How do you clean your RC?

[SrC]

Simple green is good for cleaning the tire beads before gluing.thats well known for many years. it cleans the release agent on rubber also. I use SG on my Crawler tires for traction also. Making tires balloon more is a stretch IMO. Tires balloon. Just a fact. Mine don't ballon more using SG or without. To each his own. Some put WD40 on their tires. I don't. Rubber needs nothing . Just leat breath. It's rubber. You can't preserve it. It out gases and is susceptible to ozone and naturally deteriorates once cured.
We can split hairs all day long on this.

 

[crimsonfancy]

Hit the tires up with Armor all tire spray. And if you want to save some money buy Mean Grean instead of Simple Green you can get the big jug for like $5-$6.

Armor All has been the tire dressing, rubber and plastic king forever. Lots of stuff has come out since but they all look and smell like Armor All that I've seen.

 

[SrC]

Makes tires grippy but not softer. Beauty it cleans well. Never treat rubber. Leave it clean and bare. Scale tire mfrs don't recommend treating rubber with anything. SG is safe IMO. Cleaning beads before tire gluing is good. Has no phosphates either. Adam Drake uses it. To each his own. It should be diluted most of the time. Or its just wasting it.

 

[slick2500]

Armor All has been the tire dressing, rubber and plastic king forever. Lots of stuff has come out since but they all look and smell like Armor All that I've seen.

Someone bought me one of those buckets with all the Armor All crap in it for Christmas I don't even remember what all was in it.

Makes tires grippy but not softer. Beauty it cleans well. Never treat rubber. Leave it clean and bare. Scale tire mfrs don't recommend treating rubber with anything. SG is safe IMO. Cleaning beads before tire gluing is good. Has no phosphates either. Adam Drake uses it. To each his own. It should be diluted most of the time. Or its just wasting it.View attachment 67373

I still use Mean Grean works the same even smells the same.

 

[SrC]

Armor all is bad for all rubber. That is well known. But marketing won't tell you that. The shine fools you. It accelerates dry rot. Fact. But don't take my word for it. I'm just the village idiot.

 

[slick2500]

Armor all is bad for all rubber. That is well known. But marketing won't tell you that. The shine fools you. It accelerates dry rot. Fact. But don't take my word for it. I'm just the village idiot.

Okay. And why are you the village idiot?

 

[SrC]

You are funny.

 

[crimsonfancy]

Armor all is bad for all rubber. That is well known. But marketing won't tell you that. The shine fools you. It accelerates dry rot. Fact. But don't take my word for it. I'm just the village idiot.

So many things can be done better, sure. Since I run my vehicles, the tires don't have time to dry rot. Marketing doesn't convince me as much as actual experience. And I've never had anything dry rot in my possession that I've used armor all on. If it did, I'd replace it. It's an RC car, not (for example) medical equipment that keeps me alive.

 

[slick2500]

You are funny.

No I'm asking a legit question. Why would you be the village idiot? No one was arguing with you about it so it just seemed to be out of place in the context of the statement.

 

[3d-rc.myshopify.com]

No I'm asking a legit question. Why would you be the village idiot? No one was arguing with you about it so it just seemed to be out of place in the context of the statement.

I think he was making a joke..... Because everyone knows that I am?

 

[SrC]

Having worked at an Auto body for several years. Amorall has silicone in it. It is not body shop friendly for that reason. We learned as an aprentice painters at Spies Hecker facility. The type of silicone that hardens rubber also. And not good near paint facilities. But it is a mainstream product. We have it everywhere. I also got a Xmas bucket. I just don't use it much if at all. I think has a bad oder when used on car interiors etc. Sorry for the rant. RC stuff ok. Just not for rubber. I give it away. Even my wife says it stinks in the house. It smells like dirty socks too.It turns rancid. Even my cat hates it. Just my observation.

 

[slick2500]

I remember in auto body they wouldn't let us use carb cleaner on open shop days because of the silicone in it. Silicone causes fish eyes iirc.

 

[jondilly1974]

I think he was making a joke..... Because everyone knows that I am?

Get in line buddy. ?

 

[Surchaufeur]

So, I’m gonna add this because it contradicts some of my older posts where I said I sprayed everything down with Moo-Slick Silicone spray after cleaning. Which I did in fact do that but what I would like to say now is DO NOT DO THAT. I was an idiot and should have known better, I did know better but wasn’t thinking. Silicone dries out rubber, so only use it in metal to metal areas that need rust protection or lube. The plastics are fine but putting it on rubber is not recommended. If you want to condition or shine it back up use a water based automotive interior dressing like Aerospace 303 or something.

Rip i supose your tires rubber started to crack

 

[Mongoose]

Rip i supose your tires rubber started to crack

No, the tires were ok because I didn’t use it on those but the rubber servo grommets and rubber shock covers were getting dried out. The grommets were dry rotted to the point of cracking and the shock covers were starting to get brittle. I would imagine any rubber that is Buna would be fine but EPDM rubber like the grommets can’t withstand whatever the silicone does. I can send a pic of the grommets tonight if I remember.

I will replace the grommets but for the shock covers, I used a mild degreaser to remove the Moo Slick and then I reconditioned them with a couple applications of Griots Garage Leather Conditioner to bring them back.

 

[SrC]

I remember in auto body they wouldn't let us use carb cleaner on open shop days because of the silicone in it. Silicone causes fish eyes iirc.

Years ago at my A/B shop I was washing my personal car at the shop outside after my shift was over. And the manager saw me putting Vinyl X on my dashboard and he freaked out on me. Didn't want it near the shop or even outside of it. Yelled at me like I was dumb. Because there was a job in the Paint booth getting a full paint. Talk about being anal. But it was an $8k paint job MB dealer account. I didn't question him.

 

[jkflow]

Last time I used armor all was many moons ago to get footmats, brake and gas pedal all shiny on a car. Little did I know that wet shoes and this stuff are slippery as heck. No damage but a good scare at the end of the driveway. 303 only since then.. Sorry if this slightly off topic.
On topic, 303 for plastic, Yamashield on anything else, fine oil for bearings.

 

[SrC]

Some say polyurathane is better to seal/protect rubber. I wouldn't chance it. Rubber needs to outgas once it is cured when new and through out its life. I just keep my rubber clean. Rubber normally deteriorates. Cant stop that. Store in plastic bag and out of direct light and away from ozone generating sources if possible. (actually that's impossible.) Replace when they are shot.

 

[CloudFire]

I have seen a couple threads and even get emails asking this question, how do you clean your RC? So I thought I'd share how I clean all of my RC's, plus others can share their methods as well.

How to clean your RC

How I have always cleaned my RC's have been to use a 50/50 mixture of water and Simple Green in a spray bottle.

Spray the RC down and let sit for a minute or two then either wipe down with clean cloth or air blast dry with an air compressor. Spray again on any stubborn spots and use an old toothbrush on any hard to reach areas.

Optionally, you can use WD40 on the RC after it's been cleaned to give it more of a shine if you prefer.

How to clean your RC bearings

When cleaning bearings I will remove the bearings from the RC and place inside an RPM Bearing Blaster then spray brake cleaner into the bearings to clean them followed by a light application of very light oil, such as this 3 in 1 oil.

If you really want to get serious about cleaning, pick up a Ultrasonic cleaner like this one which you'll be able to easily fit all of your bearings as well as many other RC parts. The ultrasonic cleaner will do magic in getting pretty much anything clean. But remember, if cleaning bearings with the ultrasonic cleaner to oil them afterwords.

That's it, now you should have an RC that's clean and ready to go get dirty again. What methods do you guys use?

Are you supposed to spray the electronics a little bit too with an all purpose cleaner, or try everything I can to avoid spraying them? Also, what part of the car are the bearings? Im 4 days new to the hobby lol. Thanks!

 

[WoodiE]

Are you supposed to spray the electronics a little bit too with an all purpose cleaner, or try everything I can to avoid spraying them? Also, what part of the car are the bearings? Im 4 days new to the hobby lol. Thanks!

I don't spray down my electronics - even if they are water proof/resistant.