Df-03 Gearbox Failure...

[TA-Mark]

As a comparison, there are many buggys that run at my track. As long as the gearbox is sealed (and there is no alloy gear in there), I never have a problem.

These 4 were bought at the same time, always drive together so have had the same number of runs in the same conditions. All have used the silvercan and TEU-101BK since new, only in the last few weeks had 27T Dirt Tunes been fitted.

DF-01 Blazing Star (Adam): Alloy pinion replaced with steel, alloy idlers replaced with TA-02 gearset, GPM alloy motor mount. Inspected yesterday, no wear on any gear, clean Tamiya ceramic grease.

DF-02 Rising Storm (Jaedon): Additional 8x 1150 bearings for knuckles and uprights. Inspected yesterday also, no wear on any gear, all clean with clean ceramic grease still in the box.

TL-01b Baja Champ (Jarrod): Alloy pinion replaced with steel, HBX 'hopup' parts. Inspected yesterday also, no wear on any gear, clean Tamiya ceramic grease.

DF-03 Dark Impact (Joey): No upgrades. Failed alloy mainshaft gear, counter gear and diff gear. 'Greyed' Tamiya ceramic grease (The dirt is red).

Why only the DF-03 from these 4?

Also on hand for me to inspect that run very frequently on my track:

DF-01 Blazing Star (Me): Lots of upgrades, has run the 5700Kv for 18 months. Steel pinion showing slight signs of wear, rest of gearbox still very good, also clean Tamiya ceramic grease throughout.

TA-02/DF-01 F-150 truck (Mine - chassis only sofar): Lots of upgrades, 1 week of thrashing ALOT on the track. No visible wear inside gearboxes, clean Tamiya ceramic grease.

TL-01b Baja King (My nephew): Alloy pinion replaced with steel, alloy dampers, silvercan and TEU101BK. Inspected yesterday too, all clean and no wear.

DF-03 Dark Impact (Brothers): All upgrades to get to MS spec and GPM alloy, MM4600Kv. Has run 8 packs on current slipper shaft, mainshaft gear has very pointed teeth, 'Greyed' Tamiya ceramic grease. No red dirt.

DF-03 MS (Mine): Has run 1 race meet, 5x 6min heats and a 15min final. Mainshaft gear has pointed teeth (Not as bad as the brother's DI), 'Greyed' Tamiya ceramic grease. No red dirt.

Again the DF-03 has wornout way before it's peers.

The Mamba Blazing Star run 10 times more than any of the others. Never gets dirt inside of it and since replacing the alloy gears for plastic and steel, never a gear problem.

As I said previously, what got me was the need to buy 3 parts bags to get the required gears to fix it. Very expensive compared to it's peers. The alloy gear is a 'weak' link in the driveline and when it goes it takes out the 2 gears that run from it, logic would have these 3 gears in a 'gearbox rebuild' parts bag.

[TAZ-NZ]

The aluminium gears wear faster because the aluminium is softer than the glass reinforced plastic used for the gears.

Tamiya aluminium gears appear to be just raw alumium alloy (probably 6061) , if they were anodized they would have better wear properties.

If you want a light and durable alumiun gears, you want them made of 7075 alloy and then type 3 hard anodized, which would give them a surface with a 60-70c rockwell hardness, making them very wear resistant.

[qatmix]

This leads me to ask one question, you use degreaser on plastic models?

My DF-03 MS is new, 1 meet old, you certainly don't use degreaser to assemble a new model.... If you'd read the previous posts you would know that it is clean besides Tamiya grease and alloy dust from the worn gear, and that it's not just my 2 DF-03s, but every local DF-03 I can get my hands on.

Nope I dont use de-greaser but I'm amazed at the amount of people who spray it in their gearboxes to clean them out. To me the only reasons that I could think off that it would fail is the lack of lubricant on the shaft, or a foreign part thats got in the box and is grinding it down.

I suppose it could be the latter, as the gearbox isn't exactly airtight?

anyways chap, hope you sort out what you guys have done to make it not work. So you start enjoying the car again. Like all of the other guys with df03's