associated mini mgt 3.0 truck issues and tech support problems
 

Hi Folks,
I'm new to RC trucks and bought a new Associated MGT 3.0 for my son last Christmas. We haven't ran it much at all (only 1/2 gal of fuel) so its not hardly broken in yet. We've had issues with it since day 1 and its been an aggravating money pit to keep it fixed and my son is gentle with it at the local park just driving it in the grass or parking lot. Can't say he drives it too hard or is abusive because I'm there supervising. My latest issue to make me more aggravated is the lack of support from Associated. [:@] I chose them because I know the name as been around a long time and thought they might be a good place to start so I got him this RTR beginners type truck. I've been trying to get their tech department to answer a few basic questions so I can figure out what it needs and they won't do it. All I get out of them is "send it in." With it torn down on my bench, I don't want to send in a box of parts and expense of sending it in when its out of warranty. At this point, I feel it was a huge waste of my money. Since they won't help, I hoping some experienced users here can. Again, I'm green when it comes to RC cars.
Here's the latest thing its doing.
After it drives a few minutes, it will just stop and act like either the clutch shoes or friction disks are slipping. We give it the throttle but it just sits. After we stop it and it cools off, we'll try it again and it'll be ok for a few minutes then do it again. Its like something gets hot and starts slipping. My question to Associated was how do a you know if the clutch shoes are bad or the friction discs are worn out? They shouldn't be no more than we've driven it. I asked for specs that I could measure with my calipers but can't get crap out of them. In other words, what's the minimum thickness of the friction rings to know when its time to replace (unless they start rubbing the pins in the slipper hub and I hear it or see metal). Any ideas unless I just start throwing more money at it by throwing parts at it until its fixed. Maybe I should just throw the piece of junk away and cut my losses. [&o][&o][&o] I have some other issues with the car, but let's tackle this one first. I'll post the next thing later. Thanks!

RE: associated mini mgt 3.0 truck issues and tech support problems
 

hold onto the car when you give it gas, if you see the spur gear flying away and the tires are still, thats probably your slipper slipping, tighten it up.

pop open the clutch bell and check the shoes, if they are melted or the springs busted, replace it.

its not a piece of junk, your just green, everyone starts out new, give it time.

also, driving very slow will wear out clutch shoes very fast.

RE: associated mini mgt 3.0 truck issues and tech support problems
 

↑ Agree and if all else fails buy a 4.6. please i beg of you:eek: also the 4.6 has better parts support and a bigger community.

RE: associated mini mgt 3.0 truck issues and tech support problems
 

true, I LOVE my 8.0, the drivetrain and chassis is bullet proof and the power this thing makes purely stupid.

the 3.0 is a good truck but parts are getting a little more scarce.

RE: associated mini mgt 3.0 truck issues and tech support problems
 

Finally getting back to this. Thanks for the feedback. So if clutch shoes are melted, is that the only way of knowing its time to replace them? Do you know when to replace the friction or slipper rings? The housing that holds the slipper rings have small pins that keep the ring in place. The surface of the ring is just above the pins about .010" to 015". Obviously, if the ring surface gets down to the pins, the pins will start to wear down so the housing would have to be replaced too. Seems to me there should still be some life left in the rings but maybe not because I don't know how thin is too thin.
I tried tightening up the slipper screw but it didn't help.
On the 3rd attempt to tighten the slipper, something might have broke. Its tricky to tighten and get a feel for it if you're a newbie. The instructions talk about winding up the spring then turning the screw. During the 3rd attempt, it felt like the spring broke because it wouldn't wind up anymore. After I took it all apart, I didn't see what spring it could have been that was making it wind up. I didn't see anything broken so that's strange. I was expecting to find a a torsion type spring or clock type spring but there wasn't any so I'm left scratching my head over what could have broke. I studied the exploded views in the manual but didn't see anything that could make the slipper wind up. Any ideas?

RE: associated mini mgt 3.0 truck issues and tech support problems
 

I don't know anything about this truck but there are some easy diagnosis things you could do to remedy the issue. First, you sound like an automotive mechanic or knowledgeable? I would run the truck till it does what you are saying it does. When it won't move, turn the spur gears by hand(don't get burned with clutch bell or exhaust) and see if the transmission try's to turn the wheels. If not, possible problem inside the gearbox. If it does, I'd look at either the clutch or whatever mechanism works what looks to be a 2 speed spur gear assy. Whatever engages second gear may be sticking and allowing the spur gears to freewheel?

RE: associated mini mgt 3.0 truck issues and tech support problems
 

Firstly,the mgt 3.0 is one of the best 1/10 scale there is.I own two.one stock.( this thing will not die and i have trashed it for years) the other custom big block conversion.and yes AE discontinued them,but as far as parts you can find them everywhere.AE will still produce parts (actually just made Don aware of an engineering mistake on the complete diff replacement part #asc25551 in order for it to work you need part#asc25645 and only use the gear and install it onto part#asc25551,THIS is for the guys that need to fix the differential) VERY IMPORTANT INFO.As for your problem.check the slipper,clutch shoes and springs.check the pins in the drive cups and in the cva"s.while it does this,did you try putting it in reverse to see if it does the same thing? check the transmission could be the main gear,or as simple as the bearing.Do not get discouraged.nitro is the bomb.and these are tough little brothers of the mgt 8.0.</p>

RE: associated mini mgt 3.0 truck issues and tech support problems
 

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