Using grease to waterproof axles?

[oxyjansen]

Just curious if packing the axles with grease serves as effective waterproofing for keeping axle bearing in one piece after running in wet conditions?

[cman_1500w]

I've run my CR01 completely submerged in water as well as mud. I never packed the inside completely with grease but I did put it all over the exposed dog bones and inside the inner knuckles. Works well at repelling water from getting inside but the exposed bearings of the axle will rust out over time unless you do it before every mud outing. And even then it's good to go through and check everything every 3-4 runs at least.

The tranny is a bigger problem. What I've done to keep mud out is to seal the motor, seal all the tranny's seams with RTV, and pack the outputs with grease every time. I've still had to rebuild it 3 times and had to replace all the gears this last time.

[oxyjansen]

What are you using to seal the motor? Does is bring on the potential for the motor running hot?

[860Crawler]

No need to seal the motor, it can run completely underwater.

I've never packed the axles with grease but I've done plenty of water runs. If I do some water running, usually I'll break down the axle Cs and re-oil the bearings there and re-grease the dogbone/cup if it looks gritty. Plus I'll re-oil the exposed bearing right at the end of the axles. I've never taken them back apart all the way. I have disconnected the motor from the tranny just to spin everything to check for any grinding or binds and everything spins really well. I can spin a tire and the whole driveline will spin for a good 10-15 seconds with the motor disconnected so I guess nothing is fouled in there. No seized bearings or messed up
teeth in the gears.

I've never gone in full-on sloppy mud runs. Water has gotten inside the tranny but it just runs back out if i lift the truck up from the front. I've taken apart the tranny recently and everything looks like the day I put it together

[oxyjansen]

I guess these things really are made pretty well. Its nice to know that for all teh $$ many of us blow on some of this stuff that things hold up well.

I'm looking forward to getting my builds all completed soon, so I can start testing the trucks out more thoroughly for myself. For now the Rustler takes all the abuse!

[PoinTHwerP]

Originally Posted by cman_1500w

I've run my CR01 completely submerged in water as well as mud. I never packed the inside completely with grease but I did put it all over the exposed dog bones and inside the inner knuckles. Works well at repelling water from getting inside but the exposed bearings of the axle will rust out over time unless you do it before every mud outing. And even then it's good to go through and check everything every 3-4 runs at least.

The tranny is a bigger problem. What I've done to keep mud out is to seal the motor, seal all the tranny's seams with RTV, and pack the outputs with grease every time. I've still had to rebuild it 3 times and had to replace all the gears this last time.

Ive done the same, submerged to the roof and havnt had any issues with the axles

I personally havnt had a problem with the trans yet, i semi sealed it during my build, and i put a ring of tamiya grease applied with a blunt syringe around the bearing area, it wears off over time and doesnt fully seal it, however it does seem to be keeping bulk garbage out like sand and mud

and yes while the motor can run underwater, mud destroys the brushes, which is what cman was talking about i believe.... also i think the motor needs to be sealed against the transmission to keep water/mud from entering at the mating point of the trans and motor.... i did the same

[oxyjansen]

I'll most likely be a little less adventurous around water than you guys are, and these damn things cost too much to build already! I really just want to keep things going well, and protected, so it sounds like grease in the right areas will do the job.

Are any of you doing anything at all to lube your bearings? Does grease applied around the outer shields of the bearing help at all? Mine are soaking in some 10W30 at the moment.

[860Crawler]

Trinity bearing oil is all I use. When I run someplace sandy like the beach and the rig is really dirty I'll spray the bearings with electric motor spray then lube them. I have to do that a lot with my grasshopper since the wheel bearings are so exposed

[PoinTHwerP]

Originally Posted by 860Crawler

Trinity bearing oil is all I use. When I run someplace sandy like the beach and the rig is really dirty I'll spray the bearings with electric motor spray then lube them. I have to do that a lot with my grasshopper since the wheel bearings are so exposed

I use trinity bearing oil too, if you put a ring of grease around the bearing face it will help keep sand and fine dirt out for a little while, and it wont really effect the bearing any

clean it after a few runs or so and reapply, thats what ive been doing and it seems to work well

[Brett B.]

I would use rtv on the seams and grease the hell out of it.

[oxyjansen]

Originally Posted by 860Crawler

Trinity bearing oil is all I use. When I run someplace sandy like the beach and the rig is really dirty I'll spray the bearings with electric motor spray then lube them. I have to do that a lot with my grasshopper since the wheel bearings are so exposed

How do you like the grasshopper? I was looking at the hornet, and thinking it might be interesting to get.

[oxyjansen]

Originally Posted by Brett B.

I would use rtv on the seams and grease the hell out of it.

I was considering lubing the inner axle with grease and putting rtv along the seams before bolting everything together, but it seems a fine line between grease and the sealant. I suppose RTV on the outside of the case would be just as good, but I'll need to get over my being a neat freak about the build. There will be a couple of trucks that get babied, and a couple to beat the hell out of, so maybe I'll seal the beaters up and see how it goes. I'll be putting alot of this stuff together this week and next, but I'm waiting for some stainless screws for the axles. I hate rust! LOL

[oxyjansen]

Originally Posted by PoinTHwerP

I use trinity bearing oil too, if you put a ring of grease around the bearing face it will help keep sand and fine dirt out for a little while, and it wont really effect the bearing any

clean it after a few runs or so and reapply, thats what ive been doing and it seems to work well

Now that you mention it, I just realized I bought the Trinity oil too, but soaked the bearing in auto oil, as I forgot I had the Trinity on hand. I guess since the auto oil does such a nice job in the stress of a car engine it should hold up OK in my rigs for now.

I really need to get all my parts and supplies out of cardboard boxes, as its hard to remember what I have sometimes! LOL

[droopmodmrc]

i drill drain holes in the diffs, trans and slipper cover . i don't seal the diffs and trans . then after each run i let all the water drain out ,then pump some oil in the holes(i use oil for shop air tools as it has rust inhibitors) then just run the motors for a minute and im set to go for my next run . every 5-10 runs i take and it apart to check it out and it still looking good . if im gonna run in mud then i just plug the little holes with a dab of silicon or liquid electrical tape. so it doesn't let in sand

[860Crawler]

Originally Posted by oxyjansen

How do you like the grasshopper? I was looking at the hornet, and thinking it might be interesting to get.

It runs like a buggy from 1984, bouncy and jumpy. Its fun! I have the 540 motor from my CR-01 so its got the speed of the Hornet but no oil shocks in back. No slippers in these old guys either so any take offs on dirt are squirrely unless you feather on the throttle. BTW, the gearbox on these is pretty stout. I opened mine after it took an accidental dunk in the ocean and it was still perfectly greased and no sand in there.

[oxyjansen]

Originally Posted by droopmodmrc

i drill drain holes in the diffs, trans and slipper cover . i don't seal the diffs and trans . then after each run i let all the water drain out ,then pump some oil in the holes(i use oil for shop air tools as it has rust inhibitors) then just run the motors for a minute and im set to go for my next run . every 5-10 runs i take and it apart to check it out and it still looking good . if im gonna run in mud then i just plug the little holes with a dab of silicon or liquid electrical tape. so it doesn't let in sand

That's a pretty good idea to flush the diff with oil. I also appreciate the tip on the air tool oil, as I've been out of the auto industry for some time, and its good to know it has anti-corrosion properties. I'll have to pick some up.

[oxyjansen]

Originally Posted by 860Crawler

It runs like a buggy from 1984, bouncy and jumpy. Its fun! I have the 540 motor from my CR-01 so its got the speed of the Hornet but no oil shocks in back. No slippers in these old guys either so any take offs on dirt are squirrely unless you feather on the throttle. BTW, the gearbox on these is pretty stout. I opened mine after it took an accidental dunk in the ocean and it was still perfectly greased and no sand in there.

Unfortunately my only frame of reference for RC in the 80's was my old Radio Shack Jeep. No suspension, just cushy tires, but it was fun while it lasted.

Tower has the hornet for about $100, which doesn't seem like a terrible deal. Might even find it cheaper somewhere else, since Tower isn't exactly the cheapest store.

I was looking at a Kyosho Blizzard at a train show yesterday that was pretty interesting. If your not familiar its a snow cat with treads. I was tempted, but it was nitro, and the guy wanted too much for it. Its also discontinued, so parts might get really hard to find.