micah11

I finnaly stripped my first spur gear! I think it was because the gear mesh wasn't set right, I heard a clack-ing noise when running it, but ignored it, and after about 5 runs of that, the spur gear was stripped. Is the Steel Spur Gear on RUFaster a good upgrade? Or should I just get the plastic one again? Any tips on how to set a gear mesh?

nitrosportsandrunner

most of the time, i can set gear mesh by eye.
but on some models where its hard to see, I put a thick piece of paper between the gear, push the pinion tight and tighten the screw.
when you remove the paper, you should have proper spacing.

If you go for the steel spur gear upgrade, plan on upgrading the pinion gear as well.

If you make the spur gear strong, then the pinion gear will wear down, or strip.

my tornado came with a steel spur gear....and I just stripped the pinion gear when running a 3s lipo battery.

If you dont have it, buy the program card for the esc. You can adjust the punch control and this will save the drivetrain.

this is especially important if you are running a 2 or 3s lipo battery...as the higher output of the battery (over the stock one) give the motor alot more punch...enough to strip gears. Adjusting the punch control on the esc lets you have the higher top speed provided by lipo batteries, but without increasing the low end power so much that you keep breaking parts.

micah11

I think I'll order the plastic gear, and set the punch to Level 3. I can just set it using the button on the esc. What should the gears sound like while powered, with the mesh set right?  Or, if I got a smaller spur gear, i would get higher top speed, but would it make it easier to strip it, or would a bigger pinion gear be better to increase top speed?

nitrosportsandrunner

to my knowledge, there are not any smaller spur gears for the caldera. so to re-gear it you would have to change the pinion gear or tire size.
a larger pinion gear will change your top speed. Dont go crazy tho...even a 1-2 tooth increase will make a difference.

And keep in mind that the higher the gearing, the more heat. This is especially true if you gear up for use on pavement...and then drive offroad. The current gearing is set of a mixture of surfaces. If you gear for top speed, dont take it offroading or it may overheat.

A heat sink, as well as fans can be used to offset increased gearing.

Models sound different with correct gearing....as different models have different pitch gears.

Basically, you want the pinion and spur gear to move freely (not rub or bind on eachother) but there should also be the least amount of spacing possible...so the teeth have the maximum surface availible to push on. Usually, a piece of paper between the gears ends up being the right spacing.

Also, take note of the condition of your pinion gear. Is it brass? If so, these will wear down over time. You will see the teeth become irregular in shape. Once this happens, its more likely you will strip a spur gear. Time to replace the pinion gear.

darthinc

what spur gear did you use? The only one i found was the caldera 10E 3.0 (nitro). Does any one know if it will fit the electric caldera 10E ? Thanks.