Axles protective part gone

[MJP]

I don't know how they are called but this silicone rubber whatever part is broken/ripped on my truck due to excessive crawling.


On the exploded view I can't see this ruber isolated, just 5655/5656 for the shaft:
http://traxxas.com/products/models/e...mmit-downloads

Do I need to replace the whole Axle or can I simply replace this rubber?
On ebay I find 5459 but only for revo. Same part?
Or simply buy "half sets" on ebay?

[larsen8]

It's normal that they wear down like that. I wish those driveshaft seals were a lot more durable. I think that you have to buy new shafts. I was actually thinking about starting a new thread on this topic but I guess I'll pose the question here:
-Does anyone have any good ideas for making some seals that can be glued onto the shafts that are a lot more durable than the stock rubber seals?

[bassman57]

Mine is starting to rip too. I'm thinking of using a 1 inch section of an old bike innertube and CA glue... Just a thought if it gets to that point for me.

[bassman57]

Probably a 700x18-23 innertube would be a good fit.

[larsen8]

Sweet. I might try that. It seems if I can find any rubber that is flexible at all, it will probably be more durable than the stock axle seals. I just replaced the shafts only two weeks ago. They all had new seals and everything. After driving today, I noticed one of the seals is already ripped up. Of course, that is expected when the truck is going 40 mph through thick grass. I'm thinking CA glue might be the best option for gluing the new seals on.

[bassman57]

Just found a piece of one of my old bike tubes. 700x18/23c is a bit too small. Maybe a 25c might fit better. Don't have any of those as my bike has the skinny tires.

[b@3]

You don't have to buy new shafts the dust boots are a $2 part.
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXHFZ6&P=Z

[zanek]

Like B@3 said, just get the new dust boots, cut the old ones off and glue the new ones on

[weswins]

I ran without them on my T-MAXX all the time, they would just fly off from grass and gravel. I never had issues with the axles being destroyed or jammed up because of it. Personally I don't see the big issue, if they're torn, just keep driving.

[bassman57]

I just removed one of my dust boots to clean out the shaft due to the telescoping action seizing up. Get enough mud/dirt in there and that will likely happen. Still drivable, yes, but suspension travel is affected.

[jamann]

I also removed mine they get a small tear and dirt and crud gets in but can't get out so i removed them and pull the axles apart and clean them now and then

[larsen8]

Correct me if I am wrong, but those dust boots on towerhobbies are for the revo. The revo has smaller diameter driveshafts than the summit. Thust those boots will not fit. I could be wrong though. And yes, I do still keep driving even when the rubber gets torn. I am not going to shelve my truck over some torn piece of rubber. But I would like some dust boots that are a lot more durable than the stock ones. Sealed driveshafts that stay clean just work better. I am going to try to make some of my own dust boots using a flat piece of an old bike intertube. It's about double the thickness of the stock rubber and it is quite flexible. I am going to wrap it around the driveshaft and secure it into place with CA glue. CA glue will be the best right? Would Epoxy work too? This is for gluing a piece of rubber intertube onto the water-it-is driveshaft plastic.

[weswins]

The boots are rubber, they stretch, they will fit. You may not even need to glue them in if they are a snug fit.
CA or epoxy
rough the surface up for epoxy

[larsen8]

Sweet. I am going to do a prototype one here soon which I will then put on the truck with all the other axles with stock boots. I would like to see how they compare and see how my invention holds up.

[OnkelOnd]

I built/installed a couple of mudguards like the ones discussed in this thread:
http://traxxas.com/forums/showthread...=1#post4638407

They especially protect the rear axles/suspension because when driving in gravel/dirt the front tires will basically sandblast the rear suspension. And as a bonus there is significantly less cleaning.

[bassman57]

I'm doing my first teardown/rebuild so I thought I'd give the 700x18x23c bike innertube a try since I had the axles out for cleaning. And you know what??? They're perfect! Probably don't even need to CA glue them on since it's a snug fit. So yes, they fit. Now I have to see how they perform. I might zip tie the ends once I get it installed and adjusted.

[the rc joe]

I see a very very easy solution for this, duct tape