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El Gecko

Pinion for 380 motor?

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I've searched this and other forums but couldn't find a definitive answer: What 10T 32p pinion gears are available for a 380 motor since the shaft is smaller than a 540? The old 380s had their pinions permanently attached, but I recently pulled two 380 motors from a wrecked boat someone gave me, and they seem fast on the bench but I want to see how they do in an actual car under load. What are my options? I have the adapter plate to mount the motor, I just need to find a suitable pinion to mesh with the spur.

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You can get a pinion "sleeve" that increases the shaft size to 3.2mm which opens your world to many pinion sizes..

Had to constantly proof read this to check for inaccurate auto-correct. Oooooerrr. Lol

  • Haha 3

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5 hours ago, wolfdogstinkus said:

You can get a pinion "sleeve" that increases the shaft size to 3.2mm which opens your world to many pinion sizes..

Had to constantly proof read this to check for inaccurate auto-correct. Oooooerrr. Lol

Could of been worse, you might of searched for pinion enlarger!

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5 hours ago, wolfdogstinkus said:

You can get a pinion "sleeve" that increases the shaft size to 3.2mm which opens your world to many pinion sizes..

Had to constantly proof read this to check for inaccurate auto-correct. Oooooerrr. Lol

The only sleeves I can find are 5mm to 3.2mm (1/8") reducers. What size is the 380 shaft?

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It's a 2.3mm shaft on a 380 motor. Pinions are out there, but maybe not that easy to find in the size you want.

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Theres a picture of the part in this link but it's not mentioned in the description.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/402365019111

 

Found a different description

"
- Type 370 Sport-Tuned Motor x1
- A brass pipe adapter is included to allow use of the 26T pinion gear from separately sold Item 54228.
- Compatible with T3-01 chassis models. Use with Items 54228, 54834, 54857 and 54876.  "

a brass pipe adapter,, well it's not called a pinion sleeve after all...

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3 hours ago, Gazzalene said:

Could of been worse, you might of searched for pinion enlarger!

Sounds like you speak from experience. Lol

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Thanks everyone, I did a little more digging and apparently "Tamiya pinion adapter 9804535" is the correct part, although it's out of stock everywhere. Time to start searching precision tubing so I can fabricate one.

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13 hours ago, wolfdogstinkus said:

Sounds like you speak from experience. Lol

No, Not me!

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15 hours ago, wolfdogstinkus said:

Theres a picture of the part in this link but it's not mentioned in the description.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/402365019111

 

Found a different description

"
- Type 370 Sport-Tuned Motor x1
- A brass pipe adapter is included to allow use of the 26T pinion gear from separately sold Item 54228.
- Compatible with T3-01 chassis models. Use with Items 54228, 54834, 54857 and 54876.  "

a brass pipe adapter,, well it's not called a pinion sleeve after all...

A 370 is a different size to a 380, and has a smaller shaft (2mm).

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Hi. 

Seeing as you are experimenting. I assume will fit, is good enough rather than Tamiya branded 

 Carisma M14 R380 Pinion Gear for 2.3mm motor shaft 12t STANDARD CA14037 | eBay     maybe this will do? 

shows  These are the Pinion Gears to fit the M14 range of Carisma Cars or any R380 motors. They will fit 2.3mm Motor shaft and has 48dp / 0.5 module

  • 10t - 11mm long x 6mm dia
  • 12t - 11mm long x 7mm dia
  • 14t - 11mm long x 8mm dia

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50 minutes ago, treasurectionist said:

Hi. 

Seeing as you are experimenting. I assume will fit, is good enough rather than Tamiya branded 

 Carisma M14 R380 Pinion Gear for 2.3mm motor shaft 12t STANDARD CA14037 | eBay     maybe this will do? 

shows  These are the Pinion Gears to fit the M14 range of Carisma Cars or any R380 motors. They will fit 2.3mm Motor shaft and has 48dp / 0.5 module

  • 10t - 11mm long x 6mm dia
  • 12t - 11mm long x 7mm dia
  • 14t - 11mm long x 8mm dia

Thanks! That one is 48p though and I need 32p. The gear pitch is looking like the limiting factor, because 48p pinions with 2.3mm shaft DO seem to be available. I'm curious how these motors will do, but not curious enough to swap the whole gearbox over to 48p (yet!)

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1 hour ago, El Gecko said:

Thanks, unfortunately I'm in the US and the shipping cost with tamico is too much for me :(

It's a frustratingly tricky situation to what should be a simple problem.

I've come across it a lot when trying to change motors in stuff like my Nikko Dictator which uses dual 380 motors. So easy to pop a better motor in but the only option for a pinion is to try and prise the stock press fit ones off the stock motors and fit them to the new motors. They actually used to sell upgrade motors for some of their 380 vehicles but they also came with the pinion press fitted on like the stock Grasshopper motor. Obviously any Nikko with a 540 motor is just as easy to deal with as any other 540 motor, pinions everywhere  but for 380s, the struggle is real!

The only exception is brushless 380 motors, they come with 3.17mm shafts the same as a 540, probably because they are RC specific motors and it's known that 3.17mm pinions are vastly more common. 

I have heard you can use the tube from a cheap ballpoint pen to work as a sleeve but the one time I tried it, the pinion seemed to have a lot of wobble/give in it. Maybe I used the wrong type.

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@El Gecko you might want to check a pinion gear made by Redcat Racing (# RCL-H012). Double-check the measurement of your 380 motor shaft size.

https://www.redcatracing.com/products/rcl-h012?variant=30993243111514

You probably can still get it from Amazon. I gambled and ordered this for someone (it comes in a pack of two and I paid $6 US and that includes Prime shipping already). The person had a Tamiya 380 Sport Tuned motor (2.3mm shaft) and I used it when I built her Grasshopper. It fit perfectly and since it was a Grasshopper, the pinion still is fine. 

 

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By the way, if the issue is that you have the pinion, but on the wrong motor, you can get pinion pullers (random pic from the internet)

 

Motor Pinion Gear Puller Remover Repair Model Aircraft Tools for RC  Helicopter | eBay

 

I have one on my toolbox, not had a problem with getting a pressed pinion back on (just need to make sure you press from the opposite end of the armature).

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Just to follow up... a 10t 32p pinion gear apparently does NOT exist for a 2.3mm motor shaft.

And I refuse to pay $5 for a tiny adapter that I could make out of a piece of scrap aluminum leftover from the rain gutters on the house. So I dug around my box and found an old 10t brass pinion that fits a normal 540 motor shaft, and made my own adapter sleeve. It's a press fit, and I was able to tighten the set screw so it doesn't move at all. At first, it was making a ton of noise, but after filing the knackered teeth on the pinion, everything fits properly, and the 380 boat motor works perfect and runs smooth! I installed it on the bRat instead of the old clapped out 540, and with the low gearing, it accelerates quicker, has enough torque to drift on dry pavement (partially thanks to bald tires, but the old motor couldn't drift), and while the top speed is pretty lacking, it's also faster than I expected. Runtime is off the charts B)

brat_380_msc_122320.jpg

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Glad you were able to make it work :). I know I posted about the redcat pinion but wasn't sure if it was helpful or interested you so I didn't bother to further check. I looked at it today and it already comes with two sleeves for 2.3 shafts. If ever you find your pinion/custom sleeve having issues, I still would consider the one I recommended—it comes with 2 brass 10T/32P gears, 2 set screws, and 2 brass sleeves to make it work with 2.3 shafts. Not bad for $6 considering the quantity/parts and quality. Once installed I don't recall hearing or having issues with the 380 Sport Tuned. Attaching pics of the leftover spares for reference (in case others are looking for the same solution).

 

IMG_0003.jpg

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16 hours ago, Mechanic AH said:

Glad you were able to make it work :). I know I posted about the redcat pinion but wasn't sure if it was helpful or interested you so I didn't bother to further check. I looked at it today and it already comes with two sleeves for 2.3 shafts. If ever you find your pinion/custom sleeve having issues, I still would consider the one I recommended—it comes with 2 brass 10T/32P gears, 2 set screws, and 2 brass sleeves to make it work with 2.3 shafts. Not bad for $6 considering the quantity/parts and quality. Once installed I don't recall hearing or having issues with the 380 Sport Tuned. Attaching pics of the leftover spares for reference (in case others are looking for the same solution).

 

IMG_0003.jpg

Thanks for the pic, the description in the link didn't say anything about sleeves, and the holes on the gears looked too big in the pics. Knowing that they come with sleeves, I think that's a good option and I'll keep it in mind for the future! (I did find them on Amazon by the way--thanks again!)

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