Kraton EXB CAMBER AND ACKERMAN BAR

[Soilhalo77]

Ok I’ve had my EXB KRATON a month now and so far I’ve spent a fortune trying to get right for what I thought would be brill as soon as I fitted the electrics.
Servo was bad so I bought a SAVOX 35kg 7.4v but steering was still weak so went through forum and YouTube and saw a vid,I think @bournemouthal RC fitting Cclips at the bottom of the servo saver. WORKING PERFECT!!! But now I’ve found that the Ackerman bar has up n down play . I checked all the screws multiple times and can’t find anything loose
Is this normal????
Also and I can’t find an answer for this anywhere but all vids I watch of @Rich Duperbash @RcDude81 Kevin Talbot and everyone else that I could mention the Camber on the front of the trucks seem to be perfectly angled and mine are over the top with negative camber
The only thing I can find is vids of people saying to cut bits off the Bottom arm and another guy doing the same but saying to put 3mm heat shrink on the dog bone to stop ware on the out drive cups
DOES ANYONE KNOW A WAY I CAN FIX THESE 2 little things without cutting up my new RC ??????
I thought about adding CClips to the top arm but realised that would pull the dog bone further out. So it has to be done at the bottom arm
I don’t know if the play in the Ackerman bar is normal (but I don’t think it is) and I don’t know what direction to go with the camber
Can anyone help me out please?
Thanks in advance if someone can help

 

[RCBro80]

When you say camber, do you mean toe out? Can you post a pic? Toe out is normal... Helps with handling. All of this is adjustable, not sure why you'd have to start cutting the arms...

 

[L3phturn]

When you say camber, do you mean toe out? Can you post a pic? Toe out is normal... Helps with handling. All of this is adjustable, not sure why you'd have to start cutting the arms...

It’s fine. Just use the adjustable turnbuckles to adjust toe. What holes on the hub carrier is your top link connected to?

 

[jkflow]

Both toe and camber are adjustable in the front.
They are trimming the arms to prevent the driveshafts from popping out, not to adjust camber but it obviously impacts it when done wrong. That can be corrected with shims or removing all of them.

 

[dk3000]

Ok I’ve had my EXB KRATON a month now and so far I’ve spent a fortune trying to get right for what I thought would be brill as soon as I fitted the electrics.
Servo was bad so I bought a SAVOX 35kg 7.4v but steering was still weak so went through forum and YouTube and saw a vid,I think @bournemouthal RC fitting Cclips at the bottom of the servo saver. WORKING PERFECT!!! But now I’ve found that the Ackerman bar has up n down play . I checked all the screws multiple times and can’t find anything loose
Is this normal????
Also and I can’t find an answer for this anywhere but all vids I watch of @Rich Duperbash @RcDude81 Kevin Talbot and everyone else that I could mention the Camber on the front of the trucks seem to be perfectly angled and mine are over the top with negative camber
The only thing I can find is vids of people saying to cut bits off the Bottom arm and another guy doing the same but saying to put 3mm heat shrink on the dog bone to stop ware on the out drive cups
DOES ANYONE KNOW A WAY I CAN FIX THESE 2 little things without cutting up my new RC ??????
I thought about adding CClips to the top arm but realised that would pull the dog bone further out. So it has to be done at the bottom arm
I don’t know if the play in the Ackerman bar is normal (but I don’t think it is) and I don’t know what direction to go with the camber
Can anyone help me out please?
Thanks in advance if someone can help

My exb kraton developed some loose parts at the Ackerman plate. But the steering screws on the Ackerman plate itself do have some play as it pivots right there. I also had loctite on one side and not the other.....wait its loose now as I just looked lol. I'll add a photo. This definitely was causing me to have bad steering.

 

[jkflow]

Yes, you are probably missing the nut underneath that holds that special bolt in place. It does look bent as well, get a new one. these are special items, can't substitute with M3 standard.

 

[Engineer]

As mentioned above, there is a nylon M3 locknut on the underside of the steering arm which is what holds that large headed shallow hex bolt in place. If it’s missing or the bolt isn’t tightened down almost all the way (tighten until it binds and then back it off a bit) there will be vertical slop

 

[dk3000]

Ya definitely bent. As soon as those prototype shock standoffs from M2C are available I'll be placing a large order from them. I'll post when I disassemble the front end tomorrow. Thanks guys

 

[Soilhalo77]

This is what I mean by camber TOW IN is where the wheels point out straight or in and that easy to adjust
And I noticed its black side off the servo saver that the Ackerman bar sits on that is lifting only about 1/2mm -1mm but enough to be annoying
So how do I fix this cos every vid I look at say chop a bit off the arm but there's no way that's right surely! On the pics I lifted it and try to stop it going back down so it would exaggerate the effect to make it easier t see

 

[RCBro80]

Hmm, that does seem like some excessive negative camber. Are your pillow balls fully threaded into the lower arms? Are your pillow ball nuts snug enough to avoid play but loose enough to allow free movement?

 

[Soilhalo77]

Hmm, that does seem like some excessive negative camber. Are your pillow balls fully threaded into the lower arms? Are your pillow ball nuts snug enough to avoid play but loose enough to allow free movement?

Yup Checked and checked and checked again, this is why its driving me nuts cos I don't want to be cutting bits off and I shouldn't have to remove bits that come on the ends of Arms either

 

[jkflow]

Don't quite understand the 'shouldn't have to'. You have to, if you want to straighten it up. I get what you say but this is manufacturing tolerances and procedures. They install default parts and don't t check toe/camber.

 

[L3phturn]

Yup Checked and checked and checked again, this is why its driving me nuts cos I don't want to be cutting bits off and I shouldn't have to remove bits that come on the ends of Arms either

I need to see the pivot points and the hub and pivot ball. Something doesn’t seem right and it could be the upper arm attachment points by or the lower arm attachment point.

 

[RCBro80]

Does the EXB have the washers under the pillow balls? That's how it fix it on the V4

 

[L3phturn]

Does the EXB have the washers under the pillow balls? That's how it fix it on the V4

Yes, and the spacers on the threaded part of the ball that goes into the upper arm. I’ll get a picture. The spacer is the little black but with the tab on it between the collar on the pillow ball where it meets the upper arm, and the upper arm itself.

 

[RCBro80]

Ok, that's what I thought. If the top spacer were missing, it would result in negative camber.

@Soilhalo77, can you take a similar picture of your front knuckles?

 

[Surchaufeur]

I personally sanded down the red ring on the lower arm and the plastic holder where the ring goes over and a few shims on the top arm.
I did bit of negative camber but i didnt want to be the victim of dogbones poping out so i took my time and sanded The ring down
You also have the steering turnbuckle u can adjust to get rid of the tow out its there for a reason

If you noticed any rc who goes backwards will have a bit of toe out but when u go foward its going to get towed in like how u tuned it. I think its basic mecanics
The play comes imo from the bellcrank where your steering bearings sits it moves up and down and adding a few diff shims or the wheel clips can take out that slop

 

[Soilhalo77]

Ok, that's what I thought. If the top spacer were missing, it would result in negative camber.

@Soilhalo77, can you take a similar picture of your front knuckles?

Its exactly the same as that. I just saw the glue on the tyre! Erm excuse that I had a small accident with a blocked tyre glue bottle, kinda went everywhere

I personally sanded down the red ring on the lower arm and the plastic holder where the ring goes over and a few shims on the top arm.
I did bit of negative camber but i didnt want to be the victim of dogbones poping out so i took my time and sanded The ring down
You also have the steering turnbuckle u can adjust to get rid of the tow out its there for a reason
View attachment 125773View attachment 125775
If you noticed any rc who goes backwards will have a bit of toe out but when u go foward its going to get towed in like how u tuned it. I think its basic mecanics
The play comes imo from the bellcrank where your steering bearings sits it moves up and down and adding a few diff shims or the wheel clips can take out that slop

Got ya you hit nail on the head with what experience im having, as the play actually isn't the Ackerman bar as I stated but its what you've described. The gap at the bottom which is where I was going to put something is tiny but as it travels up n out to the end of the Ackerman its exaggerated. So my thinking (as the saver side seems ok) was to either add a C,clip under it which would avoid and tearing down, but it may be too thick or unscrew from the bottom and slide a shim in there and lock it back down
whatdya think?

 

[L3phturn]

You will need to take apart both pivot points and the pillow ball joint to see what the problem is.

Also, pick up one of these: https://www.rpmrcproducts.com/shop/tools/monster-camber-gauge/

 

[Soilhalo77]

I personally sanded down the red ring on the lower arm and the plastic holder where the ring goes over and a few shims on the top arm.
I did bit of negative camber but i didnt want to be the victim of dogbones poping out so i took my time and sanded The ring down
You also have the steering turnbuckle u can adjust to get rid of the tow out its there for a reason
View attachment 125773View attachment 125775
If you noticed any rc who goes backwards will have a bit of toe out but when u go foward its going to get towed in like how u tuned it. I think its basic mecanics
The play comes imo from the bellcrank where your steering bearings sits it moves up and down and adding a few diff shims or the wheel clips can take out that slop

You will need to take apart both pivot points and the pillow ball joint to see what the problem is.

Also, pick up one of these: https://www.rpmrcproducts.com/shop/tools/monster-camber-gauge/

I just spoke with model shop and there saying Arrma are saying its correct so wheels flat through corners
Im gonna rip it apart and see if I can't get it with more positive camber
thanks for helping me out guys!