Video: Cleaning rubber-sealed bearings, completely

[TheJANG]

For folks who run in water or who just like keeping your vehicle running as smoothly as possible, I've put together a video showing how quick & easy it is to do a truly thorough job of cleaning out your Traxxas rubber-sealed ball bearings:

• Video: RC How-To: Clean rubber-sealed bearings, completely!

[SirSlash4x4]

Great! Looks good.
Don't remember if it said on the video but how often do you recommend doing this?

[TheJANG]

Thanks. There's no way to answer that question though, as it varies so dramatically. If you run through salty or mineral-rich water, I recommend doing it immediately after you're done running for the day; no more than a couple hours later, for sure. If you race on a well-groomed, damp clay indoor track, it only needs it every couple months, though you might choose to do it once a month for that extra 1/10000th second per lap. Normal street and dirt bashing? Something in between.

[SirJaymz]

Very good, Thanks you

[rcfan60123]

Thanks; that is extremely helpful.
Can 3 and 1 oil be used to lubricate the bearings ?

[candbron]

Thanks Jang. I was just logging on, to look for a how to on this and BAM there is your post. Awesome.

[TheJANG]

Thanks all, glad this helps!

rcfan60123: Yep 3-in-1 will do just fine.

[bcr07]

Good info thanks!

Can I use the tamiya molybdenum grease? I've read in other forums that grease can stay in the bearing for longer and has better handling of high temps??

Thanks in advance

[TheJANG]

If you use very, very, very little of it, yes, it's great stuff, though the heat tolerance aspect isn't an issue in our trucks. You should put so little on, though, that after working it in, it shouldn't be at all visible.

If you run through water or mud, though, there's no point in using a grease as it just takes much longer to properly apply and is harder to get out. A completely different option for wet running is of course to pack your bearings solid with grease, but this increases friction and also makes them much more difficult to clean.

[bcr07]

Thanks for the info might get some 3 in 1 now as it's quick and easy to apply

[TheJANG]

I've never used PB Blaster myself, but from what I'm reading, it sounds very much like WD-40, the "lubricant" in which has much more stiction than you want to leave in small ball bearings.

[turbowop]

I'm about ready to pack the bearing that supports the slipper assembly full of grease. It's the only one that I have issues with. The others seem to do fine with normal cleanings and oiling.

Every single time I hose my truck off from a couple battery packs worth of dusty track runs, that bearing freezes up within a few hours. I drilled a hole through the chassis in front of that bearing to help drain off the water that likes to dam up against the bearing there and even use an air compressor to dry the truck off. No matter what I do, I end up having to pull the back of the truck apart to get at that bearing and clean/lube it. And it's not like I sit there with a pressure washer nozzle against the bearing.

I think one bearing full of grease will be fine. Or maybe I'll just replace that one with a stainless unit.

[TheJANG]

I'm about ready to pack the bearing that supports the slipper assembly full of grease.

...

I think one bearing full of grease will be fine.

As troublesome as that particular one is, I think that's a good idea!

[bcr07]

Ive taken apart all the bearings numerous times and the slipper one is the one that is almost always packed with dirt/crud..!

[wallofchaos]

Bumping this for the noobies

[wallofchaos]

Move along nothing to see here

[traxxasfanatic]

I saw this post a little while ago and it made me think of cleaning my bearings in my Rustler, 2WD Slash and my 1/8 buggy. I'm finally ready to try cleaning my bearings, I have some bearing oil to re lube the bearings after cleaning but now I'm just wondering what I can use other than motor cleaner from my LHS. I was thinking maybe carb & choke cleaner or maybe brake cleaner from a auto parts store. Would either of these work without doing any damage to the bearings?

[TheJANG]

Carb cleaner often leaves a lubricating residue behind so I wouldn't recommend that. Brake cleaner should do the trick.

[traxxasfanatic]

Ok thanks for the reply. Ill try it and see how it works.

[3DSteve]

I do that for my bearings before I even use them; they come packed with thick grease that produces a lot of drag. I recently tried this DuPont silicone/teflon spray lube from Lowe's that seems to be work pretty well. Soaking your bearings in a solvent in an old prescription pill bottle is a good way to save on motor spray, especially if they are really grimy. I love the RPM Bearing Blaster, much more efficient.

PLEASE wear rubber gloves if you're going to just hold a bearing while you spray it. Keep that spray off your skin.