Kraton Need help, overtighten the front steering knuckles Kraton 1/5 8s exb rtr

[cazrack]

So I did something stupid and overtighten my front steering knuckle pillow balls and now the allen key plastic holes are wrecked so I cant get them loose or out.

I guess upgrading to aluminium steering knuckles is the way to go now, any make or brand to stay away from?
These fine? https://www.aliexpress.us/item/1005003802114664.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.1.425d77cbPuGBT5&algo_pvid=d40ed125-703a-471f-b1c1-be9914592acd&algo_exp_id=d40ed125-703a-471f-b1c1-be9914592acd-0&pdp_npi=4@dis!SEK!719.52!575.62!!!469.02!!@21038edc16993036725071860eecd3!12000027216497078!sea!SE!759174190!&curPageLogUid=vhT4e6y0CbEn

And any advice on how to tear apart or get the front steering knuckles off the car?


EDIT: Does not look good at all, I think I need to buy new upper and lower front arms since getting/screwing the pillow balls out of the front arms seems impossible. Lol maybe I can melt them off once the front arms are off.


Thanks

 

[Jon NC RC]

So I did something stupid and overtighten my front steering knuckle pillow balls and now the allen key plastic holes are wrecked so I cant get them loose or out.

I guess upgrading to aluminium steering knuckles is the way to go now, any make or brand to stay away from?
These fine? https://www.aliexpress.us/item/1005003802114664.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.1.425d77cbPuGBT5&algo_pvid=d40ed125-703a-471f-b1c1-be9914592acd&algo_exp_id=d40ed125-703a-471f-b1c1-be9914592acd-0&pdp_npi=4@dis!SEK!719.52!575.62!!!469.02!!@21038edc16993036725071860eecd3!12000027216497078!sea!SE!759174190!&curPageLogUid=vhT4e6y0CbEn

And any advice on how to tear apart or get the front steering knuckles off the car?


EDIT: Does not look good at all, I think I need to buy new upper and lower front arms since getting/screwing the pillow balls out of the front arms seems impossible.


Thanks

M2C is the brand, see if they have what ya need.

If you need arms, Jennys RC

There is a way that I use to do such surgery, but I would rather not share, as something could go wrong and I would feel responsible.

But if you wanna try .....

SLOWLY warm the outside part (female receptacle if you will....) (c'mon guys, keep you minds on RC, not the ladies) .....SLOWLY..... but it will expand a very little

Try not to get very close to the wrecked allen head area ( so it doesn't expand as well.... ) BE CAREFUL .... too much heat too quick = BAD

Using a blunt phillips head screwdriver that is slightly larger than the wrecked allen head, see if you can't get a good grip into that wrecked hole (helps to maintain FIRM pressure inward as you try to loosen.....) Heating - warming the outer part (female) will expand the material - even if ever so slightly, it could be just enough to give enough to get the male / cap out.

I have used that method on other applications where a drill tap isn't available. It works sometimes, other times it doesn't. I learned it back in my ironworker days, this uses the same idea on a much smaller scale. Sometimes the fix it effort ruins the parts you are trying to save, so.......

IT IS LAST RESORT

 

[cazrack]

Thx for tip, I have placed a order on some parts

ara330561
ara330589
ara330593
ara709056 *2
ara330560
ara716031

Will look for alu steering knuckels, maybe I can salvage the current front arms somehow.
Is it possible to cut the steel pin on ara330560 and screw it out with a plier?

 

[Hammer Down]

Thx for tip, I have placed a order on some parts

ara330561
ara330589
ara330593
ara709056 *2
ara330560
ara716031

Will look for alu steering knuckels, maybe I can salvage the current front arms somehow.
Is it possible to cut the steel pin on ara330560 and screw it out with a plier?

If you can hold the arms level you should be able to put a hex driver thru the striped out retainers and unscrew the pillar balls from the arms. If the arms aren’t level you won’t get the driver in there tho.

Let’s see a pic of the damage.

 

[Mike'sGN-Kraton]

Bigger than the hex left hand drill!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Get that poop ass plastic outta there!!!Mike

 

[cazrack]

Yesterday got late, I tried on one side to get steering knuckle off by drilling up the plastic hole bigger so I could get a hex in the pivot ball and got them off with the help a (powerful electric screwdriver)

Will try other side today.

 

[Matt05]

If it’s just the little plastic retainer that’s stripped, just get a big Torx, like a T45+, force it into the hole and back them out. Tough to tell what the issue is without a picture.

Something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-Drive...MI5qmMsIWyggMVEwznCh2esQx0EAQYAiABEgIH8fD_BwE

 

[KnowAir]

I'm confused as to which part is stripped? The aluminum retainer, or the plastic hub? Either way, I can't imagine the retainer cap won't back out? Unless you stripped the hex? Jam whatever hex or torx bit you can into it and back it out. The arms shouldn't be affected, you can reach through the retainer and unthread the pivot balls as already mentioned. Worst case scenario you need new hubs, pivot balls and retainers?
There's definitely something wrong with the 8s setup though, my brother's O8S exb keeps constantly loosening up.. can't even get through a battery pack without it loosening.. I know M2C makes some kind of caps that supposedly don't tighten or loosen but, why is it only an 8s problem? I mean I've never had an issue with any of my 4 or 6s pivot ball equipped rigs loosening up, some of which are like 15 years old? Strange.

 

[Jon NC RC]

I'm confused as to which part is stripped? The aluminum retainer, or the plastic hub? Either way, I can't imagine the retainer cap won't back out? Unless you stripped the hex? Jam whatever hex or torx bit you can into it and back it out. The arms shouldn't be affected, you can reach through the retainer and unthread the pivot balls as already mentioned. Worst case scenario you need new hubs, pivot balls and retainers?
There's definitely something wrong with the 8s setup though, my brother's O8S exb keeps constantly loosening up.. can't even get through a battery pack without it loosening.. I know M2C makes some kind of caps that supposedly don't tighten or loosen but, why is it only an 8s problem? I mean I've never had an issue with any of my 4 or 6s pivot ball equipped rigs loosening up, some of which are like 15 years old? Strange.

I also saw a suggestion of using teflon tape around the plastic hub that helps prevent the loosening aspect..... If it becomes a problem for me, I will go M2C

 

[KnowAir]

I also saw a suggestion of using teflon tape around the plastic hub that helps prevent the loosening aspect..... If it becomes a problem for me, I will go M2C

Yeah, that's probably the next step for my brother, teflon tape. See how goes. He also bought HR front hubs for both his K6 and Talion exb..they seem to like backing off as well, those however are aluminum so teflon tape those too I guess. He likes to run into stuff, so he had problems with the composite stock hubs.. thankfully I don't.

 

[cazrack]

Sorry been away
On front right I drilled away plastic and it was a easy screw off.
Afterwards a soldering iron 6 minutes on grub/nut screw to remove the driveshaft and it was a easy screw out as well.

Pictures from front left, stripped the plastic.

 

[cazrack]

So I changed the stock 23 tooth pinion to the included 30 tooth speed pinion.
Can I use a hobbywing program card to configure the ESC punch and cut off which way to early?
Batteries at 3.7-3.8 when cut off happens, used the program card on a MAX6 ESC earlier.

Edit: hobbywing program card connected to fan input seem to work.

 

[Jon NC RC]

Good to see ya got yer dilemma solved..... pictures help and say 1000 words ....

As for the esc and the programming card....If its the stock rtr, don't see why not. With all adjustments, I suggest not getting too carried away at first. (Ex: punch level.)

As for low voltage cutoff, I would not go much below 3.7 for the overall long term health of the liPo battery. If you go much less, repeated drains can shorten life span.

Voltage checker/alarms are CHEAP..... may be worth a look.

 

[cazrack]

It's fixed now with metal steering knuckles, I guess I am stupid to over tighten the stock plastic fantastic crap but in my mind to have that kind of construction with weak plastics on such a expensive car that you can easily destroy by wrenching poorly is bad.

Speed pinion on as well, but haven't tried yet.

 

[Jluther@becoinc]

It's fixed now with metal steering knuckles, I guess I am stupid to over tighten the stock plastic fantastic crap but in my mind to have that kind of construction with weak plastics on such a expensive car that you can easily destroy by wrenching poorly is bad.

Speed pinion on as well, but haven't tried yet.

It was hard for me to swallow finding plastic pillow ball retainers on a $1000 truck. Hell I didn’t even know they made them like that at all. I just assumed they would be the same as the 6s. I traded them for hot racing and later went with Vitavon.

 

[KnowAir]

I see the hubs themselves are lined with steel on the 8s trucks, versus plastic on the 6s. I don't think the real issue is the plastic cap but rather that it's one piece. The 6s rigs use a seperate cap and bushing. It turns as the suspension turns and travels up and down. Causing one side of the truck to tighten, the other to loosen. I put silicone caulk on my plastic caps first thing before even running the truck. So far, so good, but it's only had a couple packs through it. See how they hold.
I was looking at my brother's v1 O8S exb yesterday, he has bent upper pivot balls on both sides of the truck. Perhaps a weak point for these heavy azz 8s rigs? Neither of us has yet to bend a 6s pivot ball in nearly 3 years. His O8S is like 3 months old.

 

[cazrack]

Follow up words of wisdom maybe.

Guess if I had these instead for the crap stock plastic ones that came with the RC car me tightening them to hard so its plastic wrench hole got destroyed would not happen.

https://www.hobbytown.com/hot-racin...delrin-cap-hub-nut-red-4-hraafe21n02/p1170227