davets1

I'm getting back into R/C after last racing an Optima in the 80's. I bought an old HPI RS4 MT 4WD Truggy that has a Trinity Speed Gems Ruby 16T motor. When I ran it the first several times it seemed real fast then I flushed it with electric motor cleaner, reoiled bearings and it seemed slower. Tonight I took it completely apart and cleaned it real well. I just noticed tonight that it has adjustable timing. It had been set all the way one way (aligned with the 2 hash marks that are very close together). For the heck of it I turned it to the opposite extreme. It seemed a little quicker on top end but same on low end. I used to run a Gold (can't remember the manufacturer name) motor in my Optima and timed it so I could get 4 mins out of it at full throttle because our races were 4 minutes long. It was very fast.
1) Can a person put the motor together wrong?
2) How do I read the timing marks (which mark is low end, which mark is top end)?
Thanks.

RC Dad

iTrader: (26)

The timing marks indicate timing advance only. The plastic tab between the slots on the endbell is your timing mark. Holding the motor with the endbell up you should rotate the endbell marks to the right to advance timing.

Usually the marks on the can, if multiple, will be spaced 5 degrees apart. If only one mark, it's 0 degrees. I'd stay between 12 and 15 degrees advanced on that motor. More advance = more top end, and more power throughout the band up to a point. Too much advance and the motor will lose some bottom end and run hot.

Trinity Speed Gems (and all mod motors) need their comms cut and new standup brushes put in about every 5 runs or power will drop off noticeably.

Many endbells have a timing mark on both sides. The correct one will be the mark closest to the post holding the positive brush spring. If you put the motor together wrong - endbell backwards (180 degrees off) - the motor will run in reverse.
If you time it wrong - endbell marks to the left of 0 degree can mark - you'll lose RPMs. (unless it's running in reverse)

kufman

iTrader: (6)

Probably a Kyosho 360 or 480 Gold motor (that was the actual name for them).

davets1

480 Gold. That was it. Seems like my Optima was faster than this but of course I don't know how gearing and tire sizes compare.

RCDAD thanks for the info. I have 1 mark on the can and I believe 5 on the end bell. They look like this left to right with endbell up: / / / // . It had been set to the far right prior to me taking it apart. I then set it to the far left.