What do I need to do to maintain an RC car?
 

I already know the basics of RC car maintenance, such as cleaning and oiling the air filter after each hour of run time, clearing and oiling the engine if its going to be stored for over 4 hours, cleaning the car itself if it gets really dirty, making sure all screws are tight after a day's run, etc. But is there more I should do? Should I ever be replacing or greasing my bearings? Should I be tearing down my engine and cleaning it after so many gallons of fuel? What should I be doing for long term maintenance?

After run oil should be in there of course!!:sneaky:

For bearings, I spray wd-40 on them!! Works good. After each race day, i tear down my truggy/trucks. I remove the engine and electronics then spray the chassis' down with simple green and an air compressor! Sometimes its just good to tear everything apart and experiment with different setups (diff oil, ride height, etc.) until you find a setup you really like! I always check my clutch bearings after every race. You definitely dont want them to go out in the middle of a race. Locktite is another handy thing to have. :nod:

Always keep everything charged!!!

Freestyl summed it up pretty good. If you are going to do bearing maintenance, you may want to pick up a bearing blaster. About 8.00 most places. If you use an air compressor to clean your car off, try not to blow in the direction of any bearings otherwise you'll blow water,simplegreen, or whatever you use and dirt into the bearings. A lot of guys buy bearings in bulk from Avid and just replace them on a regular basis. They are 1.00 a piece from Avid.

do what you said you already do, those are key.
change glow plugs every 1-5 hours of running (the more often the better)

do a complete rebuild after a gallon and replace any worn out or broken parts. (check clutch shoes,springs,bearings.)

if you do all of this you should be fine.

I tear my truck down completly after EVERY race -and look over every part, if I so much as think about a part failing I replace it. If I dont like the way it looks I replace it. If it wiggles to much I replace it. I make sure its clean all the time. Simple green, water and WD40 - but now switching to Super Bike Wash by Finish Line. Not as oily and harsh as WD40

LOTS OF STUFF!!! But most importantly a good air compressor!:nod:

Like others have said... Tear down after every day of running.

My procedure it to tear the engine, servo tray, pipe and fuel tank off of the chassis. Then take the hose to it to get the major dirt off. Spray with diluted simple green in a spray bottle. Scrub with a good stiff bristle plastic brush(tooth brush for the detail work). Rinse with the hose, and WD-40 all bearings, driveshafts, outdrives turnbuckles, etc... Coat the whole chassis with a good helping of Orange Pledge(yeah the furniture polish) and blow completely dry with an air compressor. Makes the car look brand new, and I have never had one single rusted part, or seized bearing because of the water.:nod:

I suggest getting a job with a good income. :lol:

I was actually going to say quit your job cuz maintaining a race car takes up a lot of time. :)

:nod:
and lots of PAITENCE!!!!!

+1 and a good chair to work in while you tear into them. 90% work 9% fun 1% cussin lol have fun. :nod:

:lol::nod::nod::nod::nod:

It is.

I don't race (yet), but thanks for the advice. For car cleaning, a compressor seems useless because the dirt binds with the oil and liquid to make a delightful muck, which the air compressor is useless against. for cleaning, I remove the servos and receiver, blast the shizz out of it with a hose, and coat everything in WD40 to prevent rust. Is this a good cleaning method?

As for bearings, I thought WD40 swelled them up, degreased them, and dried them which make them seize up and become useless. For bearings, I was under the impression you needed grease, not WD40. But I could be wrong.

Haha I'm half way there.

Well it also depends on what material your local track is made up of (top soil, fill dirt, clay, clay/dirt mix, etc.) Really dry tracks, the dirt doesnt usually stick to your vehicle. On a clay track, that might be another issue. Thats also where the simple green comes in. I spray my vehicles down with simple green then use the compressor to air all the dirt/residue off. You would be amazed at what simple green can do!:D An air compressor is also good to get to places you cant reach. Hosing it down also works like people have stated above.

wd-40 is a lubricant so it DOESN'T do any damage. wd-40 also prevents rust so thats another plus!

But wouldn't grease be a better option for bearings? Even though WD40 is a lube, its also a degreaser that dries out quickly. I'm asking because I have both at my disposal.