XL-5 Fried - Replaced and new one popped and smoked when powered on

[BADsDAD]

Hey all,
I am hoping you can help me with troubleshooting one of my boys' Stampedes.
He was running it in the back yard last week and it stopped and wouldn't turn on. He brought it to me and I put a fresh battery in (2S) and when I hit the power button on the ESC, the LED flickered very dimly then just went out.
So, I ordered a new XL-5 and put that in. As soon as I powered it on, there was a pop sound from the new XL-5 and a bit of smoke came out. This one lights up still with a fully bright LED, but is dead to the world otherwise.

So, my question is how can I tell what is popping them instantly now without replacing every electrical component to just be sure I don't destroy another? By the time I replace everything, I can pretty much just buy a new Stampede without battery for about $30 more. Is that the better way to go and just use it as a parts car now?

Thank you in advance for any advice!

[Squeegie]

Call Traxxas customer service and they can try to walk you through what needs to be done. If it doesn’t work, they should be able to replace it under warranty.

Good luck!

[BADsDAD]

Call Traxxas customer service and they can try to walk you through what needs to be done. If it doesn’t work, they should be able to replace it under warranty.

Thank you! I'll give it a try, but the Stampede is a few years old, so maybe they will help out since I just bought the new XL-5.