Upgrading my otherwise stock Savage XS Flux

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SantaClaw

Well-Known Member
Messages
146
Location
North of Norway
Right, I'm back.. I've been doing other stuff for a while, but I thought it was time to resurrect the old hobby.. So I ordered some parts... lol

I have a fairly stock XS Flux, I've got some different tires for it, and I think I put ceramic sealed bearings in it a couple of years ago... I've got a 3s and a 2s pack for it, I've been using the 3s pack on stock gears..

Well, I've had no issues, apart from the antenna being scrubbed off... It's just been working great!

So the reason why I figured I'd spend some time on my XS is that my 1/28 K989 got a few parts on the way after I broke a rear hub.. . well, I ended up ordering 120$ worth of parts... lol

so I looked over at my poor savage, and figured... poor thing, not being used, and somewhat sad... I better go find some parts for you too!

Started off with this thing: Engine Mount Plate Savage XS

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Figured, I'd dismantle the thing, make it ready for the new part... well.. As I started taking things appart, I noticed that one of the shocks had completely dismantled itself... The rod had come loose inside the shock body.. and once I took it off the truck, the spring just pushed it appart.. lol

When I took it completely apart, I noticed that the nut had simply un-threaded itself, being a locknut, that's weird... Well. I guess, I knew what to buy next for it.. lol

I had crazy expensive Integy shocks on my Savage 25 back in the day, and I figured. NO. Not again. So I went the cheaper option. Hopefully they will do better than the stock ones.

4 shocks

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Although they aren't fully metal, they do look to have a good design, I like the dust cover for the shaft. And the price...

Wonder if they come pre filled with oil?


I'm contemplating going fully aluminum again, like I did with my Savage25. but I'm somewhat torn...

Well, let's see what else is broke when I get the new parts. :D
 
Hey! I recently bought a used XS Flux and starting to get familiar with it. It's mostly stock except for a couple of aluminum parts.

I pulled apart the gearbox and found it completely full of grease and the slipper clutch pads are shot. So I'm cleaning it all out and managed to find a replacement slipper pad set!

So you're thinking of going fully aluminum? Why are you torn? If you're going to keep it for the long haul, then go for it if you have the funds.

I'm pretty fond of this little powerhouse so I'm curious about how your upgrade adventure will turn out. Keep us posted!
 
So you're thinking of going fully aluminum? Why are you torn? If you're going to keep it for the long haul, then go for it if you have the funds.


Well, my Savage 25 (It had a Dynamite Mach .28 engine) was full aluminum... It was awesome looking, cost me close to 1000$ in upgrades, I had reverse gears and a ton of upgrades.. What I found was that it became too heavy.. I think it weighed around 8 kg, when it hit something, it was crazy expensive. it burned the slipper clutches like crazy, stripped gears all the time...

So , Weight, and costs down the line/wear parts is what concerns me...

Yeah, I looked at replacing the slipper clutch on my XS flux too, but I thought the replacement pads where too expensive to justify getting them, just in case. So I'll see when I take the gearbox apart... I have removed the gearbox/engine assembly, but not taken it apart yet.
 
Well, my Savage 25 (It had a Dynamite Mach .28 engine) was full aluminum... It was awesome looking, cost me close to 1000$ in upgrades, I had reverse gears and a ton of upgrades.. What I found was that it became too heavy.. I think it weighed around 8 kg, when it hit something, it was crazy expensive. it burned the slipper clutches like crazy, stripped gears all the time...

So , Weight, and costs down the line/wear parts is what concerns me...

Yeah, I looked at replacing the slipper clutch on my XS flux too, but I thought the replacement pads where too expensive to justify getting them, just in case. So I'll see when I take the gearbox apart... I have removed the gearbox/engine assembly, but not taken it apart yet.

Wow...8kg, that's insane! Yeah, that's a bit much and doesn't sound like a good idea for the XS. The shocks and engine mounting plate seem like a good start.

So about your grearbox, is this your first time cracking it open? If so, I'm curious if it's full of grease from the factory or not. If not, I'm curious what your opinion is on lube for the all metal gears. I'm cleaning out all the goop from mine and trying to decide if I should put in some new grease (minimal amount) or leave it clean as other people have insisted quite passionately about on this forum. I was under the impression that gears should always have some basic amount of lubrication to reduce heat....thoughts?

Also, one thing that does bug me about the XS gearbox is that I feel there is quite a bit of play on the idler gear that creates this rattling sound when you move the truck by hand. Do you have that sounds as well?
I was thinking of finding some slim bushings to take up the space on either side of the gear. Being new to the XS, I'm not sure if this is how it was new or something is worn out.
 
Wow...8kg, that's insane! Yeah, that's a bit much and doesn't sound like a good idea for the XS. The shocks and engine mounting plate seem like a good start.

So about your grearbox, is this your first time cracking it open? If so, I'm curious if it's full of grease from the factory or not. If not, I'm curious what your opinion is on lube for the all metal gears. I'm cleaning out all the goop from mine and trying to decide if I should put in some new grease (minimal amount) or leave it clean as other people have insisted quite passionately about on this forum. I was under the impression that gears should always have some basic amount of lubrication to reduce heat....thoughts?

Also, one thing that does bug me about the XS gearbox is that I feel there is quite a bit of play on the idler gear that creates this rattling sound when you move the truck by hand. Do you have that sounds as well?
I was thinking of finding some slim bushings to take up the space on either side of the gear. Being new to the XS, I'm not sure if this is how it was new or something is worn out.


Yeah, it's a virgin gearbox, never been opened... Yeah, I too have that same sound, sounds awful, but it's not there when it drives, I can take some photos and post here when I get it apart.

If it has grease, add new fresh grease I'd say, I've got high temp/high speed specialized grease in my garage I plan to use if I have to replace it.

Replacing all the cv shafts is high on my list though, center shafts too, getting proper ball CV's is a good upgrade that smooths things out
 
Yeah, it's a virgin gearbox, never been opened... Yeah, I too have that same sound, sounds awful, but it's not there when it drives, I can take some photos and post here when I get it apart.

If it has grease, add new fresh grease I'd say, I've got high temp/high speed specialized grease in my garage I plan to use if I have to replace it.

Replacing all the cv shafts is high on my list though, center shafts too, getting proper ball CV's is a good upgrade that smooths things out

Ok good to know that you also have that sound. I'm determined to figure out a way to get rid of it. It's from the idler gear bouncing side to side on the shaft against the resistance of the pinion. I agree that the sound is not there when it drives, but I have this itch I want to scratch and find a solution...in any case, reducing gearbox play is not a bad thing...I hope!

Definitely take photos and post them when you pull it apart, I'm curious to see.

I'll take a look at your idea of replacing the cv and center shafts, that definitely makes sense. Can you suggest where to buy these from?
 
I pulled apart the gearbox and found it completely full of grease and the slipper clutch pads are shot. So I'm cleaning it all out and managed to find a replacement slipper pad set!

I opened mine now, there was some grease, that was stuck to the walls inside, very little left on the gears, so I added some fresh grease.

I also noticed the large gear in the middle of the picture had some damaged teeth, so I'll go ahead and order a replacement right away. They wheren't completely broken off, but had pieces of teeth missing...

The picture actually makes it look like there is more grease that it actually is.. maybe 1/8'th tablespoon worth in the entire case....
 

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I opened mine now, there was some grease, that was stuck to the walls inside, very little left on the gears, so I added some fresh grease.

I also noticed the large gear in the middle of the picture had some damaged teeth, so I'll go ahead and order a replacement right away. They wheren't completely broken off, but had pieces of teeth missing...

The picture actually makes it look like there is more grease that it actually is.. maybe 1/8'th tablespoon worth in the entire case....

Ok good to know, I guess at the factory they probably just throw a bit of grease inside and send it on its way.

Can you take a close up picture of the damaged teeth?

You had mentioned that you decided not to replace the slipper pads, so I'm curious if your slipper clutch is tightened to lock it out, meaning any shock goes straight to the gears...I'm new to RC maintenance/tuning so I'm making assumptions here, but based on what I read, the slipper is important to avoid gear damage, right? Will it happen again with the new idler gear you bought?

I finally bought some new grease (synthetic) so I'll be cleaning out my gearbox and diff cases of the old grease and replacing it sparingly with the new stuff so I can get my truck running again. I was reading that I should put a small amount into the space between each gear and leave it at that. Anything more will just get flung off.
 
Ok good to know, I guess at the factory they probably just throw a bit of grease inside and send it on its way.

Can you take a close up picture of the damaged teeth?

You had mentioned that you decided not to replace the slipper pads, so I'm curious if your slipper clutch is tightened to lock it out, meaning any shock goes straight to the gears...I'm new to RC maintenance/tuning so I'm making assumptions here, but based on what I read, the slipper is important to avoid gear damage, right? Will it happen again with the new idler gear you bought?

I finally bought some new grease (synthetic) so I'll be cleaning out my gearbox and diff cases of the old grease and replacing it sparingly with the new stuff so I can get my truck running again. I was reading that I should put a small amount into the space between each gear and leave it at that. Anything more will just get flung off.

I already put it back together, the new idler gear is not sintered/pressed metal, but cnc milled steel, much harder, so if anything another gear will fail before this new one does.

Yeah, you don't want too much grease in the gearbox, nothing must come on the slipper clutch.. I never changed the setting for it, so I assume it's adjusted correctly and working fine, if it fails, I seem to remember it will slip excessively.

I could hook the motor up to the controller, and run the motor out of the chassis, to get the gears spinning, then remove the excess grease when I get the new idler gear to install.

The damage on my gear, is probably due to 3s pack usage... :D

I should change the gear ratio when using 3s packs, but meh... it's fine :D

Damage is similar to the gear to the right.

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the gear it meshes with is perfectly fine though.
 
The good old savage 21 :D It had alot more metal than this, but I don't have a lot of pictures of it.
 

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I ordered TWO sets of replacement slipper clutch pads for my Savage XS, I found a store with several in stock with normal pricing, so I'll give that a go. After they have been sent, I can post a link to where I found them here. I also realized I had ordered the wrong shocks... lol The first set I ordered is for a regular Savage Flux... WRONG SCALE!

hehe

So I got These on the way.... Shocks on ebay
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So, I changed my mind, I didn't actually go through with the order of those shocks... I got a different set in stead:

2 x shocks for HPI savage XS

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May be the worse than the others, but I like the look of these better... lol Price is about the same though.


I also ordered some 35wt silicone oil for them, in case they don't come pre-filled,..
 
Hm... the wire for the new fan will deffo have to be lengthened, I saw the stock fan had pieces of the blade missing, and it's making a terrible racket. I also saw the stock fan was actually rated for 5v, not 6v like the HPI listing says, so I would presume cheap replacements could work in it's place.. lol

I replaced the new idler gear, cleaned off the old one, and took a couple of pictures...

@shutah

IMG_20210308_161559.jpgIMG_20210308_161542.jpg

You can see the top small part of the gear has damage to the bottom part of the teeth. Yes, it's still usable, but I don't wanna chance it, so the new hardened gear should work great.


I'm still waiting for the new shocks, and the new Flysky radio I ordered. I have fitted one of the new receivers and turned it on just to see power gets to where it needs to, there is plenty of space in the radio box for it, just need the new fan, so I can properly fit the grommet, and seal the receiver box properly with some silicone
 
The first set of shocks I ordered came today, as I knew, they didn't fit.. lol

On the bright side, they did indeed come pre-filled with oil, and seem to be of high quality.
 
Finally, I got the new shocks.

They are superb, really love how they feel...

If only I could get the new radio I ordered... Second time I order it, first one got lost in shipping and refunded.
 
I got some new shocks off ebay - all aluminium machined.

They seem good! Prob need tighter lower seals but they seem well made at first look.

When I get some replacement oil I'll strip them and take some more pics.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/294455387533

Seem like a bargain so far but let's see how well they survive my driving skills!

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Look like the same ones I have, are the shafts 5mm?
Mine have held up well but don’t do any crazy jumping though! 👍🏻
I think they're 4mm shafts but I haven't double checked. I haven't installed them yet but I just smashed a stock shock today so they're goin on this week!

Did you replace/upgrade the seals in yours?
 

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