-
Welcome to RCCrawler Forums.
It looks like you're enjoying RCCrawler's Forums but haven't created an account yet. Why not take a minute to register for your own free account now? As a member you get free access to all of our forums and posts plus the ability to post your own messages, communicate directly with other members, and much more. Register now!
Already a member? Login at the top of this page to stop seeing this message.
Is this ok?
- Thread starter Fisng&RC66
- Start date
Fisng&RC66
Newbie
This for some reason don't seem ok
a crawler should never be that clean totally wrong
hosing it down dosent hurt anything that a shot of oil wont fix
hosing it down dosent hurt anything that a shot of oil wont fix
HenryCrawllins
Newbie
There are lots of reasons why that might be okay, or not. It will depend entirely on your specific rig and setup. Let me see if I can rattle off the most important points.
Are all of your electronics waterproof, or at least sealed in a waterproof compartment? yes - okay/no - not okay
Are you thoroughly drying your rig afterward? yes - okay/no - not okay
Are there any areas where water may intrude upon grease or oil? no - okay/ yes - not okay
Are the exposed steel parts of your rig stainless? yes - okay/no - not okay, unless you thoroughly dry everything immediately after
Are you using a mild soap or water soluble cleaner/degreaser? yes - okay as long as you completely rinse and dry immediately after/no - not okay
Are you using a soft bristle brush and making sure to clear dirt from any hard to reach areas where debris may collect? yes - okay/no - not okay
Are you using a high pressure hose nozzle or pressure washer? no - okay/yes - not okay
I'm sure I've missed something, so hopefully others can chime in with their best practices as well. Hope that helps.
Are all of your electronics waterproof, or at least sealed in a waterproof compartment? yes - okay/no - not okay
Are you thoroughly drying your rig afterward? yes - okay/no - not okay
Are there any areas where water may intrude upon grease or oil? no - okay/ yes - not okay
Are the exposed steel parts of your rig stainless? yes - okay/no - not okay, unless you thoroughly dry everything immediately after
Are you using a mild soap or water soluble cleaner/degreaser? yes - okay as long as you completely rinse and dry immediately after/no - not okay
Are you using a soft bristle brush and making sure to clear dirt from any hard to reach areas where debris may collect? yes - okay/no - not okay
Are you using a high pressure hose nozzle or pressure washer? no - okay/yes - not okay
I'm sure I've missed something, so hopefully others can chime in with their best practices as well. Hope that helps.
Fisng&RC66
Newbie
I do have a TRX4 defender new to crawling and getting reacquainted with rc as a whole. It was give to me by a friend who only used it a few times but it needs a cleaning. I appreciate your help. If you know any place I can watch and learn different things like techniques and ways to clean and tweak things I would love any help or advice.
cul8tr
Rock Crawler
I spray Simple Green on it and rub or brush the heavy dirty areas. Pull the wheels off and spray Simple Green on them. Then rub them in my hands and spray off. Simple Green keeps the rubber soft doesn't dry out the rubber. Let the truck dry in sun light, blow it off or set over night. Before running it again I have a small squeeze bottle with a 3" tube filled with oil and lube metal joints and pivots.
oh yeah
Dilute it so it lasts longer.
oh yeah
Dilute it so it lasts longer.
It's kinda like most things where there's not really a "what works for one person, works for everyone" deal.
And that's not necessarily to say that there isn't a set "right or wrong" way to go about some maintenance duties but that's all subjective and since we're all different, we'll go about tackling things in different ways.
I personally allow some things to go until there is a clear sign that I need to ( or should have) address(ed) something. But I start with inspecting and checking anything that rotates, pivots, compresses, slides, etc.
I don't necessarily keep my rigs super clean but I try to make it a point to perform basic/ quick inspection and maintenance. Differentials, portals, etc for example... I don't feel the need to disassemble often but I do like to make sure that they are moving/ feeling/ sounding the way that they should. If certain parts feel gritty, are binding, or have excessive play, then it's time to get em opened up.
Again, for me what works is inspecting critical moving parts- linkages incl servo horn, servo mounts, control arms, wheels, driveshafts, axle shafts, etc.... anything that with failure will leave me carrying home a heavy rig. Other parts should also be inspected but may not be as critical or may not typically need anything done- motor, axle gears, shocks, etc.
I've never flushed or sprayed my rigs with water but I also don't typically run through deep mud or water so I don't feel the need to go that extreme when it comes time to clean. Some people use a hose or pressurized water source and swear that it works. But I simply don't like doing things like that and I don't like the idea of forcing water ( and debris) into tighter places that may take a long time to dry, or may be inaccessible, or that may be more sensitive to water and subsequent rust. Same with my tire-foams... I don't like them to get wet and/ or have to wait to dry... as well as going thru the hassle of disassembling and reassembling wheels when I don't have to.
My most valuable tools when it comes to cleaning are a couple cheap brushes, small stiff brushes, q-tips, thin rags, paper towels, WD40 or similar spray like engine degreaser/ brake cleaner depending on the specific part(s), Windex or whatever water-based cleaner, and compressed air ( although I use it very sparingly and not on all parts... same mindset that you wouldn't use compressed air to clean out earbuds). But I take my time because I enjoy these aspects of RC just as much as actually running my vehicles. Of course, not everyone likes maintenance tasks so they aren't going to want to do it like I do.
However you decide works best for you, just make sure ( especially if you're blasting the rig with water), that you are also allowing things to dry thoroughly and greasing/ oiling/ lubricating afterwards as well as applying fresh thread-lock where needed. And always a good idea to double check radio/ receiver/ esc functions after major maintenance, adjustments, new parts, etc.
Before hitting the trails, my piece of mind also comes from taking along a small ziplock bag with some asst hardware ( like a couple wheel nuts, body clips, xtra servo-horn screw, etc) and the appropriate tools to do those repairs if need be. Crazy how losing one little nut or screw can ruin the whole day.
And that's not necessarily to say that there isn't a set "right or wrong" way to go about some maintenance duties but that's all subjective and since we're all different, we'll go about tackling things in different ways.
I personally allow some things to go until there is a clear sign that I need to ( or should have) address(ed) something. But I start with inspecting and checking anything that rotates, pivots, compresses, slides, etc.
I don't necessarily keep my rigs super clean but I try to make it a point to perform basic/ quick inspection and maintenance. Differentials, portals, etc for example... I don't feel the need to disassemble often but I do like to make sure that they are moving/ feeling/ sounding the way that they should. If certain parts feel gritty, are binding, or have excessive play, then it's time to get em opened up.
Again, for me what works is inspecting critical moving parts- linkages incl servo horn, servo mounts, control arms, wheels, driveshafts, axle shafts, etc.... anything that with failure will leave me carrying home a heavy rig. Other parts should also be inspected but may not be as critical or may not typically need anything done- motor, axle gears, shocks, etc.
I've never flushed or sprayed my rigs with water but I also don't typically run through deep mud or water so I don't feel the need to go that extreme when it comes time to clean. Some people use a hose or pressurized water source and swear that it works. But I simply don't like doing things like that and I don't like the idea of forcing water ( and debris) into tighter places that may take a long time to dry, or may be inaccessible, or that may be more sensitive to water and subsequent rust. Same with my tire-foams... I don't like them to get wet and/ or have to wait to dry... as well as going thru the hassle of disassembling and reassembling wheels when I don't have to.
My most valuable tools when it comes to cleaning are a couple cheap brushes, small stiff brushes, q-tips, thin rags, paper towels, WD40 or similar spray like engine degreaser/ brake cleaner depending on the specific part(s), Windex or whatever water-based cleaner, and compressed air ( although I use it very sparingly and not on all parts... same mindset that you wouldn't use compressed air to clean out earbuds). But I take my time because I enjoy these aspects of RC just as much as actually running my vehicles. Of course, not everyone likes maintenance tasks so they aren't going to want to do it like I do.
However you decide works best for you, just make sure ( especially if you're blasting the rig with water), that you are also allowing things to dry thoroughly and greasing/ oiling/ lubricating afterwards as well as applying fresh thread-lock where needed. And always a good idea to double check radio/ receiver/ esc functions after major maintenance, adjustments, new parts, etc.
Before hitting the trails, my piece of mind also comes from taking along a small ziplock bag with some asst hardware ( like a couple wheel nuts, body clips, xtra servo-horn screw, etc) and the appropriate tools to do those repairs if need be. Crazy how losing one little nut or screw can ruin the whole day.
hnoroian
Rock Crawler
Ferp takes his rigs in the shower and washes them down. Nothing wrong with the video. Just because it’s waterproof doesn’t mean it won’t fail eventually. Wash and brush it down, blow it off and give a shot of non dirt attracting lube and keep wheeling.
With most of my trucks, I avoid water and mud as much as I can, so usually cleanup is just blowing them off with compressed air. I do have a couple trucks that see mud and water though. They get sprayed down with diluted Simple Green, hosed off, then dried thoroughly with compressed air. A little bit of CLP goes on CV joints, etc.
Yup... However, on the rare occasion that I do mud up one of my rigs, the process shown in the video is more or less the way I would go about it.
One thing the video did not show is the REALLY important maintenance, which is to pull the motor and clean it.
