I am having issues with mt Himoto Viper XST Upgrade Edition.

It seems Lower Buffer Mount and Upper Buffer Mounts are just slipping on each other and my wheels are not turning.

I did notice the nut above these parts was loose so I tightend it not thinking what it mught be for when this problem started, now I can no longer undo this nut as it seems everything turns with it.

I am a novice at these things so any help would be appreciated.

post a picture so we can see what your talking about.

I have got it turning again after a bit of fiddling (thats how ya learn I guess ) I will post a pic when I get hold of a digital camera.

Cheers

LOL.....
Bro....You are gonna be doin a LOT of Fiddlin....LOL
I think I do more Fiddlin than Drivin,,,,,Sometimes!

Just resist the Urge to Tighten things up too much.....
These 1/10 vehicles work a Lot better when there is a little bit of PLAY in every suspension part.....

Just bought aluminium steering rack to fix these issues, being a novice at these things it has taken me most of the day to get the parts out, once I had them out I found the steering piece that is like a little cam that is able to slip if needed.. there is a adjustable washer-nut thing that compresses a spring, I have tried everything to screw this off but it wont budge.. it's like it's welded on! any ideas? I might just go buy these new pieces new and chuck the old ones away.. they are pretty worn out with me trying to get them off.

These bits have scres under the car and ontop of the car.. these are a real pain because if you loosen one screw theo ther tightens or the other way round.. kinda wierd they dont have reverse threaded screws to fix this.

Bonkas....
That Cam like piece you are Describing is called the SERVO SAVER.
It needs regular maintenance (especially if you drive in the Dirt) and lubrication, so that it does not Seize.
You Found this out the Hard Way, (just like me!) Lol....

If it is Really Buggered up, you should probably replace it.
But if you DO manage to get it apart, put a little grease on the Threads to keep it from seizing up again.
Use grease that has Graphite in it, as that is the best grease for aluminum parts.

Adjust it so that it is tight enough that the truck steers Crisply under Normal driving conditions.
Do not Tighten it all the Way, because it is Supposed to Slip when you Crash or Land Badly off a jump.
If the Servo Saver is TOO Tight, you will Destroy (strip the gears inside of) your Steering Servo.....

Mine is well and truely seized, attacked it with vice grips and pliers to try and turn it but no luck.

Here are the pics I promsed.

Since I cant get that piece to come apart I had to order a whole new plastic/nylon set and take the pieces from that and fit into my aluminium pieces.. damn.. thats over $100 for 2 steering arm bits.

Lets hope I can get the new one apart when it arrives

Bonkas,

I am not sure I understand how you got $100 into it. I would have said you only needed "Steering A" part 02025. That is the part of the steering linkage that has the two halves with a spring and an adjustable tension. And it is only $4.99. [link=http://server.sohouniverse.net/~himotora/shopping/pgm-more_information.php?id=1026&=SID#MOREINFO]http://server.sohouniverse.net/~himotora/shopping/pgm-more_information.php?id=1026&=SID#MOREINFO[/link]

Mine galled up and bound also, and that was all I had to replace. On my new one, I lubricated it as Rich suggested, and I have had no binding issues, although I do have to keep an eye on it and tighten it from time to time or it works itself loose from the vibrations. When it starts to get loose, it is unresponsive as you said yours was originally. I would have said all the other parts you had in your photos are still good and can be used.

Prices here are very expensive.. cost me $59 for the two aluminium pieces and then after trying to get the old pieces out I wanted to replace some other bits that didnt come with the aluminium parts I bought so I had to purchase the plastic pieces which were $35 so add on shipping and it's over $100 for two steering pieces.

The ones I have now are kinda chipped and worn around the edges and I think that is why my steering was slipping so thats why I am replacing them.

Unfortunatly there is really only 1 hobby shop around that I can go to.

Ouch! Seeing as how you are closer to Japan than we are, and the US dollar is so weak, I would have thought your prices would not be so bad. I guess having a monopoly in the market means the local folks can do as they please!

Any way, I definitely agree with Rich. If you lubricate it when it is new, you are much less likely to have problems in the future. I would suggest that you look for some type of dry lubricant as "oily" or "greasy" lubricants will make dust and dirt stick to it. It is not really a constantly moving part, so that may not be a big issue, and grease has worked for Rich. But I try to stick with dry lubricants for everything except inside the diffs. There are lots of dry lubes out there. I have heard straight dry powdered graphite is good, but I avoid it since it is messy. I use a Liquid Wrench product [link=http://www.gunk.com/CAT_L512.asp]http://www.gunk.com/CAT_L512.asp[/link], and my servo saver has stayed free for several months now. Just watch for it getting loose as I mentioned.

Good luck.

Cheers for the advice bk How tight should I tighten it up anyway?

Cant get the new one apart either.. Any ideas how to get these things apart? I was going to cut it open but that is a waste of $30

Well I got it all on, couldnt get the new piece apart but I managed to get the old ones apart to get the bits I needed, I also managed to round off the nut on the end of the shaft on the servo saver.. does anyone know what size this is? I tried a 6mm spanner and it rounded off because it wasnt a very tight fit but a 5mm spanner would not fit, maybe this is imperial instead of metric?

After changing this my steering servo seems to be very erratic when I quickly move the wheels back and forth it is ok but when I move it slowly it jumps back and forth. Could there be too much strain on the servo.. maybe need to loosen the servo saver?

Hey Bonkas,

Sorry I have not had a chance to respond the last couple days.

First, regarding your question about how tight it should be, that is a tough question to answer specifically. It needs to be tight enough for the steering to respond but loose enough to protect the servo. With the front wheels off the ground, it should definitely be tight enough that you can turn full both directions without the servo saver "releasing." That assumes that everything is good with your steering mechanics, and there is no mechanical binding anywhere. If you look closely at the servo saver while turning the steering on the remote, you will see if the 2 halves start to separate and "release." Basically, if they release, the servo will continue to move, but the wheels will not turn further. I set mine so that with the wheels on a hard surface (like concrete, asphalt or hard packed dirt) the wheels will turn all the way when I steer fully in both directions. But I leave it loose enough that it will move some then release on a surface like grass or loose dirt where it encounters some fair bit of resistance. Remember that when the vehicle is moving, it is easier for the tires to turn against the ground. So having them release when encountering a bit of resistance does not mean you will not be able to steer when running. And you do not want it so tight that it can not release when it needs to for the sake of the servo. In the end, it takes some trial and error to get it to respond the way you want. I guess the best advice is make adjustments while running in an area where you have room for error and try to keep it a little loose to protect the servo. Once you are done and running, just remember that it can loosen up as you run, especially if it is well-lubricated. So if your steering starts to seem less responsive as you run, bring it in and have a look.

Regarding wrench size, I think most metric wrench sets have 5.5mm in addition to 5 and 6. And it could be Imperial also. My servo saver is 02025 the plastic version, and it does not have a nut, so I do not know what size yours is. Mine has a knurled ring for the adjustment. Check the photo below.

As far as the servo being erratic, I can think of a couple different things. First, they tend to be sensitive to moisture. The controls for the servos consist of a circuit that reads the position of the servo with a rheostat and control a motor that moves the servo in either direction through a series of gears for mechanical advantage. If the rheostat gets moist or dirty, you start to see chatter as the control circuit has trouble reading a clean position signal. Also, the stock servos in many RTR vehicles are not so great and often start to act up soon. You can open them up and clean them. I have done so a few times with no problem. I have also had luck squirting a bunch of electronic contact cleaner into the rheostat enclosure inside the servo. It0 could also be that the gears in your servo have been damaged. The sure sign of that is clicking when the servo is trying to turn as the teeth are jumping. In the end, I have had some luck working on the stock servos, but have replaced the RTR servos with higher quality servos. And if you specifically replace your steering servo with metal gears, you are less likely to have servo damage in the future. And that lets you set your servo saver a bit tighter also.

It should Definitely be Metric......

And I believe it IS 5.5 mm.....

Another tip.....

Make sure you Loctite the two metal Posts that stick straight up from the Chassis. (The screw goes into the Post from Under neath the chassis)

If the Post comes Loose, you will find it impossible to adjust the Tension of the Servo Saver spring. (the post will spin as you turn the servo saver Adjust nut).

I'm going to buy some locktite tomorrow and put some on the screw at the botton of the chassis, but this does not stop the servo saver shaft from turning as there is nothing to really hold it in place, I mean there is just enoughfirmness in it so that I can loosen the servo saver spring but as I tighten it the whole shaft moves with me tightening the nut and neither the screw underneith nor the bolt ontop are moving or coming undone so I will screw the servo saver nut and spring to how I wan it and then locktite it there (blue locktite rather than red is what people recommend so you can get it off again)

I sprayed some wd40 into the nut when I got it apart and it was all spinning nice and free, so free infact that when I would drive my car it would come loose and I would lose my steering after a couple days sitting there I can no longer move it with my finger, will take my car for a spin tomorrow if it is fine (supposed to have a big storm, bigger than we have ever had in quite some time hit us in the next few says) so i'll see how things go.

Appreciate all you guys helping me out, it is a bit daunting all this stuff if you have nobody to help you.

Locktite does wonders! Put a dab of the blue stuff on and took it for a thrash today and it hasnt moved

Bonkas....

Glad things are working out for you.

It CAN be difficult to solve these problems if you dont have an Experienced Hand around to help you out.

However, every Problem you solve adds to YOUR experience.

Before you know it, you Yourself, will be an Old Pro....

Just upgraded my steering servo to a TowerPro MG995 as my stock one was making grinding/slipping noises, after a bit of modification (cut the servo arm because it was too long) it is much faster and stronger then the old one.

Also a bonus I didnt have to adjust it at all, everything just fell into place and was spot on. But I did have a bit of a play and now know what all the knobs on my remote do