Warning to Potential Trx4 buyers

[Nick the crawler guy]

So late 2019 I bought a Trx4 defender and not long after getting it it was getting hot, not running properly two micro servos broke, then the tx died, so we sent it back and it was diagnosed with a faulty transmitter. And I got it back and it is an awesome car! I have loved it for the entire year, but recently it has had the same problem, killed a micro servo, is not running properly and getting hot.

So, I don't want to discourage potential Trx4 buyers, just warning others of my problems.

Also I thing the faulty tx making everything hot has damaged the esc which is then causing things to break.

My 1 year ownership review is 9/10 weirdly enough. Lovely little truck!

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[high plains drifter]

I don't see how the TX was suspect but if they say so. I would think that the ESC was faulty from the get-go.

Curious as to what battery ( brand? 2S?- 3S? Condition? Discharge rate? etc). Also curious as to what was getting hot... ESC? Motor? Servo?

[Fricker08]

Unfortunately, that’s pretty much the case with any rtr car. It’s great to get people started, but when something breaks or goes wrong.. outside a reasonable time frame.. it’s best to just upgrade. The hobbywing 1080 is impossible to beat for $42 and upgrading the radio system unlocks so much tune-ability. But that definitely comes with time and as you get more comfortable. The micro servos are junk, powerhd tr-4 servos are great replacements, and don’t waste your money on a Traxxas steering servo, there’s plenty of great options for the same price.
The trx4 is a great platform for mild to wild, glad you’re enjoying it regardless of the cheap electronics


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[Uncle Pete]

I bought one last spring, and immediately changed the ESC (HW1080) and steering servo (Savox 1230). Never looked back.

[Inspector86]

This is not uncommon and not really an issue. Most of us ditch the stock electronics in short order anyway.

[air8]

Big props to Traxxas for making the repairs for you. I think I'm close to purchasing myself a TRX4.

[o0wiz0o]

Don't forget to but a metal servo horn for the steering.

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[Fiveflat]

I just bought 2 chassis kits so my son and I could build them together. One of the cars, the shift servo was junk and grinding right out of the box.
The LHS is doing a great job though and replacing it, even offering an upgrade servo if I pay the difference is all

When I bought the kits, the LHS did warn me about the steering servo but I'm gonna run with it and upgrade as needed.
Only other issue I've run into so far is the big grub screw on the motor pinion and it grinding on the gear making a horrific noise. cars aren't complete yet so I haven't tackled that one entirely so far. I think I'll just get a smaller grub screw though.

[HumboldtEF]

Theres a fairly massive thread in the TRX4 section going over potential failure points of the shift and diff servos.

Options to replace Micro Servo's?

I gave some feedback on how to make them happy. I had one strip when I f-ed up and removed the servo horn without holding the output shaft (gears are too weak for this and I had heard this before hand) but besides that bonehead move my micro servos have survived and are still kicking. I've also had this since it was released. Its a solid rig durability wise once you ditch the stock ESC and ensure the shift/diff servos are happy. Oh and the steering servo will only last so long while being completely inadequate but thats the case with almost all crawlers.

[xagoras]

Originally Posted by Fiveflat

....Only other issue I've run into so far is the big grub screw on the motor pinion and it grinding on the gear making a horrific noise. cars aren't complete yet so I haven't tackled that one entirely so far. I think I'll just get a smaller grub screw though.

Same thing happened to me when I built my kit. It's an easy and quick fix. Just unscrew the plastic that holds the motor and position the pinion screw closer to the edge.

[Levi]

Thats terrible you had bad luck. Rtr electronics are never that great anyway, most times. The only thing I've upgraded on my trx4 is to a savox servo. The stock servo was struggling a bit. So it sits in a box for spare parts. My boys bronco had the stock servo crap out and replaced. But for the most part I've had really good luck with Traxxas electronics.

[gus6464]

I've bought 2x trx-4s a g500 and a defender. The first thing I did out of the box was pull out the esc and motor and sell on offerup for 45 bucks. Sold them both in less than 48 hours as people seem to love the traxxas electronics.

Turned around and spent an extra 15 bucks for a hw 1080 and holmes crawlmaster sport 550.

As for the shift servos when they die replace them with powerhd tr-4s. They are considerably cheaper than the traxxas ones and can handle 7.2v which will now be doable with the 1080.

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[ScaleLifeNewbie]

I had to replace my ESC right out of the box. Drove 10ft in my house and everything started twitching and throttle was lost. Stupidly paid $85 for the same one on Amazon cuz I didn’t know better. Servo Died 3 months into ownership. Broke a driveshaft. 2 speed servo acting up. Transmission acting up. Just overall not too impressed.

I give my TRX4 a 5/10.




_________________
SCX10 ii
TRX4

[Benp]

I have the Sport RTR and have had no real issues.

I ran all stock for the first few weeks to establish a baseline before upgrades.

My transmission ticks which I still have to look into.

Only failure I’ve had was the lower panhard mount stripped out after upgrading the servo.

I only crawl rocks. No dirt, water, mud.

I’m impressed with how durable it’s been between spills and dead cat bounces.

[Scale Build]

Same here. I have the Sport Kit and it seems very well made, feels like a tank! I picked up my own electronics though...the RTR electronics don't have the best reputation for power/reliability.

[Benp]

Originally Posted by Scale Build

Same here. I have the Sport Kit and it seems very well made, feels like a tank! I picked up my own electronics though...the RTR electronics don't have the best reputation for power/reliability.

Oh I agree on the stock electronics and did same thing including radio.

[Scale Build]

Originally Posted by Benp

Oh I agree on the stock electronics and did same thing including radio.

I don't have any experience with the RTR radio. Is it just as bad as the rest of the electronics?

[QuesoDelDiablo]

Originally Posted by Scale Build

I don't have any experience with the RTR radio. Is it just as bad as the rest of the electronics?

Not really. The servos and esc are virtually guaranteed to fail. The Rx/Tx isn't that likely fail, but it's not exceedingly high quality and has limited functionality.

[Benp]

Originally Posted by Scale Build

I don't have any experience with the RTR radio. Is it just as bad as the rest of the electronics?

For me it was fine. Just the simple 2 channel one because of the sport rtr.

I find the Flysky GT5’s ergonomics/ in hand feeling much better and the GT5’s adjustability and ease of adjustability vastly superior.

Although I am sure that can be said for any aftermarket radio when compared to rtr.

[Scale Build]

Originally Posted by QuesoDelDiablo

Not really. The servos and esc are virtually guaranteed to fail. The Rx/Tx isn't that likely fail, but it's not exceedingly high quality and has limited functionality.

Yeh, being limited to two channels is what made me stay away from it.

Originally Posted by Benp

For me it was fine. Just the simple 2 channel one because of the sport rtr.

I find the Flysky GT5’s ergonomics/ in hand feeling much better and the GT5’s adjustability and ease of adjustability vastly superior.

Although I am sure that can be said for any aftermarket radio when compared to rtr.

Ditto! I'm loving my GT5! So much functionality and adjustability for the price