Rust on screws after snow and salt

[Jon NC RC]

Well u should of lubed it when u were done.. surely u didn't think u were gonna just go out n bash it in the salty snow, and not have to do any cleanup/ maintenance aferwards, cuz that would be pretty ditzy!!

I was gonna go there but you beat me to it.....

+1
Rusted screws are just the least part of the problem. Aren't you forgetting about all the Electrics and BB's? They are just not WP.
Better have a complete Hardware set on hand. And forget about using SS fasteners also. They are soft and weaker. Strip easily. And even some supposed SS BS Chinesium hardware will rust. Been there with my Crawlers.
I don't run in the wet. And salt absolutely will ruin your expensive rig. No getting around it. Corrosion sets in minutes everywhere.. Unreversible.
Moores Law.... If it can happen, it will happen. Always does.

It is wisdom you speak

 

[SrC]

If my rig fell into a lake by accident, I would have to immediately rebuild the whole dam thing spending hours and hours.
Every single BB , hinge pins, all the metal stuff including the main gears, Diff BB's etc. Motor needs to be rebuilt, etc. Still no guarantee that the servo , Rx, ESC and Motor will be saved. Corrosion will set in while doing this. It happens that fast and unstoppable.
Raz once had a bad run , and his rig ended up getting all wet. He immediately took the whole rig apart, everything. Time consuming. But how it is done when your rig does get wet, by accident or intentionally. Most never do this after-run maintenance when running in the snow or wet stuff. Nor even do it properly. Not practical for many, even with the know how and best tools.
Hence the many posts here asking why their stuff is bricked. Most notably, ESC's and motors. The expensive critical stuff.
And you guys know who you are.

 

[Adiabatic]

Running in salt is a bad idea. Snow is okay as long as you dry it off quickly, but salt will destroy the truck unless like others have mentioned you tear it down and clean it thoroughly after every run. It will deposit and linger in every crevice and each subsequent time you get the truck wet it will dissolve again and migrate further into everything.

 

[SrC]

^^^ How do you dry a rig off quickly? Never happening, short of a Complete disassembly of every single part . You can't dry a BB unless the seals are removed, solvent used and relubed, every single BB throughout for instance. How do you dry the inside of a motor without taking it apart? They are not sealed or WP.
Not happening with a quick dry off. So it LOOKS dry??? A bad assumption.
This does not remove all moisture. Including the ESC. It is the moisture you can't see that hurts you. Sometimes a few packs later running in the Dry, an ESC or motor will fail. Leaving you wondering why it happened. But, the damage was done several packs earlier, perhaps weeks earlier, when you did run in the wet stuff. A slow death in most cases.
Corrosion develops due to the drying process to begin with.
Air+ water+ metal = Corrosion.

Add Salt to the mix and you add insult to injury.

Is what it is.

 

[🇺🇸 DΞזΞפּ 🇺🇸]

If mine falls in the lake, not by accident I drove it in, I would leave it there.

 

[Adiabatic]

^^^ How do you dry a rig off quickly? Never happening, short of a Complete disassembly of every single part .

Disagree. I did snow running for over 10 years, rarely did a full disassembly during the season and had no major issues with corrosion. Knock off most of the snow outside, leave the car upside down in a bin or sink next to a heater so the water drips out of the chassis instead of pooling, and very little is likely to happen. Helps to coat steel parts with a corrosion inhibitor like mentioned earlier in this thread if you care about minor surface rust.

Water doesn't get into rubber sealed bearings very easily unless you submerge them. Changed/cleaned a million of them at this point and have yet to see noticeable corrosion inside or a substantial reduction in their lifespan from wet running. Arrma sealed radio boxes are definitely good enough to deal with snow and their ESCs are IP67 rated which means they're actually short-term submersible. No likely issues there. Motor bearings are a concern and admittedly as a previous nitro exclusive hobbyist I don't have much experience dealing with electric motor specific issues. They're metal shielded and it's probably a good idea to maintain them more often if you run in wet conditions. I'm not aware of any strong evidence that normal wet running is responsible for the demise of ESCs and motors, only weak circumstantial.

Ultimately these are toy cars, they're fun to drive in the snow and it doesn't increase the maintenance burden that much unless you're extremely neurotic, so I'm fine with doing it. Not in salt though.

 

[SrC]

But I changed a Zillion BB's and they don't like water.
Their ESC's or any Brand are NOT even IP 65 dude. These are just Hobby grade. Not WP as they want you to believe. No mfr will even warranty them because of water damage. Fact. HH will be gracious and the exception in many cases. But if you read the warranty and the manual carefully , they are not Liable for water ingress and turn down claims here and there. Motors also. Running in the wet is fun, but also abusive.
Most any ESC or motor is not even assembled in ISO facilities. Be real. Keep getting them wet, then just keep buying them. Silly logic. Yes these are toys and you can't expect them to have the QC of mission critical devices. The ESC potting is even crap. They want you to keep buying stuff when they get ruined from wet running. So they promote this end.
But we all fly differently. To each his own.
35+years doing this stuff and all.

edited.

If you like the wet, at least run SS BB's. Will help a bit more. Just SS BB's generally wear out sooner than Chromium ones. From just wear alone. SS is softer than Chromium. Been there. BB's in general are cheap to replace. Doing it frequently sucks though when you abuse them constantly. And damages related parts in the process. From seizing and galling.

 

[rcxhub]

Running in salt is a bad idea. Snow is okay as long as you dry it off quickly, but salt will destroy the truck unless like others have mentioned you tear it down and clean it thoroughly after every run. It will deposit and linger in every crevice and each subsequent time you get the truck wet it will dissolve again and migrate further into everything.

The problem is, the salt is everywhere...
Maybe not in the field, but there is not that funny.

 

[Adiabatic]

Their ESC's or any Brand are NOT even IP 65 dude.

https://spektrumrc.com/ProdInfo/Files/SPMXSE1150-Programming_Chart.pdf

I'm sure they're just lying though and it's all a conspiracy to incentivize people to run in wet conditions and sell more of them...

 

[SrC]

+1.
I fried a stocker ESC, just from Grass Dew that developed quickly out if nowhere, as the sun was setting during my bashing session.
The whole chassis got sprayed/covered with dew/water. Caught me off guard. Still user error for me in the end. How I saw it. I let it get wet? Is what it is.
Marketting embellishes so much BS in the RC industry from my experience. Much of the Box art is this way. Brands compete in this way, trying to out do the other.

 

[Adiabatic]

Spektrum Firma 150 manual

Your new Horizon Hobby® Spektrum™ ESC has been designed and built to allow
you to operate the product in many “wet conditions”, including puddles, creeks,
wet grass, snow and even rain.
While waterproof, this component has not been designed to be immersed in
water for long periods of time and should NOT be treated like a submarine.
In addition, most metal parts, including any screws and nuts, as well as the
contacts in the electrical cables, will be susceptible to corrosion if additional
maintenance is not performed after running in wet conditions.
To maximize the long-term performance of your ESC and to keep the warranty
intact, it should only be used as described in the “Usage Conditions” section
of this manual. Additionally, the procedures described in the “Wet Conditions
Maintenance” section must be performed regularly if you choose to run in wet
conditions. If you are not willing to perform the additional care and maintenance
required, then you should not operate your vehicle in those conditions.

Usage Conditions
Your ESC will operate successfully in any of the following, individual-usage scenarios:
• 2 hours continuous operation in damp grass or vegetation.
• 2 hours continuous operation in heavy fog (95% humidity, saturated air, condensing water).
• 1 hour continuous operation in light rain (<0.10 in/2.5mm per hour).
• 15 minutes continuous operation in heavy rain (>0.30 in/7.6mm per hour).
• 1 hour continuous operation in light sleet (<0.10 in/2.5mm per hour).
• 1 hour continuous operation in light snow (<0.25 in/6.35mm per hour).
• 45 minutes continuous operation in standing or running fresh water (the water
level should always remain below the vehicle frame), or constant splashing
water, without any immersion of waterproof component(s).
• 5 minutes continuous operation in standing or running fresh water (the water level
should never rise higher than 0.5 in (about 10mm) above the vehicle frame), constant
splashing water, or frequent, intermittent immersion of waterproof component(s).
• 1 hour continuous operation in damp sand, dirt, mud or snow (the material
level should always be below the vehicle frame), constant splatter without any
immersion or coverage of waterproof component(s).
Furthermore, when appropriate maintenance procedures (as described below) are
performed promptly following exposure, the ESC will remain best protected from corrosion
or other long-term, water-related damage.

Wet Conditions Maintenance
• Gently rinse the mud and dirt off the ESC with a garden hose.
• Remove the battery pack(s) and dry the contacts.
• If you have an air compressor or a can of compressed air available, blow off
the ESC to help remove any water that may have gotten into small crevices or
corners. Dry any water that may be inside a recessed connector housing.
• Let the ESC air dry before you store it. Water may continue to seep or evaporate
out of tight areas for a few hours.

Wet/snow running or even brief water immersion won't void the warranty of the ESC. They even recommend rinsing it with a garden hose to clean off mud and wet dirt.

 

[SrC]

Who is they? When you find out, let me know. Marketting dept or the OE maker of the ESC?
Did you read the disclaimer sentence there?
They left a grey area, to cover themselves.
Water proof does not equal Water Resistant. The grey area is in between these terms.. My ESC did not handle Grass dew well at all. Took a few minutes and it was fried. In the many years of doing this, yes ,I have used a hose here and there. All with negative results. Every time.
Very loose terms. The fans are not even WP or water resistant. None are.
This is just my opinion.

 

[Adiabatic]

They being Horizon, the company responsible for processing warranty claims.

The disclaimer being 'To maximize the long-term performance of your ESC and to keep the warranty intact, it should only be used as described in the “Usage Conditions” section of this manual.'? Referring to usage conditions that include wet running and even brief water submersion? Not sure what your goal is in pointing this out as it seems to strengthen my point and diminish yours.

If you're trying to claim that they lie about it being waterproof, thus a large proportion of customers who run in wet conditions experience failures, then Horizon denies warranty by blaming customers for running it outside the acceptable conditions, then that is going to need some evidence. All I have read so far in this thread is conspiratorial speculation in response to me citing the vendor's ratings and statements.

 

[🇺🇸 DΞזΞפּ 🇺🇸]

Just from what I have seen today on Razor RC unboxing the TC Sketer looks like some manufacturers changed it from waterproof to splash proof on the box, God knows why?

 

[Adiabatic]

I suppose some people would not read the manual and assume waterproof means it can be used like a submarine. Splash proof is a better description of what these electronics are actually rated to handle.

 

[Jon NC RC]

+1
Rusted screws are just the least part of the problem. Aren't you forgetting about all the Electrics and BB's? They are just not WP.
Better have a complete Hardware set on hand. And forget about using SS fasteners also. They are soft and weaker. Strip easily. And even some supposed SS BS Chinesium hardware will rust. Been there with my Crawlers.
I don't run in the wet. And salt absolutely will ruin your expensive rig. No getting around it. Corrosion sets in minutes everywhere.. Unreversible.
Moores Law.... If it can happen, it will happen. Always does.

It is wisdom you speak

I suppose some people would not read the manual and assume waterproof means it can be used like a submarine. Splash proof is a better description of what these electronics are actually rated to handle.

T

 

[slick2500]

Who is they? When you find out, let me know. Marketting dept or the OE maker of the ESC?
Did you read the disclaimer sentence there?
They left a grey area, to cover themselves.
Water proof does not equal Water Resistant. The grey area is in between these terms.. My ESC did not handle Grass dew well at all. Took a few minutes and it was fried. In the many years of doing this, yes ,I have used a hose here and there. All with negative results. Every time.
Very loose terms. The fans are not even WP or water resistant. None are.
This is just my opinion.

I noticed on the box for the new Team Corally Sketer it says water resistant not waterproof.

 

[SrC]

They being Horizon, the company responsible for processing warranty claims.

The disclaimer being 'To maximize the long-term performance of your ESC and to keep the warranty intact, it should only be used as described in the “Usage Conditions” section of this manual.'? Referring to usage conditions that include wet running and even brief water submersion? Not sure what your goal is in pointing this out as it seems to strengthen my point and diminish yours.

If you're trying to claim that they lie about it being waterproof, thus a large proportion of customers who run in wet conditions experience failures, then Horizon denies warranty by blaming customers for running it outside the acceptable conditions, then that is going to need some evidence. All I have read so far in this thread is conspiratorial speculation in response to me citing the vendor's ratings and statements.

I have discussed this with HH many times before. This is not my first rodeo with HH.
HH can be very generous with their warranty at times, not that they have to be. And conversely, many have had bad luck with HH claims. Being denied. From abuse. That is my main point here. Arrma is a great brand. This topic is not so much about the brand, but all RC's.
This is only my opinion. There are many others, I respect them also. We are all adults here.. Whatever works best for you is all that matters.
We all have fun doing RC differently. Expectations are different for all of us.

 

[rcxhub]

Thanks for every tipps and tricks! I will try some!
...and of course i know to avoid the salt on streets, but can't always avoid.
Better to say, i don't want to avoid

I will see what happend after the winter with my parts

 

[Senton_Prime]

Thanks for every tipps and tricks! I will try some!
...and of course i know to avoid the salt on streets, but can't always avoid.
Better to say, i don't want to avoid

I will see what happend after the winter with my parts

Just keep it cleaned and lubed when ur done and u should be good!!