WD-40 PTFE on RC

[oldo556]

how many people use PTFE spray to protect the car? If my car is really dirty and muddy, I will clean it with water, blow it with compressed air, and then regular wd-40 on the bearings and then wd-40 PTFE on the other parts. Is this OK? I'm beginner

 

[F.R.S. Ninja_007]

Does it compromise any parts like screws, shocks, diffs or bearings?

 

[bill_delong]

That's all I use, I don't use any water, I spray WD40 Dry Lube on all parts to be cleaned, anything more stubborn will be sprayed/wiped with GooGone but generally Dry Lube and Air Compressor gets the job done perfectly. I also make sure to coat all metal parts with a light coat of Dry Lube after I've finished with the air compressor to get an extra layer of protection.

To rejuvenate plastic, I use furniture polish and air compressor to make the car look like new and also increase the flexibility of the plastic

 

[oldo556]

That's all I use, I don't use any water, I spray WD40 Dry Lube on all parts to be cleaned, anything more stubborn will be sprayed/wiped with GooGone but generally Dry Lube and Air Compressor gets the job done perfectly. I also make sure to coat all metal parts with a light coat of Dry Lube after I've finished with the air compressor to get an extra layer of protection.

To rejuvenate plastic, I use furniture polish and air compressor to make the car look like new and also increase the flexibility of the plastic

Do you use original wd-40 at all? Bearings? Abd do you spary that dryube when car is dirty, or after aircompressor?

 

[bill_delong]

Do you use original wd-40 at all? Bearings? Abd do you spary that dryube when car is dirty, or after aircompressor?

I only use Dry Lube these days, even for cleaning bearings then I re-pack with grease:
https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?4308293-Maintenance-Tips

Yes I spray a dirty car with Dry Lube, then blow it clean with an air compressor, then go back to put a light spritz of Dry Lube on the metal bits before storing the car.

If the car is really dirty then I soak it with furniture polish for a few minutes before hitting with an air compressor:
https://www.amazon.com/Favor-Aerosol-9-7-Ounce-Pack/dp/B00AR8OK38

If I see some cute girls wearing bikinis at the local car wash then I have them clean it

 

[Lumikko]

Be careful with compressed air. It’s very effective at pushing dirt into hinges, ball joints, and bearings.

 

[rceverywhere]

Wd40 is awsome! Ptfe...that's Teflon! Don't by that and if you have non stick baking pans with Teflon like t fal, throw them out! Scotch gard is also really bad! There called forever chemicals, dupont and 3m have made billions contaminating rivers, farms and towns dumping the waste it's even showing up on beaches in the ocean. Causes cancer birth defects...check it out on you tube and you'll see it. Everytime they get sued the settle for millions with those affected but it equals cents to the dollars they made dumping and settling out of court has saved them from going back to clean up their toxic dumps.

 

[oldo556]

are wd-40 PTFE and wd-40 dry Lube with PTFE the same substance? I bought that ptfe, and at least it doesn't seem to dry out when I went through the car with it. should have been that dry lube?

if they are not the same substance, hopefully that wd-40 ptfe will not harm the car.

 

[DrFranz]

WD-40, while the most fantastic stuff on earth, does penetrate and affect the plastics. I use silicon spray after cleaning.

 

[rceverywhere]

Wd40 I love and use it all teatime for snow or wet bashing. I've heard it soaks into the plastic and helps flexibility, also heard to never put it on rpm plastic for the same reason.
Just since I learned about Teflon....they used to put it in engine oil additives...I've only heard bad things since

 

[Mrgoodwrench35]

Wd 40 will soak into the plastic and make it softer, more pliable. Whether that's good or bad is your call, but it does have an effect

 

[bill_delong]

are wd-40 PTFE and wd-40 dry Lube with PTFE the same substance?

Where did you get the green label PTFE from? I've never seen it before and don't see it listed on their catalog here:
https://online.flippingbook.com/view/164409/22/

Just a guess, but I suspect the green label PTFE may not dry and might leave an oily residue, perhaps you can confirm that it doesn't dry within a minute like the Dry Lube does?

I've only used the Dry Lube marketed product myself.

 

[oldo556]

I live in Finland and it is available here. It doesn't leave as oily as regular wd-40, but it's nowhere near "dry". would it be worth washing them off and replacing them with dry lube?

 

[Lumikko]

The effect of WD40 on the composite plastics used in these cars does not go deep. Any perceived change in pliability is probably just placebo.

The surface will be slick though, so snapping a rod end to a ball stud will require less force so it might seem like the properties of the polymer have changed.

 

[bill_delong]

The effect of WD40 on the composite plastics used in these cars does not go deep. Any perceived change in pliability is probably just placebo.

The surface will be slick though, so snapping a rod end to a ball stud will require less force so it might seem like the properties of the polymer have changed.

Not sure I agree with this statement based on my personal experience with WD40, it's common practice for racers to use WD40 as a mild tire sauce, where it penetrates fairly deep to drastically soften composite rubber/plastics to increase grip at the expense of faster tire wear. In winter months we regularly use furniture polish and WD40 where both products have proven effective to add moisture to the plastic to improve flexibility and the parts are less likely to snap from being too brittle.

Another product I've used is PB Blaster which is really stanky and extremely aggressive as a tire sauce to get maximum grip. I'm sure there are many other products which drastically effect the chemistry of stock composites as well

 

[Jerold]

I use Silicon spay on most of the moving parts and plastics. It's a bit messy though and don't get it on paint. It's a hard to clean off and isn't good for it.

Tri-flow for the bearings and bushings. The Tri-flow squeeze bottle allows you control the amount of lubricant and location much better than a spray. A few drops will do and you don't want it on the outside.

 

[RustyUs]

Jerold, I use that stuff in my bearings that see no exposure to dirt. But, to make sure I get everything incorporated, I put the Tri-Flow into oiler pen... makes easy to see "mixture" get mixed.

 

[Jerold]

Jerold, I use that stuff in my bearings that see no exposure to dirt. But, to make sure I get everything incorporated, I put the Tri-Flow into oiler pen... makes easy to see "mixture" get mixed.
View attachment 172673

That's pretty cool. Good idea!

 

[Lumikko]

Not sure I agree with this statement based on my personal experience with WD40, it's common practice for racers to use WD40 as a mild tire sauce, where it penetrates fairly deep to drastically soften composite rubber/plastics to increase grip at the expense of faster tire wear. In winter months we regularly use furniture polish and WD40 where both products have proven effective to add moisture to the plastic to improve flexibility and the parts are less likely to snap from being too brittle.

Oh, but rubbers are an entirely different thing of course. WD40 does soak into rubber and may cause swelling, shrinkage, softening… Depending so much on the compound and what not. I’m not an expert in that field but some kind of effect is to be expected. The same goes for PB blaster and many other solvents.

Composite plastics are a different thing. If you get some WD40 on the suspension arms or chassis, they will not become more flexible as a result. Fiber reinforced plastics and glass-filled nylon are commonly used on firearms and one of the very important properties of those components is oil resistance. The polymers in these applications are not very different. If the polymer has poor thermal properties it will become brittle in the cold and it can’t be helped. And on the flipside, plastics with a high strength across a wide temperature range won’t need treatment to retain the properties.

 

[Jerold]

Oh, but rubbers are an entirely different thing of course. WD40 does soak into rubber and may cause swelling, shrinkage, softening… Depending so much on the compound and what not. I’m not an expert in that field but some kind of effect is to be expected. The same goes for PB blaster and many other solvents.

Composite plastics are a different thing. If you get some WD40 on the suspension arms or chassis, they will not become more flexible as a result. Fiber reinforced plastics and glass-filled nylon are commonly used on firearms and one of the very important properties of those components is oil resistance. The polymers in these applications are not very different. If the polymer has poor thermal properties it will become brittle in the cold and it can’t be helped. And on the flipside, plastics with a high strength across a wide temperature range won’t need treatment to retain the properties.

100% correct. WD40, kerosene and gasoline are all bad for natural rubber. It swells up and becomes useless.

I had a car that would let you know when the fuel pump was leaking by becoming uncontrollable in the corners. The fuel pump was positioned above the rubber rack bushings. The fuel pump has a weep hole that would leak gas when the innards are going bad. Can't steer? Must be the fuel pump.

What I'm not sure about is if you roll the tires through it and not soak them. Maybe it softens the rubber a bit, but I suspect it's pretty hard process to control?