And would a complete gear diff rebuild and adding 3k fluid probably be safe bet on a recently purchased used SC10?

(running on a slightly loamy 1/8th style track)

A/E should send you a diff rebuild if you call or email. I rebuilt mine and filled it with fluid, we'll see how it holds up last night. Next step would be another thin washer under the sun gear to take up some slack on the teeth.

i would just upgrade to a ball diff if i were u guys

I tried diff fluid, after about 3 races they were pretty much empty, did this 4 times after EVERYTHING was new, went back to grease. I use these Kyosho shims KYO96641 and get them from a main, there are 3 different thicknesses
If the gears are new I use the thinnest, if it starts clicking after a few months, and the gears are still good i use the .2 shim and so on. check your idler gear some times they'll cause a clicking noise.

If you wish to keep using the gear diff, primo86gt sums it up here:


After dealing with the gear diff and shimming it to oblivion I switched to a ball diff and haven't looked back. The gear diff is fine, but more expensive to maintain (contrary to popular belief). I bought a small tub (like film canister size) of white grease and I rebuild my ball diff every 5 race/practice days (usually about every 6 weeks or so) and I reuse my diff balls for at least 2 rebuilds and sand and flip the diff rings (still on my original diff rings and balls after 2 rebuilds in my SC10, same with my B4.1 FT after 5 rebuilds). The gear diff just doesn't seem to hold up to big power or to a high bite track... and when the two are combined it really doesn't make sense to keep using it.

+1

I have 2 SC10s and a B4.1 and they all use the same diff. I have 2 spare ball diffs ready to go, and when I swap it in I just rebuild it when I have a chance. Last time I rebuilt I just flipped the rings and reused the balls.

ball diff as soon as i can afford it. would i be safe running it with the clicking for one night or 2? then go to a ball diff

I ran mine for 2 races with it clicking before I couldn't handle it anymore. The performance did suffer a bit (more prone to "diffing out" getting on power out of a corner) and it sounded awful going through rhythm sections especially, but it worked about 85% as well as in good condition. I shifted from 2K diff fluid to a generous amount of black grease to run it with the clicks to try and counter some of the diffing out problem, although I'm not sure it made too much of a difference.

i took the diff apart and added more grease to it earlier today and will test it out in a bit when it stops raining.

Thanks for all the input guys, great responses all around. I'm just going to ride out the gear diff/buy some shims then buy a ball diff.

AE or MIP ball diff, preferences?

My rebuilt diff started clicking again after 10 minutes of running tonight. Going to buy a ball diff, same question, MIP or AE? I also have NO steering, on or off power. I have the travel set to 95%, but I am having trouble with basically every turn and the Traxxis trunks are ripping by me as I have to slow to a stop to get the truck to turn. What the heck am I missing?

It's all the same.

Rumor has it that MIP makes AE's diff for them...and that they are the same. Can't confirm, just pointing out what I've heard repeatedly.

Wouldn't surprise me at all. The quality of the diff is mainly in the attention to detail in building it and breaking it in. Steer clear of the AE light weight outdrives though. I had a set wear out prematurely and I have had others say they had the same problem.

I read "diffing out". Wondering what you mean...
my truck was really good untill the very end of the corner and it totally spun out, even going slow. Then I went to change setup.. moved rear shocks in all the way, and removed 1 washer under rear ball stud leaving one there. Went back out and it was better but it was still spinning out, threw my steering rate down... now it just pushed and spun out. Back at the pits threw on stock front tires and goosebumps on the rear. The thing was alot better but i had to let off throttle through every turn or it would spin out.

I still won the main but can somebody help am I diffing out?