Rebuilding TB-02 Differential - Lot of Parts Required

[30YrsL8r]

My son and I attended our local RC racing club for the first time last night and he really enjoyed running is Carrera TB-02. Problem is, they're struggling for members and there's nobody else with a Tamiya to really race against. So, I've been pricing up the new parts to get a beaten up TB-02, which we bought for spares, back on the road. To be honest, it's not likely to be worth it.

One diff is in a bad way because it was deliberately locked by someone for an off-road project, the other just has a snapped cap screw (diff bolt). From the manual pages, I think I need:

Diff A

1 x Tamiya 51042 TB-02 Diff Joint Pack

1 x Tamiya 53563 F201 Diff Plate Pack

1 x Tamiya 53379 3mm Lightweight Differential Ball Set

1 x Tamiya 49299 Tamiya AO-5015 Ball DIff. Spring (was 9805671)

1 x Tamiya 9949350 Tamiya 2X25mm Cap Screw (was 9805669)

1 x Tamiya 9805889 2mm Lock Nut

Bearings

Diff B

1 x Tamiya 9949350 Tamiya 2X25mm Cap Screw (was 9805669)

It's a shame to have it sitting in the cupboard, but the cost of all the bits (it also needs dampers) would put me within reach of yet another car from fleabay (although it wouldn't be a TB-02 and I'd like something well matched to my son's car).

Does anyone know if all these parts can be bought as a set? Perhaps someone in the UK has an old TB-02 diff that works and a pair of dampers and we can do a deal?

Any advice appreciated

[Sayer]

Not sure if the eBay rule is still being relaxed, but this might be cheaper

Parts bag A

Parts Bag B

No help on Dampers though.

[Percymon]

For dampers you are probably as well looking at a set of Yeah or 3 Racing alloy ones from a far east supplier like rcmart - a full set of 4 alloy bodies ones will probably come in about the same price as a pair of 55mm CVAs in the UK. Alternatively keep an eye out for another TB-02 chassis on fleabay and build one from two.

[Skottoman]

The diffs on the TB02 are a pain for sure... once built up properly though, they do seem to work fine. I run brushless through mine, and kept snapping diff screws.

Make sure the diffs are built VERY well, with lots of grease on the thrust bearing. Make sure the thrust bearing is in good shape.

I found HPI makes some diff screws that are stronger as they only have threads on the end.

If you can locate these near you they are a good upgrade to the stock TB02 diff screws... if you can even get all the parts to rebuild them.

http://www3.towerhob...p?&I=LXM489&P=7

Cheers,

Skottoman

[qatmix]

Leave the locked diff and pop it at the front. If you race onroad you want a spool upfront, so that will save you money. Just buy a screw and bolt and rebuild the diff.

When rebuilding the diff, look at your diff plates, usually they are fine, if they are deeply scratched, flip them over and use the other side.. good as new. If both sides are used, gently rub them on some wet and dry.

Clean up your diff balls, and degrease the pulley (Use an old tooth brush to get any junk out).

If a diff is notchy, it usually is the thrust bearing. Then clean out the thrust bearing and pop a little tamiya AW grease in there.

The TB02 diff, is pretty robust if built correctly (As mentioned the diff screw was the main issue). I never had any issues with mine with a 19t motor.

Whereabouts in Cheshire are you? Urmston races in Cheadle Manchester

As for dampers I might have some tt01 friction dampers knocking about that you can have (I need to find them) They will get you racing, and to be honest they are better than you would expect.Cheers

[30YrsL8r]

Thanks, folks.

Sayer: The parts bag was a good suggestion (should have spotted that one for myself) but the guy selling it in the US has some poor feedback on delivery times and the next race meet is in four weeks. Other places sell the bag, but it a lot more expensive.

Percymon: I've set up a fleabay search and will see what pops up before I get something else sorted.

Scottoman: I saw you recommend these in a post on another thread. I notice they aren't threaded the whole length, but I imagine they don't screw down that far and the lack of thread may make them stronger.

qatmix: I did a bit of researching on spools earlier today and it seems to be a posh term for locking the diff I think this might be the way to go as a cheap option and it will be interesting to see what it does to the car (there are pros and cons, apparently). I'll still need the Diff Joint Pack (as one of the outdrives is chewed up) and the diff bolts, but it's certainly a cheap option. If you stumble upon the friction dampers, let me know. I'm near Hartford, so we went to the club at Lostock Youth Club in Northwich.

Thanks again.

[Percymon]

I wouldn't hold out a search for tb-02, you'll need to keep a look out for complete cars which are in general the mercedes clk from recollection and maybe a nismo model but without checking cant be certain of the specifics.

You could check jason's store on eBay - his delivery from japan is normally 5 working days.

There's been very little tb-02 activity in the sales section in the last 2 years so I wish you luck in your quest.

[qatmix]

At northwich a spool is spot on so you will be fine. It's more aggressive than a Diff, but it's fine once you get used to it.

What side of the diff do you need? I might have a spare used one that you can have. You can easy get it all up and running for peanuts and have a race.

Cheadle isn't much further than northwich and there is a lot more Tamiyas being raced there, pop down some time

[30YrsL8r]

Your mention of the thrust bearing made me think the ok-diff it didn't have one, but I just checked and it's still stuck in the diff joint (along with the spring, presumably). Any advice for getting it out without damaging it?

It's the longer of the two diff joints that's gone (joint 1 in the manual), by the way.

Is your club stockportmcc?

[qatmix]

You can try tapping the Diff half on a table, whilst gently poking it from the other side with a small screwdriver (Or hex head bolt). That should free the thrust bearing. Its probably just gunked up if its stuck (or maybe overtightened). Clean it out and then put the AW grease on it.

I will have a look for the outdrive, later when I am back from work.

Yes its Stockportmcc (Although its in Cheadle)

[Percymon]

You may be able to get a suitable thrust bearing from rcbearings.co.uk - i've found some there in the past which fit Tamiya models once you know the sizing.http://www.rcbearings.co.uk/index.php?route=product/category&path=54

[30YrsL8r]

Thanks - I'll have a look at it once it's out. Hopefully it will be ok, as I just ordered the diff bolts that Skottoman recommended from apexmodels.

You're right about the scarcity of TB02-based cars; my ebay search string is pretty long, but I'm not seeing anything that fits the bill. Sounds like I might get this one running, though.

[Percymon]

http://www.rcbearing...ategory&path=54

[qatmix]

Hi mate,

I've found some spares, I can send them to you if you pm me your address. A set of friction shocks and some other plastic parts. Do you still need the diff half?

[30YrsL8r]

PM sent - really appreciate the help

[Sayer]

Sayer: The parts bag was a good suggestion (should have spotted that one for myself) but the guy selling it in the US has some poor feedback on delivery times and the next race meet is in four weeks. Other places sell the bag, but it a lot more expensive.

It's probably for the best since I bought parts bag A for a TL01 recently and it came with one of the inner bags cut open minus diff screws (thank god I had some in my spares) and minus the pins for the prop shaft.

[30YrsL8r]

As suggested, I bought a pair of upgraded diff bolts and managed to clean, grease and rebuild the rear diff quite easily. I was dreading having to tighten things up in case it snapped, but it seemed to go fine and the main gear wasn't slipping way before I tightened the bolt a great deal.

I also rebuilt the locked (spindle) diff for the front but didn't connect up the dog bones at first, just to see how it handled in rear-wheel-drive mode. I mounted two of the shocks that qatmix was kind enough to send me on the rear and used the stiffer springs on the other two to replace the rather soft ones I had on the front.

Installed spare bits and bobs for the electrics (still need to have a proper servo mount instead of the tie-wrap I'm using at the moment) and took the car for a spin (literally).

Then connected the drive shafts to the front spindle (the one with the chewed up outdrive - I used small rubber washers to shim the drive cup at the wheel end to stop the dog bone getting to the mangled end of the outdrive). The spindle made a great deal of difference, allowing me to accelerate out of turns much faster.

Added the front body mount (again, thanks to qatmix) and the Heath Robinson front bumper (section of pipe insulation) and plonked a discarded body on top. Bob's your uncle; I now have something to run against my son tomorrow night!

Thanks to everyone who helped get this basher on the road. Photos to follow when I figure out what's wrong with my uploading them...

[30YrsL8r]

[Skottoman]

This is great! Glad it all worked out for you. Keep an eye on how tight the diff screw is.

Another tip is to put a mark (Pen/paint/scratch) on the side of the diff case where the screw head is. That way, all you have to do is undo the turnbuckle on that side, flip the wheel/dogbone out of the way and you can tighten/adjust. I kept forgetting which side the screw head was on!

Makes me want to get my TB02 out again and start messing with it...

Cheers,

Skottoman

[qatmix]

Cool! Hopefully will be able to see it running tomorrow night if I can make it.

[30YrsL8r]

Well, my son and I had time for two heats last night before we had to leave. My car didn't finish the first one: the spindle gave up the ghost (thanks in part to my last-minute camber adjustment and a couple of shunts from my son's exuberant driving) and the race was over by the time I managed to remove the drive shafts. I did to complete the second one (in last place) in rear-wheel-drive mode, so it wasn't a dead loss. The car looked kind of cool on the corners I managed to drift around. Not so cool on the ones I beached myself on.

Some things I learned:

Remember to put the clips back in your battery clamp before racing

If the car is behaving oddly, there may be something wrong rather than just your bad driving

When reaming a hole for the transponder, have the transponder to hand so the hole isn't too big

If you borrow a split clip from your body mount for the transponder, the slightest knock will dislodge it

DIY foam bumpers get bumped - secure them properly or they end up rubbing on your front wheels

If people keep hitting your car, you might want to consider a brighter shell (auto paint is coming off anyway)

It's your own fault if you get hit (son, again) when doing running repairs on the edge of the track - keep calm

I'll keep looking out for a 2nd hand diff for the front but will renew the spindle if I have to. I'll also improve the bumper and source more split clips. Hopefully next month both I and the car will be better!