Kraton K4 V2 - Drilling a hole in the chassis / power module dirt drainage

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Gedrick

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Arrma RC's
  1. Kraton 4s
Hey folks,

I've done a few power module clean-ups and every time there's plenty of dirt in there. I'm not terribly concerned about the life of the spur/pinion as they are at least metal, but I found a bunch of ball bearings in there and I _am_ concerned that those will get into the gear mesh and mess things up.

I've heard of and seen people drill holes in the chassis to allow for dirt drainage. Someone mentioned velcro tape as well. What are folks doing here to mitigate the dirt build-up? I was fortunate enough to have spare bearings, one of which fit on the rear of the slipper (where it connects to the rear diff), because the stock bearing absolutely blew to pieces! Thing was a mess.

I know some folks are 3d printing little fixes for issues like this, figured I'd post in case someone does and wants to advertise their print, and possibly sell me one. :)
 
I'd also like to know.
 
My Typhon 3s PM is cut out on the bottom of the spur and the chassis. I have to pull the PM today or tomorrow so I will snap a photo or two and add here.
I bought it second hand so not sure if it is factory of modded. I don't get a lot of dirt in there though like you would think.
I say that now.... watch the LB make a liar out if me. Side note I do like to run a layer of red and tacky around the seam to catch incoming debris
 
I'm not an off-road basher (yet) but what about one of these?
1664229766438.png
 
I've put an oval vent hole below the power module in almost all my 3 and 4s rigs. I still need to modify my V2, just haven't been motivated yet. It just works. I'm not saying it prevents dust from getting in there, but it keeps it to a minimum.

20211121_111852.jpg


20211121_111845.jpg
 
I found a bunch of ball bearings in there and I _am_ concerned that those will get into the gear mesh and mess things up.
That's exactly what I would be concerned about. A steel ball bearing would ruin steel gear teeth. Also anything harder than steel can wear steel down in the right conditions. Silica containing components in sand are harder than steel and will wear down a steel spur over time. Like a sand blasting. Also the finer dust wears down bearings fast.

You need to find a way to get the dirt moving out if it moves in or prevent it from coming in. I've had the slot cut in my big rock chassis for almost a year and haven't had to replace the spur since. And I usually just replace bearings every time I open up the power module and rotate the used bearing for use in the wheel axles (low risk area).
 
I tried several ideas from the internet to keep debris out of the 3S power modules. None worked. Or were a PITA to deal with. Drilling the chassis out seems to work the best. It DOES NOT keep debris out of the module! It allows it fall out instead of running around inside there like a coffee grinder. Hope that helps. Best way I could describe it.
 
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All the dirt and grass and rocks are exactly where it needs to be. Either stuck to the outer edges or on the ground where it belongs! Hope this helps!
Exactly what I was trying to explain. Great pics. Saves me from tearing it down. Again. Lol.

Just tore the Granite down for another gearing change. Got it where it's happy. Should have taken pics.
 
Hey thanks for sharing those pictures - that's exactly what I am aiming to do! Much appreciated. My understanding is, if it's going to get in there anyway, may as well give it a way to get out. Otherwise you have the equivalent of a sand blaster inside a small inescapable vessel with very fast moving metal parts. I think I will do the same thing.
 
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