Gear Box Service
12-23-2010, 07:31 PM
#1
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Gear Box Service
Hi,
How often should my M41 gear boxes be cleaned and relubed? Also what products would you recommend for this service?
Thanks guys
Harle
How often should my M41 gear boxes be cleaned and relubed? Also what products would you recommend for this service?
Thanks guys
Harle
12-23-2010, 09:11 PM
#2
Senior Member
RE: Gear Box Service
Depends on how much debris gets inside them. Once lightly coated with lithium grease and run even every couple of months the grease should be good for a couple years at least.
The most important part is to break them in and shim the gears if need be before running the tank. Once together and covered they should be nearly maintenence free for a long time.
Case in point: On Christmas morning 2005 there was a Pershing sitting under the tree with my name on it. In 2006 it was upgraded with metal gears and such and run hard for several years and then sat mostly on the shelf while other tanks were tended to. Over the past week I've spent about 6 hours cleaning, shimming and breaking in the gearboxes properly. Since the gearboxes are covered with plastic they really weren't dirty except for a leaf that somehow made it inside the tank. The lithium grease was changing color and hardened on the side walls but the boxes turned ok (they weren't broken in initially), now they freewheel for several seconds!
Crest toothpaste works well for breaking them in and cleans up really fast! Here's a pic of a set being broken in at my secret test facility. The equipment used to hook everything up has been updated, no more hokey vise grips!
The most important part is to break them in and shim the gears if need be before running the tank. Once together and covered they should be nearly maintenence free for a long time.
Case in point: On Christmas morning 2005 there was a Pershing sitting under the tree with my name on it. In 2006 it was upgraded with metal gears and such and run hard for several years and then sat mostly on the shelf while other tanks were tended to. Over the past week I've spent about 6 hours cleaning, shimming and breaking in the gearboxes properly. Since the gearboxes are covered with plastic they really weren't dirty except for a leaf that somehow made it inside the tank. The lithium grease was changing color and hardened on the side walls but the boxes turned ok (they weren't broken in initially), now they freewheel for several seconds!
Crest toothpaste works well for breaking them in and cleans up really fast! Here's a pic of a set being broken in at my secret test facility. The equipment used to hook everything up has been updated, no more hokey vise grips!
12-24-2010, 05:09 AM
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RE: Gear Box Service
When I break my gears in, I use a HO train transformer for power. You can easily adjust the speed and let it run for an hour or two. You also have the direction switch, so going in the opposite direction just takes a click of the switch.
Jim
Jim
12-24-2010, 07:00 AM
#6
RE: Gear Box Service
Know what i did and it worked awesome on my last gear boxes!!I left the motor in and took off the drive sprocket and i broke the whole unit in with my drill connected to the axle that holds the sproket on and i put it on super slow speed and made it break in in the most used farward rotation that you mostly use when driving the tanks.... This works great because there is no need to have electric going through the motors brushes to break them in and seat them nice to the comutator electric just makes sparks that will not do as good as a job!!!
