How to be in the podium with a Serpent 710
 

Hi, after having the Serpent 710 for more than 18 month, I can say that this car is an excellent machine, something that I have learn is that definitely this car is not for non patience driver, I have been learning how to set up my card for the last 8 month after having a frustrating first 10 month with the car.

One thing I did learn is that it was impossible for me to fully understand how to take out the best of the 710 if first I did not understand the technical aspect of every set up, what was the effect of every change I do in the car, (Oversteer, understeer, tractionroll, roll center, centax, engine set up, etc.), so what I did this last three month is read all your discussions, read a lot of technical articles, go to the track and test the car with different set up until I could really understand the effect of each one and why.

I can say know that I am doing pretty good on my raising I am in the top three position on every race I am very consistence in my driving, my engine is doing excellent and the set up of the car is excellent, what is more important is I can decide depending on the behavior of the car what to do to fix it and what will be the best option to change without sacrificing performance.

What I have learn is that the only way to really increase you performance in this Hobby and more with a Serpent 710 is to really understand the technical part of the car and the set up of every important part of the car (Centax, Differential, etc).

I hope this will give some hope to peoples that are new to the Hobby or a Serpent 710, I have learn with the 710, not because this is the best car but because it has the best people owning one and helping beginners like me.

Two members of our club ho had Serpent 710 and sold them, are thinking in going back to Serpent now that they see the results I am having with my 710.

RCPANAMA

By right, they should not bleed when compressed normally and with all the caps tightened. Perhaps the small o rings in your old shocks has already worned out.

This is what I do to get consistant shocks left and right during rebuild... I fill up the shock body with shock oil. You may fill it up to the top but this may be unnessary as you'll soon find out. But before that, I make sure the cap at the bottom of the shock body where the small o ring sits is locked with a click. Make sure all air bubbles are gone by slowly pushing the piston up and down.

Then put just the rubber membrane on top of the shock body. Make the membrane sits flat on top of the shock body and let the excess shock oil flow out. Then mount the top shock cap and slowly screw it on on the shock body. Make sure the rubber membrane still sits flat on top of the shock body.

Do for both left and right shocks. There will be slight shock rebound. Check and see if they rebound at the same rate. If they aren't the same, choose the faster rebound shock and unscrew and open the cap at the bottom of the shock body that also holds the small tiny o ring. It will just be a single click counterclockwise. Then move the shock shaft upwards to compress and you'll see slight oil bleeding out from the o ring. Close this cap at the bottom of the shock body. Try and compare the shock rebound again for both left and right shocks.

I try to use the softer red membrane with the foam insert. It gives more consistant performance.

Check if the Centax clutch is built correctly. My guess is that the clutchbell is rubbing against the clutchshoe when the engine is idling. This is bad. You should shim the clutchbell out so that the clutchbell can spin freely without rubbing against the clutchshoe.

Look at step 8.7 on page 28 of your assembly manual for the shimming. Read the extra articles by Glenn Cauley on mytsn on how to build the Centax III clutch correctly.

Like rcpanama mentioned, the building of the Centax clutch and the diffs are the most crucial part of the car.

Hi master "D" ,,

I had the same problem like RyoU,, does this new 16T pinion have a new part #??,, or just , I have to pay attention to the silver color??,, thanks for the help , always apreciated!! :D

Hi bro..just sharing.
If the clutch engange a bit then slip on mid throttle, it because the clutch gap is too big. With heavy tension >1.2mm, 0.7-0.8mm clutch gap is too big already.
And it caused the yellow shoe being sanded and yellow dust all over the centax ass'y.

Great point !! :nod:
That 1st 10 month could decerease drastically when you listen to what "prophet" said and off-course any other guru here... :)
Too bad, some people did not have an understanding level (??) just like you.

HI Julius...
Congrats for your great results on Euro !
Look forward for your next outing.

Thank you Uncle Sow, what a great show !!
Good to know that worlds driver is doing "tangling show" also... :lol: :lol:

I believe that the clutch was built correctly. I have built several centax 3 clutches before and I have read all of Glen's articles. I have heard that Art C. didn't recommend using the yellow clutch during the summer in S. Fla. because of the heat. I have rebuilt it with a black clutch shoe and modified flyweights. I cut the stock flyweights to fit between the pins and inserted 2 grub screws in each weight (what a pain!). I have the preload at 1.2mm, the gap at .6 and minimal end play. I think my problem was that I used a black clutch cut into 1/3's for the flyweights and they were too light which caused the clutch to slip. I still don't know why the clutch shoe was worn unevenly. :confused: The new flyweights are much more substantial. I hope this fixes the problem.

I pulled both diffs out last night. They feel good and neither one loosened any. I have them set so it requires a lot of force to turn the gear when the ends are held. I like that new tool. It is much easier than using 2 screwdrivers. The car should be ready to go!

Thanks,
jag

The clutch just seems soft. It's like 1st gear was not very responsive but 2nd gear was fine. The yellow shoe is definetely being sanded. :nod: I wore a yellow shoe out in 5 tanks.

So you decrease the gap as you increase the tension (preload)? This makes the clutch more responsive? If so, how far do you go on both?

Thanks,
jag

Clutch
 

A simple explanation is that the preload will determine the engagement rpm and the gap will determine the force applied to the bell.

The bigger the gap the futher out the centrifugal shoes move and therefore more force. The same effect can be gained by heavier shoes.

The gap is usually reduced however if heavier(grubscrews etc) shoes are installed, to prevent excessive force being applied to the thrust bearing.

i rebuilded the shocks like initialD sad and they work great now, so thx dude :)
i'm gonna tested it out tomorrow on the Heemstede track.

What kind of shock combo (oli, holes, spring) are you using there?

I use 50w oil and 5 holes, red spring all round... :)

Diff Issues
 

Cleaning up the missus before next wknd s outing and I'm struggling to make this front diff function smoothly. I 've just installed the front diff and pro wheelaxles and the bugger still jams at max wheel lock. What kind of spacers are you guys using to remedy this and where are you placing them? Cheers

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Well, glad you enjoyed the video ... sorry for the large size to download but I'm glad you downloaded it anyway. I know when I was in SEAsia, I see that 3hobby can be a little slow.

There are more Euros videos coming. There are interviews with Salven-Meister, Pieter and Tim (VRC), Dave Spashett, Julius, Rene, plus many more. Lots of "hidden" tips can be learned from these. I just need to find time to do the edits!