WD40 got my 3.8 working

crazydave · #1 01-31-2003, 08:43 AM

A couple days ago someone was saying that their 3.4 only worked when he gave it a little push to get it started. I hadn't tried my 3.8 yet, and I thought, "I hope that doesn't happen to mine."

I must have jinxed myself.

It wouldn't move even with a slight push. I lifted the car off the ground and it ran, but slowly. I put it back down, and it would work with a slight push, but then it made a loud, "Squeeky-squeekysqueek" I pulled the car off the ground again, and it would run smooth, super quiet, and started getting a tad faster, but I put back down, and it's squeeekin' and squeelin' again.

I have no patience with this kinda thing, so I needed a quick fix. I shot a drop of WD40 on the shaft, pulled the shaft in and out to work in in the bushing a bit. Wiped off all the excess, and it worked. So yeah, if you have a fast motor that wont work, just use a bit a WD40. Worked for me!

Dave

#2 01-31-2003, 08:56 AM

i got a nonworking 3.8, the wd40 really works?? well, i will try that. i hope it works cuz i hardly got any use outta my 3.8,and now it runs really slow. like this makes a 1.0 look like a NOS motor compared to this thing....cant wait to try it. thank you for the idea. i will post what happens. maybe you discovered something big here...

crazydave · #3 01-31-2003, 09:37 AM

If yours worked at first, then died, I'd say that's a slightly different circumstance, but go ahead and try, let me know if it works for you.

I'll say one thing about WD40, the can says "Stops Squeaks", and it don't lie.

Dave

ffctp · #4 02-07-2003, 12:57 PM

Dude, wd40 is totally the steez.
You put oil in a real car, right? Think of this as the same idea.
It even made my Bensu mostly stop rattling and run much more smoothly. It's a tiny bit quicker, probably because there's less resistance, and it doesn't have that ... uh ... distinctive Cannonball sound.
Lube up the rear axle, each of the gears, the area behind the gear that sits against the body, and the motor.
I just sprayed the wd40 into a q-tip and then swabbed it on ... you might not want to just start spraying wildly.

Then go around where ever you live and start spraying door hinges and everything in your life will glide more smoothy.

ShadowMage · #5 02-07-2003, 01:14 PM

And best of all it will attract dust and dirt like a high power magnet!

feishiaada · #6 02-07-2003, 01:35 PM

afraid of dust and dirt, try out some graphite lube then...
may leave tracks on your carpet though.....

CjsF150nNeon · #7 02-07-2003, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jeff_cCM
Then go around where ever you live and start spraying door hinges and everything in your life will glide more smoothy.

LMFAO! I laugh, because I do that..at work, we have one squeek, so I fix it, then I wander for 1/2 hour looking for more things to spray! hahaha.

gtr2112 · #8 02-07-2003, 02:04 PM

crazydave your idea saved 4 of my motors. i've been telling everyone on here who has stubborn motors to try it. i could'nt remember where i saw it so, i just told them it was someone on this forum. WD40 works! my worst 2.6 kicks butt now. thnx to you.

crazydave · #9 02-07-2003, 03:01 PM

Hey, where did this come from? I thought this thread was dead.

Anyways, it seems that whenever I mention any kind of lubricant around here, everyone panics about dirt. Two things about that,

1. I'm only saying to use one tiny drop, and I specifically said to wipe all excess off. A teeny tiny bit of lubricant won't kill you. Also the idea is to get it worked into the bushing, I believe a dry lubricant would be next to impossible to get worked in there, and I hate to think what it would do once it worked it's way inside your motor.

2. There is nothing wrong with lubricating the drivetrain, as long as you understand that you have to clean it more often. Are you people telling me you would rather have a slow noisey car than clean it more often? If so, I understand, because I have avoided lubes also, because I'm also too lazy to clean more often. I was just trying to make a point.

So what it basically comes down to, you either have a dead motor, or you try this, and you have a working motor. Seems like a no-brainer to me.

gtr2112, glad to hear it worked for you, and that someone got something from my advice.

Dave

hogjowlz · #10 02-07-2003, 03:17 PM

or you can use graphite about once a week and not have to pull crap off your gears every day. ive tried teflon lubes and wd and both work great for about 5minutes then you spend 2 weeks pullin crap off them. unless you are racing inside of a research hospital.

crazydave · #11 02-07-2003, 03:42 PM

Your right, graphite would be better for gears. I was just venting, sorry.

I just get frustrated that every time I mention useing the teeniest tiniest dab of lube, someone else will pop up and say they lube all their gears, and then it turns into, oh no don't use wet lubes, use graphite, which as I said would probably not be a good idea to use on your motor. So then I feel like the point of my original post is lost, but I'm over it.

To summerize my stance, wet lube=dirt, dirt=bad, but sometimes wet lube has it's place, like in the motor.

My 3.8 has now had about 5, 45 min. runs under it's belt, and it's still working great. The advice is out there, take it or leave it.
Dave

hogjowlz · #12 02-07-2003, 03:54 PM

well if its in a sealed environment id use teflon or silicone. i did use teflon bike lube in my rear axle tube but i think the stuff that seeps out the sides causes hair to stick. whichever tho. im sure someone out there is using something else that kicks ass even more.

crazydave · #13 02-07-2003, 04:58 PM

Silicone is good stuff, I've used it in slot car motors, and it works great. I used to spray it in while the motor was running, and you could hear the RPMs jump up, what seemed drastically. I just used WD40, because it's what I had around.

Whether you use teflon, silicone, or WD40, the idea is you want something really light that will penetrate between the bushing, and the shaft. If you have some hobby level stock motor bushing oil like what Trinity sells, that would be even better. It has Teflon, and other lubricants optimized for use in an electric motor.

Once again, I want re-emphasize, I only used the teeniest tiniest bit to get a completely dead motor going. Don't use too much, or you'll end up gunking up the inside of your motor.

Dave

#14 02-07-2003, 10:32 PM

Were in the motor do I put it (pics?) Do I have t take my motor apart. Got a crappy 3.8 here.

feishiaada · #15 02-07-2003, 11:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by hogjowlz
or you can use graphite about once a week and not have to pull crap off your gears every day. ive tried teflon lubes and wd and both work great for about 5minutes then you spend 2 weeks pullin crap off them. unless you are racing inside of a research hospital.

haha, that cracks me up, since i do race inside a research hospital!
i work in a bioinformatics lab doing java programming,
and from time to time i bring my bits along...
thing is, the floors are incredibly dusty.....
i grab more dirt on my bit from running at work
than on my kitchen floor at home!