I'm often asked questions about how I build my 1/8
diffs. Is it important to grease the
outdrive, O-rings, and ring gear? How
much grease should you use? How much
fluid should I put into the diff?
Hopefully this blog entry will help answer any questions you have about
building diffs for your 8ight 3.0. You
can use the same method to build diffs on your SCTE 2.0, 8ight T 2.0
and 8ight E 2.0.
It's always good to make sure all the parts are clean along
with your work surface. It's very important
to grease the outdrive shaft, O-rings, ring gear, and the diff
housing. The grease will make the diffs
operate smooth and be consistent on long runs.
If you don't grease these parts the silicone fluid can get
between the outdrive and the ring gear and cause the two parts to seize or
become notchy.
You don't need too
much grease, but it's better to have a little too much than not enough.
Once you have the outdrive installed into the ring gear and
diff housing you can install the gears.
I like to tap on the cross pins to make sure they are pressed all
the way into the diff housing.
Next step is to fill the diff housing with silicone
fluid.
I fill the diff until the fluid completely covers
the gears and cross pins. Then let the diff sit for a few minutes to let any
air bubbles out of the oil. On the Team Losi Racing 8ight 3.0 I use 5,000 in
the front, 7,000 in the center, and 3,000 in the rear. If the track is low
grip, I switch to 5,000 in the center and 2,000 in the rear.
Next step is to drop the final gear into the diff
housing
As you can see, there is too much fluid
in the diff housing. Make sure the gears are properly aligned. Then use your
finger by pressing down firmly to wipe off the excess oil.
Here's how it should look after you wipe off the excess fluid.
Now you can attached the ring gear and install the diff. I hope this helps!
Adam
