TRX 3.3 not wanting to turn over freely

[Nathan29]

I have a TRX 3.3 that I have been cleaning up after sitting for a long time. I tore it down and got it freed up pretty easily, and cleaned everything up thoroughly. The flywheel spun quite easily until I installed the starter shaft and rear plate. With the four screws in the plate tightened up it doesn’t want to rurn over. If I barely back off the screws it turns over fine. Anyone have any ideas what’s causing this?

[Bob2.0]

Which side of the back plate did you put the Teflon washer on? Its supposed to go on the starter side and i think I had comparable problems when I once accidentally put it on the crank side.

[Nathan29]

There is one on the starter shaft up against the disc on it. That’s where it was when I tore it down, because it is actually stuck on there pretty good so I left it.

[Double G]

Review the exploded views of the engine:
https://traxxas.com/sites/default/fi...y_051221_0.pdf
and the exterior components:
https://traxxas.com/sites/default/fi...s_070403_0.pdf

Have you torn down a 3.3 before? Did you remove the rear bearing? Did it get installed completely in its seat? Did you make sure that the nub on the crankshaft is correctly installed into the recess in the starter shaft?

If you haven't then make sure that the cutout on the piston faces the carb and the cutout on the inside of the backplate faces up.

[Nathan29]

Which side of the back plate did you put the Teflon washer on? Its supposed to go on the starter side and i think I had comparable problems when I once accidentally put it on the crank side.

Turns out, this was issue after all. I removed the stuck washer with a small screwdriver and put the back plate on again. It turns over very smoothly now. This was my first time tearing into the motor and I appreciate the advice.

[Nathan29]

Thanks for the response. It seems like that little washer being in the wrong spot was the culprit. I’ll pay a little more attention to those exploded views from here on out.

[Nitronaught]

Turns out, this was issue after all. I removed the stuck washer with a small screwdriver and put the back plate on again. It turns over very smoothly now. This was my first time tearing into the motor and I appreciate the advice.

You should see how many people take apart their engine and put the piston in backwards.... All part of the learning curve.

Besides the exploded views which are great, when you disassemble anything try to place the parts on a work area in the same order they came apart, especially if it's the first time... It helps a lot.