Wrenching on the Maxx...

[mcvickj]

Well once again mother nature wasn't playing fair. She decided to make it rain again when I had my entire afternoon free after work. So I decided to stop by the LHS and do some shopping. I purchased a FOC kit and a Hitec HS-645MG to replace the stock steering servo because it just sucks. The LHS was out of both but they will arrive tomorrow so its all good. I decided to go home and prepare the Maxx for its two new parts.

You guys sure were not joking about how much work you have to do to install the FOC. I though the maddness would never end. With the map of the tranny in one hand and a screw driver in the other I started tearing it apart. Overall wrenching on the tranny isn't that bad. You just need to really take your time. Throughout the whole process I was taking pics with my digicam just incase I get into a bind and need to see what goes where. Here are a few pic of the maddness.

https://www.rcnitrotalk.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=962
https://www.rcnitrotalk.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=963

As you see in the pics I really tore it apart. I probably didn't have to do this much work to replace these to parts but I wanted to tear it down just so I know for future reference how to replace certain parts.

I noticed when I was tearing apart my tranny that there was some greese on certain items. Do I need to worry about reapplying any? I plan on using a few drops of some high speed lube to make sure everything is moving smoothly.

Now of course I am the type of person who can't leave well enuf alone. So I decided to rip apart the engine to make sure everything was OK. Well come to find out I have signs of rust in the engine. Here is a pic of the crank.

https://www.rcnitrotalk.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=961

After removing it from the case I noticed a lot more rust on it. I would say at least 70% is covered with rust.

The adapter for the ez-start that pushes against the conrod also has alot of rust.

Before I tore it apart I thought the engine was running fine. Tuning it was no problem and there was plenty of blue smoke coming from the pipe. I plan on replacing the engine down the road with maybe an OS or a Fantom.

So now what do you think I should do? Is there a way to remove the rust? I don't really see my self purchasing a rebuild kit for this engine unless someone can really talk me into it. Maybe one of you has an engine that will drop into the Maxx for a nice price.

Overall I am having fun and learning more about my Maxx now that I am actually tearing it apart. I haven't messed with the front and rear ends yet. I might crack one open just to see inside it. Time for some dinner.

 

[FastEddy]

Looks like the time to upgrade the engine.
Rust never sleeps. Don't bother trying to remove it.

 

[DarthRacer]

MMMM FOC goodness. Personally, I don't think it is all that difficult to do maintenance on the tranny. Maybe because I've had R/Cs for over 10 years now. (My first was a Tamiya Lunchbox that I put together when I was 12).
It's nice to do a tear down like you did every once in a while so you can do a good cleaning and inspect parts for wear.

 

[FastEddy]

I wasn't going to say anything but now that you did.

The pic you have looks like half way into the 45 minutes I spend checking and repairing parts after each race day. Or like my pit table 30 minutes before the A Main.

Try changing 8 springs an a front drive-line during a 30 minute rest.

Keep up the good work it will become easier as time goes by.

 

[Renegade88]

I stripped my engine on Monday cause i was curious on how it looked inside. No rust cause the preveouse owner looked after it and ran ARO after each run. I also installed my FOC last night right after the LHS visit after work. AE shocks today yippeeeee!

 

[mcvickj]

Thanks. I took a closer look at all of the gears inside the tranny. They are all in good shape. No signs of any wear so I won't have to replace them. No one has commented on any type of grease inside the tranny so I am guessing there isn't supposed to be any. So then what is the rubber groment on the top of the tranny for? Also now that I have removed the reverse assembly I have two or three holes that are empty. Could I just put a dab of shoe-goo in the holes so nothing gets inside? I also noticed that the spur gear is slightly warped. Will this cause any problems? Maybe I can slightly warm this up and get it back in line.

 

[FastEddy]

No grease is needed according to Traxxas. You can use a ***small amount of lithium grease if it makes you feel better.

The rubber grommet covers the shift point adjustment hole. It is designed to keep the dirt out.

As for your slipper. Tighten it down all the way and back off the screw 1.8th turn. It will flatten out when you run your truck. Make sure you didn't forget to re-install all the friction pegs. The little red pegs that go in the spur gear. You may want to get more if all the holes arnt filled. On the original Maxx they only filled every other hole.

 

[mcvickj]

The parts arrived today and I raced home to get everything installed. I was so suprised how fast the tranny went once I installed the FOC kit. You guys were right, once you have removed the reverse assembly there is nothing to the transmission. After the 15 minutes of putting the tranny back together I started to work on the steering servo.

Well I guess I must have missed the post that mentions the stock servo saver does not work with the Hitec servo. I called my LHS to see if they have any in stock. Just my luck they are out of stock of the heavy-duty Kimbrough servo saver and won't have any in until next week. He told me he has a different kind in stock but said they don't tend to hold up as well. But since the weather is gonna be good this weekend I will get the el-cheapo for the time being.

 

[FastEddy]

Yeah-Yeah-Yeah.
Your just saying how fast it went because we kicked your arse.:loser:

:jk:

The transmission isn't any big deal once you get past the fear.
Your cheepo servo saver will be just fine. Always keep an extra on hand. I like the Kimbrough #121.

Have you serviced your differentials yet. they are more difficult than the transmission.

 

[mcvickj]

No I haven't tackled the differentials yet. But since I have an extra night of standing still till I get the servo saver that might not be a bad idea. The exploded parts view scared me. Is there any type of fluid or greese inside that I would have to replace? Or do they run dry like the tranny?

I have also noticed that the previous owner did a job on some of these screws. Thank goodness for a good set of drivers and the Craftsman screwout kit. Some screws are just missing all together. None of the screws that are missing are extreamly importain but they should still be there. Can anyone recommend a screw kit for the T-Maxx or is a screw, a screw? I did a quick search on eBay and I have found prices as low as $20 and as high as $44. I think getting a screw kit would be easier than taking a few screws to the local hardware store or LHS and try to replace em.

 

[FastEddy]

Don't let the diffs scare you. Nothing to them at all except the Push-me-pull-you syndrome. Ill let you learn this one on your own.

EVERY SCREW IS IMPORTANT! Spend the 20.00 and get a kit. You can thank ne later.

 

[mcvickj]

Just after I posted I decided to tear apart the rear end to take a look. That was extreamly easy. I noticed the grease inside. What is this stuff? I was planning on cleaning the diffs up but I don't want to get to far ahead of my self until I have the grease so I can replace it. Thanks for all of the info Ed.

 

[Renegade88]

The rubber plug on the tranny is to adjust your shift into second gear early or late.