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How to Change the Differential Oil in Your RC Car

A key component of a multidirectional radio-controlled (RC) car is the differential. Due to the fact that the front and back tires follow different paths during a turn, engineers developed the differential to allow for the tires to rotate at variable speeds. Learning how to disassemble and clean your vehicle's differential will not only guarantee a butter-smooth ride, but it will also extend the life of your differential.

Things You'll Need

Differential
Screwdriver
Degreaser
Gear lubricant

Instructions

- 1
  Open the vehicle's transmission by unscrewing the fasteners and disconnecting the cover plate. Unhinge the vehicle's axle, then pull the differential out of the transmission case. If you find difficulty accessing the differential, refer to your kit's user manual for a step-by-step instructional on how to extract the differential.
- 2
  Unscrew the differential to release the interior parts. Detach the two output cups, then slide out the planet gears, shims, sun gears, sealing gaskets and pivot pin from the differential case. Place everything into a plastic cup, then spray everything down with a degreaser. Swirl everything around, letting all the mucky oil disintegrate from the components.
- 3
  Dump everything out onto a paper towel, then spray everything dry using compressed air. Insert the pivot pin, shims, sun gears, and planet gears into the differential case. Drip several drops of replacement lubricant into the differential case, then close it with the sealing gaskets, tightening the two output cups to complete it.
- 4
  Rotate the output cups a few times to ensure smooth functionality. Insert the differential back into the vehicle, then seal the transmission encasement closed. Drive the car around at 1/4 power in a figure-8 shape to break in the new differential oil.

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