Granite Wet & dirty bashing: tips & tricks?

[rumbot]

Dear fellow bashers

I’d like to setup my Granite BLX so it is as weatherproof as possible, so it’s going to require as minimum maintenance as possible.

A bit of context: I live in Scandinavia, therefore will drive in mud, wet grass, humid gravel and dirty puddles at least 6 months a year. I’m a busy professional and dad to 2 kids, so I have very few half hours of sparetime a week. Total RC noob, just got into the hobby, I have a traxxas basic tool kit, a bench and a compressor, no stockpile of extra/spare parts.

I’ve been reading the forums to find tips & tricks to setup, mod and upgrade the car to make it more resistent to the weather. This is what I’ve learned so far and planning to do for modding/upgrading:

- motor cover (dusty motors)
- velcro around the motor shaft (although in doubt if necessary, when using a motor cover)
- gorilla tape on the side of the motor (again to cover the motor shaft)
- gorilla tape inside the lexan
- loctite on critical scews (motor plate, suspension shafts)
- sealed rubber bearings (when the stock ones will start get crunchy)
- waterproof servo (when the stock one will fry)

About maintenance, I’ve read different contrasting opinions about cleaning and replacing parts. Maybe because people living in different weather conditions have different methods that work for them? Anyway, this is what I’ve learned so far:

- clean the car with brushes and compressed air after every run
- if very dirty/muddy, clean with soapy water, rinse, then compressed air
- use wd-40 and/or lube on all moving parts (some people say wd-40, others say that it damages the metal parts and collects debris?)
- replace bearings as soon as they get crunchy (though I’m in doubt about motor bearings - some say every 5 packs, others every 100 packs??)

What do you guys think about all this? Are these good ways to ensure maximum driving time and minimum maintenance? Would you give some alternative and/or extra advice?

Any help is appreciated, thanks in advance for that!

Cheers
rumbot

 

[Yonic]

The only mod i would do is seal the power module from the opening at the bottom, using some tape.

The only maintenance i would do is your first point - clean with brush and compressed air after a run.

Once in few runs i would remove the power module and open the spur area to verify it's still clean, and release the suspension links to verify that the wheel bearings spin freely, and replace bearings as they get stuck.

Once in few months if you want to do a deep clean, you can
- Remove the electrionic and power modules
- Remove the diffs and axles (along with the hub bearings)
- At this point you have the chassis and suspension parts and no bearins/electronics, rinse it in soap and reassemble.

 

[Bbqguy52]

Sounds like you are off to a good start. I stopped using wd-40 for the most part. It will ruin your bearings. I have been using silicone spray after rinsing. Be careful Around any fans with the compressed air. In the end how you drive it and the specific conditions will determine your needs for maintenance and repair. As you continue in the hobby you will find the things that work for you. Upgrade parts as they break. If you have access to breaker shops like Jenny's rc you can save a lot of money. The best investment I have made is quality tools. I use mip. Wish I would have bought them sooner. At the end of the day don't forget to enjoy the hobby.

 

[DLK83]

The title of this thread could be the name of a cheap smut film... just sayin....

 

[Hector_Fisher]

If i run in mud, and the truck is still wet when i get home, i'll hose it off (it's already wet anyway).

If running in wet conditions in general, I spend 5 minutes after I get home and take the power module of the truck and take it apart to let the bearings get some air and dry faster. That together with a slot dremeled in to the chassis right under the spur gear have made my slipper bearings last much longer. I will leave the truck in the bath tub in our center bathroom (warmest room in the house) to dry everything faster. I stopped using wd-40 when it started collecting even more dirt and debris.

If you're running in wet conditions, you'll ultimately have to change out bearings regularly (for me it's usually every 6 month). That's just the price to pay for running in the wet. But as long as you keep on top of that maintenance, it's not a big issue.

 

[Johnny b]

Great advice above. Based on the environment you run in, do yourself a favor and replace the garbage Aarma bearings immediately. They will fail quickly and often cause damage when they do, particularly the ones on the slipper shaft, input gears and wheel hubs. I use these and yet to have one fail yet. Not sure if you have access to them where your at. Enjoy!

 

[Sea]

If you're going to be running in a lot of standing water (puddles) for a particular bash, put a small square of tape over the vent hole on your wheels.

I learned the hard way how much of a PITA it can be to dry out the foam liners when they get really wet.

 

[Yonic]

If you're going to be running in a lot of standing water (puddles) for a particular bash, put a small square of tape over the vent hole on your wheels.

He has a Granite, the Granite comes without vent holes in the wheels, so he's ok in that regard

 

[Garcbomber]

Cut an end of a plastic bag, wrap, and Powerwasher.

 

[rumbot]

Thanks a lot to everybody for your replies! So it seems that easy-going cleaning, dust cover, dry silicone lube and rubber sealed bearings should go a long way to do the basic maintenance of the car. Great!

Have a good weekend