Help Me Rebuild My Original RC10

[jasond]

I had the same motor problem! I ended up filing the slot. I think the previous poster wants you to use different holes in the motor, not the plate.
As for the mesh, wedge a strip of paper between the gears, tighten, then remove the paper. That's how much pay there should be.

[GodSpeed]

I had the same motor problem! I ended up filing the slot. I think the previous poster wants you to use different holes in the motor, not the plate.
As for the mesh, wedge a strip of paper between the gears, tighten, then remove the paper. That's how much pay there should be.

Thanks for the reply.

Ya I quickly realized the other holes in the plate are for the cover. I was able to shave the slot every so slightly wider and the screw is in perfectly.

Gear mesh is set as well. Just the tiny right amount of play.

I ran the car last night for the first time since probably 1989 and of course the first time ever on LiPo power with an ESC and modern brushless sensored motor.

It. Freakin'. Rips.

My brother and I ran this thing for ~4yrs on dirt tracks and the street in front of our house and the tires were still "good". After 15 minutes of testing on the street with the new power the tires took a serious beating. 1, maybe 2 full LiPo packs on the street and they'd be slicks. LOL

Having a blast. I built this for my boys, right??? haha

Oh, I had to crank down the slipper nut a fair bit. Having the nylon threads flush with the end of the shaft, as the instructions indicate, had WAY too much slip.

[GoMachV]

Weird that you haven't seen this. I haven't been able to stump you yet! haha

Yeah but I also don't play with those kind of motors! Lol

As jasond mentioned, I am referring to using the incorrect set of holes in the motor, to keep from drilling the motor plate. It may not work but it's an easy test

Yes, tighten up the diff! Your running about 15x more power than we had with those transmissions!

[GodSpeed]

Tore up a baseball diamond with the boys last night and they loved it. Biggest issue by far is traction; even tracking a straight line can be tough because it breaks loose so easily. I'll be ordering JC Racing wheels and new tires soon......probably today.

I came across a little bit of a problem after a while though. Not sure if sand/gravel was getting stuck somewhere, but the right rear wheel would lock up and then the left rear would spin and dig a hole. With a bit of wiggling I could "unlock" it and it would operate again. It did this a few times.

I noticed now that when turned off, you know how if both wheels are on the ground and you push it forward you get kind of the "click click click" as the motor turns? And if you pick it up and spin one wheel forward, the other one turns backwards smoothly?

Well, that's the case with the left rear, but the right rear (the one that locked up a few times) gives the "click click click". If I go really gently/smoothly it will function like the other side. What's going on? I didn't mess something up inside the transmission, did I?

BOTH sides will do the "click click..." if I give them a sharp jolt spin forwards. Is this the slipper functioning? Why would it do it more on one side than the other?

I should have taken pictures of it after the run. Filthy. You guys would either appreciate the fact that we're running this thing, or be horrified at how hard we ran it. The baseball diamond material probably isn't the best for it, especially since a bunch got into the tub. Is it normal for you guys who run in dirt to get some in the tub and all around the ESC, motor etc. Tiny spinning motors, fans, delicate electronics and gritty dirt sound like a recipe for disaster to me.

[DMAT]

Im gonna recommend the barcodes as a good tire for the dirt, when I ran at that indoor track, after a while of running there would be a good bit of loose dirt build up and it still held traction pretty good.

your clicking sound might be some broken teeth in the tranny. I had an idler blow up and slivers of the thing were all in the outdrive teeth. I didnt get them all out before running another gear and it caused that kind of issue. im using metal ones now b/c of that.

i think the dirt isnt an issue. a little compressed air gets that stuff out too.

[GodSpeed]

Im gonna recommend the barcodes as a good tire for the dirt, when I ran at that indoor track, after a while of running there would be a good bit of loose dirt build up and it still held traction pretty good.

your clicking sound might be some broken teeth in the tranny. I had an idler blow up and slivers of the thing were all in the outdrive teeth. I didnt get them all out before running another gear and it caused that kind of issue. im using metal ones now b/c of that.

i think the dirt isnt an issue. a little compressed air gets that stuff out too.

Does your car not click if you put it on the ground and push it a little? Maybe "click" is a bad word....but it's kind of like that. It's when the motor turns manually. So, what I think is happening is the spur gear balls might have lost their lube, even though I had the cover on, and the grit from the baseball diamond is making the slipper not slip.

Air compressor clean up happening right now in fact. It seems to be a lot better after initial cleanup with a toothbrush.

Thanks for the recommendation on the tires.

[GoMachV]

Sounds like there is a bind in the trans or drive on one side. If you take off the diff nut and remove the spur gear you can feel both sides separately and I bet one doesn't feel right. Most likely an idler gear or a bad bearing in my experience but there are a lot of things that can go bad, I've had a few dogbones that were too tight in the outdrive too.

Depending on how tight you set the diff, you may or may not see the opposite tire spin or the motor turn- but either way it should feel smooth without any notchy feeling.

[GodSpeed]

Sounds like there is a bind in the trans or drive on one side. If you take off the diff nut and remove the spur gear you can feel both sides separately and I bet one doesn't feel right. Most likely an idler gear or a bad bearing in my experience but there are a lot of things that can go bad, I've had a few dogbones that were too tight in the outdrive too.

Depending on how tight you set the diff, you may or may not see the opposite tire spin or the motor turn- but either way it should feel smooth without any notchy feeling.

Ya, it's supposed to spin smooth if turning it by hand up in the air (the metal slipper ring spinning on the spur gear balls), right...not turn the spur gear and pinion?

It seems okay now, but I think I need to re-lube the spur gear balls. I'll take off the diff nut as you recommended to check each side individually and can lube the balls easily at that time.

I looked at those Barcodes. Not very knobby for dirt, but you say they're good, huh?

[GoMachV]

If you do find a side that feels odd, remove the dogbone and spin it- if it went away it could be a wheel bearing or tight dogbone.

As far as the diff action, lube for the balls is more about the nylon spur contact not the gripping of the balls to the rings. I would superglue (just a drop) the rings to the hubs if you haven't already as they slip easily with lots of motor. Clean the balls and look at the rings, lube and reassemble. Make sure that the nut is tight enough that you aren't getting a lot of slip.

[GodSpeed]

Okay, I have not glued the rings to the hubs and I will do that. Thanks for the tip.

Here's a picture of its current status. Maybe you can help me further diagnose the problem, if there is one --



If I spin the LEFT rear wheel, the shaft spins. No crunching or clicking. If I try to hold the shaft still just with my fingers while turning the left wheel, I can't; it still turns. Good so far I hope?

If I spin the RIGHT rear wheel, the shaft does not spin but the hub does. No crunching or clicking. If I hold the hub still and try to turn the wheel, I can't.

Is this normal action for each side or do I have a problem? Strange, to me, that they're different.

Also, I can move the shaft laterally a little bit. I can see it moving on the left side of the trans case as well when I move it. I can also move the inner hub (still installed per picture) a little bit on the shaft.

Is any of this abnormal/broken?

Thanks. Again, I really appreciate the help and the insane technical knowledge on this site.

[GoMachV]

All sounds correct. The shaft IS the left side, and the hub is the right side. As long as both turn smoothly your fine.

Might have just been a pebble stuck in the drive that has fallen out

[GodSpeed]

All sounds correct. The shaft IS the left side, and the hub is the right side. As long as both turn smoothly your fine.

Might have just been a pebble stuck in the drive that has fallen out

AWESOME. Thank you.

And the little bit of shaft movement and hub on the shaft is normal as well? I think I recall from the assembly instructions that it is.

I think your suspicion is correct regarding the pebble. The baseball diamond material isn't the high quality dirt you see in the Majors. It's more your local diamond gravel stuff. Lots to get bound up in the outdrives, dogbones, etc.

[GoMachV]

Yeah movement it pretty common

[DMAT]

i had to go look at some baseball diamond turf to see what you are running on. Im definitely off with using barcodes on that.

but i think think the same principle would apply for that turf. Its small rocks with a solid layer underneath.
I would say proline badlands but i dont see any 2.2 sized ones

[NickTheGreek]

I was having some traction issues myself ...with dirt hawgs.
Standard buggy ribbed tires in the front n proline blockades did wonders.....I'm pretty new at this, so I was pretty surprised what a difference tires can make....it's unbelievable.

Half the time I ride in real loose dirt I end up with a clicking sound I haven't been able to figure out yet......cause it mysteriously goes away.
Yesterday I had went out with two cars and it ended up happening to both. I came home, took off the gear covers...sounded like it was coming right from inside transmission.....I was about to start disassembling when it went away...on both cars.
I'm thinking it's just a tiny rock stuck in the spur gear that ends up getting loose n then just falling out.

....but what do I know....I need all the help I can get.