Typhon Need some help fixing an old typhon mega 550

[w0den]

Thanks, for all the help. While I know I am throwing good money after free...
One of the amazing members on this forum offered to sell me a 3S BLX motor and ESC for $50. So I went on a $160 shopping spree at Jenny's!

New diffs and input gears, new pinions (15, 18, 20), BLX slipper clutch, steering components (I destroyed one of the posts trying to get out a stripped screw), motor mount + heat sink + fan combo, new driveshaft (since it has the center support, and they didn't have that seperately)
extra screws and hardware.


I think I am also going to have to replace the shocks, one of the top caps on my shock broke (it was stuck, made a mistake trying to remove it).

Guess I am all in on this one! Eventually I'll get a 3S battery.

just a couple of questions:
1) should I shim the diffs right off the bat?
2) if I am opening the diffs, what diff fluid should I use (I saw 30K/10K, 100K/20K and everything in-between)
3) Anyone know any good hobby shops in north jersey that sells parts in north jersey to pick this stuff up in?

Thanks again!

 

[Ginglehopper]

Thanks, for all the help. While I know I am throwing good money after free...
One of the amazing members on this forum offered to sell me a 3S BLX motor and ESC for $50. So I went on a $160 shopping spree at Jenny's!

New diffs and input gears, new pinions (15, 18, 20), BLX slipper clutch, steering components (I destroyed one of the posts trying to get out a stripped screw), motor mount + heat sink + fan combo, new driveshaft (since it has the center support, and they didn't have that seperately)
extra screws and hardware.


I think I am also going to have to replace the shocks, one of the top caps on my shock broke (it was stuck, made a mistake trying to remove it).

Guess I am all in on this one! Eventually I'll get a 3S battery.

just a couple of questions:
1) should I shim the diffs right off the bat?
2) if I am opening the diffs, what diff fluid should I use (I saw 30K/10K, 100K/20K and everything in-between)
3) Anyone know any good hobby shops in north jersey that sells parts in north jersey to pick this stuff up in?

Thanks again!

1. You don't need to shim the internal of the diffs. They are a different style than normal, not completely sure what it's called.

2. If you are getting diffs from Jenny's, you shouldn't need to open them up, they are just removed from a stock car. If you do decide to, most do 30k front, 10k rear, or 60k front, 30k rear. Really depends on your driving style. Stock is 10k.

3. There is a HobbyTown in Toms River. Not sure how close that is to you.
https://www.hobbytown.com/toms-river-nj/l173

 

[w0den]

And so it begins….

Package arrived from Jenny’s. I should have a roller by the end of the week. Just waiting for the electronics and shocks to arive. Thanks @Exc3l & @Velodromed for your generosity!

 

[Velodromed]

And so it begins….

View attachment 175592

Package arrived from Jenny’s. I should have a roller by the end of the week. Just waiting for the electronics and shocks to arive. Thanks @Exc3l & @Velodromed for your generosity!

Nice!! The shocks should be there soon. If not in the next few days let me know and I’ll do the tracking thing.

And so it begins….

View attachment 175592

Package arrived from Jenny’s. I should have a roller by the end of the week. Just waiting for the electronics and shocks to arive. Thanks @Exc3l & @Velodromed for your generosity!

Remember to save all the mega parts and anything you upgrade. You never know when you might run across someone on the forum or elsewhere that could use them

 

[w0den]

So, first question. Checked the diffs before the install. The diff oil just covers the bottom most gears. Seems low from what I saw in other videos. Is it enough? How full should it be?

Nice!! The shocks should be there soon. If not in the next few days let me know and I’ll do the tracking thing.

Remember to save all the mega parts and anything you upgrade. You never know when you might run across someone on the forum or elsewhere that could use them

Planning on it!

 

[Exc3l]

So, first question. Checked the diffs before the install. The diff oil just covers the bottom most gears. Seems low from what I saw in other videos. Is it enough? How full should it be?
View attachment 175609

Planning on it!

Top it up

 

[Velodromed]

So, first question. Checked the diffs before the install. The diff oil just covers the bottom most gears. Seems low from what I saw in other videos. Is it enough? How full should it be?
View attachment 175609

Planning on it!

Not quite to the top. And make sure to not get any oil in the screw holes or pin holes. you could crack out the sides of the plastic case screwing the screws in and make it difficult to put the pins in.

I’ve been running around 15-20 in the back and 25-30 in the front. The stock is 10wt, usually 1/2 full or less and I use 30 or 50wt to finish the fill, which gives me just an approximate weight for each one. Of course that’s assuming yours is still stock. Maybe dump that oil out and look at it closely make sure it’s not dirty or has chips/filings in it. If it’s clean I’d just refill it. But if it’s dirty I’d clean well then refill. If there’s chunks in it like metal or plastic filings, I’d just throw a new one in because they’re pretty cheap and I haven’t messed with learning to rebuild one yet. wait…You got yours new didn’t you?

 

[w0den]

Not quite to the top. And make sure to not get any oil in the screw holes or pin holes. you could crack out the sides of the plastic case screwing the screws in and make it difficult to put the pins in.

I’ve been running around 15-20 in the back and 25-30 in the front. The stock is 10wt, usually 1/2 full or less and I use 30 or 50wt to finish the fill, which gives me just an approximate weight for each one. Of course that’s assuming yours is still stock. Maybe dump that oil out and look at it closely make sure it’s not dirty or has chips/filings in it. If it’s clean I’d just refill it. But if it’s dirty I’d clean well then refill. If there’s chunks in it like metal or plastic filings, I’d just throw a new one in because they’re pretty cheap and I haven’t messed with learning to rebuild one yet. wait…You got yours new didn’t you?

Still stock, fresh from Jenny's. Just to verify - 30K and 50K (not 30wt).

 

[1.21 Gigawatts]

Still stock, fresh from Jenny's. Just to verify - 30K and 50K (not 30wt).

Correct. What I did was to top off the rear with 30k. Since it was half full with the stock 10k oil, it is now about 20k. For the front, I dumped and refilled with 30k. That gave me 30k front and 20k rear with only having to buy one bottle.

 

[Velodromed]

Still stock, fresh from Jenny's. Just to verify - 30K and 50K (not 30wt).

Ummm… I don’t know the conversion from one to the other. I got into this hobby dealing with ‘weights’ so Ive kind of stuck with that. I don’t think it’s a straight conversion (30k to 30wt). There is a chart what you can probably Google or maybe someone will post it.

 

[w0den]

Ummm… I don’t know the conversion from one to the other. I got into this hobby dealing with ‘weights’ so Ive kind of stuck with that. I don’t think it’s a straight conversion (30k to 30wt). There is a chart what you can probably Google or maybe someone will post it.

Maybe I am getting mixed up, but I don’t think I am talking about act I have CST. I have 40wt in my shocks (which maps to about 500 cst). But that stuff seems way to thin for the diffs. When I look for diff oil I see anything from 10,000 wt to 1,000,000 wt. for example traxxas:
https://www.amazon.com/Traxxas-5136...rds=rc+differential+oil&qid=1635031375&sr=8-3

But it is super confusing, because for some companies use the terms interchangeably. TLR uses wt for their shock oil, but then “CS” for their diff fluid!

Correct. What I did was to top off the rear with 30k. Since it was half full with the stock 10k oil, it is now about 20k. For the front, I dumped and refilled with 30k. That gave me 30k front and 20k rear with only having to buy one bottle.

Brilliant! Out of curiosity, is there a big difference between different companies? Which do you use?

 

[1.21 Gigawatts]

Brilliant! Out of curiosity, is there a big difference between different companies? Which do you use?

It is all silicone oil, so I doubt there is a noticeable difference between brands. I bought whatever my local shop had in stock which was Team Associated.

Before you assemble the diff yoke, I'd suggest sanding the mold marks off of the top of the input/pinion gear. Mine were hitting the diff body on one spot causing a clicking sound once per rotation.

 

[Velodromed]

Maybe I am getting mixed up, but I don’t think I am talking about act I have CST. I have 40wt in my shocks (which maps to about 500 cst). But that stuff seems way to thin for the diffs. When I look for diff oil I see anything from 10,000 wt to 1,000,000 wt. for example traxxas:
https://www.amazon.com/Traxxas-5136...rds=rc+differential+oil&qid=1635031375&sr=8-3

But it is super confusing, because for some companies use the terms interchangeably. TLR uses wt for their shock oil, but then “CS” for their diff fluid!


Brilliant! Out of curiosity, is there a big difference between different companies? Which do you use?

I’ve some team associated and a couple other brands. I’m not picky lol

 

[w0den]

Upgraded to a BLX roller! Just waiting for motor and esc!

One issue I ran into was on the diffs. Once in the case, with the new input gear, it just didn’t move smoothly, especially the front. The first issue I noticed was that the case slightly deformed from the screws (maybe overnighted). As @1.21 Gigawatts suggested, I sanded some the top of the input gear and also around the top of the diff. Even after I made sure that nothing was touching as the diff turned, there were still spots where the input gear did not move smoothly over the gear on the diff - it looked almost like one of the splines was slightly malformed. It also did not move super easily. Grease didn’t help. Could the mesh be too tight? I didn’t see any way to adjust it, and I didn’t add any shims. Is this expected? Does it break in when I run it? I just saw this post:
https://www.arrmaforum.com/threads/how-tight-should-diff-input-gear-and-diff-gear-mesh.17873/
Maybe that is the problem.... if so, got to tear it down again!

Thanks!

 

[Agent_Joe0779]

1) Nothings wrong, just a very large amount of toe. I have the same car converted to brushless. Yes, the toe seems like too much, but handles fine for me. You can buy the BLX turn buckles and camber links from jennys, so they are adjustable, then you can put it to your liking.

2)The BLX teeth on the spur gear and pinion are larger and stronger, so they won't strip as easily with 3s brushless. The slipper clutch is a better design. You will want a metal motor mount for the heavier brushless motor.

3)You can get a lot of upgrades. Hot racing makes a lot of driveline upgrades, and Arrma also makes driveline upgrades. Hot racing, GPM, and Integy make lots of misc aluminum upgrades.

When you start breaking parts, and you want to upgrade, hit me up and I can get you direct links.

Hello Im also have a similar question what would i need to change from the mega line to make it a blx brushless sytem Brushless motor motor mount and slipper clutch assembly and spur & pinion I'm i missing anything or am i still incorrect .if you could let me know what you did to your mega for a brushless conversion i really appreciate it thanks.

 

[Ginglehopper]

Hello Im also have a similar question what would i need to change from the mega line to make it a blx brushless sytem Brushless motor motor mount and slipper clutch assembly and spur & pinion I'm i missing anything or am i still incorrect .if you could let me know what you did to your mega for a brushless conversion i really appreciate it thanks.

Is it a v2 or v3 mega? A v2 will have one arch on the pull tab for the power modual, a v3 will have 2 archs.
Is it lwb or swb?
lwb: typhon, senton, bigrock, infraction, vendetta
swb: vorteks, granite

Use this page for spare parts:
https://jennysrc.com/collections/arrma-granite-3s-blx-ar102666

Needed:
Motor
ESC
Slipper assembly
Metal motor mount
Any 0.8 mod 5mm bore pinion. If you have a motor that isn't stock or isn't from an arrma car, the arrma pinions won't fit on the motor shaft.
Not sure if you NEED the center driveshaft, but it's not expensive, and it comes with a center bearing support.
Granite center driveshaft

If you have a v2 mega, I would recommend replacing the differentials. The v2 mega diffs have smaller teeth, so the blx diffs will be stronger.
Input gears
diff (you will need 2)

There might be more, let me know if you have any more instructions. I actually bought my mega already converted, but it's not too complicated.

 

[w0den]

Is it a v2 or v3 mega? A v2 will have one arch on the pull tab for the power modual, a v3 will have 2 archs.
Is it lwb or swb?
lwb: typhon, senton, bigrock, infraction, vendetta
swb: vorteks, granite

Use this page for spare parts:
https://jennysrc.com/collections/arrma-granite-3s-blx-ar102666

Needed:
Motor
ESC
Slipper assembly
Metal motor mount
Any 0.8 mod 5mm bore pinion. If you have a motor that isn't stock or isn't from an arrma car, the arrma pinions won't fit on the motor shaft.
Not sure if you NEED the center driveshaft, but it's not expensive, and it comes with a center bearing support.
Granite center driveshaft

If you have a v2 mega, I would recommend replacing the differentials. The v2 mega diffs have smaller teeth, so the blx diffs will be stronger.
Input gears
diff (you will need 2)

There might be more, let me know if you have any more instructions. I actually bought my mega already converted, but it's not too complicated.

That is the list of things I bought! I had a v2.

Arrma VORTEKS 4x4 3s BLX - Pinion Gears (18 & 20t) 0.8 Mod Safe-D5t ARA4305V3 × 1 $6.97​

Arrma TYPHON 4x4 3s BLX - CENTER Slider Driveshafts (LWB) Set Typhon ARA4306V3 × 1 $11.29​

Arrma TYPHON 4x4 3s BLX - input BEVEL Gears HD 13t & bearings TYPHON ARA4306V3 × 1 $15.47​

Arrma TYPHON 4x4 3s BLX - STEERING (bellcrank servo saver post TYPHON ARA4306V3 × 1 $2.29​

Arrma TYPHON 4x4 3s BLX - SPUR Gear, Slipper Clutch Assembly HD 57t ARA4306V3 × 1 $44.47​

Arrma TYPHON 4x4 3s BLX - Pinion Gear (15t) 0.8Mod 5mm shaft Granite ARA4306V3 × 1 $2.47​

Arrma TYPHON 4x4 3s BLX - SCREWS & TOOLS nuts hardware TYPHON typhon ARA4306V3 × 1 $7.47​

Arrma TYPHON 4x4 3s BLX - DIFFERENTIAL front/rear 37t TYPHON typhon ARA4306V3 × 2 $29.98​

Arrma TYPHON 4x4 3s BLX - Aluminum Red Mount Motor Fan Granite Senton ARA4306V3 × 1 $20.47​

Note, I bought some extr spur gears (the stock 15t and a pair that contained 18t and 20t. You don’t need the steering, I broke mine taking it out, and it was cheaper to just replace the whole thing. I bought the screws ant tools since i needed some spares.

 

[Velodromed]

Upgraded to a BLX roller! Just waiting for motor and esc!

View attachment 176060

One issue I ran into was on the diffs. Once in the case, with the new input gear, it just didn’t move smoothly, especially the front. The first issue I noticed was that the case slightly deformed from the screws (maybe overnighted). As @1.21 Gigawatts suggested, I sanded some the top of the input gear and also around the top of the diff. Even after I made sure that nothing was touching as the diff turned, there were still spots where the input gear did not move smoothly over the gear on the diff - it looked almost like one of the splines was slightly malformed. It also did not move super easily. Grease didn’t help. Could the mesh be too tight? I didn’t see any way to adjust it, and I didn’t add any shims. Is this expected? Does it break in when I run it? I just saw this post:
https://www.arrmaforum.com/threads/how-tight-should-diff-input-gear-and-diff-gear-mesh.17873/
Maybe that is the problem.... if so, got to tear it down again!

Thanks!

I’ve spent well over an hour with folded 800 grit sand paper and a razor blade trying to get a cronky diff smooth. I work on the input gear, ring gear and yoke. Usually it works, but on the vorteks rear diff I just did I only could do a half way job, so am hoping it breaks in.

The plastic diff yokes do warp. Hot Racing alloy diff yokes for 3s are a fantastic $64 fix. I put a set on my granite and the diffs are butter smooth. But man…$64! On my other cars I plan to just do the rear diffs as it helps there the most I understand.

So the shocks worked out huh? your roller is looking good!

 

[Agent_Joe0779]

Is it a v2 or v3 mega? A v2 will have one arch on the pull tab for the power modual, a v3 will have 2 archs.
Is it lwb or swb?
lwb: typhon, senton, bigrock, infraction, vendetta
swb: vorteks, granite

Use this page for spare parts:
https://jennysrc.com/collections/arrma-granite-3s-blx-ar102666

Needed:
Motor
ESC
Slipper assembly
Metal motor mount
Any 0.8 mod 5mm bore pinion. If you have a motor that isn't stock or isn't from an arrma car, the arrma pinions won't fit on the motor shaft.
Not sure if you NEED the center driveshaft, but it's not expensive, and it comes with a center bearing support.
Granite center driveshaft

If you have a v2 mega, I would recommend replacing the differentials. The v2 mega diffs have smaller teeth, so the blx diffs will be stronger.
Input gears
diff (you will need 2)

There might be more, let me know if you have any more instructions. I actually bought my mega already converted, but it's not too complicated.

thanks for the good info

thanks for the good info

IF it's a V3 mega are the diff already upgraded ?

 

[Ginglehopper]

thanks for the good info

IF it's a V3 mega are the diff already upgraded ?

Correct. The V3 diffs are the same exact as in the BLX 3s and 4s line.