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28 • REVO 3.3

Before you begin tuning, the engine should be warmed up to its normal 
operating temperature and running slightly rich. All final tuning adjustments 
must be made to the engine at its normal operating temperature. You can 
tell the engine is running rich by noting any of the following:

• Sluggish acceleration with blue smoke coming from the exhaust.
• Revo may not shift into second gear.
• There is unburned fuel spraying from the exhaust tip.
• Leaning the high-speed fuel mixture increases performance.

High-Speed Fuel Mixture Adjustment

With the engine warm and running at a rich setting, gradually lean the 
high-speed fuel mixture in 1/16 turn increments. Make several high-
speed passes after each adjustment to clear out the engine and note any 
change in performance. The TRX 3.3 is extremely powerful. Remember 
to apply the throttle gradually to prevent wheelies or loss of control. 
Continue this procedure until there is no longer any performance 
improvement. 

If any one of the following conditions occurs, the fuel 

mixture is already past the maximum safe lean setting:

1.

 

There is no longer any performance improvement.

2.

 

The engine begins to cut out at high speed 

(Danger!)

.

3.

 

There is a sudden loss of power during acceleration

 

(Danger!)

.

4.

 

The engine begins to overheat. Symptoms of overheating include:

 

•  Steam or smoke coming from the engine (not exhaust).

 

•  Hesitation or stalling during acceleration.

 

•  Popping or clattering sound when decelerating (detonation).

 

•  Fluctuating idle speed.

 

•  Temperature measurement above 270° F at the glow plug (A 

temperature reading above 270° alone does not necessarily 
indicate overheating. Look for other symptoms of overheating 
combined with temperature for a more accurate warning). 

Richen the fuel mixture to the optimum setting by richening the 
high-speed needle at least 1/8 turn counterclockwise 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-speed mixture is set using the “pinch test”: 

1.

 

Once the engine is warm, do several high-speed runs to confirm  
that the high-speed needle is set correctly. 

2.  Bring the vehicle in and pinch closed the fuel line going into the 

carburetor (use the engine shut-off clamp). The engine should run for 
2-3 seconds, speed up, and then shut off.

3.  If the engine runs longer than 3 seconds, then lean the low-speed 

needle 1/16 turn, make several more high-speed runs, and retest. 

4.  If the engine shuts off immediately without speeding up, then richen 

the low-speed needle 1/8 turn, make several more high-speed runs,  
and retest. 

When the low-speed needle is set correctly, the engine’s throttle response 
should be very quick, even to the point of making it difficult to keep Revo 
from doing a wheelie when you accelerate!

When adjusting the low 
speed fuel mixture, it is very 
important to make several 
high-speed runs with Revo 
between adjustments to 
clear out any excess fuel. 
Perform the pinch test 
immediately after. If the 
engine is allowed to idle 
for a long period of time, it 
could “load up” with fuel 
and give you an inaccurate 
measurement from your 
pinch test. 

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. See page 20 
for more information

Fuel Mixture Adjustment Chart

If the...

is..

then the air 
density is...

adjust (correct) the 
fuel mixture to be...

Humidity

Lower

Slightly  
more dense

Slightly richer

Higher

Slightly 
less dense

Slightly leaner

Pressure  
(barometer)

Lower

Less dense

Leaner

Higher

More dense

Richer

Temperature

Lower

More dense

Richer

Higher

Less dense

Leaner

Altitude

Lower

More dense

Richer

Higher

Less dense

Leaner

Nitro %

Lower

-

Leaner

Higher

-

Richer

THE TRX 3.3 RACING ENGINE

Summary of Contents for Revo 3.3 53097

Page 1: ...MODEL 53097 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: ...ur question at support Traxxas com Join thousands of registered members in our online community at Traxxas com Traxxas offers a full service on site repair facility to handle any of your Traxxas servi...

Page 4: ...careful not to touch the parts especially when refueling or stopping the engine Prolonged exposure to the engine exhaust can be harmful Avoid breathing the engine exhaust Always run your Revo outdoors...

Page 5: ...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 Susp...

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: ...for the 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 pag...

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: ...onic 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 The Function LED wi...

Page 10: ...attery pack from the model for charging Follow these steps to fully charge the receiver battery before operating your model 1 Plug the charger into a wall outlet A Choose an outlet that is in a locati...

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: ...lable air atomization THE FUEL MIXTURE NEEDLES The amount of fuel metered and atomized by the carburetor is controlled by the two mixture needles the high speed needle and the low speed needle The low...

Page 23: ...rt 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 engi...

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 140401 KC2054 MODEL 53097 owner s manual...

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