Carisma SCA-1E 2.1 Stiff transmission

[Jesus-Creeper]

Hi All
I’ve just completed building my first crawler. It’s a Carisma Range Rover Sca1e 2.1.
I’ve noticed that the transmission is really stiff, and pushing the model by hand there is quite a lot of resistance.
Is this normal? To me that is a sure fire way to drain the battery?

Would anyone kindly provide me with some assistance?

Many thanks,
Ben

[Goro Majima]

Originally Posted by Jesus-Creeper

Hi All

I’ve just completed building my first crawler. It’s a Carisma Range Rover Sca1e 2.1.

I’ve noticed that the transmission is really stiff, and pushing the model by hand there is quite a lot of resistance.

Is this normal? To me that is a sure fire way to drain the battery?



Would anyone kindly provide me with some assistance?



Many thanks,

Ben

I would take apart the transmission and inspect/rebuild.

[OSRC]

Is that with the motor installed?

Crawlers are geared way lower than most RC's, if this is your first it might just be the gearing is way lower than you expect.

[Jesus-Creeper]

Yea that’s with the motor installed. I’ve only ever built Tamiya RCs in the past.

[DrIsotope]

Take off the pinion and give it a roll.

[King Dork]

Originally Posted by DrIsotope

Take off the pinion and give it a roll.

Do this. The truck should roll very freely with the pinion off. If you feel resistance take the transmission apart and rebuild it, making sure any bearings are fully seated. Doesn’t take much for an unseated hearing to bind things up. If this passes the test check your axles. An improperly shimmed ring and pinion can cause binding.
If you end up taking the transmission and/or axles apart double check the bearings. They should spin freely with only slight resistance from the oil or grease in them. And the obvious, make sure your pinion and spur mesh aren’t too tight, although if you check the drivetrain with the pinion off and it rolls freely, it could just be too tight of a gear mesh which would be the best case scenario and save you a bunch of disassembly time.

[Jesus-Creeper]

Thanks for all the advice. I’ll have a tinker today and report back.
Much appreciated 👍🏻

[Jesus-Creeper]

Thanks for all the advice everyone. In the end I did rebuild the transmission, and although it is still resistive, it is down to the gearing.
I’m not a fan of the Carisma brand of screws though, very poor quality steel.

Thanks again.