Peventitive Maintaince, Common Failures, Things to Check On My Summit

[Krispy]

All,

This will be my first topic in the Summit forum. Right now in some brown truck somewhere in America, my used Summit is on its way to me.

I aquired this truck from someone here on the forums and I am looking forward to becoming a Summit owner. I have already seen video proof that everything appears to be functioning correctly. What I want to know is what items should I check and what preventitive maintaince should I preform?

The truck has a new (read non broken-in) Titan 775 that I will break in using the water method.

Should I shim the diffs? Should I rebuild shocks? Clean and oild bearings? Transmission adjustment?

Please let me know what you think I should do?


Thanks,

Chris

[jsdcs07]

i find that the bearings are the pain in my like on the wheels hubs.

Personaly i would be tearing down the truck, Clean up, while checking for broken parts and oil up all bearings, check the tranny, check shocks, Would not hurt changing oil in them!!

But as you seam to be aware pritty solid RC

[LaTuFu]

No need to do the "water break-in" method. Check out the owner's manual when you get it (or download it from this site). It gives you a break-in method that works just fine.

Run it a few times once you get it, and you'll have a much better idea what needs to be done after that.

[snowslider]

+1 on tearing down the truck.

[MJP]

You're a mechanic? Tear it down and rebuild/refit whatever you like (Shim diffs etc.)
You're a driver? Bash it and fix what breaks.

My shocks were very low and I refilled them. I have a DeWalt. I have single-steering servo. My buddy has stock stock stock with old FM radio. We both have the same fun. We lube and oil and wd40 at will and I can't really say which one breaks more things off or less...

[pavmentsurfer]

I would check things like drive shafts... see if they are loose or sloppy, check axle carriers and bearings for slop (if they spin free and are sloppy there is no reason to take them out). Check the shocks to see if they are full. If they are (no air inside) and your happy with the action, leave them alone... or rebuild them if your hurting for a project.

Id go over all the servos and make sure everything is shifting freely, steering servos are buzzing... other than that though, I don't think you need to tear it down and rebuild it unless its dirty or you suspect something is damaged. The diffs don't need shimming on a summit the way they do on a 1/16... as long as everything works and nothing is worn out (bearings, shafts etc), just run it.

But I do agree... the water break in method is only recommended for racers. Most agree it is not the best way to break in a motor like the 775. If I were you, id take the pinion off, plug in a couple batteries and set the throttle trim up as far as it will go then let it run that way for about 20-30 minutes. Then remove the motor, clean it out, lube the bushings and do it again for about 15 minutes. Remove, clean and lube and your ready to go. Thats the method that was recommended to me by those who know ALOT more than me and it worked great.

[summitcrawler]

i never did a break in method.. and mine still runs just fine after over 2 years. break-in on the 775 is over rated.

[Krispy]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I will give it a good look, check the simple things like all screws present, check pinion and spur mesh and the action of the dampers.

I am a big fan of the water break in method as I used it with great success in my slash stock racing. It was amazing to see how much faster my "broken-in" motors did than the ones I didn't use that water break in method. Also I feel like I am not using my fancy charger to its fullest if I don't use the motor break in feature.

After running a set of packs through it I can find out if it has trouble shifting and engaging the diffs. Hopefully everything checks out!

I have some wet areas I am looking forward to running in so I will need to brush up on proper wet running procedure. At the moment I hose the dirt off my trucks and oil after wet/muddy running.

[magnashopper]

Pull the trans apart. I was shocked at all the bad bearings and dirt in mine. Bearings everywhere for me. Buying a whole set is a cheap way to get them. The previous owner of mine had the linkage for both locker messed up and steering servos fighting each other. Also the wheel knuckles had dry balls and a couple torn boots I didn't notice right away. Going over the whole truck really is a great idea and you will know how everything works.

[Jersey Crewmax]

Are there any specific areas that if you don't fix, replace, lube or clean that will cause any irreparable damage? I understand not lubing a bearing and now you have to replace it in say 4 months. But that is a $2-5 part. My concern is more along the lines of not taking apart the tranny and 2 months later it blows up and I need a $50 replacement.

Reason I ask is I picked up two used summits lately and haven't really had the chance to go over them completely but I still want to run them when I can. I dont want my laziness/lack of time to end up costing me a few hundred dollars.

Also what are people's recommendations for lubing stuff. I get the specialty oils that go in the shocks and diffs but where else should you spray/grease parts. I hear wd40 a lot but I also hear and have experienced (picked up a used summit mini that i did tear down) the mess it can cause. I also had the trans open and didn't grease it because I didn't think I saw any grease in there originally. Should I have?

Thanks for any answers that come my way.