Vorteks New here, need help with my New Arrma Vorteks

[JimmyGuitar]

Hello, could really use some advice on a brand new Arrma Vorteks. I am typically the kind of person who fixes things rather than send them back… but my gut instinct is to just send it back and get a new one.

I have taken it out on pavement only, 4 full battery runs in 4 days. No “crashes”

1st run is a dream, I am in LOVE with this truck and so happy I didn’t get a Traxxass. I do notice a really noisy “pepper grinder”sound from the drive train. I find direction to pop the drive shaft and check if it’s front or back, it’s front. I am told by the hobby shop the sound is “louder than usual? But to be expected, nothing to worry about”.

2nd run. It dies 5 minutes into the run. Fans running, nothing is working (steering or throttle) I turn it off and on again, and it not only starts working again… it’s going way faster than first run and popping wheelies! I am even more in love with the truck, it’s flipping ripping tires and popping wheelies at speed not just from a standstill.

3rd run. No longer popping wheelies and sputtering at take off… if I drop the throttle only half way, the car sounds like it has a loose wire? Only way to describe it… and the throttle is basically stuttering… not just taking off, it’s trying to go and hesitating repeatedly, then suddenly once it gets going a little, it engages and flys off like it’s supposed to. Once I get it going, It’s really not handling the same. It’s as if there is something holding it back, causing the stirring at start and bad handling at speed. It starts rolling over doing basic maneuvers as well. It’s driving like poop, can’t get up to speed, like driving with one front brake on is the best way to describe it.

4th run (today) Speed winked at 15-20 MPH! So, the sputtering is worse, the handling is nearly un-drivable. As I get maybe 20 mph it’s now speed wobbling so bad it spontaneously flips overs and crashes driving straight and not even fast. I try to check the tires, nothing is loose… suspension is alignment is the same as out of the box. At one point I was just going 7-10 miles an hours and the blasted truck is rolling over the front end.

I bought this truck less than a week ago. I was absolutely blown away by the handling and speed, just amazing. 3 days later, my Daugters $60 DeerC car is smoking me on handling, and due to speed wobbles her DeerC is also bearing my Vorteks at speed and handling. Her car has 75 runs on it, Amazon Junkie RC had now smoked my Vorteks in value, handling and speed because I crash over 20 mph.

I hate to say this, because I love this truck, but this is my first Arrma… what in gods name is going on here.

And I’ll be honest, my Hoppy shop guy told me to return it and buy a Traxxas. I dot think I am there yet, but I am extremely disappointed.

Can anyone give me advice, a check list of what to look for?

I am new to RC’s, I had an E-Maxx for about 2 years back in maybe 2004? That’s the extent of my experience. I could really use some help from folks that know their Arrma gear. I know this Hobby shop guy is probably very bias for Traxxas.

 

[Bustedaw11]

What is the temps where you are?

The studder at the start is referred to as cogging. It can happen from being geared to high but..
Sounds to me like the battery isn't fully charged and your hitting LVC (low voltage cut).
If the esc senses low voltage it goes into kind of a limp mode which is restricted highly in speed to protect the battery from draining to far and damaging it. Let's you know to end the run and re-charge.

When it's going slow check the light on the esc. It'll tell you if it's in lvc.

As far as handling goes... turn 1 front and make sure you don't feel or hear and binding in the front diff. Do the same for the rear. Pull the center shaft and be sure rolling 1 end or the other together doesn't feel bound up.
Does the vorteks come with avc? It does doesn't it? Avc could be tripping out causing an issue. I'd turn it down/off and see if that death wobble goes away.

Don't get discouraged, probably just a couple little things causing an issue..we will get to the bottom of it

 

[Hector_Fisher]

Things happen, I wouldn't let it stress you too much. Arrma's warranty is pretty good to cover you if any issues arise outside of your control (like bum electronics). As described above, make sure you have a way to monitor temperatures on the motor can or speed controller. That can help you identify issues earlier on.

I've had very similar issues to what you're describing for several different reasons before on these 3s trucks:
-seized bearings
-binding in the drivetrain
-bad electronics

Seized bearings: Not extremely likely since you say this is a new truck, but let's not rule anything out yet. We'll get to this if #2 and #3 below aren't the problem.

Binding: The best way to check for binding in the drivetrain is to remove the "power module" (slipper clutch/motor assembly) and see if the truck still rolls smoothly. If the power modules is removed, and the truck still doesn't roll well, then we can suspect binding somewhere.

Bad electronics: Sad to say, but sometimes it does happen, even on trucks fresh from the factory. If you have spare electronics, you can try to swap them in to see if the issue is fixed. One thing you can do is remove the motor from the power module (or keep it installed but just move the slipper out of the way), plug a battery in, and spin up the motor (carefully). If it's smooth and relatively quiet, then it's likely not a bad motor bearing. If binding or bearings aren't the issue, then i'd suspect an electronics issue.

 

[JimmyGuitar]

Things happen, I wouldn't let it stress you too much. Arrma's warranty is pretty good to cover you if any issues arise outside of your control (like bum electronics). As described above, make sure you have a way to monitor temperatures on the motor can or speed controller. That can help you identify issues earlier on.

I've had very similar issues to what you're describing for several different reasons before on these 3s trucks:
-seized bearings
-binding in the drivetrain
-bad electronics

Seized bearings: Not extremely likely since you say this is a new truck, but let's not rule anything out yet. We'll get to this if #2 and #3 below aren't the problem.

Binding: The best way to check for binding in the drivetrain is to remove the "power module" (slipper clutch/motor assembly) and see if the truck still rolls smoothly. If the power modules is removed, and the truck still doesn't roll well, then we can suspect binding somewhere.

Bad electronics: Sad to say, but sometimes it does happen, even on trucks fresh from the factory. If you have spare electronics, you can try to swap them in to see if the issue is fixed. One thing you can do is remove the motor from the power module (or keep it installed but just move the slipper out of the way), plug a battery in, and spin up the motor (carefully). If it's smooth and relatively quiet, then it's likely not a bad motor bearing. If binding or bearings aren't the issue, then i'd suspect an electronics issue.

Thank you very much… I calmed down a LOT. The truck went SO bad, SO fast… and that was amplified because I was SOOO high on this truck, so amazed, so happy with my purchase after the first run. That made the swing to the utter disappointment of an undrivable truck so much worse.

I will check these things, and report back.

What is the temps where you are?

The studder at the start is referred to as cogging. It can happen from being geared to high but..
Sounds to me like the battery isn't fully charged and your hitting LVC (low voltage cut).
If the esc senses low voltage it goes into kind of a limp mode which is restricted highly in speed to protect the battery from draining to far and damaging it. Let's you know to end the run and re-charge.

When it's going slow check the light on the esc. It'll tell you if it's in lvc.

As far as handling goes... turn 1 front and make sure you don't feel or hear and binding in the front diff. Do the same for the rear. Pull the center shaft and be sure rolling 1 end or the other together doesn't feel bound up.
Does the vorteks come with avc? It does doesn't it? Avc could be tripping out causing an issue. I'd turn it down/off and see if that death wobble goes away.

Don't get discouraged, probably just a couple little things causing an issue..we will get to the bottom of it

Yes it has the AVC, I had to look it up and see what it was. You might be on to some thing… I watched a YouTube video explaining what it does, and he was tilting the car and the system was smoothly turning the wheels in sync. When I tried the same thing, it wasn’t a smooth turning motion, it was random twitchy jerking motions that didn’t follow any smooth pattern, and was turning in directions that seems counterintuitive. The wobbling during the drive was so extreme, and thinking about it now… I might be looking at some type of a feedback loop of the AVC compensating for its own motion. I’ll try turning it off tomorrow and report backed. It was set to Max-all the way up out of the box and as a noob I didn’t even know it was a thing.

Also, I did notice and forgot to mention… when the stuttering is occurring there is a light flashing off and on when it’s stalling. I think it was right where the in/off switch is.. I don’t think temp is an issue because it does this right from the start before it has had time to even warm up at all, it does it from the cold first minute. Perhaps it is sensing here that doesn’t exist.

 

[JimmyGuitar]

The guy at the Hobby shop made two suggestions (it wasn’t the guy I instinctively trust and seems knowledgeable, it was the “only buy Traxxas” guy who answer every question with “if you bought a Traxxas, blah blah blah”..

He suggested I check the shocks to see, maybe they came dry out if the factory. And his second suggestion was “you get what you pay for, try using a high end battery”…
So there is a noticeable difference from front to back shocks in resistance, and the front end drop and sags about an inch or more when I set the car down… the back only sags a quarter inch.

I had our purchased a two pack of Zeee batteries off Amazon, the “only buy Traxxas” guy implied they are trash and could be the source of the stuttering? Anyway, I did order a Spektrum battery and I was waiting for the blu tooth module so I could have telemetry on the vehicle occasionally… I’ll see if that makes a difference as well.

Any word the batteries from those with experience would be appreciated… are the Zeee batteries really something I don’t want to be using? He said stay away from all the 2 for $60 crap on Amazon… Or is the hobby shop second tier guy the hose tool my instincts are telling me he is…

 

[Hector_Fisher]

The guy at the Hobby shop made two suggestions (it wasn’t the guy I instinctively trust and seems knowledgeable, it was the “only buy Traxxas” guy who answer every question with “if you bought a Traxxas, blah blah blah”..

He suggested I check the shocks to see, maybe they came dry out if the factory. And his second suggestion was “you get what you pay for, try using a high end battery”…
So there is a noticeable difference from front to back shocks in resistance, and the front end drop and sags about an inch or more when I set the car down… the back only sags a quarter inch.

I had our purchased a two pack of Zeee batteries off Amazon, the “only buy Traxxas” guy implied they are trash and could be the source of the stuttering? Anyway, I did order a Spektrum battery and I was waiting for the blu tooth module so I could have telemetry on the vehicle occasionally… I’ll see if that makes a difference as well.

Any word the batteries from those with experience would be appreciated… are the Zeee batteries really something I don’t want to be using? He said stay away from all the 2 for $60 crap on Amazon… Or is the hobby shop second tier guy the hose tool my instincts are telling me he is…

I wouldn't suggest that spektrum batteries are any better, per say. From what i've experienced, I've never had an issue with stuttering due to a weak battery. The only issue a weak battery gets you is poor run times and slightly lower performance compared to better ones. But, as you said, the first run was awesome and met your expectations, so you know that these batteries can perform at least to some degree.

As far as Zeee batteries, I have several myself. They are cheap for a reason, but I use them in my heavy bashers, so if the battery gets ejected or banged up, I don't feel to bad about losing a "cheap battery". Yes, there are better batteries you can buy, but that's more of a "seeking performance" question for another day.

It sounds like this hobby shop guy thinks traxxas is the only REAL hobby RC companyin the world. I wouldn't listen much more to his advice, personally. In the same way that I wouldn't listen to anyone whose advice was that Arrma was the only company worth buying into and that everything else was crap. Just my two cents.

Can you fix the stuttering issue by restarting the RC?

 

[JimmyGuitar]

I wouldn't suggest that spektrum batteries are any better, per say. From what i've experienced, I've never had an issue with stuttering due to a weak battery. The only issue a weak battery gets you is poor run times and slightly lower performance compared to better ones. But, as you said, the first run was awesome and met your expectations, so you know that these batteries can perform at least to some degree.

As far as Zeee batteries, I have several myself. They are cheap for a reason, but I use them in my heavy bashers, so if the battery gets ejected or banged up, I don't feel to bad about losing a "cheap battery". Yes, there are better batteries you can buy, but that's more of a "seeking performance" question for another day.

It sounds like this hobby shop guy thinks traxxas is the only REAL hobby RC companyin the world. I wouldn't listen much more to his advice, personally. In the same way that I wouldn't listen to anyone whose advice was that Arrma was the only company worth buying into and that everything else was crap. Just my two cents.

Can you fix the stuttering issue by restarting the RC?

So far it’s really just random. It will stutter 3 to 4 times out of 5. The 1 or 2 times out of 5 it doesn’t stutter, it just takes off.

Trying to think of more variables… it only happens from either a standstill or sub-3mph start of acceleration. It never happens if the throttle is dropped 100%, but anything less than 100% it stutters almost very time I accelerate.
The red light going off and on when the stuttering is happening, I am sure it’s the vehicle on/off button (which is illuminated) and that light is 100% in sync with the stuttering… off and on the light is flickering in sync with the loss of motor engagement.

obviously I can illuminate the stuttering issue entirely if I only “floor it” but that causes problems of its own,

If I find a solution, I will report back.

Any additional advice to narrow down the things to check would be appreciated. It seems to be everything in the drivetrain from the transmitter itself to the electronics..

 

[Hector_Fisher]

So far it’s really just random. It will stutter 3 to 4 times out of 5. The 1 or 2 times out of 5 it doesn’t stutter, it just takes off.

Trying to think of more variables… it only happens from either a standstill or sub-3mph start of acceleration. It never happens if the throttle is dropped 100%, but anything less than 100% it stutters almost very time I accelerate.
The red light going off and on when the stuttering is happening, I am sure it’s the vehicle on/off button (which is illuminated) and that light is 100% in sync with the stuttering… off and on the light is flickering in sync with the loss of motor engagement.

obviously I can illuminate the stuttering issue entirely if I only “floor it” but that causes problems of its own,

If I find a solution, I will report back.

Any additional advice to narrow down the things to check would be appreciated. It seems to be everything in the drivetrain from the transmitter itself to the electronics..

At this point, a video showing what your describing is really the only way I could deduce anything more. I'm not really in the know about ESC lights, so I can't comment on that. All Arrma 3s trucks have "hesitation" in their throttle range. It's part of how they are geared and the electronics they use. However, I have had issues beyond that general hesitation when the stuttering was in the range of a second or two of cogging before the motor finally spools up. It ended up being a bad ESC, and the problem was solved by getting a replacement. If that's the case, i would reach out to Arrma for a warranty claim.

 

[JimmyGuitar]

At this point, a video showing what you’re describing is really the only way I could deduce anything more. I'm not really in the know about ESC lights, so I can't comment on that. All Arrma 3s trucks have "hesitation" in their throttle range. It's part of how they are geared and the electronics they use. However, I have had issues beyond that general hesitation when the stuttering was in the range of a second or two of cogging before the motor finally spools up. It ended up being a bad ESC, and the problem was solved by getting a replacement. If that's the case, i would reach out to Arrma for a warranty claim.

This must be a really common issue. Why? I got frustrated with NO response of any kind from Arrma warranty, and I got pissed off decided to exchange it with another one. I get the replacement and it’s clearly an open box retaped… with dirty finger prints and hair in/on the tape, so clearly someone claimed to “not open it” and Amazon sent it to me as if it was new..

Well this one has the same flipping problem , but absolutely worse! In fact, on this one the motor stutters and doesn’t stop suffering is the wheel is turned in any way, it will literally putt around in a circle going 1/2 mph on 100% throttle, with the trigger pinned to the handle… it won’t stop stuttering until the steering is released.

This is so dumb, and the problem with Arrma on this model seams to be systemic , because I got one with a worse issue someone else sent back.

I bought a Arrma 3s typhon becuase I am really getting into this with my child and the Vorteks was glitching.. the Typhon 3s has Zero problems… normal hesitation before spoiling up, but this crap where it won’t even drive with the steering wheel turned.

I have the Typhon now, and have to make a stupid second return now because I got a used Vorteks as new from Amazon. I never should have purchased this online.

Based on the issue now being identified as MUCH worse when the wheel is turned, can anyone help identify the issue? It’s not like I can drive it normal becuase the throttle just goes away when I turn and it stutters the entire time it’s turning. The previous one at least didn’t stutter when it was turning at speed. This is just dumb, and if I didn’t have and love the Typhon 3s without any issues, I would be off Arrma and never buy again.

 

[JimmyGuitar]

By the way, I have tried uploading a video and I can’t, is there any option beside setting up a YouTube channel to show videos on here?

 

[Hector_Fisher]

This must be a really common issue. Why? I got frustrated with NO response of any kind from Arrma warranty, and I got pissed off decided to exchange it with another one. I get the replacement and it’s clearly an open box retaped… with dirty finger prints and hair in/on the tape, so clearly someone claimed to “not open it” and Amazon sent it to me as if it was new..

Well this one has the same flipping problem , but absolutely worse! In fact, on this one the motor stutters and doesn’t stop suffering is the wheel is turned in any way, it will literally putt around in a circle going 1/2 mph on 100% throttle, with the trigger pinned to the handle… it won’t stop stuttering until the steering is released.

This is so dumb, and the problem with Arrma on this model seams to be systemic , because I got one with a worse issue someone else sent back.

I bought a Arrma 3s typhon becuase I am really getting into this with my child and the Vorteks was glitching.. the Typhon 3s has Zero problems… normal hesitation before spoiling up, but this crap where it won’t even drive with the steering wheel turned.

I have the Typhon now, and have to make a stupid second return now because I got a used Vorteks as new from Amazon. I never should have purchased this online.

Based on the issue now being identified as MUCH worse when the wheel is turned, can anyone help identify the issue? It’s not like I can drive it normal becuase the throttle just goes away when I turn and it stutters the entire time it’s turning. The previous one at least didn’t stutter when it was turning at speed. This is just dumb, and if I didn’t have and love the Typhon 3s without any issues, I would be off Arrma and never buy again.

I can't comment on whether this is a common issue, but I can certainly say that the stock electronics -- in almost any RC car nowadays -- are pretty terrible. Both in reliability and performance. Personally I'd return the one you got from amazon. Unfortunately, amazon will likely package it right back up and sell it to someone else.

I'm not sure why you aren't getting luck with the Arrma warranty. What contact information are you using? IIRC, the information has changed a while back maybe? There have been some posts about it.

As far as a replacement options go, I would look to none other than the 10BL120 G2.
https://www.amazon.com/HOBBYWING-QUICRUN-WP-10BL120-ESC/dp/B0C66S9VSP/

It's the best bang for your buck ESC you can get and won't have any reliability or performance issues. The only limitation is that you can't change ESC settings without a programming card. I've just left the settings as default and it's been just fine.

For video, the forum website doesn't have video hosting capabilities. So if you want to share videos, you have to link them via some other website (youtube is the most common).