RCCrawler Forums

casco_bay_rc

These Traxx have seen three years' worth of mud and snow. You can hear them squeak, and a lot of friction is happening.

Now's the time to rebuild and recondition the parts.







Here's how I did that:

The first task is to disassemble (obviously). This is easier than it appears. Traxxas thought through doing servicing at home.





Here it is all laid out:



Removing the bearings from the wheels is easy using a small punch or one of the hinge pins you removed earlier.



While these are wear items, I imagine they will last a long time after cleaning.



These axle pins show wear, but it's not significant enough to warrant replacing them.



Let's clean these parts now. I use a mason jar, a mix of water, and a degreaser in the ultrasonic. I cleaned the plastics with a soft brush and a mild degreaser.



I use a mason jar because you separate the water in the ultrasonic cleaner from the parts to make cleanup easier.



This is the result after just 10 minutes:



The parts are super clean now:





These axles could use a polish to remove any burrs and uneven wear:



The result after a few passes with 400-grit sandpaper and then metal polish:



I applied a corrosion inhibitor to the black oxide hardware. I find this works well on parts that will see damp environments.



Now that the "modules" are assembled, it's time to make the unit entirely.



I applied the same vinyl/rubber protectant to all plastics everywhere. This helps lubricate and repels water and dirt.



While these don't look much different, all the bearings are smooth and friction-free. The difference is dramatic. They are silent, as well.



Here is the fully assembled unit with a protectant applied:







I used the same procedure for the other three assemblies.

The result is a quiet, more flexible assembly ready to see more use in the mud and snow.