What do you guys think about this slipper clutch assembly

[wacmartin]

I had my Rustler out yesterday and it stopped getting full power towards the end of the battery. I still had some power in my battery so I know that wasn't my problem. It sounded like grinding, or maybe a worn out bearing. I disassembled the rear end today cleaned all bearings they're good, checked the transmission gears they're good and cleaned now, disassembled the diff all those gears are good and being cleaned right now, I did a quick disassembly of the motor and it looks good as well. The only thing I can think of now is the slipper, I've never seen a bad slipper clutch on an electric vehicle before so I don't know what to look for really.

I was also thinking it might be something in the drive line is gone, minutes before this happened under heavy acceleration it would launch to the left. That's why I thought it was the differential.

 

[Certified Mike]

Have you checked to see if the hex didn't round out the wheel or that the hex isn't slipping on the axle?
I can only see a bit of your slipper with my mobile but I don't see any discoloration or any signs of severe wear on the metal disc. I can't see enough of the pads to tell if they are worn or misshapen. First guess is that the slipper is ok tho... Tough to beat down the pads and not show on the disc imo. (assuming my ability to see the pic isn't too off anyways)

 

[wacmartin]

I've got the whole rear end of the car disassembled, wheel hexes were the first thing I checked and they're good. I've only been able to do a quick once over on the car so right now it's a mystery to me, just need more time to give it look over.
The pads are a little misshaped nothing to bad, the disc is very shiny not discolored though. When this happened I smelled a light burning, that's why it's thrown me off so much. A burning smell made me think motor, slipper, or bearings, veering to the left on launch made me think diff, and grinding kind of noise made me think tranny or diff gears or bearing.
When I had it on the work bench with the wheels off and gave it throttle it would turn axles faster, but not as fast as it should.

 

[cbaker65]

It could be the axle binding!
Have you altered the suspension?
An checked to see if the axles clear the a-arms?

 

[Certified Mike]

How does your brake disc and pads look?

 

[SchrodeMode]

How does your brake disc and pads look?

I'm willing to bet it's about the same as the slipper assembly, being as it's the electric Rusty.


Have you tried it since then? Maybe it was just a fluke, you can also scuff the slipper disks to help them grip a little more.

 

[Certified Mike]

Lol! I missed that part. I heard before of the brake getting warped and causing all sorts of issues. I don't suppose anything is warped on the slipper? I would imagine a heat discoloration would show, but hey, what do I know?

 

[wacmartin]

No axle binding, no suspension changes, I'm positive it's not the brake pads lol. Everything got cleaned yesterday but the tranny case, going to clean that sometime soon I hope, I'm picking up diff grease and a new slipper today (Best Buy has them for $4.99 LHS want $13). Once I get a chance to reassemble I'll let everyone know whats going on. Can I just flip the slipper disc around and use the opposite side? It's the exact same thing. I'm hoping for a fluke.

I've worked 12 straight days and don't have a day off until Saturday, family and house commitments come first, then fishing or RC depends on the day really. This is why I haven't had time to really dig in yet. I also have to work on the Savage Flux, but I'm waiting on parts.

 

[Certified Mike]

Do you have an extra servo and RX that you could try? Either one could have caused these issues too... Check the servo that runs the brake too... Really, I would check the servo first. If it's stripped, it would account for the weak launch. I am thinking a bad servo might be able to backfeed thru the RX depending on the issue... Obviously a bad RX could cause both. (No way the power to the RX was weak or intermittent? Bad plug, switch or wires?) If there is a capacitor in your system, another possible culprit? Just a few more ideas to make up for my 'still asleep comment earlier'
If you have a weak link in your steering or suspension, it could be causing your 'crunchy/grinding' sound or possibly causing something else to fail under acceleration.
I edited this cuz I thought my wording was confusing...
So have you been able to spend any time on this? I am really curious to know what you find.
I'm pretty sure you can flip the disc and reuse it provided its nice and flat. The pics lead me to believe that you would be ok.