Steering loss during a test run

[Pensacola_RC_Guy]

My son age I were running my rustler 4x4 and after 15 minutes or so of just running it down the street and back it stopped steering. I picked it up and you could hear the servo trying to turn the wheels but they only turned about a mm or so in either direction. Any ideas?

 

[DavidB1126]

stripped servo gears, or servo is possibly going out. Or something caught up or broken in the bellcrank / steering assembly.

 

[Pensacola_RC_Guy]

stripped servo gears, or servo is possibly going out. Or something caught up or broken in the bellcrank / steering assembly.

I didn't see any obstructions. This is really frustrating though. I just fixed the control arms yesterday. And had to put shocks on it a couple days before that. Now this. My wife is not happy. I've heard mixed opinions about traxxas cars but are they really this unreliable?

 

[DavidB1126]

Its sort of reliable in stock form
It will get more reliable once upgraded enough. Well from what I seen from my slash and rusty (2wd)

 

[Pensacola_RC_Guy]

Its sort of reliable in stock form
It will get more reliable once upgraded enough. Well from what I seen from my slash and rusty (2wd)

I think this go round, I'm just gonna let the hobby shop sort it out. And if it keeps giving me trouble, call it a loss and shelve it for a while. I haven't even had enough successful runs to really enjoy it yet.

 

[Lostinthewoods86]

I didn't see any obstructions. This is really frustrating though. I just fixed the control arms yesterday. And had to put shocks on it a couple days before that. Now this. My wife is not happy. I've heard mixed opinions about traxxas cars but are they really this unreliable?

New to this as well, but just went through this…not with the tmaxx though surprisingly , the brand new Vorza , have had to replace both servos within a couple weeks on it, steering went first, tmaxx though has been beat harder and longer and servos still holding up same thing though, sudden loss and they sound crunchy

if your doing this with kids, buckle up and keep all extremities inside at all times oh and get a nitro, and watch the smile on your sons face

 

[WickedFog]

Traxxas servos are like the worst RTR servos amoung the top brands. And most RTR will have weak points until you upgrade a few things. Traxxas shock shafts are like bubble gum, and they notoriously blow the shock caps. Traxxas loves selling you cheap RC's knowing they will make more money off the upgrade parts they sell, but there are lots of other companies selling better upgrades for less money.

If you're breaking stuff, take a look at your driving style and what caused it to break. Every RC will show its weaknesses if driven improperly.

One thing I see a lot with people new to RC is not knowing when to let go of the throttle. If your tires are allowed to spin up when off the ground, it creates a lot of stress on things when the tires make contact with the ground while power is still being applied.

 

[Pensacola_RC_Guy]

New to this as well, but just went through this…not with the tmaxx though surprisingly , the brand new Vorza , have had to replace both servos within a couple weeks on it, steering went first, tmaxx though has been beat harder and longer and servos still holding up same thing though, sudden loss and they sound crunchy

if your doing this with kids, buckle up and keep all extremities inside at all times oh and get a nitro, and watch the smile on your sons face

View attachment 184859

Lol well for one, I did buy it used even if it was in good shape. And my son is 15 and we've taken it slow getting into this because I already know this can get very expensive very fast. That being said, I'll look into servos and go from there. But I can't just keep throwing money at this thing if I don't even get to enjoy it.

 

[DavidB1126]

I'm 15 and been in the hobby (well I say for 8 years since I got my first RC when I was 7) Maybe a couple thousand + dollars later...

 

[Lostinthewoods86]

If you're breaking stuff, take a look at your driving style and what caused it to break. Every RC will show its weaknesses if driven improperly.

One thing I see a lot with people new to RC is not knowing when to let go of the throttle. If your tires are allowed to spin up when off the ground, it creates a lot of stress on things when the tires make contact with the ground while power is still being applied.

Wicked speaks a lot of truth there he has been super helpful in my short sentence here. Its always gonna be something, especially getting started with high expectations of rtrs…add kids, you gonna need a good part stash and a few back up vehicles

 

[Pensacola_RC_Guy]

I'm 15 and been in the hobby (well I say for 8 years since I got my first RC when I was 7) Maybe a couple thousand + dollars later...
View attachment 184864View attachment 184866

Lol I haven't even come close to 1000 yet. Getting close though of this keeps up. And I only have one car. My youngest son has an Aarma and I think his is winning in the durability category.

 

[DavidB1126]

My youngest son has an Aarma and I think his is winning in the durability category.

Yea
From what I seen, their cars seem to have some beefy parts.
But it ideally depends on the driver and how we drive.

Me and @luke66 had a discussion earlier. I drive my cars pretty hard, He drives them pretty lightly. So thats why he can get away with using many things

 

[Pensacola_RC_Guy]

Yea
From what I seen, their cars seem to have some beefy parts.
But it ideally depends on the driver and how we drive.

Me and @luke66 had a discussion earlier. I drive my cars pretty hard, He drives them pretty lightly. So thats why he can get away with using many things

Yes yes! That's the main part of my frustration. I don't drive hard at all. I haven't had enough successful runs to actually have the confidence to push it hard. I'm sure the dust will settle soon and I'll get to actually have fun.

Traxxas servos are like the worst RTR servos amoung the top brands. And most RTR will have weak points until you upgrade a few things. Traxxas shock shafts are like bubble gum, and they notoriously blow the shock caps. Traxxas loves selling you cheap RC's knowing they will make more money off the upgrade parts they sell, but there are lots of other companies selling better upgrades for less money.

If you're breaking stuff, take a look at your driving style and what caused it to break. Every RC will show its weaknesses if driven improperly.

One thing I see a lot with people new to RC is not knowing when to let go of the throttle. If your tires are allowed to spin up when off the ground, it creates a lot of stress on things when the tires make contact with the ground while power is still being applied.

Great advice sir. I can't forget that I'm still learning. I don't know what that cars can and can't handle. Even if I'm not bashing it.

 

[bill_delong]

I've heard mixed opinions about traxxas cars but are they really this unreliable?

Traxxas has intentionally designed their cars to be money pits, but don't take my word on it, here's the main reason why hobby shops choose to push lower quality products for higher prices:
https://www.rogershobbycenter.com/f.../two-problems-ecx-has-to-fix-now-opinion.html

 

[Pensacola_RC_Guy]

Traxxas has intentionally designed their cars to be money pits, but don't take my word on it, here's the main reason why hobby shops choose to push lower quality products for higher prices:
https://www.rogershobbycenter.com/f.../two-problems-ecx-has-to-fix-now-opinion.html

View attachment 184870

Damn. I mean it makes sense. Comparable to car companies building problems into their cars so the customers have to come to them to fix them. If they didn't, nobody would ever need new cars. In theory, anyways.

Traxxas has intentionally designed their cars to be money pits, but don't take my word on it, here's the main reason why hobby shops choose to push lower quality products for higher prices:
https://www.rogershobbycenter.com/f.../two-problems-ecx-has-to-fix-now-opinion.html

View attachment 184870

I honestly feel bad at this point. This rustler was a birthday present from my wife and I've almost spent what she paid for it just trying to get it to where I can run it up and down my street for a half an hour without SOMETHING going wrong.

 

[nino]

Even when you upgrade or buy a beefier truck, your confidence and appetite grow and then you start breaking that, and then you upgrade to something else and then... Infinite time and money pit

It can be very frustrating (I know it was for me when I started out) but if you get hooked on RC, with experience you'll learn what to do and not do, how to fix stuff and get the best for your money.

And you kinda have to get used to the cost... I mean, my first RTR RC cost less than a set of tires for some RCs I had later.

 

[Zerksies]

You're talking about a traxxas right?? The servo is probably shot. It's one of then thing they cheap out on.

 

[bill_delong]

Damn. I mean it makes sense. Comparable to car companies building problems into their cars so the customers have to come to them to fix them. If they didn't, nobody would ever need new cars. In theory, anyways.


I honestly feel bad at this point. This rustler was a birthday present from my wife and I've almost spent what she paid for it just trying to get it to where I can run it up and down my street for a half an hour without SOMETHING going wrong.

Live and learn, I have grown to appreciate higher quality brands and I no longer support Traxxas for reasons explained here:

• Why I have chosen to Boycott Traxxas

 

[Pensacola_RC_Guy]

Live and learn, I have grown to appreciate higher quality brands and I no longer support Traxxas for reasons explained here:

• Why I have chosen to Boycott Traxxas

That being said, what brand do you prefer?

 

[Lukedavis]

Yea
From what I seen, their cars seem to have some beefy parts.
But it ideally depends on the driver and how we drive.

Me and @luke66 had a discussion earlier. I drive my cars pretty hard, He drives them pretty lightly. So thats why he can get away with using many things

While I, on the other hand, Break every part. I have broken one of every part on my Rustler 4x4. I have around $1000 into it currently. It's a beast now. It would probably hold up even better if I didn't run 6s in it.