Low Maintenance Thread

[BrabusBen]

Just thought I'd run this thread for techniques to prolong the life of our trucks and minimise the time we have to spend maintaining them.

I run in wet uk mud and grass on 2s lipos, currently on stock electrics, have 2 kids 4&6 who also drive the truck not on training mode - so it really gets bashed. I'm a doctor, so don't have a lot of free time, and don't really want to spend it cleaning (at start cleaning was taking longer than the run times) and really don't need to be doing a complete strip down more than once a month

I have stared each upgrade as to the effectiveness of the upgrade +++++ = very effective, minimal maintenance, + = rubbish, leads to more problems than benefits. The way I'm testing is by doing NO MAINTENANCE other than the following:

1) Waiting for mud/water to dry naturally - no air compressors, no washing, no towel drying

2) Tightening loose screws, replacing worn gears, replacing shock oils etc when required - I still want the truck to handle properly lol

3) Use a stiff paintbrush to brush off loose mud once dry

4) Remove anything bound around Driveshafts

So what have I done so far:


YEAH STAINLESS BEARINGS +++++
Week 2 of ownership, complete strip down. 30% of the bearings had rusted solid! I was aware of this problem so had pre-ordered yeah stainless steel bearings and replaced ALL the bearings with these sealed units - claimed to require NO maintenance.

KING HEADZ MOTOR MOUNT +++++
Again was aware of stock motor mount problems so before running at all swapped this in

OUTERWEARS SHROUD +++++

Again bought before truck, always used, in combination with....

PROLINE UNDERTRAY +++++

Cut down to just overlap shroud at front but not rear - provides easier access to battery whilst stopping things persuading the shroud off at the front - also stops stones entering front of driveshaft

DP SLIPPER NUT COVER ++++

Applied from New
alternative would be new longer driveshaft cover - both prevent stones entering at rear of driveshaft

RPM NERF BARS ++++
put on from new, from what I read stock are very fragile

RPM REAR BUMPER (and lights and mud flaps for show lol) +++

Not really necessary but got it for Christmas and allows light mounting along with mud flaps - all for show

SHOCK SOCKS ++++

Only £3 for length long enough for 8 shocks

ACF-50 +++++
An Aircraft quality anti-rust treatment and lubricant. This was used to lubricate everything metal and plastic before re-assembly after a complete clean. Excellent at stopping drive shafts binding. Very good at preventing rust. It is meant to last about 1 year - I will re apply when rust appears on treated parts and inform you when this happens.


THE STARTING TRUCK....


Nice and clean, for the last time in a while (kills me as I love a clean truck)


This is the "typical" appearance after a run of 2x2s and 1xStock NiMh which I usually do 3-5 times a week, depending on shifts:







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[BrabusBen]

So after three weeks (17 runs) of running and dry brushing only:



Very little mud stays stuck, thanks to the ACF-50

No rust on treated parts (note inner chassis screw heads not treated for comparison, but they rarely get wet thanks to outerwears):


Virtually NO dirt in driveshaft (note this has not been ever opened since new - 45+ runs in wet mud):


No drive shaft binding:


Clean servo and driveshaft (under externally dirty undertray)


No Binding of bearing......Yet ;0)

All suspension components free play

All wheels rotate nicely

No servo problem




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[turok]

saying about bearings rusted solid. i had that issue with one bearing. but didn't notice because the brushless system is so powerful that just turned the whole bearing. lol

[BrabusBen]

saying about bearings rusted solid. i had that issue with one bearing. but didn't notice because the brushless system is so powerful that just turned the whole bearing. lol

Same was happening with mine even had 2 wheel bearings rusted solid! Wheel still span no probs but if left for long will heat and eat away at mounts!


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[BrabusBen]

Lol, well thought I might be tempting fate! Stock front A-Arms broken. Replaced with RPM


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[RC-Fan]

Nice tips !!! specially the undertray.

[BrabusBen]

RPM A-Arms get +++++

Today several collisions with bins and trees at full pelt (let kids drive lol) no problems.

The mud has changed from stodgy sticky to dryer sticky, UNDERTRAY & SHROUD still working great:


Still no bearing problems despite this:





Oh, forgot to add to initial post, another bit of maintenance I always do before a run is to scoop out the dirt stuck in the back wheels - seems stupid not to - would induce wobble and adds weight. Just use the blunt side of a knife to remove with wheels still on truck

Had to replace A-Arms due to collision as stated above (changed to RPM all round) Noticed that the pins (having a blank on their name!) that hold the A-Arms to the bulkead were VERY stuck and had a generous coating of rust, so wiped rust off and coated with ACF-50 (not previously done), we'll see how they go ;0)

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[rag6]

Great thread! Could you post links to all products used to bash-bulletproof it?

[BrabusBen]

I'll try and dig them out ;0)

TBH the following were from eBay:
Proline undertray
Outerwears shroud
Yeah slash 4x4 steel bearings ( not ones with blue rubber seals, get ones with steel seal)
ACF-50
All RPM parts from eBay

DP Slipper Guard from The Toyz

That's all I used

(not allowed to link to shops - forum rules - but put the searches in and you'll find them)

HTH - Ben


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[BrabusBen]

Great thread! Could you post links to all products used to bash-bulletproof it?

Lol, I'd like to say that this thread bash bullet proofed the slash 4x4, unfortunately, it doesn't, it's just aimed to reduce maintenance. Saying that, in the short time I've been into the hobby the slash 4x4 is one of the stock most durable trucks I've seen or used, once a few, relatively cheap upgrades are made.


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[jrmbtr]

Great info! Thank you for the leads.

[BrabusBen]

It's back to wet again, massive improvement in the handling on firm very wet grass and mud with 70/70 shock oil




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[jrmbtr]

Yeah slash 4x4 steel bearings ( not ones with blue rubber seals, get ones with steel seal)

So the "Yeah Racing Metal Bearing" are actually stainless steel?

[BrabusBen]

So the "Yeah Racing Metal Bearing" are actually stainless steel?

That's what the seller told me by email. Exact quote: "aircraft grade stainless steel" - so far no signs of rust - but I do use ACF-50


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[jrmbtr]

Does the ACF-50 wash off, or do you literally apply it once/year?

[rag6]

(not allowed to link to shops - forum rules

I did not know that. I have been doing it since the 2008 on here and have never been warned.
EVERYONE posts links to products/shops.

[BrabusBen]

I did not know that. I have been doing it since the 2008 on here and have never been warned.
EVERYONE posts links to products/shops.

Oh, ok then, here's the link.....

www.eBay.com

Lol, sorry, couldn't resist, but eBay is my Local Hobby Store, so jealous you guys can get traxxas parts so easily in USA - difficulty in getting parts is the main reason for me trying to only get parts that last.


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[BrabusBen]

Does the ACF-50 wash off, or do you literally apply it once/year?

They claim that you only have to apply it once a year, but more often in heavy use situations. It does not wash off with water at all, but is very easy to completely remove with soapy water.

I am applying the ACF-50 about once every two weeks, without dismantling the truck, to the sliding driveshafts, bearings and ball joints. because I figure the amount of mud I get through a week must be removing some if the ACF, however, as yet have no evidence to say I need to do it that often, for example I've only applied it once to most screw heads, that was about 7-8 weeks ago I guess, and they still haven't rusted. Think I'll drop down to re-applying to moving parts once every three, then four weeks etc and see how things go.

I don't spray ACF on, I spray about 5ml into an egg cup and use a paint brush to apply - takes about 10 mins to do whole truck and is such a penetrant that it soon gets in everywhere it's needed. I reckon 1 can will last about 1-2 years at this rate - best budget buy I've made ;0)


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[BrabusBen]

I'm really sorry but, as I only the iPhone to post, I can't get links to the specific items on eBay, just type in any if the CAPS LOCKED titles from the first post and you'll find the items.

Bit pointless linking to items on eBay anyway because within a few days the listing ends, often they are re-listed so word searching is more effective.

You guys in the States can obviously get a lot of thus stuff from your LHS ;0)

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[rag6]

My lhs's seem to be out of what I need just about every time I go. Ebay is becoming my lhs too.

[doppelganger]

I like to remove the pivot pins on the a-arms and blast them with brake cleaner, then after there dry i will take graphite powder that the locksmith's use and rub it into the pin using the back side of emery cloth. This really makes a big difference in how smoothly the suspension travels and it isn't quite the dirt magnet that oil tends to be.

[KillerSlash]

/hey brabusben if you look close to the rear bottom of the undertray on bothsides theres an area where it lets dirt in and fills up fast near the rear skid.I use servo tape and sponge material cut accordingly to fill the voids and dirt dosnt get in and colect there no more.I also put the foam sponge material up front around the steering linkage and in between the front diff case since it seems dirt can get in there as well.Ill post a picture up.

[BrabusBen]

/hey brabusben if you look close to the rear bottom of the undertray on bothsides theres an area where it lets dirt in and fills up fast near the rear skid.I use servo tape and sponge material cut accordingly to fill the voids and dirt dosnt get in and colect there no more.I also put the foam sponge material up front around the steering linkage and in between the front diff case since it seems dirt can get in there as well.Ill post a picture up.

None collecting at the rear on mine, maybe we cut it a little differently, and TBH I've not got mud at the front either. I don't submerge my truck so maybe that's the difference. Great tips though, thanks for adding to the thread ;0)


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[BrabusBen]

I like to remove the pivot pins on the a-arms and blast them with brake cleaner, then after there dry i will take graphite powder that the locksmith's use and rub it into the pin using the back side of emery cloth. This really makes a big difference in how smoothly the suspension travels and it isn't quite the dirt magnet that oil tends to be.

Great advice. Thankfully ACF dries dry so shouldn't be a dirt magnet. When I finally do a strip down I'll be able to give a good report.


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[jrmbtr]

They claim that you only have to apply it once a year, but more often in heavy use situations. It does not wash off with water at all, but is very easy to completely remove with soapy water.

I am applying the ACF-50 about once every two weeks, without dismantling the truck, to the sliding driveshafts, bearings and ball joints. because I figure the amount of mud I get through a week must be removing some if the ACF, however, as yet have no evidence to say I need to do it that often, for example I've only applied it once to most screw heads, that was about 7-8 weeks ago I guess, and they still haven't rusted. Think I'll drop down to re-applying to moving parts once every three, then four weeks etc and see how things go.

I don't spray ACF on, I spray about 5ml into an egg cup and use a paint brush to apply - takes about 10 mins to do whole truck and is such a penetrant that it soon gets in everywhere it's needed. I reckon 1 can will last about 1-2 years at this rate - best budget buy I've made ;0)


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I couldn't find it on eBay...found on an avionics site in 13oz aerosol.


Do you find the Outerwears cover to be adequate without the undertray, or does the undertray actually benefit?

[BrabusBen]

Undertray IMHO is essential, firstly prevents shroud lifting at front secondly stops nearly all dirt entering driveshaft.

Item 120681926084 on eBay from uk, some there in USA too. Corrosion x should be a reasonable alternative but not tried it ;0)

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[BrabusBen]

Well it finally happened, something failed, guess what it was.....

King Headz bearing - rusted solid

Luckily I was just doing the first strip down to see how things were bearing up with no maintenance because rust had just started to appear on screw heads.

So.......
Spare bearing soaked in ACF-50 (not done this to original) and ceramic bearing on order. I think this bearing failed because I never apply ACF in the area of the center diff - just in case! But hopefully with the ceramic sealed bearing ordered this will not be a problem. Got ceramic because the stainless ones I could get in the uk were all rubber not metal sealed.

Answer to the question "how long does ACF-50 prevent rust?" judging from the screw heads, about six weeks with daily bashing in wet mud and no maintenance other that an occasional brush off of loose mud

New regime:

Brush off loose dirt
Apply ACF-50 every five weeks if bashing on wet surfaces

HTH - Ben

[jrmbtr]

Well it finally happened, something failed, guess what it was.....

King Headz bearing - rusted solid

Luckily I was just doing the first strip down to see how things were bearing up with no maintenance because rust had just started to appear on screw heads.

So.......
Spare bearing soaked in ACF-50 (not done this to original) and ceramic bearing on order. I think this bearing failed because I never apply ACF in the area of the center diff - just in case! But hopefully with the ceramic sealed bearing ordered this will not be a problem. Got ceramic because the stainless ones I could get in the uk were all rubber not metal sealed.

Answer to the question "how long does ACF-50 prevent rust?" judging from the screw heads, about six weeks with daily bashing in wet mud and no maintenance other that an occasional brush off of loose mud

New regime:

Brush off loose dirt
Apply ACF-50 every five weeks if bashing on wet surfaces

HTH - Ben

I thought you used the Yeah Racing bearing kit?

[KillerSlash]

I do not submerg my truck or even drive it in mud like you do I cut it on the suggested lines but if you drive in dirt it will get back there not a lot but a little.There is a void back there

[KillerSlash]

I live in sunny california and when i run in dry dusty dirt areas a little dirt gets in there some how until i did this mod.To brabuben everytime i see pics of your truck its alsways muddy so maybe the dirt is not loose enough to get in there i dont know its just a thought.To everyone else if you get some dirt collecting in the rear there is a space which will allow dirt to get in,oh and i fully seal mine with outerwears no dirt anywhere else not even the driveshaft or the rear.I also use foam inserted in the front works a charm!

[BrabusBen]

I do use yeah bearing set but it doesn't include a bearing for the king Headz and I hadn't got a separate one of the right size so use the one that came with it - all the yeah bearings are as smooth as the day I put them in ;0)

Ceramic bearing was just easier to get, otherwise I'd have gone stainless here too ;0)

No dirt got back there, just water ;0)

[BrabusBen]

Oh, I'm going to give it a big clean tonight before I put it back together. The leaving it dirty (which I hate) was to see how long the ACF-50 would last. I think I'll now clean it but will still not do strip downs unless something breaks - to test the bearings ;0)

[BrabusBen]

I live in sunny california and when i run in dry dusty dirt areas a little dirt gets in there some how until i did this mod.To brabuben everytime i see pics of your truck its alsways muddy so maybe the dirt is not loose enough to get in there i dont know its just a thought.To everyone else if you get some dirt collecting in the rear there is a space which will allow dirt to get in,oh and i fully seal mine with outerwears no dirt anywhere else not even the driveshaft or the rear.I also use foam inserted in the front works a charm!

Really like that idea mate - thanks for adding ;0)

[KillerSlash]

No problem i hate getting the truck dirty for some reason and after every run i will spend sometimes hours cleaning it.I always pull the rear end off everytime too so i had to think of mods to keep the truck clean. The way you run your truck looks like fun and very tempting but it would take me too long to clean i am just ocd that way haha,maybe a atampede 4x4 is in order.

[KillerSlash]

Oh and one more thing i also had an ideah, you know that opening on the front i planed on using a cv like boot like the blue ones traxxas use except larg enough to cover the square hole and the tapered end would exit the steering linkages.This would give the steering leakages movement to steer and you could just velcrow the cv boot to the undertray for easy removal.I planed on using a baloon but i will wait until i find a larg enough cv boot,might have to start looking at parts for 1;5 scale or something. Just trying to add ideahs since this is the low maintenance thread and you probably think alot like me in these aspects haha.

[92LILREDYJ]

One tip I have for you is to turn your driveshafts around where the opening is at the other end. This will require you to remove them from the outdrives. (its a pain to do but does help)

This way water and mud will auto drain out. Otherwise it will build up inside, and they wont operate as freely.


Great thread btw! Thanks

[jrmbtr]

Oh and one more thing i also had an ideah, you know that opening on the front i planed on using a cv like boot like the blue ones traxxas use except larg enough to cover the square hole and the tapered end would exit the steering linkages.This would give the steering leakages movement to steer and you could just velcrow the cv boot to the undertray for easy removal.I planed on using a baloon but i will wait until i find a larg enough cv boot,might have to start looking at parts for 1;5 scale or something. Just trying to add ideahs since this is the low maintenance thread and you probably think alot like me in these aspects haha.

Something like this?

Kyosho Shock Boots Rubber

[jrmbtr]

I do use yeah bearing set but it doesn't include a bearing for the king Headz and I hadn't got a separate one of the right size so use the one that came with it - all the yeah bearings are as smooth as the day I put them in ;0)

Ceramic bearing was just easier to get, otherwise I'd have gone stainless here too ;0)

No dirt got back there, just water ;0)

Glad to hear that. I was holding off ordering a set before I heard back from you.

[LaBayouBasher]

Whats the part number for the cloth over the shock spring boots?

[BrabusBen]

There is no part number, just generic shock covers - bit of elastic tube - less than $3 for a lenght off eBay to cover 8 shocks