Clods and water?

[SR5Dave]

Ok; we've seen a bunch of RC trucks do fine with water... but CLods have engines on the axles, which means you've got electric components about 2.5" from the ground... How will motors do when submerged? I mean, are there any + and - lines close enough to each other they will short out? Is there anything we can do so we can ford water better?

If not, there is always Kongs :D

[4x4x4fan]

Hi

First post on RCCrawler, but I've been reading for a couple of months now...

If memory serves Clods cope quite well with water. About 15 years ago myself and some clod friends went to Dartmoor (UK) for a days trucking about. After sealing up the wheels the clods swam, but the radio gear didn't fare too well, we had it out of the case on the dashboard with the car heater on full before we tried again.

The motor electrics will be fine under water, 7.2V doesn't short at all under water - it's just not a high enough voltage. And standard silver can motors work fine under water too, in old days standard motors would be dipped in water to clean them up. You just need to make sure that servos are taken apart and sealed with silicon, and receivers/ESCs are waterproofed.

And make sure that there are no holes for water to get in to the tyres. I don't remember adding any polystyrene or similar, but we were running lexan shells which will be quite a bit lighter than the stock shell. And when you've had your fun set aside a spare week to do all the maintenance that is required after swimming (probably best to run those nasty nylon bearings under water).

[JakeDaSnake]

Yea I drove my clod AROUND in a creek for about 10 minutes... I had my radio box sealed and an MTroniks waterproof ESC and 1/4 servos are water proof stock so I was fine... I did get some water in the gearboxes but grease just deflects it... and the motors are still fine... I use Power Wheels 550 motor there just like titans...

Later
Jake

[SR5Dave]

Sweet!! VERY happy to hear this :D What about 14.4V? (I still doubt its enough...) I might start running stock cans just because they are so cheap and simple it wont matter if I waste one. Definetely sealing the reciever, How can you do the ESC without having the heatsinks melting the balloon/whatever you use to seal it? Maybe a little waterproof bin :idea: Woohoo! More stuff to do before my EVX2ESC comes in. Along with getting rid of those damn 4-40 rods!!! Bent way too many... wish I woulda taken everyones advice to use 8-36 the first time out!

[TwistedCreations]

dave, there was just an article in RCMT magazine on waterproofing..they mentioned the ballons over the reciever. also unscrew the tops of the servos and put a little bit of grease on the edge.also you can put silicone around that edge..as for the ESC( and they pictured the 14.4v) they said you really couldn't do much with it except to build a small box around it( due to the heat), like with lexan. then you could put a fan on top to help keep it cool if ya want...they also make a 14.4v waterproof ESC-i think it was Mtroniks or something like that who makes them

[SR5Dave]

dave, there was just an article in RCMT magazine on waterproofing..they mentioned the ballons over the reciever. also unscrew the tops of the servos and put a little bit of grease on the edge.also you can put silicone around that edge..as for the ESC( and they pictured the 14.4v) they said you really couldn't do much with it except to build a small box around it( due to the heat), like with lexan. then you could put a fan on top to help keep it cool if ya want...they also make a 14.4v waterproof ESC-i think it was Mtroniks or something like that who makes them

Im thinking this is exactly what I'll do... I might even buy the mag just for shits and giggles, thanks!

[skoolbus]

Water-resistance and water proofing are different. The Mtroniks esc can be fully submerged, it its water proof. There are good tips here, balooning works, but also is bad because you have to tie the baloon and that leaves a broken seal. Everything will hold up (unless you submerge for length of time) except the electronics. If you are going to run around in puddles just protect the ESC. If yor going into creeks, do te grease and ballon trick. If your going into deep mud do everything you can and your still going to have to replace parts. Motors do run under water, but brushes and grime don't mix.

[Janders]

After running my motors entirely too long without cleaning, I find a quick creek crossing(not good if the water has a lot of silt or mud) does wonders for getting grime out, and restore some lost power.

Just as a test, get an old motor you have laying around, wire it up to a batt pack, and dunk it in a clear glass of clean water, after about 20 of running seconds pull the motor out and let it drain into the cup...you'll be amazed how much crap comes out of your motor. Be sure to run the re-oil the motor and run it until it's dry, to avoid any rusting