The 'ol silly putty in the diff trick

[CoolRunning]

Ha! I have to say it actually works ok.

I have been thinking long and hard about the Axial locker and the 92mm unis or the DLux Fab unis but all this is very expensive if I didn't like it locked up or it was simply really unreliable. I figured for a couple of hours to tear it apart and some $3 putty, it was definitely worth a go compared to $110-170.

I couldn't find silly putty but I found 'bouncing' putty which is pretty solid stuff. I jammed as much as I could in the diff and tightened everything down (wiping up the squeezed out putty) and whilst you can turn the wheels in opposite directions with your hands and have it diff right out, once the motor is driving the input to the diff (rather than the spider gears being turned with the wheels), both wheels seem to turn even when under a lot of load.

It's like it has quite decent 4WD ability but also a definite 'safety fuse' for the weak Yeti front driveshaft/outputs unlike locking the diff solid.

Does it 'wear out' after time or dry up? I have no idea; maybe someone with long term usage can chime in.

Will it bend my trusty, old as the hills dogbones that have taken 3S usage like champs? Hopefully not but I'll find out I guess.

The motor got to 35C @ 7C ambient crawling over rocks and going really slowly for 15 minutes. I'm guessing the motor will get rather hot at 30C ambient so I'd imagine I'll have to keep tabs on it as the weather warms up.

I think I need a proper 100% drag brake now (as the MAX10 only has a max of 16% drag brake which is strange and not very useful) and some far more sticky crawler tyres. A 2 speed is looking interesting as it's far less than a sensored setup and would give a pretty reasonable crawl speed and probably only a tiny amount of cogging going very slowly indeed (no point running a sensored setup in the Yeti as it's never going to crawl very well).

[RustyUs]

Never used putty in my Yeti, but had used the stuff in my truggy while waiting for shipment of diff fluid to show up. My putty (forget the brand) turned into one sticky mess after a few runs. I had opened the diffs up to inspect... Imagine the stickiest taffy you ever came across.

[Shinchu]

I used to epoxy the diffs in my 4wd drift cars.
I have seen people use thick fluid in front yeti diffs and i am looking into that as well. I try to crawl my yeti as its my only rig at the moment. I am also still using dog bones on 3s haha still good!

I dont recall the name of the fluid, but its in the millions? There are some threads in here about it. Somebody else feel free to chime in.

[84yoda]

Gravity RC 20million is the highest but if you want something stronger, check out racers edge diff lock. It's a putty that doesn't dry out.

[DavidH]

This is the stuff I put in the front diff shortly after buying the RTR truck, and with only 3s, I have not had any breakage.

After 8 months and a couple dozen packs or so, I pulled it out; virtually no residue in the case and gears, no separation of the material, and the properties remain the same (slow stretch, fast snap, bounce as a ball). I tried some 100K -500K fluid but eventually put this back in.

[DavidH]

Originally Posted by CoolRunning

...
A 2 speed is looking interesting as it's far less than a sensored setup and would give a pretty reasonable crawl speed and probably only a tiny amount of cogging going very slowly indeed (no point running a sensored setup in the Yeti as it's never going to crawl very well).

The way you whine about your yeti makes me surprised that you still have it.

I didn't buy my yeti for crawling, but I did buy it for the versatility of the 2-speed transmission.

Out of curiosity, shortly after buying the truck, I put the putty in the front diff, fabricated a new rear sway bar, swapped on a cheap set of tires, and took it to the local crawling spot. While it's not going to make for a dedicated crawler, it seems to be more off-road-crawling-capable than the alternatives I was considering at the time (baja rey, scbe, summit), while being faster and handling better than the bomber and summit, for the money that I have spent on it.

[CoolRunning]

That's a tad harsh mate!

Originally Posted by DavidH

The way you whine about your yeti makes me surprised that you still have it.

I didn't buy my yeti for crawling, but I did buy it for the versatility of the 2-speed transmission.

Out of curiosity, shortly after buying the truck, I put the putty in the front diff, fabricated a new rear sway bar, swapped on a cheap set of tires, and took it to the local crawling spot. While it's not going to make for a dedicated crawler, it seems to be more off-road-crawling-capable than the alternatives I was considering at the time (baja rey, scbe, summit), while being faster and handling better than the bomber and summit, for the money that I have spent on it.

[Cheez]

Originally Posted by CoolRunning

That's a tad harsh mate!

I agree, why show a video of a climber? I send my Yeti 's Balls out running across rough rocky terrain.

[DavidH]

Originally Posted by CoolRunning

That's a tad harsh mate!

It seems to me that you never miss an opportunity to say something negative about your yeti. Maybe you don't even realize that you are doing it. Leaves me wondering why you continue with it.

Originally Posted by Cheez

I agree, why show a video of a climber?

It was my response to CR's declaration that the yeti is "never going to crawl very well".

I send my Yeti 's Balls out running across rough rocky terrain.

Same here. And I use it in the trails, and for crawling on the rocks. I realize it is no Arrma stunt truck, nor will it compete with a Losi night crawler, but it is very versatile.

[CoolRunning]

So you take to opportunity to call me a whiner so says the guy that never misses an opportunity to talk about his 'crawling' Yeti. Hmm, how many times have you posted the same crawling vid?

Did I somehow upset your sensibilities David? I can't recall ever being anything but nice on here.

Why not attack the guys that call their Yetis a piece of shite or a pig or a money pit? Why target me personally?

I'm entitled to believe the Yeti is a bad crawler. This is a hardcore crawling site and I doubt anyone feels it crawls. Even my near stock Bomber with RTR tyres eats the Yeti for breakie even though the Yeti now has G8 TSL Swampers.

The Yeti always seems to need something expensive if you want to do something even a little left of centre.

Just a simple example: Yeti to reliably lock the front diff, $170AUD, RR, $6.

I would not continue to own and dump money into the truck if I disliked it. I haven't even spent what a RTR costs and have a very nice enjoyable truck but that doesn't mean I should in any way sign up to the Yeti fanboy club. I'm a RR and Bomber fanboy for a reason. They are just great trucks straight out of the box.

A modified Yeti is a lot of fun and very reliable. I feel your hard child's putty idea that you regularly push has great merit for a cost effective and part tolerant 'locker'.

See, I very quickly noticed you always pushing the same barrow but didn't feel the need to rub your nose in it.

[Brake Weight]

Just get a fleaBay, pull off diff from an ar60? Or order a spare what you've already got and put some 2 part epoxy in the one you've got?

[Cheez]

Hopefully and ultimately, I'm sure you will, piece together something that works for what you are trying to do. It's my philosophy to keep what you like and throw away what you don't. That especially pertains to advice.

[Cheez]

Originally Posted by CoolRunning

That's a tad harsh mate!

https://youtu.be/AO4_RmiLY3M
This is exactly how I drive
Check it out!

[DavidH]

Originally Posted by CoolRunning

So you take to opportunity to call me a whiner so says the guy that never misses an opportunity to talk about his 'crawling' Yeti. Hmm, how many times have you posted the same crawling vid?

How is that number relevant?

Did I somehow upset your sensibilities David? I can't recall ever being anything but nice on here.

Exactly where did I accuse you of not being nice?

Why not attack the guys that call their Yetis a piece of shite or a pig or a money pit? Why target me personally?

I am not here to attack anyone, but I believe that I have commented on such posts here in the past. Feel free to read through my posting history here. Due to the inactivity of this forum, I spend more time on the FB pages for the yeti.

I'm entitled to believe the Yeti is a bad crawler. This is a hardcore crawling site and I doubt anyone feels it crawls.

I have seen many opinions here to both sides, which is why I had to go try it for myself.

Even my near stock Bomber with RTR tyres eats the Yeti for breakie even though the Yeti now has G8 TSL Swampers.

The Yeti always seems to need something expensive if you want to do something even a little left of centre.

Just a simple example: Yeti to reliably lock the front diff, $170AUD, RR, $6.

To lock the IFS for bashing, perhaps, but that is more of an inditement of IFS than it is of the yeti. I wouldn't lock the diff for bashing. Conversely, look at what the B1B and B2B guys in the bomber forum are spending in trying to get the bomber to handle like the yeti at speed.

I am not saying that your negativity isn't justified; I am simply commenting on how it comes across in your posts.

I would not continue to own and dump money into the truck if I disliked it. I haven't even spent what a RTR costs and have a very nice enjoyable truck but that doesn't mean I should in any way sign up to the Yeti fanboy club. I'm a RR and Bomber fanboy for a reason. They are just great trucks straight out of the box.

A modified Yeti is a lot of fun and very reliable. I feel your hard child's putty idea that you regularly push has great merit for a cost effective and part tolerant 'locker'.

Thanks, but that bandwagon was rolling here long before I hopped on it; all I am doing, when the subject arises, is contributing what I use and is easy to find that has the requisite properties to act as a LSD/locker.

See, I very quickly noticed you always pushing the same barrow but didn't feel the need to rub your nose in it.

Rub my nose in what, exactly? Being on topic? Staying with what I have experience with?

Get that 2-speed already, and try it out. I recommend the axial package; the instructions and the parts included are a bit confusing (ie they include both the plastic and the upgraded metal parts, and the overdrive/underdrive configuration was virtually undocumented), but I think it is the most complete and reliable.

[badhoopty]

im gonna try cornstarch mixed with shock fluid one of these days...

[DavidH]

Originally Posted by badhoopty

im gonna try cornstarch mixed with shock fluid one of these days...

I believe cornstarch and oil produces slime, while cornstarch and water produce Oobleck (a non-Newtonian fluid). Give it a try.

I suspect that, over time, the cornstarch will separate out of whatever it is mixed with; the problem with water is that it will rust the metal components of the diff.