Stock pinion gear gone in 3 weeks?

[bigjezza]

Hi people,
so far I've done a lot of lurking, and already used this forum alot lol. Thanks to it I knew to get a Robinson pinion, long screws + nuts for the gearbox, steering mod, etc for a CC01 Pajero kit I picked up.

My question is this: is it normal for the stock pinion to last around 21 hours runtime?

I was amazed at how it looked today when I got wondering about the grinding noise! Suffice to say its replaced. Can I expect longer with the steel replacement?

Also, I'm dismantling the gear box about once a week to clean it (which is rather tedious with the Junfac plate + nuts on gear box screws) because my kid loves watching it sit there, wheels spinning.

Has anyone succesfully sealed the gearbox?

I've tried hot glue, but that borked up the alignment of the front wheel bearings which in turn pushed the gear box cover up.

I've purchased bathroom sealant to attempt next. Is there any approach I can take to the area around the front diff/bearings to prevent dust/dirt entry through there? Is there such thing as little boots or something that can prevent dirt getting in around the front axles?

Thanks in advance!

[.bg.]

I've burned pinions moderately fast in my cc01. I'd wager that the design of the gearbox doesn't allow for any custom fitment of the pinion/spur mesh, so it's always a mediocre engagement at best. I'd just order up another set of Tamiya pinions off of ebay. They come in two different part #'s:
TAM50354 has the 16 and 17 tooth.
TAM50356 has the 20 and 21 tooth.

I don't recall if you are only supposed to be using the even or odd tooth'ed of these in the cc01's, but I've been running all of them without any discernible issues.

[RABIDFOX]

16T and 20T are the standard two sizes for the CC01. Try getting a GPM motor mount for yours. It's much more solid than the plastic stock mount and may keep things where they should. So far my pinion has held up. I also use white lithium grease in the gearbox. A liberal amount keeps things running smoothly. I get mine from the local AUTOZONE and Advanced Autoparts stores. It's the Pentax brand in the gray tube.

[Thorsteenster]

How dirty are you finding the gears when you do this weekly? Unless your running submerged or have a crack or hole somewhere it should be sealed well enough to go months without a cleaning.

I don't know about the pinion, but after 5 or 6 runs with a Novak Goat brushless system and a bunch of runtime with a handwound high torque 35T motor, I'm still on the same pinion.

[Flowmastered87GL]

Funny, I rarely if ever clean out my geartrain (And see water and mud at comps too) and am only on my 3rd spur ever and have gone through a handful of pinions. Better than 21 hours for sure though.

I have a Robinson steel pinion now, but only have a pack or 2 on it. I usually dont open my gearbox unless I need to.

[Dark Bishop]

You could always do the 32p spur and pinion mod, i just did it to mine with great results.

[bigjezza]

Thanks for the input, I think my running environment (ie. garden bed + 3 year old kid) is a bit harsh Or is this normal?



Thats after 5 days.

I've closley examined the chassis + gearbox cover and cant locate any cracks

I did however find this, but that won't be causing the dirt to get in:


I've ordered a new gear set (or 2!) and will seal the damn thing. I suspect its getting in around the motor and down where the front diff/bearings are.