johnhardy1

Well I bought an Evader ST and seems like a good truck. But after just a handful of runs it slowed down then died all of a sudden. I thought it was the speed control but then read about dirty brushes and comm so I bought some spray cleaner and a comm stick and cleaned everything up pretty well. I ran a couple batts through it last night and the speed seemed pretty good but today about halfway through the first run it slowed down again ( I was just in front of the house, not in dirt). So, I cleaned everything up again, even better than the first time, nice and shiny, it ran ok for about a min then slowed down and died again.
I'm at a loss as to what the problem could be. Im hoping some of you experienced folks will be able to help me out. Thanks !


- John

geoboy

My Feedback: (5)

Check the batterie, it sounds like that is t he problem.

johnhardy1

No not the batteries. I have 4 - 2400mah sanyo packs which I charge using my Triton. Maybe I ahould just get a 19T Chameleon and extra brushes or maybe some extra brushes for the stock Photon ? Although they dont seem to be in bad shape...I've only run it maybe 10 times !

Anyone else have any ideas I can try ??

Thanks,
John

cjg

I had a similar problem with my new evader this summer after running about 10 batteries through it. My bet is your brushes are already worn. Next time you take it apart see if they are about a 1/4 long or so.

My sons had the same problem - got his about 2 weeks after mine.

I emailed duratrax product support and they sent harder brushes out that last longer.

Cleaning only helped mine for about 5 minutes until I put in new brushes.

Does your evader fail to begin to move until you nudge it? Then run slow? THen I'll just about bet it is the brushes.

Good luck

johnhardy1

CJG,

Thats it ! New brushes and it runs like new again ! Thanks !

John

cjg

Glad to help, you are the second person I've run into with this problem (3rd if you count my son).

Was in my favorite hobby store and a guy brought in a like new evader with same problem.

You would think duratrax would address this in their photon motor and put in harder brushes.

Be sure to contact duratrax, the brushes should have a 90 day warranty.

johnhardy1

cjg,

Thanks again. So if I just email them they will send them ?
I havent seen in any of their parts lists that they sell anything but the stock brushes. Are the ones they sent you really different? I called Duratrax and they said to just send in the whole motor and they would replace it. Hmmm...

What other brushes would be acceptable to use besides the stock ones ?
Also how long should "good" brushes last compared to the stock Photon ones ?
ANd, how often do you think I should spray out the motor in moderately dirty conditions?
I really appreciate your help.

Thanks ,
John

cjg

The brushes they sent me were Trinity 4409 which according to Tower Hobbies aren't necessarily real hard. I just put them in my sons buggy and will see how long they last. (I had already replaced the ones in mine with some from a neighbor).

I'm a newbie, so don't know how long they should last. My observation is they don't last very long in the Photon motor. I've ordered some harder brushes which Tower Hobbies says are meant to last longer.

I will probably replace the motor eventually.

My track is real dusty so I clean my motor quite often. Run it several times on Saturday and clean it and lube it before putting it away.

Haven't had our duratrax long enough to give you any more input.

cjg

p.s. - any "stand up" brushes should work. Browse Tower Hobbies and this give some information about silver content and how long they could be expected to last, etc.

There was a good advertisement from Trinity on brush comparisons in a recent RC Action magazine.

Hope this helps.
Carl

cjg

One more thing...replace the brush springs with some from Trinity - or at least have a set on hand. The stock ones in my buggy broke right away when my first set of brushes went bad. Don't know if they got too hot or something.

I used the green (medium) and the buggy seems to maintain its speed. I understand the stiffer ones may get more speed, but more wear on brushes and commutator. My track is short, so top speed isn't real important.

Have fun.

Bigpimphustler

Brushes can last you way way longer then 10 runs, you just have to know how to clean them properly. I am a competative touring car racer, and I probably put 9-10 runs on my car every saturday. Granted I have many motors and 100s of sets of brushes, and I am running 27t stock class, I probably have 20 or so runs on my current set of slotted Reedy 766s, and they are still just fine, and my motor runs better then the day I bought it, because I know how to maintain everything.

first off, the motor gets disassembled after every run. The comm gets polished, the endbell and can get sprayed out, and the brushes are cleaned and de-glazed, bushings re-oiled, EVERY RUN. Once you get a bit of practice under your belt, you can do it pretty fast. I can completely disassemble, clean/polish, re-assemble my motor in less then 4 minutes.

Not only do I have 20 runs on my current brushes, I probably have 10 more. However I do cut the commutator on every motor I run about every 3-6 runs or so.

Follow some basic maintanance techniques can yield a ton of runlife on any motor, and any set of brushes.