How to clean this dirty babe?

[JohnnyOctopuss]

What's the best way to clean her up?
What tools should I use to get her clean?

 

[WoodiE]

Hey @JohnnyOctopuss, take a look at this thread - What method do you use to clean your RC?

 

[JohnnyOctopuss]

Hey @JohnnyOctopuss, take a look at this thread - What method do you use to clean your RC?

Putting balloons over the electronics and washing it down with a hose?! Does that actually work? I think I'll use the compressed air and a few small brushes

 

[CertifiedMike]

I still use the compressor and brushes first, get detailed after that as needed.

 

[RustyUs]

Compressed air is always the best thing to have around. Normally, the backyard track gets super dusty during prime summer running. I try to blow everything off after every run. All depends on track/environment conditions. Other times, I'll get a wild hair and let things fly through the "mud". Any time moisture is involved, extra cleaning steps are needed to minimize rust forming.

Compressed air, cleaning agent(s), brushes, and protectant sprays... do what you got to do.

 

[JohnnyOctopuss]

Compressed air is always the best thing to have around. Normally, the backyard track gets super dusty during prime summer running. I try to blow everything off after every run. All depends on track/environment conditions. Other times, I'll get a wild hair and let things fly through the "mud". Any time moisture is involved, extra cleaning steps are needed to minimize rust forming.

Compressed air, cleaning agent(s), brushes, and protectant sprays... do what you got to do.
View attachment 233437

That simple green stuff must be great because everyone talks about it. I have some at work.

I know it probably sounds routine to you guys but I'm new to the hobby so getting tips and tricks from personal experience

This is our first two hobby grade RCs and breaking them down for the first time seems daunting

 

[CertifiedMike]

That simple green stuff must be great because everyone talks about it. I have some at work.

I know it probably sounds routine to you guys but I'm new to the hobby so getting tips and tricks from personal experience

This is our first two hobby grade RCs and breaking them down for the first time seems daunting

Simple green is a great degreaser!

As far as tearing the cars down...
Download pdfs and exploded views first. Look them over and look for potential problem areas.
Use your camera and take lots of pictures. Make sure you understand how things work as you take them apart.
Go slowly. Keep things neat. I use small tupperware containers to keep things organized.
If you can resto/mod 1:1 hot rods, your RCs will be no problem!!!

 

[WickedFog]

Another good one besides Simple Green is Super Clean. It's a Walmart brand. It is a bit stonger than Simple Green as it will also dechrome plastic parts

But yeah, what Rusty suggested there is basically what I use when rebuilding an RC.

 

[RustyUs]

That simple green stuff must be great because everyone talks about it. I have some at work.

I know it probably sounds routine to you guys but I'm new to the hobby so getting tips and tricks from personal experience

This is our first two hobby grade RCs and breaking them down for the first time seems daunting

The only time I use the foaming stuff is when I got some sticky shock oil, or wet dirt on the extremities. I won't even take the front/rear clips (arms, gearboxes, hinge pin braces) off most of the time. I'll just do a few rounds of foaming stuff and come back in a couple of minutes with compressed air. Finish up with favorite silicone spray to prevent rust. That's what I did to my buggy in earlier post.

99% of the time it's just compressed air and dry lube on CV/universal joints after a run... throw RC on shelf in garage.

For wet weather RCing and what mess you show...

that's full on anxiety for me, because the amount of fun/cleaning time ratio is so unbalanced. Just be careful around electronics when rinsing, and blowing stuff off the muckiest sections would probably be my recommendation if not doing a full tear down.

 

[CertifiedMike]

The only time I use the foaming stuff is when I got some sticky shock oil, or wet dirt on the extremities. I won't even take the front/rear clips (arms, gearboxes, hinge pin braces) off most of the time. I'll just do a few rounds of foaming stuff and come back in a couple of minutes with compressed air. Finish up with favorite silicone spray to prevent rust. That's what I did to my buggy in earlier post.

99% of the time it's just compressed air and dry lube on CV/universal joints after a run... throw RC on shelf in garage.

For wet weather RCing and what mess you show...
View attachment 233460
that's full on anxiety for me, because the amount of fun/cleaning time ratio is so unbalanced. Just be careful around electronics when rinsing, and blowing stuff off the muckiest sections would probably be my recommendation if not doing a full tear down.

LMAO @ the muck/fun ratio!!!
I so do that tho! I will weigh the mud/muck clean up time against the run time to see who wins!
I need at least 2 full pack of run time to balance the full on mud muck on my Gorgon for instance!
Otherwise its slow donuts in puddles in the driveway.

 

[White_Crow_G]

Is it safe to spread silicone WD40 on the screw heads to avoid rust? i just afraid that it can pick up all the dust and it could be even worse

 

[RustyUs]

Is it safe to spread silicone WD40 on the screw heads to avoid rust? i just afraid that it can pick up all the dust and it could be even worse

The WD-40 Specialist Silicone Lubricant is not your grandpa's WD40. The "Specialist" Silocone Lubricant is not sticky when it dries. It's not my favorite, because the smell is not the pleasantest. It's not cherry scented like the Maxima SC1 that's for sure. There are all kinds of silicone sprays out there for the pickin' and a person just has to read the details of the product.
https://cowrc.com/cleaning/

I just buy whatever is on sale.