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View Full Version : Thunder Tiger service. Anyone have experience.


CoronaL
04-23-2008, 06:54 PM
My buddy and I each got TT 53 redlines for our 600N builds. I have an OS hyper 50 in my other 600N non pro, but wanted to try the Redline in my 600N pro build after reading the hype about the power etc...

Mine I got working fine. Actually started and ran great on wildcat 30% and although it was pig rich made very good power. Was pretty easy to tune. When I switched to Wildcat 30% CY blend(higher oil content) it ran like poo until I spent a fair amount of time adjusting the main and low end needles. Then just as I was about to throw my hands up after about 5-6 tanks of chasing the tune, it started to run GREAT and make tons of power. I mean ALOT of power. Near my 600E type power, as when I flip and roll my 600E it takes alot to bog the head on that, and I'm very poor with my collective management in the infancy of my heli flying. My head temps are 210-220F after fast FF and very very mild 3d in 70's F weather. No bogging now, and I'm happy except for one hiccup in the motor that scared me on my last flight durning a high speed high G bank with about 1/3-1/2 tank left(no header tank). My clunk is fine, so I'll chaulk that up to maybe still a new motor.

My buddies motor though ran like poo since the first start. Needed about 2turns out on the low needle just to start, and the transition was almost unable to be tuned between low and high needles. We always seem to be "chasing" a tune with his motor and we can get it close, but it either seems to turn rich or lean within seconds or minutes. Finally after 3 sessions of trying to tune the motor he pulled it. Alot of endplay can be felt in the crank, you could pull it in and out about 1/4". Taking the backplate off you can see where the crank pin is/was rubbing on the backplate. Also the carb just seeminly wouldn't tune. Tried a new OS #8 and we could start the motor with the low needle flush with the carb but it was way lean and found ourselves at the previous settings of 2 turns out on the low needle. Chasing the tune just never got fair power out of the motor and hunting between pig rich or lean popping :(.

Now at face value if I was an outsider I would think the poster of this thread and his knucklehead friend didn't know how to tune a nitro motor. However, I've been tuning nitro planks for 20+ years, and he's been flying nitro heli's since the early 90's. He's pissed off at TT and probably at me too for following my lead on the TT53 redline. We fired off an email to TT last night and to give them credit they responded within a couple hours. Wanted some pics of the motor which he supplied. And now he's in the "we will get back to you" phase.

Anyone have experience with how long it takes to get a TT motor serviced. He didn't buy this heli to stare at it on the bench. I'll probably loan him my Spare OS50hyper I bought used off the forums for the inevitable bearing exchange(I hate downtime).

Also, is this just a bad luck case. I read alot of threads on tuning issues at the "other site" that he linked to me. It gives me a headache to try to read that forum though as the text and organization of that site is just "backwards" to me, ie not well done.

dna001
05-10-2008, 05:15 PM
I am with you on this one TT53 can be a pain in the butt :-)


Not too happy with the build quality of the TT53.
Mine has just started to go lean on the third gallon of fuel which makes it get hot and then once it is hot the throttle starts to jam.
My friends one is doing the same thing , he is now on his third throttle servo, he has taken off the carb to check it out and the thread on both the screws pulled out and had to be re-tapped, at first I thought he just over tightened them until I tried to get my carb off and one of the screws pulled the thread out with it, the main needle valve seems to have far to much movement in it with the clip removed when using carb smart.
Does anyone know why the tt53 goes lean? I did find a thread that I was following about the damn thing going lean but for the life of me I cant find it so if anyone can point me to some info on the leaning out problem I would very much appreciate it.

greg006
05-10-2008, 10:30 PM
i sent a email to micheal @ raptor technique, hopefully he might run a column on the redline. i asked him a question in regards to the tuning and this was his reply

I just went to the engine section at HeliFreak and see a thread on the Redline about two guys getting them an having trouble. The first guy sounds to me like he just needed to get the tuning right. The 2nd one damaged the engine because of in/out play in the crankshaft. If you do not get the fan on correct then you will have in/out play in the crankshaft. This will cause the connecting rod to rub on the back plate and the engine will overheat. No amount of tuning will correct that. Over the many years I have helped a lot of people with this on the Raptor. They try to crank the engine when it is hydro locked and end up spinning the fan loose just enough to cause in/out play but not enough to jam the clutch against the clutch bell. On the t600n you can have in/out play if you do not get the fan on all the way. The center hole of the fan is tight. I had to open mine up a little to get mine on all the way.

in australia half the people love them and the other half hate em. obviously you must these motors well and how to tune them. try less nitro and maybe a different glow plug. when you get these motors right you will be very impressed with them,

greg006
05-10-2008, 10:34 PM
i forgot to mention, some motors in australia had a problem of stray metal fragments in the motor case. it was found that bad machining of the carburetor section which was not be-burred caused metal fragments to come loose scouring the bore. motor inspection might be worthwhile.

CoronaL
05-10-2008, 10:57 PM
i sent a email to micheal @ raptor technique, hopefully he might run a column on the redline. i asked him a question in regards to the tuning and this was his reply

I just went to the engine section at HeliFreak and see a thread on the Redline about two guys getting them an having trouble. The first guy sounds to me like he just needed to get the tuning right. The 2nd one damaged the engine because of in/out play in the crankshaft. If you do not get the fan on correct then you will have in/out play in the crankshaft. This will cause the connecting rod to rub on the back plate and the engine will overheat. No amount of tuning will correct that. Over the many years I have helped a lot of people with this on the Raptor. They try to crank the engine when it is hydro locked and end up spinning the fan loose just enough to cause in/out play but not enough to jam the clutch against the clutch bell. On the t600n you can have in/out play if you do not get the fan on all the way. The center hole of the fan is tight. I had to open mine up a little to get mine on all the way.

in australia half the people love them and the other half hate em. obviously you must these motors well and how to tune them. try less nitro and maybe a different glow plug. when you get these motors right you will be very impressed with them,




well here is my reply to that. I have to tuning down on mine. Runs great.
Different and not as easy to tune as an OS, but so be it, RUNS awesome now :)

My buddy, had crank play in it from the get go. We locked his cranked and gorrilla torqued the fan on. I don't see how the fan could have been loose.

He talked to a guy(sounds like same TT guy who replied btw) and he said that the fan was probably loose. That all TT 53RL's will rub on the back plate to some extent and he Also told my friend that the washer wasn't needed between the fan hub and the bearing :shock:

Anyway, we put his fan hub on my spare OS and it fit right on. So I don't think it's a fan hub or user error issue. I think there was just a machining problem with that motor, but I guess the TT guy ran it and said it ran awesome on his raptor and was making good power so if you take him at his word them maybe my buddy didn't get it tight enough, but I just don't see how that is. He's built 3-4 Raptors, a TSK, JR Vigor, and several Kyosho's, Century Hawks(POS), and others. Not his first heli, lets just say that.

Good news is that TT is sending his motor back either a new motor or fixed, so they are taking care of it.