Cleaning rc cars with pressure washers?

[redhatman]

I remember a thread from a long time ago where they talked about cleaning rc cars with pressure washers, but i wanted more peoples responses. I was thinking of stripping electronics and engine and just bringing them to one of those DIY car washes for a few bucks and spray them down.

Has anyone ever done this? How does it work? Anything I should do/not do?
And, on the savage i take it I would want to take the tranny out?

Thanks a lot guys...
-Pat

[zueslilbuddy]

You know you might as well just take it apart and clean it as to chase it around with a pressure washer.

Sure if you take out the electronics and tranny you could spray it with pressure washer not gonna hurt it till it hits a wall from the spray lol.

[tadium54]

you dont need to take the engine off, just take off the air filter and cover the carb opening with something rubberlike. when i had my pirate i used to use a pressure washer to clean it from time to time and it looked great. just remember to hit it with an air compressor after youre done to get all the water off

[blktransam]

yup I hit mine with a psi washer then spray it with tire shine or WD40 RIGHT after and air hose it off looks nice and glossy BETTER then new!...havent had ONE prb. then again I dont spray it directly at the servos and engine eighter...also the good thing about a psi washer is theres more air then water tech...just hit it really quick and be done with it!

[Shazz1234]

When you say remove all the Electronics are you refering to the battery casing/reciever and the servos? Because to me that seems like a bit involved just to clean your car? I think an Air pressue cleaner would be much kinder to your precious RC's.

I read somwhere recently that one of the better ways to clean your RC is to brush off all the chunkie bits of dirt etc either by hand or air hose and then spray everything with WD40... Does that sound like a good idea?

[balang_479]

yeah just electronics, i even keep the air filter on after i saw this picture:

http://www.neobuggy.net/uploads/photos/1690.jpg
http://www.neobuggy.net/uploads/photos/1689.jpg

[JeffEmbracedDC]

haha jeez that's one dirty buggy. It looks like it was driving through a septic tank.


When you say remove all the Electronics are you refering to the battery casing/reciever and the servos? Because to me that seems like a bit involved just to clean your car? I think an Air pressue cleaner would be much kinder to your precious RC's.

I read somwhere recently that one of the better ways to clean your RC is to brush off all the chunkie bits of dirt etc either by hand or air hose and then spray everything with WD40... Does that sound like a good idea?


I wouldn't suggest this method. It might be OK for nitro off roaders, but WD40 leaves an oily residue behind that can gather dust and dirt and garbage. I often use brake cleaner from walmart of an auto store to clean a lot of my parts. The only problem with brake cleaner is that it can damage some plastics so make SURE to test it before you spray your entire car. Brake cleaner evaporates completely and leaves no residue. I always use brake cleaner to clean my electric motors. The $5/can "motor spray" is really just a ridiculous marketing thing. Brake cleaner is just as good if not better than the stuff you buy at the hobby shop to clean your electric motors. The $2/can brake cleaner works great. But this isn't an electric motor thread, so I'll continue on the topic: If you attempt the WD40 method, I would suggest probably getting a windex bottle filled with water and good quality dish soap (like Dawn) to cut through the oily residue and leave your car nice, clean, and oil free. Also if your car is a show car (which most arent) you can give it a final rinse with distilled water so there are no water spots. As I mentioned, windex/spray bottles are great for smaller/cleaner jobs. They have pretty good pressure (probably not anywhere enough for dried on mud.. but definitely good enough for oil and grease). If you've been driving through a septic tank or a port-o-potty I'd suggest using a pressure washer after removing your electronics and tranny. Of course afterwards try and get as much water off as possible with whatever you have available to you. An air compressor would be best but a towel would do. Make sure to re oil any bearings that were in/on the car when you pressure washed it.

-J

[Grant Tokumi]

When you say remove all the Electronics are you refering to the battery casing/reciever and the servos? Because to me that seems like a bit involved just to clean your car? I think an Air pressue cleaner would be much kinder to your precious RC's.

Some cars are designed to allow for relatively easy removal of all the electronics. It may not say it in the instructions, and it may not be very obvious unless someone showed you or you took the time to figure it out. On my Hyper 7 buggy, it requires me to pop 3 ball cups, unscrew the steering linkage to the servo, and then unscrew 7 easy access screws from the bottom of the chassis. Total time, maybe 3 minutes. 50% of the time is spent cleaning out the screw heads on the bottom from mud. The other 50% is the actual removal. Call me weird, but I get a good satisfied feeling when I disconnect everything correctly, so when that last screw comes out, the entire tray falls cleanly out without any stray connections that I missed. :)

[Shazz1234]

yeah I see what you're saying grant, with mine the steering servo looks simple enough to remove (only 2 screws) but looking at the manual (yes I still have it :))I have to remove the throttle bar thingy (that leads into the carby) and the brake line to lift out the throttle/brake servo...

I'm assuming the battery pack and receiver need to be removed as well?

[redhatman]

you dont NEED to remove anything. Just make sure parts like the electronics and air filter are sealed from water.

[balang_479]

you dont NEED to remove anything. Just make sure parts like the electronics and air filter are sealed from water.

no, you always must remove the electronics... nothing is 100% water proof, electronics MUST be removed..

[Grant Tokumi]

yeah I see what you're saying grant, with mine the steering servo looks simple enough to remove (only 2 screws) but looking at the manual (yes I still have it :))I have to remove the throttle bar thingy (that leads into the carby) and the brake line to lift out the throttle/brake servo...

I'm assuming the battery pack and receiver need to be removed as well?
What vehicle are you talking about? It sounds like your vehicle is not as simple to remove the electronics. If you have to remove each electronic component separately, then that is a time consuming procedure that I personally would not take the time and effort to remove them often. What I'm talking about is cars that are designed where the entire radio tray comes off the vehicle along with all the electronics as one piece. The whole unit comes off with the throttle servo, steering servo, receiver, receiver battery, power switch all still connected to it. No messing with wires, disconnecting connectors, etc. And no rerouting wires, lining up servo horns, etc when putting it back into the vehicle.

In your case, if components have to be removed one by one, then I personally would not go the pressure washer route. Instead, leave electronics in, spray simplegreen all over, avoiding the electronics, and then blow it out with an air compressor.

[blktransam]

psi washer isnt going to hurt ur elec...just dotn spray directly at urservos and what not..do whatever u please but I have been psi washing cars for years with no prbs...just do whatever u wanna do I guess eighter way this thread wil just flame the opposite information...kinda like whats the best truck type of thread.

[Grant Tokumi]

psi washer isnt going to hurt ur elec...just dotn spray directly at urservos and what not..do whatever u please but I have been psi washing cars for years with no prbs...just do whatever u wanna do I guess eighter way this thread wil just flame the opposite information...kinda like whats the best truck type of thread.
Thats interesting. You've done it for years by pressure washing the car without removing electronics?? I may try that just to test it out. A guy at our track who had the popular Airtronics 94358 used to hose his car down. Servo stopped working and when it got sent in, the message from Airtronics was something along the lines of it does not cover "moisture damage".

So just to make sure I understand. You are saying you can shoot your car down like in this picture, so as long as you somewhat stay away from the servo areas. Is that right?
http://www.neobuggy.net/uploads/photos/1689.jpg

Either way, you can clean it better with the electronics removed, and even better with engine removed for that matter, simply because you can reach deeper spots. But it would be nice to know that it is an option to keep it all in there and still go to town with the pressure washer. I'm always keeping my eye out for time savers.

[XXWoodmanXX]

IMHO, I'd protect my investment of a high-$$$ steering and throttle servo, as well as Rx, by simply removing it first. It's just a few minutes, and it can save $$$ in the long run. :) Besides, you're going to have to do MORE maintenance anywho, by removing those hub bearings to cleanse them of debris and re-lubricate them. ;)


Just my $0.02 :D

[blktransam]

I wil snap some photos on monday beings sunday is race day and ill post em not like u are concentrating on the servos or anything a psi wahser is MORE aire then water, as I use one EVERY day at work...but any who like I said do what ever makes you comfortable..

[Shazz1234]

What vehicle are you talking about? It sounds like your vehicle is not as simple to remove the electronics.

I've got a GS Storm st1, in retrospect probably not the best choice I've ever made after listening to these forums but it was nice and cheap for my fisrt car and I actually got it cheaper than what it was listed on E-bay for anyway so thats gotta be a good thing. (is it strange that I'm using E-bay as a benchmark?). I've linked the manual for those that would like to have a look at linkges to help me determine if it's worth it(not the best quality, luckily the acutual manual is better).

GS storm ST1 Manual (http://www.gsracing.com.tw/upload/20061030/200610301728_shadowmanual.pdf)

[Grant Tokumi]

I've got a GS Storm st1, in retrospect probably not the best choice I've ever made after listening to these forums but it was nice and cheap for my fisrt car and I actually got it cheaper than what it was listed on E-bay for anyway so thats gotta be a good thing. (is it strange that I'm using E-bay as a benchmark?). I've linked the manual for those that would like to have a look at linkges to help me determine if it's worth it(not the best quality, luckily the acutual manual is better).

GS storm ST1 Manual (http://www.gsracing.com.tw/upload/20061030/200610301728_shadowmanual.pdf)
Yup. Look at the top half of page 31 in your manual. The goal would be to lift that whole radio tray out of the vehicle. It looks like 6 screws from the bottom, couple at the front from the top. Your throttle linkage is likely a ballcup connection like mine that you can pop off. Your steering linkage looks very accessible to unscrew and disconnect. I'm not sure how accessible your brake linkage is to remove. And I can't tell, but hopefully your antannae is connected to that whole radio tray.

Thats a cool looking car. I did not know there was a 4wd stadium truck on the market.

[redhatman]

Thats a cool looking car. I did not know there was a 4wd stadium truck on the market.


Where have you been? HPI 18ss, rc18t, rc18mt, rc18b, rc18r, trinity itsy bitsy spider, trinity blade, the atechs, and dont forget all the truggies.

[Grant Tokumi]

Let me rephrase. I did not know there was a 10th scale 4wd stadium truck on the market.

I admit I haven't been looking at magazines all that much, so I do miss some ads as new things come out.

[tadium54]

think about what an air filter catches dirt and other things you dont want in your engine. pressure wash with it still attached and your just forcing other stuff into your engine that you wouldnt want in the first place. take the extra second and take it off, cover the carb with something rubbery and blast away

[SquirrelNutz]

I personally would rather just take it apart and clean it by hand. It will take longer but you can also inspect for damage, cracks, breaks, loose screws, etc.

[Shazz1234]

Yup. Look at the top half of page 31 in your manual. The goal would be to lift that whole radio tray out of the vehicle. It looks like 6 screws from the bottom, couple at the front from the top. Your throttle linkage is likely a ballcup connection like mine that you can pop off. Your steering linkage looks very accessible to unscrew and disconnect. I'm not sure how accessible your brake linkage is to remove. And I can't tell, but hopefully your antannae is connected to that whole radio tray.

Thats a cool looking car. I did not know there was a 4wd stadium truck on the market.

Yeah the brake linkages should be easy enough to remove...Thanks...

I have to agree with tadium54, it would be soooooo much safer to just remove the air filter and plug up the carby with somthing. I know it's a pain to get it back on, wasted a few zip ties on that effort already.