Do It Yourself Tips for RC Car Enthusiasts


Defined Tag: RC Car Tips.

The good news is you do not need to be a rocket scientist or even an engineer in order to be successful at building and maintaining your own RC cars and trucks. It is important for any RC car and truck enthusiast to know how to diagnose and repair the most common problems.

One of the most common problems when it comes to radio controlled cars and trucks is the accumulation of dirt in the body of the car.  One of the easiest ways to stop dust and dirt from entering the innards of the car is to secure the air filter with some easy to buy and inexpensive clips.

Another common problem happens when the car does not steer properly.  One of the simplest solutions for this common problem is to look on the steering control for a knob labeled “steering trim”.  If no such button exists on the control, adjusting the length of the steering servo armature should fix the problem.

In addition, dirt can often accumulate underneath the chassis, and that accumulation of dirt can affect the screw heads.  In order to clean the screw heads properly, it is a good idea to spray some denatured alcohol on the screw heads, picking the dirt out using a paper clip.  Denatured alcohol tends to work more effectively than motor cleaner, Simple Green or other cleaning solutions.

Compressed air is also a great RC vehicle cleaner, so if you have access to an air compressor that would be perfect.  If you do not have access to an air compressor, a soft cotton or wool cloth can work wonders as well.  For those tiny and hard to reach areas a small artist brush can be a great choice.  A toothbrush works great for brushing off accumulated dust and dirt on the car, but it is important to choose a toothbrush with soft bristles.  A small baby toothbrush is a great choice for cleaning those hard to reach areas..

It is always a good idea to keep spares of the most common RC car and truck consumables, such as spare batteries, spare glow plugs, glow plug igniters, etc.  It is always a good idea to keep a spare battery or two on hand, and to have an AC wall charger as well.  A fast battery charger and a couple of extra batteries can be a wise investment and it is important to keep a few on hand.