OK well I am a bit frustrated at this point. I got the buggy (Lazer) last week along with some batts. Totally stock I ran about 5-6 packs through it. Loved every second. BUT then my rear diff broke. Upon inspection it was the 3 spider gears basically shredded.
So I ordered a new gear diff, which I got yesterday. I decided to put a little black grease into the diff this time (did the same thing to the front). Also I greased the slipper mechanism a bit. Anyways half way through the second pack last night, the rear diff gave up AGAIN. Took it apart and sure enough the 3 spider gears are shredded again. Now I am running this buggy stock on an 18x7 concrete track that I set up on my patio.. There were two 3-4 inch ramps also.. I was abusing not this car in any way, just trying to make consistent laps as a racer does... my point is i need to know what is causing these rear diff issues (im not bashing the hell out of this car)- just smooth driving.
Any thoughts? I am new to the mini z platform but not to r/c in any way..
Maybe I just need to suck it up and pick up an expensive ball diff? But wouldnt I really need 2 diffs?.. I mean I have no idea how the car would drive with a gear diff up front and a ball in the rear.? maybe it would be fine..Any help is very appreciated. Sorry for the long ramble. Thanks - Rob
Strange.
We have been running 6 cars for a few weeks now, with 33 - 39 turn motors and stock diffs.
The only thing broken is a stub axle and a couple of driveshafts.
The same diffs are in the MA10, and I know a lot of people had issues with these diffs there, and we are surpriced that they hold up so well in the buggys.
Could it be that the chassis itself has a mold defect? Maybe the diff sits misaligned, or even that a bearing is locked?
Ball diff rear, and gear diff front works fine. No problem at all.
You may have a locked/defective bearing on the rear, or your rear drive train may not be balanced, so the diff is always acting, and finally shredded.
You should hear the diff screaming ?
For now, you could simply run with a locked rear diff - gluing your damaged diff for instance ?
Thank you for the quick replies. FOR NOW I will glue the broken rear diff just so I can still drive the car. Will be interesting to see how it feels. BUT I am also shopping for a ball diff or two. Has anyone used the Atomic diffs? Shipping is cheap from reflex racing because they are close to me. Atomic ball diff TAR is 30.00. Cheaper than the Kyosho with shipping. I am concerned that you may get what you pay for.? Should I just go with a Kyosho ball diff instead of trying to save some money? The Kyosho is 20.00 more.
I have to find a solution because the gear diff is obviously not working out for me. I will take a very close look at the bearings after work today. There is obviously an issue somewhere that is causing the gear diff in the rear to fail.. A ball diff may just be a band-aid for the existing problem.
We have about 8 buggys at our club and not had this issue either. I did shim my stock diffs tho.
There's nothing wrong with the atomic ball diffs at all. They are a good low cost option.
Thx Kryten. Since this my first experience with a Mini z ball diff can you tell me what grease to use.. Generally with my 1/10 cars I use a clear lube on the diff balls/ rings and a black grease on the thrust part. Does this apply to these diffs as well. OR can I just use the Kyosho ball diff grease on everything?
Also you mentioned shims.. I will look into this possibility as well. I am assuming upon installing either ball diff I may need to use some shims. Do you know the size of these, so that I may order some? I would order my ball diff from Tiny but they are all sold out.
Personally i oil the bearing like i would any other,and use the tiniest amount on the diff balls too. I find grease too thick,but i'm sure others use it.
The diff shims are 6x8. You should get some in with your diff.
Well I am having another problem that maybe somebody can help me with. I somehow managed to break the main chassis at the front end.. If you take the front end of car off you see the two points where the front potion of the chassis attaches to the rest. It is here where it broke. Not sure if it was in a collision or when I was working on the front diff.. Anyways Kyosho lists the main chassis part as MB001..BUT this part ALSO comes with RC Unit 2.4GHz ASF/ICS PCB & Servo Unit Set and is listed at 169.99!! So I may end up with a 169.99 chassis! Crazy. Do you think I can buy this and sell the PCB and servo unit set?
Should I somehow contact Kyosho and see if they can just send me the Chassis? I have never dealt with Kyosho before. Should I call Kyosho America or elsewhere? I just need a main chassis! Thanks, sorry for the ramble, - Rob
Just an FYI - I talked with Kyosho America this morning. They are releasing a new part # MB001-1 next month that will be the main chassis ONLY, not paired with the electronics. Good new for those who need a new chassis. In the mean time, i will attempt some sort of fix to get by.
Hi Billysnarf,
same problem here - broken the buggy in 2 pieces
That's what happens when you start hitting the track seriously I guess...
I just ordered MB001-1 and MB003 parts for replacement.
The main chassis is now shipping from japan
So I should get the parts sometime next week.
Hope you'll fix yours as well !
Nicov -sorry to hear, but i know how you feel. First of all I would like to know where you ordered the main chassis part from. As I could still use that part. For now though (I have 2 buggies) I think I have temporarily fixed my buggy that has broken. If you take the "front clip" off the car you see the front of the chassis connects the middle in 3 places. Two on each outside edge (either of these is where it breaks first) and one one connection in the middle. My buggy was broken on the outside and in the middle. One of the sides was still intact, therefore the whole chassis was not completely broken into two separate parts.. Hard to explain sorry. I took a piece of plastic and cut it into a square and mounted it to the bottom of the car using 4 screws. This piece acts as a brace that holds the front clip potion of the chassis to the rest. The car now works perfectly and the fix seems very strong. If I was not at work I would show pics.. ANYWAYS- I still would like a new chassis to fix it the right way.
Glad to hear you have the new part coming.
I have had Mini-Z Buggy now few months and I´m disappointed to the chassis quality. Chassis is so weak that just minor crash to the wall and chassis is broken behind front tires. What should I do? Cannot find and upgrade part to solve this problem. I´m tired to buy new chassis every week. First chassis I bought was with electronics and was damn expensive... If someone has solved this problem please help. Some pics maybe?
I have had Mini-Z Buggy now few months and I´m disappointed to the chassis quality. Chassis is so weak that just minor crash to the wall and chassis is broken behind front tires. What should I do? Cannot find and upgrade part to solve this problem. I´m tired to buy new chassis every week. First chassis I bought was with electronics and was damn expensive... If someone has solved this problem please help. Some pics maybe?
What motor are you using? A mod? I have taken a few good hits to the front end without destroying it.
Are you using the wide front bumper from the optima? I found going to that helped lower front end damage.
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