Transmissions clicking...

[HARDKNOCKZ]

That's what I was tryin to tell you to check. That bearing sits all the way to the extreme left of the shaft. You'll see the seat in both axle top & upper link mount.

As far as what to buy...It can get expensive quick but if ya want some peace of mind, the VP motor plate, trans case & upper link mount will replace all of the problem bearings with larger, better quality pcs. Gears...RC4WD offers a stronger set for way less cheddar. There's other mods you can do that are cheaper that guys like like bushings instead of bearings but bushings wallow out & I didn't care for em. Different strokes & all that. You can search just a few XR threads & find different mods that guys like.

J.D.

[Curcal]

The VP motor mount plates are a good buy the have bigger and better bearings in them that are less prone to binding then the stock plates and gears.

[Curcal]

oh FYI if you go this route there's a minor mod you have to do to the screw so it doesn't rub your gear, you'll see it as soon ans you try to put it together.

[jayrat]

Thanks again. I think I'll get all the above mentioned upgrades...

[AddictedtoRC1]

Originally Posted by jayrat

Thanks for all the input and the advice...I'ts greatly appreciated!!! Tore em both down and in both the front and rear the 22t gear was destroyed. Yes it didn't click when just driving in the house, as soon as some power was applied to the drivetrain, the clicking started. Didn't notice in the front but in the rear it looked as though the 22t gear was not quite straight. I remembered during the build that the axle case cap, (link mount), was hard to get straight. I was able to align it when installing the axle case top, but I thought at the time it was a bad set-up... Inside both case caps, where the 22t gear is, there was a wear mark where the gear had definitely been rubbing the case. This rig has like 10 minutes max on it, 5 of them chasing the dog around the house and the other 5 climbing a set of 5 stairs in the front yard. Soooo, I'ma order the machined gear sets front and back from ck crawlers, what else do you think I should get at the same time...? Vp trans cases? Axle tops? Transmission bushings? C hubs? I'm a noob to crawling and not sure what to get. I kinda wana hit the buy button tonight so I can start crawling soon...Thanks again for all the help.

Jay.

While you have it apart it wouldn't be a bad idea to replace your 8mm bearings with some Traxxas bushings. TRX3775 I believe. The one at the end of the top gear shaft especially. The bushing won't fail like the bearing will. The 9mm bearing mod for the motor plates from Avid is a good idea too.

[HARDKNOCKZ]

Originally Posted by AddictedtoRC1

While you have it apart it wouldn't be a bad idea to replace your 8mm bearings with some Traxxas bushings. TRX3775 I believe. The one at the end of the top gear shaft especially. The bushing won't fail like the bearing will. The 9mm bearing mod for the motor plates from Avid is a good idea too.

I gotta disagree. The bushings are soft & wallow out fairly quick. It IS better than the stock bearing for sure but I'd rather run the upgrades mentioned with bearings. If assembled correctly...the only failure you should see would be from "miles". Before switching to the VP toppers...I ran this setup without a single failure for an entire season of 2-3 comps a month & LOTS of practice crawlin.

J.D.

[jayrat]

Thanks for the info guys. I ended up ordering the vp cases, plates and caps. Tops will be a bit down the road. Also grabbed the rc4x4 gear-sets....Come on Mr. Postman!!

[TheAxialNut]

Just ordered some VP Bushings, didn't wana use the Traxxas bushings was afraid of the "softness" of them as i suspect that the material is not up to par. I think hardknockz is right and Ceramic or premium grade bearings are really the way to go...but i saw these and needed to try them....plus those Traxxas ones don't look like they are flanged....

axial, xr10, xr-10

[redcard]

Djmedic2008 had a build vid. that showed that bearing and another mod where you cut off part of a plate with a dremel.