Drown model. What to do?

[skom25]

Hi,

Yesterday I drown my DT-03 in trench. I do not know how it happened. After two runs, I decided to go on asphalt to clean tires. When model was about 50/100 meters from me, suddenly I lost control and... ran on full speed into trench full of water.

After about one minute I found it. It worked and on minimal speed I went back to car. After I disconnected battery and removed excess of water, I connected battery again. Again, it seems that everything worked fine. One thing I noted, that servo started immediately but motor for some reason, started to work after about 2-3 seconds. I ran it on stand for about minute.

What I should do now? 

Battery will be disposed. Even if there is only low chance that something happened before it dried completely, I do not want to risk. It was not cheap but also not super expensive.

What about rest of electronics?

- HW1060 ESC

- Sanwa RX-391W receiver

- SRT 3017 servo

- Sport Tuned motor

Mostly I am afraid about motor. It was full of water and I am not sure what to do. Again, it is not very expensive, so maybe worth to use new? I have also spares Torque Tuned...

Should I look inside servo, receiver and ESC if it is possible?

Rest of model will be stripped down. I believe bearings have to be replaced and I am bit worried about gearbox. It is sealed but I am 99% sure that there is at least some water inside.

Any other tips?

[Jonathon Gillham]

I would just run the car and see how it goes. It was only underwater for a minute so theres a good chance that everything is fine.

Receiver - the rx391W is marketed as waterproof so that will be fine, or i would be asking about the warranty.

Motor - brushed motors are fine underwater, in fact people break them in under water. The sport tuned doesn't have bearings so nothing will be wrong with it

Bearings - these may be dead, but you will be surprised. I had a lot of cars go underwater for hours when my garage flooded in january. I stripped a car down a couple of weeks ago and all bar 1 bearing was still spinning and pretty free. I replaced them all, but suspect that if i had run the car back then the bearings would have been fine.

Servos - no idea, you'll know if they work or not, mine have mostly failed immediately, but were under water for hours.

Esc - i would try that too. Some of my esc were fine, some arent.

I have replaced things that appeared to be working if it matters, eg race cars where you pay the entry and travel to the meet. I haven't replaced things on the fun cars as if they die i'll replace them then, and its not a big deal if it dies in the backyard where we run the fun cars.

I would try the battery too, I'm still using a NiMH that was underwater for hours, works fine.

[skom25]

I will definitely try them, thanks!

I thought also about using clean alcohol, to replace water inside electronics.

 

[BuggyDad]

I have often run my DT-03 in conditions so wet that parts of it might as well have been submerged, and have once had it drop into a stream as you describe. Electronics I'd dry out and then test. If issues I'd clean with Isopropyl Alcohol then test again. Bearings you could inspect and perhaps lubricate but they're pretty resilient. I doubt any will seize just from this although repeated wet running would kill them prematurely. Some people run brushed motors in water to run them in. Gearbox I would think will dry itself out from this if the car is left to dry but it might be worth opening it up now to see whether water does get into yours. For me, I have continued to use the LiPo battery this happened to, but I don't know what the experts would suggest on that. 

[wtcc5]

What I do after unexpected water runs:

- deinstall electronics, open housings if possible and let dry for three days

- dismantle the car, clean all parts

- replace the bearings if necessary

The electronics are fine in most cases, just don’t run them if they are wet to test them (if they are not waterproof). Relube the motor bearings after cleaning.

[skom25]

How to relube bearings in motor? It is closed can...

Maybe it is good moment to try Super Stock? LOL.

[Busdriver]

I have a G6-01 that is regularly semi submerged and I’ve never even taken it apart. The motor can is a bit rusty but other than that it works fine. I have the same receiver in it as yours. I would simply let dry right out , in a warm place then run it. A little WD40 sprayed into any visible bearings and that’s about it. I can’t advise about batteries as I have no technical knowledge of them !

@Mad Ax is correct of course WD40 will only free up stuck bearings but will take away some of the bearings grease. 3in1 is a better bet

Edited August 31, 2023 by Busdriver

[Mad Ax]

I'd go along with the existing advice - I expect most of it will be fine.  As already stated, brushed motors are totally fine underwater, if you have problems it's more likely dirt carried in the water than the water itself - you could clean it by running it in a glass of clean water for a few seconds at half-throttle.  Dropping some 3-in-1 oil on the bearings / bushes wouldn't hurt either.

I wouldn't worry about the battery either.  If it's a LiPo then all the dangerous stuff is in an airtight seal, most likely case is corrosion or contamination on the terminals stops it from working or charging properly, in which case just clean it and try again.  If it had shorted while it was underwater you'd probably know already, if it was submerged and shorting underwater for a whole minute I expect it would already have caught fire.

Bearings - a drop of 3-in-1 oil wouldn't hurt.  I'd avoid WD40 as it dissolves the lubrication in the bearings, it'll free them up to start with but then they'll run dry and seize later.  But if they look fine and run fine they're probably fine.

Rest of the electrics - if they're non-waterproof and still damp you may consider drying off as much as you can, then putting them in a bowl of rice (it absorbs moisture, used to be a recommended treatment after the classic phone-in-the-bath accident).  You could open the servo case to drain and clean it properly.  If it all still works after that then great.

For what it's worth, I've run several cars completely underwater and not had serious problems.  The brushless ESC fried on my drift car after submerging it, but the non-waterproof receiver and servo were fine, and I never touched the bearings.

I ran a couple of scalers completely submerged in deep soggy mud too, just the roofs showing.  Non-waterproof receivers survived with no aftercare, no problems with bearings, servos or winches.  I had a switchable light unit that died, that was the only casualty.

[skom25]

I did not mention this: battery is NiMh.

[Busdriver]

I put any damp electrics in the airing cupboard much to Mrs BD’s annoyance!!!

[alvinlwh]

.

[skom25]

You are crazy... LOL.

I stripped it down to check main components and unfortunately, there is rust in some places. Also some standing water etc.

[TurnipJF]

4 hours ago, skom25 said:

How to relube bearings in motor? It is closed can...

Maybe it is good moment to try Super Stock? LOL.

A drop of oil on the centre of each bushing will be fine. No need to open the motor - there are no internal bearings. 

[skom25]

3 hours ago, Busdriver said:

I put any damp electrics in the airing cupboard much to Mrs BD’s annoyance!!!

I still check how far I can go with my RC things...

Now I am on stage, when after I say "I need to go to shop..." I hear little nervous "Eh..."

 

[JimBear]

The kid submerged his crawler in the rainwater barrel out in the yard (you know, kids!) but after we took it apart and let it dry it came to life again, croaking like a toad. I put some electronics cleaner on the mainboard, but I think taking it apart and removing any moisture did the most of the work.