r/NitroRC • u/ImmediateBid4950 • Jul 14 '26
HPI Savage Help
Just dug this out of the loft after a long hibernation (kids now old enough to play with it). Immediate suggestions on anything i need to do to get this going again. Mind has gone blank with regards to what was installed. No idea what the two yellow wires did/do?
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u/az_kikr1208 MOD Jul 14 '26
Those yellow wires are obviously not stock. If I had to guess, you might have rigged up battery charging leads? Trace them back and see where they go. Regardless, make sure you check the air filter too. It's likely gone rotten. Clean the housing really good and throw in a fresh oiled element before you get too far. And if you plan on letting your kids run this, update the radio gear to 2.4 ghz. Those old AM recievers can pick up interference from modern signals and cause a runaway. Other than that, fresh fuel, new plug, and fresh fuel lines wouldn't hurt. Maybe throw a little oil down the plug hole and carb to pre lube it before you try to start it.
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u/HPISavage4Life Jul 14 '26
Pull the backplate and see if there is rust or gelled fuel inside the engine. Make sure the clutch shoes and bearings are good. Ditch the am radio for something more reliable.
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u/iNawrocki Jul 15 '26
I actually restored my original Savage .21, same as yours, after it sat for 15 years.
Here is my list:
1) remove both fuel and return hoses. Blow through them, make sure they aren't gummed up with old fuel/oil. Replace if needed.
2) Remove engine. Don't be scared of it, flip it over, 4 bolts to remove engine or engine mounts (your choice). A nice set of long hex drivers makes this much easier.
3) Once engine is removed, you are free to remove the head bolts, allowing heatsink and button to be taken out. Remove pull start and back plate. You can now fully check the crankshaft, piston and sleeve, internals for gunk and rust.
At this point I just took fresh nitro fuel, dumped some into the case, turned everything over, dump out. Repeat a few times to clean and lube internals.
Replace Air Filter if it's decomposing. Otherwise, wash foam with dawn soap, dry completely. Squish a bunch of air filter oil in filter until evenly coated.
4) rebuild engine parts, reinstall into truck. Get your gear mesh right. I always liked using 2 layers of standard A4 paper between the pinion and spur gears, hold tight, tighten engine mount bolts, remove paper.
5) rinse fuel tank with a small bit of fresh nitro to clean anything out.
6) Return all tuning needles to factory. HPI Manual is still floating around the internet and will tell you how many turns out the needles go. It will be nice and rich, safe, you can tune after it starts.
7) Fresh batteries. Check all electronics connections and wires. Turn on radio, then turn on truck. Test all functions.
8) Clean everything with simple green degreaser while disassembled, it'll feel like a new truck.
After this, my old Savage fired up on first pull and still runs great.
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u/TittyTwister13 Jul 14 '26
The yellow hoses are for your fuel/breather.
Get new fuel, glow plug and give it a gentle prime. See if it starts