steering drag link

[Equalizer]

does anyone else have heavy damage or some damage to there steering drag link..i have upgraded front drive shaft to the FLM CVD shaft and have clearance issues now ..I'm using the area rc steering system I replaced the sloppy stock system. I don't want to go back to the stock drive shaft ..have to much power now with OBR's 30.5 cc full mod pipe ,990 carb, 21 tooth pinion and ddm air filter I have in it this sucker go's sounds wicked too way better then wimpy under powered 23cc POS..lol...any help or feed back would be appreciated

 

[nitrocat]

Did you get the right drive shafts for the stock arms or did you get the arms and drive shaft kit

 

[Marky]

Do you mean the Ackerman arm? Yes, mine is scarred for life too. It's too close to the centre diff ujoint. I've noticed quite a bit of up and down play in the rear diff so I'm thinking the front will also move the same way. The chassis flex will also cause the two to run. Just a design flaw I'm thinking.

 

[nitrocat]

No they make a extra with kit to make it wider with longer A arms and longer drive shaft

They may have sent you the wider drive shaft by mistake

 

[shayno]

yes mine is real bad also, I can't figure out how it got like that...id post a pic if I knew how...hows the aftermarket steering setup work?

 

[Equalizer]

the ackerman arm could very well be but as Losi has it in the book witch I use as a reference ,states it to be a steering drag link part#LOS251014. my rear diff looks to be fine (for now)..I put the bigger shocks in it changed the shock oil...takes jumping a lot better now ..and I agree it is too close to the diff output it needs to come down at least 1/4 inch to give proper clearance ...In my eyes this problem will cause the steering to pinch hard against the diff out put and the drag ling when turning off jumps with it turned in air on impact while on the throttle could damage the servo real bad I can see that happening ..as the visible damage is telling a quiet story..

 

[Equalizer]

I bought the fastlane machines Center CVD kit for the DBXL fit good but thick output is cutting into clearance ,,probably have to go back to stock until someone can fix clearance issues hope it's sooner then later

 

[nitrocat]

This is the last time I will try and help you look at drive shafts from front wheels with weight off car
Where do they hit in the front diff cups they should be right at the ends of diff cups
if they are up in there farther they are to long and when you hit a bump or jump the drive shaft it going in to far and bending stuff
Also if you have taken the limiters out of the shocks or changed them and put on new shocks that don't have them this will do that to

 

[Equalizer]

here is what is going on ,and what I have installed, I'm trying to understand as best as possible, to what everyone is trying to tell me. let me know what you think ..Thanks

 

[MikeRC]

I have that steering system from area rc, and i don't have that problem. I have at least 3mm of clearance between the drag link and the cup. It must be the FLM CVD that is bigger in diameter?

 

[MikeRC]

or maybe is the screw on the cup that touches the drag link.

 

[Equalizer]

yes its much larger and the grub screw hits I'm going back to stock for now hope it holds up. doesn't look like something I can fix to easy I could barely get a tooth pick in between the drag link and the CVD . ..oh well something to figure out fun fun...just curious does the area rc steering system bolt up from underneath the chassis on both sides the instructions were vague on that.thanks mikerc

 

[nitrocat]

It looks like it's only hitting when you hit a bump show me the shocks and the drive shafts where they go in to the diff cups

 

[Equalizer]

hope this helps if more pics are needed let me know ...like I was saying the clearance ..I could fit a tooth pick just barely in between I measured it and it was .079mm of a gap

 

[MikeRC]

The cup doesn't look scratched, but the screw does. And the drag link scratches are only exactly under the screw zone. If the cup where touching the drag link, the cup will have scratches and the marks on the drag link where bigger. I suggest to find a shorter screw or use dremel to level it to the cup, and try if that fix the problem. You can use a marker or sharpie to cover the scratches on the drag link to test if the shorter screw doesn't touch the link.

 

[nitrocat]

Does the steering arm that the drag link connects to have any up and down play in it
Mine would lift up and down and needed to have some shims put on top of it to stop it from lifting up and down
That looks like what is happening
Take steering tie rod and lift it up and see if it moves up if it does that's why it rubbing

 

[MikeRC]

Reading the las coment of nitrocat, now i remember that after installing the area rc steering system, i had some up and down play of the whole steering system, so i used some shims to fix it.

 

[Equalizer]

Thanks for the advice guys and yes the grub screw is long, ill file it down to fit see how it works and will use marker to see if problem persists there after ........no play in steering arm nice and tight both sides. the drag link has quite a bit of play where can I get some shims like you mentioned some are needed .........as for now I'm going to swap out the stock rear drive shaft and put in front for now and when I get shims I will put FLM CVD back on the front

 

[Knoxfifthscale]

Just curious about shim dimensions ? I have that exact problem too. FLM shaft and area rc steering setup. I've ground pin flush and installed a drive shaft boot over it. No set screws to keep pin from coming out, just loctite and the boot. We'll see how long boot lasts. Shim dim would be great though. Thanks!