just installed BL-WOW-now problem

[tha5150]

ok guys, here are the pics of the diffs.... i see no major problems... what you think? they all look the same but no teeth are missing or anything. maybe just really worn.. not sure, you be the judges... oh and this isnt my camera so i have no idea whats up with the multiple pics. sorry guys. i almost feel like an idiot posting these, but whatever.

the multi pic looks pretty artsy...you should frame and submit it to an art gallery......:-)

Maybe some gears look a tad sharp, but I think that's just the angle. I think it could very well be a possibility that your phase (in the ESC, not necessarily the motor, though the motor phase going kaput is a possibility) is blown or something is not right with the ESC if the diffs are all well and good. Did you install those purdy diff housings yet? Maybe there was a little slop in the stock gear case, and the aluminum bits will help align things nicely (and thus prevent any clicking).

I'm more inclined to believe it's the ESC, just from the videos. Especially as you say, it runs fine if you pick up the truck (very little load), but stutters like mad and does that odd twitchy crawl on the ground (not a ton of load, but an appreciable amount compared to freewheeling in the air).

I dunno dude! I say trouble shoot the electronics next if you or anyone else can't see any issues with the gears.

Originally Posted by tha5150

well, i took the diffs apart and saw nothing significant. i am soaking everything in acetone right now and will attempt to put back together tonight. need to clean all the crap off and re-grease them. i will take some pics once i have cleaned everything for your viewing pleasure.

one thing i never tried on my narrowing down the problem process though. hooking everything up except the wheels and seeing what happens.

the motor turns freely when not connected to the pinion.
pinion to spur to tranny spins fine.
driveshafts to diffs is where the problem was. but i never checked it without the tires on to see if it spun freely without the binding. that is my mission tonight..


almost forgot, i got these today for 100 bucks shipped.

Nice, Comobs? or are they Hybrids?

[tha5150]

well, i put everything back together last night but didnt get a chance to install in truck. i saw no point since those bulks will be here tommorow. i will pop the new ones in, see if its the same problem. if not, i know it is the esc or the motor. then i have a whole new bag of issues to deal with.

[BrianG]

If things work fine in the air and only have issues when "loaded" on the ground, I too would suspect something mechanical (diffs/tranny/etc).

Although, it could also be a bad motor/power connection solder joint. When in the air, not much current is need so everything works fine. But on the ground, the increased power needed to move the vehicle increases the current. If the connector joints are crappy, you could get a cogging-like action.

The video is a little fuzzy, but the clicks do sound mechanical, not the motor, so I'd look at the diffs and tranny first.

[tha5150]

Brian, thank you.

i have those combo bulks coming in hopefully tomorrow and will start from there. no sense in me installing the diffs i have now and putting back together just to see if it works, which will probably not. if the problem persists, i will take the tranny apart and see whats going on inside there. when it was apart the other night, i did see minor signs of wear after installing the steel idlers but very minimal. only in the corners.

as for the solder connections, DickyT did solder these for me and claims there shouldn't be a problem there. unfortunately when my MMM came in, there were no Bullets. while writing this response, i just got an email stating they are in the mail. so i will defiantly add those when they come in.

to everyone: sorry for the Acid Flashback looking pics, not my camera and i didn't want to start changing settings. my finance took mine to NY for the week. tomorrow (hopefully) i will post up pics of everything from my camera and take a new video if the problem is still there after i install the new combo bulks...

thanks to all for your help!

[BrianG]

In the meantime, take your tranny apart. The pin people are talking about is the one that holds the gears to the top shaft. It's pretty obvious when you have it apart. Even if it looks good, you might as well bullet-proof now it by using a cut-off hex wrench to prevent it from becoming a problem.

After all;

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

and

The system is only as strong as the weakest link.

and any more cliches that apply...

[tha5150]

a cut of hex wrench huh. i am assuming once i see what this pin is, i can match it up to get the size and go from there. but there is more to bulletproofing the tranny than this..

all i have done to the tranny is added the steel idler gears. i dont want 1st but i dont know how to convert it to 2nd gear only. i have looked for a write up and found nothing.

one more thing, what else should i do, within price reasoning, to bulletprooof the tranny?

[BrianG]

Yeah, whatever size that will replace the pin. You might want to grid the corners of the hex edges first so it fits very snug.

Converting to second gear can be as simple as screwing the dog carrier (the part the shift fork sits in) to the gear of choice. Or, you can look for the gmaxx coupler (Found on the gmaxx website for $15).

That's about it to bullet-proof it really. I suppose you could go all out and get all steel gears, but that's unnecessary.

[tha5150]

other than the obvious of converting to 2nd gear only, there is nothing to gain is there? i mean, i might as well just leave the 2 gears in there and if i want to try and craw on some rocks or something. other than that, i see no need in taking the 1st gear out.

pros? cons?

[suicideneil]

Pros = no shift servo
Cons = no 1st gear for slow speed

if you go the whole hog and get the fully gorillamaxx single speed kit, you do save a fair bit of weight and space, but that requires a bit more work to complete. I never had a functioning 2spd gear box, locked it into second before I even started and have never looked back.

[tha5150]

ya, i see no point in doing it. i havent used 1st gear at all. well, i only ran for 45 min but still. i see no point. i think if i lost the stering servo, i could mount my reciever on that side. i have the MMM where the reciver was and took out the evx. now all is up front. i will take some better pics tommorow when i install everything and show you guys what im running.

is there any pics of a stock tranny converted to 2nd gear i can look at when i make this change? anyone have a link???

Those'll work far better than those you linked from Ebay! I bought ofna diffs from a guy on UE for $80 - same ones UE includes in their 6 spyder Ultralights.

After you get diffs and pinions, find some shims and set them up right. If you've never done it, go over to UE and find their setup instructions for theirs - well documented, lots of pics, and easy to understand. Once you see these, you'll know what need to do for yours.

[tha5150]

Originally Posted by Duster_360

Those'll work far better than those you linked from Ebay!

huh? the pics of the combo diffs are from ebay, yes. and those are the ones i got. i am confused, what are you saying here?


edit: i cant find that write up. link?