 gallons on it...

[kuskye25]

Well good news, its just the inner bearing the outer seal/bearing is still in perfect shape.... also i noticed its time for some new clutch shoes

toast bearing...




bad shoes...

[kuskye25]

ok i have a question... what can i use to polish up the bottom on the head, and the top of the piston without scoring them up... like a fine grit sand paper or what..... not all the pieces of stuff are coming off and they scored up the head and piston a bit id just like to even it out a little...

[Oldrcguy]

ok i have a question... what can i use to polish up the bottom on the head, and the top of the piston without scoring them up... like a fine grit sand paper or what..... not all the pieces of stuff are coming off and they scored up the head and piston a bit id just like to even it out a little...

I was a mechanic for 16 years. You're right on the sandpaper. Maybe 320-400 grit for the head. Try to avoid sanding the shoulder of the head or the gasket area any. You mainly want to remove the sharp edges, because they will stay glowing after ignition and cause detonation by prematurely igniting the incoming fuel before the piston has time to reach TDC. I have seen this happen on cars with carbon buildup. You really can't do anything about the pitting, but shouldn't hurt the performance. Minor really. By the way great catch on the noise.

ETA you can do this to the top of the piston, but under no circumstances do the sides or shirt.

[Oldrcguy]

Hold a light source under the cylinder and take a good pic from the top for us.

[kuskye25]

haha yeah sand the sides of the piston... haha that would be devastating.... thanks for the warning but im no novice, i understand you have no way of knowing that though

ive rebuilt a few 1:1 car engines before with a friend and worked on many small engines, i have a mechanics ears for sure, and usually i know what is making the noise just by hearing it... by no means am i a master mechanic, but am fairly seasoned...

cool thanks for the help on the sand paper ill get some 400 grit tomorrow... i got the engine cleaned up really nice, the wd-40 cleaning made my exhaust o-ring expand, so ill need a new one of those now to...

here is what im buying
-front and rear bearings... seeing i cant buy just the inner bearing i guess ill be replacing both of them
-clutchbell bearings
-clutch shoes
-header o-ring

she'll be running nice once its done, and my engine was clean before now its immaculate

[Oldrcguy]

haha yeah sand the sides of the piston... haha that would be devastating.... thanks for the warning but im no novice, i understand you have no way of knowing that though

ive rebuilt a few 1:1 car engines before with a friend and worked on many small engines, i have a mechanics ears for sure, and usually i know what is making the noise just by hearing it... by no means am i a master mechanic, but am fairly seasoned...

cool thanks for the help on the sand paper ill get some 400 grit tomorrow... i got the engine cleaned up really nice, the wd-40 cleaning made my exhaust o-ring expand, so ill need a new one of those now to...

here is what im buying
-front and rear bearings... seeing i cant buy just the inner bearing i guess ill be replacing both of them
-clutchbell bearings
-clutch shoes
-header o-ring

she'll be running nice once its done, and my engine was clean before now its immaculate

I knew you knew better, but put that in for the new people, just in case lol. I'm glad you caught this early.

[kuskye25]

I knew you knew better, but put that in for the new people, just in case lol. I'm glad you caught this early.

haha yeah me to, it could have easily broke my conrod or worse messed up the piston and sleeve...

here are some pics after cleaning...

man thats one clean block for having around 10 gallons of fuel on it...

[kuskye25]

looking at some bearing alternatives online... the stock bearing is 12x21mm and 5mm thickness...

i found other sealed bearings that are the same size but i notice inside the engine they dont use seals is this because they heat up to much and you dont want the seal coming loose inside your engine or what....

id like to just use this, its only $8 instead of $26 for front and rear bearings... think it would be fine...
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXXSX5&P=7

[B3nno8]

they basically make sealed bearings so that dirt and muck doesnt get into the bearings and cause them to bind up and have premature failure.

[kuskye25]

they basically make sealed bearings so that dirt and muck doesnt get into the bearings and cause them to bind up and have premature failure.

haha i know that, but inside engines you never see sealed bearings... ?thats why im wondering are you not supposed to put sealed bearings inside a engine.. or is it ok...?



on a side note i got bored and ripped my .28 engine on my buggy apart... trashed clutch shoes and toast clutchbell bearings... im having all kinds of bearing issues.. and my stupid HSN o-ring is toast kind of flattened and not sealed very well was making the HSN so loose that just running it around it would change tune on me...

so glad i didnt place my order yet, looks like i need alot of stuff... so im ripping all my nitros down to the last screw.... this is going to be a huge project as i have 4 of them. so 8 diffs, 4 transmissions, and 4 engines.... down to the last screw...

i think im going to have to spend $100 to $150 to get all my nitros back to 100%...

at least my 3 brushless vehicles, 2 1/8th buggys and mini e-revo are in tip top shape so i dont have to mess with them...

[Monte_1977]

You could always find some Boca bearings if you feel that its worth it. While you have the engine apart, I'd clean and relubricate the OWB as well.

[kuskye25]

You could always find some Boca bearings if you feel that its worth it. While you have the engine apart, I'd clean and relubricate the OWB as well.

yeah i always clean the OWB's.... every single part on all 4 my nitros is getting cleaned and replaced if need be... literally everything

i just answered my own question... you accually have to get nitro engine bearings, not all bearings even if the measurements are the same work inside the engine...... those bearings i linked would not have worked properly... i found some bearings that actually say not for use in the engine... im just going to get the traxxas part #5223 stock engine bearings...

[Monte_1977]

Excellent....yeah, I make it a habit to go over any and all of my cars with a fine tooth comb after a day of running them. Cleaned up from top to bottom. Give yourself a pat on the back for keeping that engine running strong after ten gallons of fuel. Goes to show that you show pride in your engines and the car overall by keeping them running correctly and tuned properly. Way to go. keep up the good work.

[kuskye25]

Excellent....yeah, I make it a habit to go over any and all of my cars with a fine tooth comb after a day of running them. Cleaned up from top to bottom. Give yourself a pat on the back for keeping that engine running strong after ten gallons of fuel. Goes to show that you show pride in your engines and the car overall by keeping them running correctly and tuned properly. Way to go. keep up the good work.

thanks, yeah im a freak on the maintenance, but sometimes it gets away from me as i have well over $6k in rc stuff, land vehicles and choppers and planes... gets a bit crazy sometimes...

[B3nno8]

could imagine your right about the seal on it. it could melt and dissintergrate and go through the engine causing mayhem haha

[Wildman4910]

And don't forget to get all new o-rings and some o-ring safe lube for reassembly, o-rings should never be installed dry.
Superlube, AE green slime, or some dielectric grease from the autoparts store will do.

[kuskye25]

And don't forget to get all new o-rings and some o-ring safe lube for reassembly, o-rings should never be installed dry.
Superlube, AE green slime, or some dielectric grease from the autoparts store will do.

yup i use green slime...

[sefh]

haha i know that, but inside engines you never see sealed bearings... ?thats why im wondering are you not supposed to put sealed bearings inside a engine.. or is it ok...?



on a side note i got bored and ripped my .28 engine on my buggy apart... trashed clutch shoes and toast clutchbell bearings... im having all kinds of bearing issues.. and my stupid HSN o-ring is toast kind of flattened and not sealed very well was making the HSN so loose that just running it around it would change tune on me...

so glad i didnt place my order yet, looks like i need alot of stuff... so im ripping all my nitros down to the last screw.... this is going to be a huge project as i have 4 of them. so 8 diffs, 4 transmissions, and 4 engines.... down to the last screw...

i think im going to have to spend $100 to $150 to get all my nitros back to 100%...

at least my 3 brushless vehicles, 2 1/8th buggys and mini e-revo are in tip top shape so i dont have to mess with them...

I'm a small engine mechanic. I see your concern with the bearings being sealed on the inside. Most of the time these seals can be easily removed with a pick or small screwdriver. I know in a chainsaw, you can buy a not sealed bearing from the dealer for $28 or buy a sealed bearing from a parts store and remove the seal. Most all of my chainsaws I have done this.

[rc wanna be]

I am not sure but think the seal is not on so the lube can get in it.

[Wildman4910]

I am not sure but think the seal is not on so the lube can get in it.

The lube will work it's way in even with the seal on, the seal is there to help keep dirt out of the bearing.


I am with the guys above, just pop the seal off the inner bearing with an exacto knife, it's easy to do.

[kuskye25]

The lube will work it's way in even with the seal on, the seal is there to help keep dirt out of the bearing.


I am with the guys above, just pop the seal off the inner bearing with an exacto knife, it's easy to do.

ok so you guys are saying the bearings arent any different even though they are labeled "engine bearings"

basically a bearing is a bearing one isnt stronger than the other... just pop the seals off and good to go, cause man this would be a lot cheaper...

its to late this time i already ordered the parts, but for next time you think i should just buy cheap bearings like i linked above and pull the seals...

[Wildman4910]

To a point, for engine bearings always buy the best your wallet can handle.

The point I meant above is all front seals will leak some as they are a dust seal.

Some engine bearings do come with seals on the inner bearing, if your uncomfortable with them just pop the seals off.

Engine bearings are not an area to cheep out in, some say leave the seals on the inner some say pull them, not all will come with seals on the inner.

The front bearing's "seals" aren't like on a 1:1 car & are not a true seal, just a dust seal that does help a little with not letting fluid out but not like a 1:1 does.

[kuskye25]

To a point, for engine bearings always buy the best your wallet can handle.

The point I meant above is all front seals will leak some as they are a dust seal.

Some engine bearings do come with seals on the inner bearing, if your uncomfortable with them just pop the seals off.

Engine bearings are not an area to cheep out in, some say leave the seals on the inner some say pull them, not all will come with seals on the inner.

The front bearing's "seals" aren't like on a 1:1 car & are not a true seal, just a dust seal that does help a little with not letting fluid out but not like a 1:1 does.

ok then ill just do as i did here and always buy the ones listed in exploded views of my engines, my wallet can handle anything when it comes to maintenance but i still try to get bang for buck on stuff... thanks man

btw my parts get here tomorrow, my mgt8.0 and TC3 nitros got a clean bill of health, so i just had to order stuff for my hyper 7 and maxx... only cost me $80 to get my nitros back into shape, so im pretty happy about that...

so i got a exhaust o-ring for the 3.3, 5223 bearings for 3.3, clutch shoes and bell bearings for 3.3, then clutch shoes and bell bearings for my macstar .28, and threw on a few extras i needed, glow plugs and after run oil...

[kuskye25]

Got my parts in today....

couple of fine lookin nitro engines that work again....

[kuskye25]

and there you have it... joined...

[kuskye25]

well i took it out for a quick half tank of fuel.... the maxxy is runnin great so apparently i cleaned it up nice and did catch the failed bearing in time... +1000

man i forgot what having new clutch shoes is like.. its gripping awesome out of the hole...

[Nitronaught]

well i took it out for a quick half tank of fuel.... the maxxy is runnin great so apparently i cleaned it up nice and did catch the failed bearing in time... +1000

man i forgot what having new clutch shoes is like.. its gripping awesome out of the hole...

That was a good early catch on the bearing,,, usually when that happens it's caught too late...

[kuskye25]

That was a good early catch on the bearing,,, usually when that happens it's caught too late...

yeah i feel pretty lucky on this one... got in another 3 tanks of fuel today with it, and its doing great...

to anyone out there if your putting in a new piston and sleeve on a older engine... put in new bearings so this doesnt happen to your nice new piston....