fiero880

Ok,

So a week ago I go online to possibly get into the Nitro RC Buggy Hobby. I have been flying RC planes and Heli's for awhile. I figured RC cars or trucks would be cheaper. So I do some searching and quality / price factor and find the Redcat Tornado BB. So there are many dealers on Ebay so I find one that seems to be decent.

A few days later my BB arrives. Very impressed with the looks and quality right out of the box. I open the battery cover and install my receiver batteries, and then my transmitter batteries, fuel it up and start the engine. Starts very quickly. I open the mixure up to run richer for break in. So now this thing is so unbelievably fast. Considering I use to run the vintage grasshopper and fox.

The transmission shifts into 2nd gear and wow!!! So now I turn around and go back up the street. But now it will not shift anymore and seems to be stuck in 2nd gear. So now I am thinking run it alittle longer, it may need to be broken in more. So I open it up to 3/4's throttle and its coming back up the street when all of a sudden I lose all radio communications with the car. I start crapping in my pants because this thing is coming right for me and my driveway. I look down for a split second at my transmitter and its working. I keep trying to regain control when all of a sudden the worse wham sound you could imagine. It smacked into the trash barrel. I shut the engine down and take it into the garage on my work bench. The bottom frame plate is bent to hell. The front shock tower is bent way back along with the rear shock tower bent forward, the front rims are cracked real bad. Now I am p@#ssed. I start taking everything apart to figure out what happened. Then I turn to the receiver switch. Its in the on position but no juice. I get my fluke meter out and start testing and all of a sudden I get power. I put the switch down and no power. Further investiations reveil the switch hole cut out at the factory is a bit smaller than it should be for the on position. Basiclly the switch was not going all the way to on. So I make the hole larger and now it works perfect. I still have cracked rims up front and a bent frame. And then I look at the gears and where the frame bent, made the engine alignment bent down messing my gears up alittle.

I am mad but still suprised on how it ran before the crash. I try calling Redcat but they are still moving into the larger building.

So while everything is apart I figured why not try to fix the transmission. Well real long story short, the hole made at the factory for the small steel ball after the spring in the clutch, was not made large enough. The ball got stuck. So I make the hole just a tiny bit larger and now this is fixed correctly. I bend my frame back out and both front and rear towers. Considering the cracked front rims I go out for a test drive. Everything is working great. My neighbor is so impressed with the BB now he wants one. So I order another one for him and new parts along with new front rims for me.

Yesterday my parts come in and his car. All is happy and great right ???

Well after much more researching on Redcat's website I find info out about the gear issue in the transmission. I am like you got to be kinding me. The first post is from 2006. You would think now in 2008 that issue would have been fixed. After 20 minutes of normal running his car and my car we have no gears left. None nadda at all.

Now he is p@##ssed. Now I am more p@##ssed.

What gives. All these people who are buying these cars off of ebay and even the website buy these cars and are having these problems right out of the box. Unless they dig hard on the website for the link to RCU they never find out about the gear issue and other possible issue's.

Am I screwed or what ?? I loved how the buggy ran when it ran. And I would probally buy two more in a heartbeat if I knew I could get one without issues.

PS. I got my radar gun out and got 47mph of course before the transmision gear issue.

Thanks,

Chad

ehroof

Hey Chad,

I was very upset a few years ago when i got my 2 redcats and went on a binge to find and make a cure for the dreaded spur gear stripping. It all boils down to the clutch bell was made from alumium and was out of round. All the new redcats should come with a new steel clutch bell, to check just put a magnet on it, if it sticks its steel and good. One thing with rc cars is that you have to check the mesh on the spur gears every so often, its just part of the hobby, stripped spurs happen very often, i have many brands or rc and i have found one of the biggest things to do is check the mesh of the gears and check over screws every few runs. I too fly planes and rc cars are more expensive to run that planes. Something always breaks on cars, well i shouldnt say always but almost always, no matter what brand, check my gallery, i have alot, lol. I do planes, boats and heli's too.

rc rock

that sucks man!!!
maybe it's the old version(2006) check. are the weels chrome?
if it's the 2007 version (chrome weels) you just got a bad one
if it is the 2006 version.... what can i say.... good luck

fiero880

So what about the switch issue ?? I just checked my clutch bell and it is steel.

Also here is a picture of my clutch bell and gears. Note the blueing of the clutch bell. This was another issue I forgot to mention when the throttle linkage allen screw linkage came loose causing the engine to literally go full throttle. luckily I had my brakes still and used this to get my buggy back in one piece. [img][/img]





Yes the rims are chrome, black body verison

Come to think about it my buddies buggy is yellow with chrome rims.

Both of our buggies on the box states the new 2007 verision.

ehroof

i never had a problem with my switches on the redcats, i have them all. I have seen a problem with them after a wreck, one of my buddies had to replace the switch after he wrecked. the blueing is normal, its just the heat created from the clutch shoes tempering the steel. One thing about any rtr, you have to go over all the screws and linkages. How was your mesh set, did you check it before you ran? Did you take the trans out to fix the 2 speed shifter?

fiero880

The mesh was perfect on both buggies before the runs. I even double check my buddies car. On mine I did have to remove the transmission but check the mesh when it was all put back together.

ehroof

roll the clutch bell on a flat surface and see if it is out of round. If the mesh was good the only 2 things it can be is an out of round clutch bell or bent shaft that the spur gears sit on, roll the spur gears and see if it looks wobbly.

AffordableRC

I am sorry to hear about your bad luck with your Redcat. As Ehroof said, it is very important to check gear mesh before you run these cars. Also be sure on the next run to have someone walk the car out 75-100 yards and check radio reception, make sure it is not glitching or cutting out.

zeen420

Ok this is all new to me too..... I guess I got the "bad one"... I get how to do the mesh thing.. but now I gotta take out the trans and fix the shifter????[&:]
pic..

ehroof

if it shifts, your fine dont worry about it.

Macanan

This is how you fix the shifting issue if there is one. you loosen the one that says this is for the 2 speed to make it shift sooner

fiero880

Ok,

So maybe I am confused.

You stated the reason for buying the HPI clutch housing and gears is because the old 06's were made from aluminum and were out of round ??

Wasnt the HPI setup made from that as well.

I just check my clutch bell and it is very straight. No wobbles or out of roundness at all.

Now the gears on the other hand, 2nd gear wobbles in and out. Not out of round, but the shaft looks straight ???? if that makes any sense.

Some of yall are dealers right ?? One of yll wouldnt want to sell 2 units for cost would you ??

Sorry its just been very frustating. And it mades things worse when my buddies bit the bust in a matter of minutes and he wasnt even running it hard at all.

fiero880

Well like I stated in the first place, my steel ball was stuck and wasnt even making contact with the shifting arm cause it to stay in 2nd gear all the time.

ehroof

i am not a dealer or i would help you out, you can just buy the spur gears, its always good to have a few extra, just keep a good eye on the mesh. If the clutch bell is steel your ok. All plastic spur gears have a little wobble to them, its one thing to wobble and another to be out of round.

fiero880

I want to give a update but also a very big thank you. Redcat Racing (Darin) has gone so so far beyond to resolve my issues. In a few days I should be up and running.

Y'll are great. Thanks

AffordableRC

Glad to hear Darin took care of you. Let us know if you have any other questions.