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REVO 3.3 • 23

Tuning the engine means finding the 
perfect balance between the two; 
excellent power to meet your needs 
while maintaining good lubrication 
for long engine life. 

The optimal fuel 

mixture setting is rich

 to provide a 

safety margin against having a lean 
condition if some variable changes 
(such as the temperature from one 
day to the next).
General fuel mixture settings are 

measured by the number of turns 
the needles are turned out from fully 
closed. The fuel mixture settings 
have been pre-set from the factory 
to typical break-in settings. Do 
not readjust your carburetor from 
the factory settings until after the 
engine is started and running, and 
you have been able to observe the 

engine running to assess what minor adjustments may be required 
to compensate for fuel, temperature, and altitude. Adjustments are 
usually made in 1/8 or 1/16-turn increments. If the engine sticks at top 
dead center (TDC), see page 38 for instructions on freeing the engine.

The Idle Speed Adjustment

The idle speed screw controls the closed position of the throttle slide. 
When the throttle servo is in its neutral position, the throttle slide 
should be stopped against the idle adjustment screw. Always use 
the idle speed adjusting screw to control engine idle. Do not use the 
throttle trim on the transmitter to adjust idle speed. The idle speed 
should be set as low as possible and still maintain reliable running.

EZ-START ELECTRIC STARTING SYSTEM

The Traxxas EZ-Start brings the convenience of push-button electric 
engine starting to your Revo. The EZ-Start consists of a hand-held control 
unit and an on-board motorized starter. 
• Power for the EZ-Start system comes from a 7.2-volt rechargeable 

battery pack installed in the hand-held control unit. 

• The engine glow plug is heated automatically by the EZ-Start system, 

eliminating the need to keep up with a separate glow plug igniter. 

• The voltage to the glow plug is kept constant, regardless of the load 

placed on the starter by the starter motor. 

• The “Glow Plug” LED (light emitting diode) on the control unit 

indicates the condition of the glow plug. 

• The “Motor” LED indicates the status of the EZ-Start electric starter motor. 
• The cush drive mechanism in the drive unit prevents damage to the 

gears caused by engine kickback.

• Smart Start

 protection circuitry prevents damage to the motor by cutting 

power if the load on the motor or other electronics exceeds safe limits.

Charging the EZ-Start Battery

The included charger can be used to charge 
the included EZ-Start battery pack. 

Do not 

charge batteries inside of an automobile. Read 

the Safety Precautions section of this guide.

1. Plug the charger into a 12-volt automotive 

auxiliary power socket. 

 The charger is 

compatible with 12-volt automotive 
auxiliary power sockets only. The LED on the 
charger will glow red to indicate it is ready 
to charge a battery.

2. Connect the battery to begin charging.

 Plug 

the battery into the charger. The  charger’s 
LED will flash green, indicating that charging 
has begun. The flashing green LED on the 
charger indicates the charge progress. 

3. Disconnect the battery 

when charging is 
complete. 

When the 

battery is fully charged, 
the LED will light solid 
green. The battery will 
be warm in your hand. 
Disconnect the battery.

See 

Tuning Your TRX 3.3 

Racing Engine 

on page 27 

for complete information on 
adjusting the air/fuel mixture 
and idle speed.

Factory Needle Settings

If your factory preset 
carburetor adjustments have 
been tampered with, use the 
following settings: 

• Set the high-speed needle to 

4 turns out from closed. 

• Set the low-speed needle so 

the screw head (

red in Fig. A

is flush (even) with the end 
of the slide (

yellow in Fig. A

). 

Always use the factory 
settings for initial starting. 
Only use these settings when 
the factory settings have  
been lost.

Higher nitro requires a richer 
fuel mixture. When running 
33% fuel, richen your high 
speed needle 3/4 turn if 
previously running 20% nitro 
and then re-tune the engine 
for maximum performance.

Low Speed 

Needle Adjustment

Fig. A

THE TRX 3.3 RACING ENGINE

2

CHARGE PROGRESS

x1

1 green flash

0 - 25% charged

x2

2 green flashes

25% - 50% charged

x3

3 green flashes

50% - 75% charged

x4

4 green flashes

75% or more charged

Solid green LED

100% charged

CHARGER LED INDICATION

MEANING

Solid Red LED

Ready for Charging

Slowly Flashing Green LED

Charging (see Charge Progress chart)

Solid Green LED

Battery Fully Charged

Flashing Red LED

Charger error

Note: 

If there is a problem with the battery, such as a short circuit, the charger’s LED will flash red. Disconnect 

the battery and unplug the charger from its power source to clear the error. Determine the cause of the error 
before continuing. 

Lean

Rich

1

2

3

Disconnected

Connected

Charged

Summary of Contents for Revo 3.3 53097-1

Page 1: ...MODEL 53097 1 owner s manual...

Page 2: ...rmance and adjustment potential that Traxxas engineers designed into Revo Even if you are an experienced R C enthusiast it s important to read and follow the procedures in this manual Revo contains ne...

Page 3: ...49 3000 Toll free 1 888 TRAXXAS Internet Traxxas com E mail support Traxxas com Entire contents 2014 Traxxas Traxxas Ready To Race Ready To Win Revo 3 3 and ProGraphix are trademarks or registered tra...

Page 4: ...ople or busy pedestrian areas Revo is very fast and could cause injury to those unaware of its presence Keep small children at a safe distance away from the operating area Because Revo is controlled b...

Page 5: ...e 10 Glow plug wrench Extra glow plug 17mm wheel wrench 1 5mm L wrench 2 0mm T wrench 2 5mm T wrench 8mm slipper clutch wrench Shock wrench 5mm turnbuckle wrench Suspension multi tool 4 way wrench Sus...

Page 6: ...ressure Line Fuel Line EZ Start Motor EZ Start Plug Bulkhead under chassis Body Mount Post Chassis Slipper Clutch under roll hoop Spur Gear under roll hoop Driveshaft Half Shaft On Off Switch Shift Ro...

Page 7: ...transmitter sold separately Follow the break in instructions exactly to ensure the best performing longest lasting engine 5 Install the EZ Start battery See page 24 13 Tune your engine See page 27 Ins...

Page 8: ...pack NiCad batteries have very high current handling high capacity and can last up to 1000 charging cycles Good charging procedures are required to reduce the possibility of developing a memory effec...

Page 9: ...the OptiDrive Electronic Shift Module to monitor and control the input and output signals for the throttle and shifting servos channels The OptiDrive monitors the voltage of the on board RX Power Pack...

Page 10: ...ncluded adapter into the charger Plug the charger into a 12 volt automotive auxiliary power socket The charger is compatible with 12 volt automotive auxiliary power sockets only The LED on the charger...

Page 11: ...tter or other source and running out of control Your model has electronic fail safes to prevent this type of malfunction but the first best defense against a runaway model is to always turn the transm...

Page 12: ...ng shipping Here s how 1 Turn the transmitter switch on The status LED on the transmitter should be solid green not flashing 2 Turn on the receiver switch in the model The switch is located on the rec...

Page 13: ...ceiver follow these instructions Note You will need to open the receiver box to access the receiver The receiver must be connected to a 4 8 6 0v nominal power source for binding and the transmitter an...

Page 14: ...ehicle speed and controls forward and reverse shifting Controlling the shift action electronically rather than by mechanical systems reduces the number of components in the transmission The transmissi...

Page 15: ...en on again and repeat the programming steps For instructions on how to use the OptiDrive with aftermarket radio systems or to access advanced programming options visit Traxxas com Large adjustments t...

Page 16: ...premature engine wear and failure is lack of care and maintenance BREAK IN The TRX 3 3 Racing Engine is manufactured to exacting tolerances and requires a specially designed break in procedure to acco...

Page 17: ...l Carburetor Air Intake Fuel Intake High Speed Needle Idle Speed Screw Clutch Bell Crankcase Two Stage Air Filter Glow Plug EZ Start Plug Positive Wire Negative Wire Fuel Line Fuel Tank Tuned Pipe Hea...

Page 18: ...ngine s body that contains all of the running mechanical components Crankshaft The main shaft of the engine that holds the reciprocating assembly Cooling fins The cooling fins are milled into the cyli...

Page 19: ...the first level of air filtration for the engine The majority of dirt and debris will be stopped by this filter Clean re oil and replace this filter after every hour of run time Always use both the p...

Page 20: ...limitations Engines are designed to run best within a range of nitro percentages How the engine is ported the size of the combustion chamber and other factors determine how much nitro can be efficien...

Page 21: ...pull straight up 2 Remove the pre filter element 3 Clean the pre filter element by thoroughly washing the foam element in hot soapy water dishwashing detergent works well Repeat twice 4 Thoroughly dr...

Page 22: ...low rpm part throttle engine speed The high speed needle is used to meter the fuel when the throttle is open from part throttle to wide open throttle WOT Two needles on the TRX 3 3 Racing Engine prov...

Page 23: ...sed by engine kickback Smart Start protection circuitry prevents damage to the motor by cutting power if the load on the motor or other electronics exceeds safe limits Charging the EZ Start Battery Th...

Page 24: ...has not been fully charged may not deliver enough power to crank the engine over at the appropriate rpm to keep the piston from sticking at top dead center TDC A new engine will typically have a tigh...

Page 25: ...break in Follow the instructions exactly for each of the first 5 tanks of fuel Starting Your TRX 3 3 Racing Engine for the First Time Before you start your TRX 3 3 Racing Engine for the first time mak...

Page 26: ...3 When the fuel tank is nearly empty shut off the engine and refuel From here on you do not need to let the engine cool between tanks Tank 4 1 Driving procedure Gently pull the throttle trigger to fu...

Page 27: ...then it is likely that it is over 220 F and needs to cool down If the water takes a long time or does not evaporate at all then the engine is too cool We do not recommend that you operate your engine...

Page 28: ...unterclockwise and retest This setting will extend engine component life Low Speed Fuel Mixture Adjustment The low speed mixture is always set after the high speed needle is correctly adjusted The low...

Page 29: ...ink application available separately see page 43 Engine temperature can be used as an effective tuning aid when you understand the relationship between engine temperature and ambient temperature The e...

Page 30: ...d by speed Towing creates a high load on the engine and at the same time limits cooling of the engine due to low vehicle speed If your Revo gets stuck stop driving immediately Move the vehicle and the...

Page 31: ...nd rear springs on Revo have different spring rates The rear springs are about 10 stiffer than the front springs The spring s pre load tension can be adjusted by turning the spring pre load adjuster A...

Page 32: ...n damping to be reduced Damping should be increased with higher viscosity oil if the model is bottoming easily over jumps Damping should be decreased with thinner viscosity oil if the model is hopping...

Page 33: ...see illustration below The camber angle changes as the wheel moves up and down through its range of travel Static camber is the camber angle at the wheel when the vehicle is set at its normal station...

Page 34: ...the hole in the end of the slipper shaft This locks the shaft for adjustments Turn the adjustment nut clockwise to tighten less slippage and counter clockwise to loosen more slippage The slipper clut...

Page 35: ...djusting the Spur Gear Clutch Bell Gear Mesh The ideal spur gear clutch bell gear mesh for Revo is 0 1mm To set the gear mesh place a strip of standard letter A4 size copy or printer paper about 0 1mm...

Page 36: ...f the following ways 1 Use a 0 50mm feeler gauge between the brake pad insert and brake disk 2 Push the outer brake pad firmly against the inner pad with your finger sandwiching the brake disk between...

Page 37: ...piston and sleeve should be replaced when they no longer seal effectively loss of compression Symptoms include the engine being difficult to start when warm stalling when warm and stalling when throt...

Page 38: ...blue glow plug wire to the glow plug 7 Reconnect the EZ Start controller 8 Do not prime the engine Pull the throttle to 1 2 throttle and push the EZ Start button The engine should start immediately P...

Page 39: ...to the opposite end For example increasing roll resistance in the rear by installing the upper arms in the lower holes will provide more traction for the front wheels and potentially more steering Ins...

Page 40: ...of the various rocker arms on wheel force as the suspension is compressed On the progressive rate wheel force is light at first and increases as the suspension is compressed Bump Steer Elimination Cha...

Page 41: ...on up and down always keeping it submerged in oil to release the air bubbles Let the shock sit for a few minutes to allow any remaining air bubbles to surface 10 Slowly thread the upper cap with the i...

Page 42: ...ts and to the rocker arms 2 Install Long Travel shock springs Replace all four of the 90mm travel shock springs with the four 120mm Long Travel shock springs The front shock springs are indicated by a...

Page 43: ...cles it has bound to and what settings were used for each up to 30 models total Traxxas Link provides a visual interface to name the models customize their settings attach profiles and lock them into...

Page 44: ...ashing fast green 0 1 sec on 0 15 sec off Throttle Trim Seek Mode Turn the Multi Function knob right or left until the LED stops flashing See sidebar for more information Flashing medium red 0 25 sec...

Page 45: ...ow setting you selected previously Likewise setting the Multi Function knob to disabled will prevent the knob from making further adjustments but the last setting of the Multi Function knob will still...

Page 46: ...ious settings and functions Press and hold MENU to enter the menu tree and use the following commands to navigate through the menu and select options MENU When you enter a menu you always start at the...

Page 47: ...to save each position Turn steering wheel to test settings IF END POINTS ARE OK Press hold MENU returns to driving mode IF END POINTS NEED TO BE CHANGED Press SET and repeat steps 6 8 To reset the END...

Page 48: ...6200 Traxxas Way McKinney Texas 75070 1 888 TRAXXAS 140902 KC2226 R00 MODEL 53097 1 owner s manual...

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