seatstothewind

Installed a 3 gear trans, aluminum hexes, and a few other parts on my SC5M this evening... and I saved the easiest parts for last.... the FT Bearings for the new front axles and hexes. I removed the screw that holds the stock axle in place, and I went to push it out.... and this thing didn't budge. I should note, this car is literally brand new, and only been run for about 5 minutes in a clean, paved, and flat, parking lot, just to make sure everything functioned ok and to see the top speed. I have been building RC cars (this is my 8th or so Team AE kit...) for around 22 years now and I have NEVER run into such a strange issue. It got to the point that I pulled out a punch tool (i have new bearings, and hubs are cheap... but I got fed up and went into "screw it" mode.), and this thing still will not budge. I consulted the manual, and my memory appears to be correct... that the front axles are only held in with the one screw. Just to be safe, I eased out EVERY screw in the entire hub assembly (including the option set screws which I DID install)... and then tried pliers, the punch again... absolutely everything. I cranked on this thing to the point that i'm SHOCKED I didn't break the entire hub. I'm a pretty big guy... and in the end, I ended up just putting the wheel back on and deciding to consult you guys before I go rip my hair out again. I thought maybe I got some thread lock on the axle where it meets the inside bearing... but the axle spins freely, and with the amount of force I exerted, I can't imagine a little threadlock would hold. I have scoured the internet looking for someone who has had this same issue, and I can't seem to find anybody. I didn't even bother trying the left side axle, for fear i'd reach maximum overload and chuck this thing against the wall. IT MAKES NO SENSE. PLEASE, PLEASE have some sage on here who has some old man advice like "you just take witch hazel, rub exactly 3 drops on it, and it will remove itself and apologize." lol

mes

I remember it was a thing to glue the inserts into the 5 series hubs. If you did so, maybe there was some wet glue left when you inserted the axles into the hubs and bonded the bearings to the axle. If this is the case and you only care about the axle, put the assembly into acetone for a day or two and let it rest. Your bearings and hubs will be destroyed in the process, but you should be able to save the axles.
That is only one possibility, of course, and hard to judge from a distance.
If it is only a little thread lock between the bearings and axle, you should be able to get the axle out with a punch, a hammer, and a vice.

Chaz955i

iTrader: (5)

if you used threadlock on the screw some may have seeped out between the axle and the bearing race. Use a soldering iron to heat up the axle where the retaining screw goes in. This should soften the threadlock enough to release unless you used something like red instead of blue.

waitwhat

iTrader: (4)

By hitting the axle with a punch there is a good possibility that you've deformed the axle enough that it doesn't fit through the bearing now. You should have loosened the screw a couple turns and put the punch on the head of the screw. After breaking it loose with the punch, then you remove the screw and pull the axle out of the bearings. If you live somewhere humid it is possible for a small amount of surface oxidation to form, which can cause the axle to stick. If you used locktite on that screw it is very easy to use a tiny bit too much and for the locktite to get in between the axle and the bearing. If you did use locktite do as others have suggested, try using some heat to break loose the locktite. A soldering iron works well for this.

seatstothewind

I heard about gluing the inserts in place, but I did not do this... and when I used the punch I DID push the screw back in (I used to be a pipe fitter/welder, so i'm generally good with metal related issues)... but... yeah this thing is REALLY stuck in there. I used blue locktite on the set screw, but, like I said before... I can't imagine a tiiiiny amount of threadlock could hold the axle in with the amount of force I put on it. I have not had the chance to try heating it up, because in the midst of this non-sense my 2 month old daughter woke up and got all furious on me... but, I will try that this evening just in case. I almost feel like I got a deformed axle or bearing or something... because this car has never been in a crash, airborne, wet, dirty... etc... yet. Hell, it hasn't even touched dirt. The entire kit was built really nicely, and I had no issues... but... some of the things about it make me wonder what the hell Associated was thinking? Like this axle issue, or having the aluminum rear hubs be too shallow to accept the 10mm ball studs... but drilling through all the way to where the bearings sit... so that if someone didn't notice this, they could end up damaging their rear bearings. I almost feel like the whole car was designed by a group of guys, and then the hubs were given to some intern like "Lets give him something easy. How bad could he possibly mess this up?" lol

mes

I used to have both the B5M and the T5M back in the day and did not experience any issues with the front axles. As you described the built as flawless, there must have happened something afterwards that cannot be blamed on AE. The aluminum rear hubs are so shallow to achieve a specific suspension geometry, and as long as you stick to the manual or use shorter ballstuds when using the hubs wihout any spacers, you won't destroy any bearings. No offence, but somebody assembling a hobby grade race kit that is not intended for beginners should be able to deal with these hubs. The hole is probably made this way both for ease of production and quality control. It is harder to check whether the threads and the anodizing are correct otherwise and will possibly increase costs.

waitwhat

iTrader: (4)

10 ton hydraulic press.

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