Granite BLX POWER MODULE Will not come free, Seized onto spline, help

[Alphalvr]

Please before I start I am well beyond using a giant flat bladed screwdriver each side to wiggle it out.

My power module is seized onto the shaft/spline that leads to the rear diff. It is not dirt under the power module!
The car was luckily running on 2s at full speed down my street when somehow it caught on the ground and went from 30 -40mph to 0mph instantly. It was travelling over some block paving although it was all smoothly laid but it did catch.
This caused the esc to bit broken away from its mountings, the battery to become unplugged, the red piece of plastic that sticks up to guard the driveshaft was just lying inside the car so the power module must have shifted to break that off, and the power module is very hard to turn like the mesh is really tight. (diffs spin fine)

I have watched every video, read loads of posts and am at my wits end, I have been levering at it for a week. My honeycomb is getting mashed.
The power module is moving freely, I know this because eventually I removed the top diff cover to try and get it out but it did not help. However it did give me plenty slack to see that the power module moves freely on the rails and is not held in by dirt.

When levering the sides you can easily see that the power module moves freely but the shaft is stuck.

When levering with the top diff cover removed it was trying to pull the diff out from where it was sitting....the shaft is seized.

I have been drowning it in WD40, for a week, removed top cover as I mentioned, I have resorted to hitting it with a giant rubber mallet and a piece of wood with tons of force to try and break it free.....it is seized, I know it seems unlikely, it is seized on there.....please I am out of ideas.

It is a v2 granite in great condition that has not really been bashed, this accident was the hardest thing it has ever endured. Help.

Stupid design, how can i have a RC that I cannot take apart???

Oh and yes i know about the tab you have to pull and slide a credit card under it so I do not have to keep tugging at that, this of course wasnt a issue when i removed the diff housing.

I have levered it so hard that the back of the chassis is flexing massively. It honestly looks like not only will I have to replace slipper clutch/gear and the motor but at this rate likely also the chassis which is going to be destroyed as well as power module housing which is just silly.

Lastly I have no idea if this issue was caused by the accident or it was just stuck anyway, until I can get it off so I can see what the hell is going on.

 

[StephenSchandelmayer]

Design works perfectly fine! You said it yourself you did a 40 mph to 0 hit...... Stuff generally tends to break when something like that happens. That being said take some pictures so we can see exactly what you are working with and we might be able to help

Or maybe you aren't hitting it hard enough?

 

[Senton_Prime]

You got a picture?

 

[SrC]

Break out your Dremel and cut off that PM already, and buy another. You got off easy in retrospect.

 

[Hector_Fisher]

The power module comes out just fine under normal conditions. I have to think it's due to the impact/crash that it is no longer working properly.

It sounds like the slipper spline got toasted and fused with the spline on the diff input. You'd probably need to get access to the gears to get more freedom of movement, so I'd remove the top diff cover/shock tower and expose the gears. Then you should be able to pull out the diff or at least try everything with a different angle.

 

[Mikeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeal]

I'll be that guy and ask if you've removed the screw underneath.

 

[Alphalvr]

added some pics, I appreciate the responses. I waited a week and suffered this aggravation before posting as I expected to be told it was dust and dirt from what I have read. It happend just as the weather picked up and all I want to do is figure out what broke so I can get it repaired but this is preventing progress.

I am levering so hard that the rear is bending upwards a inch if I don't put weight on it to stop the chassis cracking while I am levering.

Removing the top diff cover seemed like a good idea until I realised that it does not help in any way beyond giving enough slack to see that the power module is sliding forward and back on the rails easily as it pulls the diff up out of the diff housing.

With the diff cover off the only real advantage was that I could get the wd40 exactly where it needs to be. The problem with the diff cover off is that levering is just ripping the diff out of the housing so the force being used to try and free it is just being wasted and likely to cause other issues, so after drowning it in wd40 for a few days I replaced it. What I mean is the bottom half of the diff housing is the chassis, so without the top cover holding everything in place damage is likely going to be caused to the diff housing/chassis with the strain.

Cut it off is where I am leaning towards. Where would be the best place to cut if I do that to cause minimal extra losses? Mind you looking at it saying cut it off and doing it are two different things, how do I get at it? The angles and access are terrible.

I got to be honest even if the spline sheared which I doubt but lets just say it has, (with my luck anything is possible) with the force I am exerting I cant believe it doers not move at all, it feels like it is welded together. I am dying to see what the hell is going on, I cant see how that spline would give before the plastic gear in the popwer module but i guess sooner or later I will find out.

Thanks again for looking.

I am soooo frustrated, I bought another Granite just to reduce the stress. So at this point I am levering and smacking with a hammer with fury to no avail. It maddens me that the design prevents me lifting out the diff so I could at least have some chance of removing the power module.

I am not tapping, I am lining it up and taking an almightly swing which would launch the car to the other side of the room and smack it into a wall.....tappity tap was last week.

 

[StephenSchandelmayer]

So just to start with the easy question here, are you pulling on the "pull" tab when you are trying to remove this?

 

[Alphalvr]

Pretty sure I covered that in my original post but yes I have a credit card slid under it. Not even necessary at this point TBH as it just rests on the top.

 

[slick2500]

I had this same issue with mine, they used some sort of glue or something on the spline took me 45 minutes of prying to get the frigging thing off

 

[Hector_Fisher]

So just to start with the easy question here, are you pulling on the "pull" tab when you are trying to remove this?

To @StephenSchandelmayer's point, it would be best to start by positively identifying where exactly the "resistance" is being met. The only four places the power module contacts the rest of the truck is via 1) the red tab at the front of the power module with the driveshaft guard, 2) the sliding notches at the bottom of the power module that slide into the chassis guides, 3) the diff input gear, 4) the pull tab on the top of the power module that says "pull".

@Alphalvr
Start by whittling those down one by one:
1) and 4) it looks like you are already aware of these.
2) when you try to lever the power module out, can you see it moving on the chassis guides at all? It looks like you are applying alot of leverage near the top of the power module. Have you tried sticking a flat head between the power module and the rear bulkhead and "twisting" to apply leverage down lower? I have had similar issues trying to get mine out before. Try both sides and "shimmy" the power module out little by little on each side near the power module guides. Applying leverage up top just makes the power module tend to bend and makes getting it out harder. Just some thoughts to consider if you haven't already.
3) You won't be able to check this until you have everything apart. But you can check by trying to take the rear diff yoke out (with the diff) still attached to the power module. This might require some muscling of stuff. You could try lifting the diff yoke (diff) out of the chassis and removing the diff yoke screws.

If you can remove the yoke off the diff, then you could remove the diff sun gear and just be working with the input gear.

 

[Senton_Prime]

Slice it right down the back side of the module, it's pretty cheap.. damn man what BS is happening here!!

 

[rcs29]

I just removed mine 2 days ago. It was a massive pia. I just kept wiggling it back and forth and using a screwdriver to pry a little bit at a time. Took me about an hour, 70-80 curse words and 3 stiff drinks but I finally got the little bastard. It's not "easy" like everyone makes it out to be.

 

[Alphalvr]

Yes that plastic thing you circled was preventing me getting any further, I did not realise there was a screw through it but the movement I had was not much so I am doubtful i will be able to remove it but I will certainly try again.

I have positively identified where resistance is being met, ARA311031 (ah diff input gear) in your picture is what I can only describe as being welded to the slipper clutch.

Visually with the diff cover removed there is nothing obvious such as signs of corrosion in that area.

When I lever the Power Module side to side with the diff cover off that gives sufficient play for the power module to slide forward and backward on the rails as it pulls the diff up out of its housing.

The power module moves so freely on the rails with the diff cover removed that I can move it forward and back 5-8mm easily with no resistance until the diff lifts as far as it is able before becoming jammed because power module is holding it down hence me being sure that dirt on the rails is not the issue.

Honestly I feel there is no way that I will be able to get those two halves of that black plastic thing out that surrounds the diff as I really pulled at all that until I realised that it was not supposed to be removed that way. I could only get it upwards about a cm if that, probably less so likely would not get access to the lower screw and even if the screws come out unlikely that i could lift it anywhere near high enough to pop the two sides out.

Slice it right down the back side of the module, it's pretty cheap.. damn man what BS is happening here!!

your suggesting cutting close to the power module, ie flush with the back of it so essentially cutting through the slipper shaft? best place?

 

[Hector_Fisher]

Yes that plastic thing you circled was preventing me getting any further, I did not realise there was a screw through it but the movement I had was not much so I am doubtful i will be able to remove it but I will certainly try again.

I have positively identified where resistance is being met, ARA311031 in your picture is what I can only describe as being welded to the slipper clutch.

Visually with the diff cover removed there is nothing obvious such as signs of corrosion in that area.

When I lever the Power Module side to side with the diff cover off that gives sufficient play for the power module to slide forward and backward on the rails as it pulls the diff up out of its housing.

The power module moves so freely on the rails with the diff cover removed that I can move it forward and back 5-8mm easily with no resistance until the diff lifts as far as it is able before becoming jammed because power module is holding it down hence me being sure that dirt on the rails is not the issue.

Honestly I feel there is no way that I will be able to get those two halves of that black plastic thing out with surrounds the diff as I really pulled at all that until I realised that it was not supposed to be removed that way. I could only get it upwards about a cm if that, probably less so likely would not get access to the lower screw.

Is there any movement possible between the slipper assembly and the diff input?

Assuming the input and slipper have seized themselves together (definitely feasible to have stripped those splines when going from 40 to 0 quickly), your options are limited. It does sound like you might have to consider destructively removing something. Lots of different ways to skin that cat.

If doing destructive removal, you might consider which is the least expensive / least time consuming part to replace that would get that apart. Since the slipper and diff input are potentially toast anyway, i would probably be looking at cutting the power module and diff input in half where the meet (when the shock tower is removed).

It sounds like you have more patience then I have! I probably would have resorted to breaking everything in my way from getting the power module out by now. I would have probably just kept prying and adding leverage to eventually pull the diff out together with the power module. And whatever broke along the way, would break.

 

[Alphalvr]

I am beyond playing.....it is stuck. Yes the pull tab was wedged up.

 

[Alphalvr]

Is there any movement possible between the slipper assembly and the diff input?

Assuming the input and slipper have seized themselves together (definitely feasible to have stripped those splines when going from 40 to 0 quickly), your options are limited. It does sound like you might have to consider destructively removing something. Lots of different ways to skin that cat.

If doing destructive removal, you might consider which is the least expensive / least time consuming part to replace that would get that apart. Since the slipper and diff input are potentially toast anyway, i would probably be looking at cutting the power module and diff input in half where the meet (when the shock tower is removed).

It sounds like you have more patience then I have! I probably would have resorted to breaking everything in my way from getting the power module out by now. I would have probably just kept prying and adding leverage to eventually pull the diff out together with the power module. And whatever broke along the way, would break.

No movement whatsoever.

I dunno about patience.....I had a migraine all week from this resorting to buying another Granite just to stop me going on a murderous death rampage

I thought once I do not have the associated headache I would get over this hurdle but it was not to be. I am back to being as annoyed as I was before.

I think from the way the gears were tightly meshed....almost jammed either the motor shaft is toast or the motor plate is bent. (motor for sure with my luck or both) On top of that I am sure the slipper gear (the plastic one) is bound to be shredded just from the feel and then on top of this whatever additional damage I cause getting it apart to even just inspect the issues.

Patience....I wish, that was the first 48 hours....distant memory now.

If I showed yo a picture of where it snagged on the ground you wouldn't believe it snagged on the ground, there are no raised blocks, they are smoothly laid.....but it did...the sound went through me and made me jump out of my skin, car was going past me about 2 meters away at most. But I can't think about that, it's annoying ha ha

 

[Alphalvr]

I left it tilted all week pouring wd40 inside. I have hammered the hell out of it and have finally given up and will resort to cutting it free.

After removing the diff cover and levering at the Power Module it is clear the input gear is seized into the slipped clutch shaft.1. I removed the diff cover.

Hard to see in the pictures but levering now allows the power module to slide a little on its rails but it is pulling the diff up out of the chassis.

I attempted to remove the screws on the moke around the diff to try and free that but there is no way. The power module is holding it down and even levering with more force than is sensible the diff only lifts a few mm. Nowhere even close to allow access to the lower screw.

Lastly I have got my dremel out but the access is terrible. I will try to see how i can do it.

I think cutting flush with back of power module is the best place for least damage but getting the dremel in is awkward.

Damn this thing.

At this point i just want it out so I can see why this is occurring. The lower picture makes cutting it look simple....lol it isn't! Well not without just being ruthless.

 

[Vortex 2wd]

I left it tilted all week pouring wd40 inside. I have hammered the hell out of it and have finally given up and will resort to cutting it free.

After removing the diff cover and levering at the Power Module it is clear the input gear is seized into the slipped clutch shaft.1. I removed the diff cover.

Hard to see in the pictures but levering now allows the power module to slide a little on its rails but it is pulling the diff up out of the chassis.

I attempted to remove the screws on the moke around the diff to try and free that but there is no way. The power module is holding it down and even levering with more force than is sensible the diff only lifts a few mm. Nowhere even close to allow access to the lower screw.

Lastly I have got my dremel out but the access is terrible. I will try to see how i can do it.

I think cutting flush with back of power module is the best place for least damage but getting the dremel in is awkward.

Damn this thing.

At this point i just want it out so I can see why this is occurring. The lower picture makes cutting it look simple....lol it isn't! Well not without just being ruthless.

View attachment 295120

View attachment 295121

The diff doesn't pop out. Wow. Guess the metal welded itself together in there.

 

[quiznatodd bidness]

Very interesting. Maybe you can take the screws out of the back of the power module (not sure you have the clearance to get the lower right one)? All you need is enough space to get past the rails in the chassis, then you can work on it out of the chassis.

If that doesn’t help, maybe pull the rear drive shafts and try to get the 2 screws out of the yoke. If the yoke is just loose, you might be able to pull the input out of the diff.

(You did unscrew and pull the little wire retainer out, right? Mine hangs up on that if I don’t consciously avoid it)