Brought out the old Circuit truck...having problems

Selloff

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Hey guys.

Forgive my ignorance, totally new to this so please don't flame me..lol
I had my ECX RTR Circuit Truck sitting in its box on my balcony, in Toronto, for a couple years straight. Through the hottest, humid summer days and the coldest winter days. I was sure the battery was shot, and more. Decided to pull it out gave the battery a 6 hour charge (and it got quite warm during) and took it out for a test.

The issue: So it runs. But at less than half the speed. It didn't die right away. I can run it for about 5mins, but its very sluggish and picks up slowly. Sometimes it would stop n go, stop n go (with my finger fully pressed on the trigger). Basically its semi responsive.

Is it just that the battery is shot even on full Charge? Or other maintenance i can try to get it back up to par? What would have been affected during those years of sitting that I can check?

Thanks in advance.
 
What kind of battery are you using? NiMH I assume? Have you checked what the voltage is on the battery? Truly, when charging batteries you want to avoid them getting hot during the process. That will just damage the battery.
 
What kind of battery are you using? NiMH I assume? Have you checked what the voltage is on the battery? Truly, when charging batteries you want to avoid them getting hot during the process. That will just damage the battery.
Yes, using a speed pack 1800 NiMH. So you think its just the battery that's shot which is causing those issues maybe?
 
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Yes, using a speed pack 3300 NiMH. So you think its just the battery that's shot which is causing those issues maybe?


It's certainly possible. Do you have a meter so you can check the battery voltage?
 
It's certainly possible. Do you have a meter so you can check the battery voltage?

I dont unfortunately, but I think that will be my first step. Or maybe just buy a new battery and then take it from there. After the battery what else would needed to be checked? Any oiling or greasing of parts that may have been seized? As I said im totally new to this so forgive the newbness. Lol
 
There are many things that could cause issues. Damage to the wires, or loose connections in general. Corrosion to the PCBs in the receiver or ESC, but that is very hard to see unless you open the case.

As far as greasing, there isn't much to do there. Any exposed joints will attract dirt if greased, causing damage. You might use some white lithium on the gears in the diff, as that is a sealed unit. You could check to see if your shocks appear to have held their oil. Though it would be fairly obvious if they haven't. Another thing you can do is use some blue loctite on any fasteners going into metal. Insurance for future use.
 
There are many things that could cause issues. Damage to the wires, or loose connections in general. Corrosion to the PCBs in the receiver or ESC, but that is very hard to see unless you open the case.

As far as greasing, there isn't much to do there. Any exposed joints will attract dirt if greased, causing damage. You might use some white lithium on the gears in the diff, as that is a sealed unit. You could check to see if your shocks appear to have held their oil. Though it would be fairly obvious if they haven't. Another thing you can do is use some blue loctite on any fasteners going into metal. Insurance for future use.
Appreciate the tips. Gonna check those out. At the end of the day, I want to get it back up and running and start working on it as my first rc starter car.
 
Yes you can but you need a voltage alarm and a proper LiPo charger. You can get them all from Amazon. I’m in Ottawa - it’s what I did. ?

ShareGoo 1S~8S LiPo LiFe LiMn Li-ion Battery Voltage Checker Tester Low Voltage Warning Alarm Buzzer Alarm with LED Indicator (Pack of 2) https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B073WXVRBT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_aOYcFbFQZCAWP

Get two. I zip tied one to the battery hold down on my Amp MT. Keep one as a spare and checker.

LiPo Battery Charger 1S-6S Balance Discharger Digital Battery Pack Charger for NiMH/NiCD/Li-Fe Packs w/LCD Display Hobby Battery Chargers w/Tamiya/JST/EC3/HiTec/Deans Connectors + Power Supply (BLACK) https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07V5CPYRS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_kVYcFbEGXS779

That’s a decent charger option.Has balance, discharge and storage options as well as internal resistance checking. Comes with an AC power supply - really cheap ones don’t. I found a good HiTech RDX pro charger on sale at my local shop in the winter and I am glad I did.

HRB RC LiPo Battery 2S 7.4v 5000mah 50C-100C XT60 Plug for RC Evader BX Car RC Truck RC Truggy RC Airplane UAV Drone FPV(EC3/Deans/Traxxas/Tamiya https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0759YHCTX/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_FYYcFbVH1G6F8

That is what Inwould order. You’ll have it tomorrow and it will run for a half hour or more on my Amp MY.
 
Yes you can but you need a voltage alarm and a proper LiPo charger. You can get them all from Amazon. I’m in Ottawa - it’s what I did. ?

ShareGoo 1S~8S LiPo LiFe LiMn Li-ion Battery Voltage Checker Tester Low Voltage Warning Alarm Buzzer Alarm with LED Indicator (Pack of 2) https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B073WXVRBT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_aOYcFbFQZCAWP

Get two. I zip tied one to the battery hold down on my Amp MT. Keep one as a spare and checker.

LiPo Battery Charger 1S-6S Balance Discharger Digital Battery Pack Charger for NiMH/NiCD/Li-Fe Packs w/LCD Display Hobby Battery Chargers w/Tamiya/JST/EC3/HiTec/Deans Connectors + Power Supply (BLACK) https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07V5CPYRS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_kVYcFbEGXS779

That’s a decent charger option.Has balance, discharge and storage options as well as internal resistance checking. Comes with an AC power supply - really cheap ones don’t. I found a good HiTech RDX pro charger on sale at my local shop in the winter and I am glad I did.

HRB RC LiPo Battery 2S 7.4v 5000mah 50C-100C XT60 Plug for RC Evader BX Car RC Truck RC Truggy RC Airplane UAV Drone FPV(EC3/Deans/Traxxas/Tamiya https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0759YHCTX/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_FYYcFbVH1G6F8

That is what Inwould order. You’ll have it tomorrow and it will run for a half hour or more on my Amp MY.
Excellent info. Thanks boss!
 
UPDATE: So I bought a new 5000mah nimh battery from amazon and it solved my issue! It lasted an hour! I was trying to drain the battery as best as I could. Im super happy to get this truck at it again. I guess my original 1800mah speedpack battery was shot. This is the one I bought:
https://www.amazon.ca/MELASTA-Repla...01AUI37EW/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Im using the original 300mA wall charger that came with the RTR Truck a when I bought it a few years ago. I charged the new 5000mah battery the first time for 16.5 hours (5000/300=16.66hrs). Am I on the right track? Any charging tips moving forward factoring in efficiency loss?
Also, any tips on simple basic upgrades a newbie like me can do to this truck?

Thanks in advance!
 
At this point a decent charger that can handle up to 4S LiPo would be my choice. That way you can go LiPo and eventually brushless.

Instead of upgrading a bunch I may just get an Arrma Granite brushless or.... that Notorious looks bad ass. Expensive but then again upgrades are expensive too.
 

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