soundcolor
Rock Crawler
O.K. ladies and gentlemen. I have sat by and watched as the exact same baisc questions get asked about the MRC, and the problems that can arise with them so I decided I would do a little FAQ thread and answer as many of these questions as is possible.
Q. My MRC was running fine, and then all of the sudden it stopped, or It ran fine the other day, I charged the batteries when it died, and now it wont run at all..
A. More than likely the problem you are facing is dead batteries in the TX (radio). For some reason, when the batteries in the radio get low,or dies, it can unbind from the reciever and your rig wont work. So, replace those batteries with either some good regular batteries (energizer, rayovac or duracell's) or a quality set of rechargables (energizer, sanyo..et al), and then re-bind it per your instruction manual.
Q. I was out driving my truck around the yard/rocks/ditch/laundry/over the kids, and now only the front/rear wheels turn, its like I dont have four wheel drive anymore/ or I only have 3 wheel drive now...
A. You have broken a locker. The axles on the MRC have little plastic lockers that mount inside of the ring gear housing, to much torque, and the metal axle shaft spins in the locker , instead of turning with the locker. You need to buy some metal lockers.
Q. I see on here that one of the free-mods is to flip the tranny/motor. What does that mean and what will it do for me...
A. It means unbolting the motor/trans from the skid, and turning it around so it faces the other direction. Flipping the motor/tranny mainly is only done for one reason, more room for the electronics to be mounted closer to the front axle, and off of the top of the rig.
Q. When I am driving around, or climbing up a rock, my MRC leans really had to the left side. What/Why is it doing this
A. You are experiencing Torque Twist. This is a common occurance in a shaft driven rock crawler (shaft driven meaning it has drive shafts going from the transmission to the axles). Torque Twist (TT from here on out) happens for alot of reasons, and there are lots of fixes, or helpers for it. You need to seriously consider doing one, or all of the following. Getting all of the weight you can as low as possible, using heavier shock oil, converting to a 4 link suspension, heavier springs.
Q. I hear that limiting your shocks is good, but I want lots of articulation, I think it looks cool... How, and wy should I limit it my shocks.
A. Yeah, it looks cool but its not very effective. To limit your shocks, you need to diss-assemble them, and slide a piece of nitro fuel tubing on the shock shaft inside the shock body The tubing needs to be betwee 1/4 inch and 3/8ths inch long. The reason for limiting your shocks is that while having tons of articulation looks cool, it actually hinders your ability to crawl. When you have as much articulation as the MRC has stock your suspension is actually losing control of the chassis, and allowing the weight in the chassi to push the suspension around. This causes huge problems in the vertical, sidehilling and descending departments of crawling.
Q. How do I loosen/tighten the slipper clutch.
A. the small 1/4inch nut on the transmission. (its under the transmission cover)
Q. Should I upgrade my servo...
A. Yes, but only if your budget allows you to get something better the stocker. There is no point in wasting money on another mini servo that is weak and plastic geared. You want power, as in at least 100oz/in and metal gears. The most popular choice (and for good reason) seems to be the hitech 645. If you dont have the money to get a good full size servo, then dont get one at all. Be sure to always leave the servo saver on your stock servo at all times. If you pull it off, you will fry your servo and maybe your esc very quickly
Q. I have a new servo, and was wondering if I needed a BEC.
A. Yes, and No... Is it absolutely neccissary, no... will it help... yes. A BEC basically allow the servo to get its power straight from the battery instead of from the ESC, which doesnt put as much strain on the ESC. This is a good thing. Alot of people are running the stock ESC with upgraded motors and servos and dont ever have a problem with them. So you may get lucky... but its better to get one and not need one then to have your rig sitting on the shelf for a week while your order comes in.
Q. Whats the best chassis for the MRC...
A. Dont ask us this question anymore. for the love of god almighty. You want to find out whats the best. Read around on here. Look at the pics, go out to your local comps, make friends and see what others are doing. When you start getting up into the more comp level chassis it is no longer about which chassis is better, but who is better at setting it up and driving it. No-one on here has driven every chassis out, and therefore can only give their opinion on the few they have actually driven. You will get a 9 page discussion with no clear answer. Its up to you, so read, learn and search.
Q. What is the best motor/esc/random electronic out there.
A. See above.
Q. I ran my MRC through the water, or it slipped into a puddle, or a water tower fell over 200 feet from me and my MRC got wet...
A. Seriously, what did you think was going to happen. Here are some things that may help. Remove the electronics from the rig, open them up and dry up all the water. Spray WD-40 inside, let set for a minute or two, dry it out and let it set overnight. It might work and it might not. Next time, dont get the thing wet.
Q. Where can I get ___insert part here_________.
A. First, look at the first page of threads, up top is a thread with just about everything you could want. Second, you should use the search button. And if you see a part you like in someone elses buildup, then ask them.
Q. Which wheels/tires are best.
A. Well, that depends on what type of crawling you do, and where you live. One thing is for sure, hard, solid steel tires would be better than stock. Make some friends in your area and see what they like.
Q. How much weight should I put in my wheels and tires.
A. If you have the stock servo, then no more than about 2oz each. If you have upgraded to a full size servo, then you can get away with about 8 max. Anymore is way to much. And please, save yourself the trouble... dont put any weight in your rear tires.. If you do, limit it to no more than about 2 to 3 oz.
Q.Are the stock wheels real beadlocks
A. No... they arent. There is a mod you can do to make them real beadlocks. Use the search button and you will find it.
Q. What are the 1.9 class comp rules...
A. If you will use the use the forum select tab at the very bottom of the page on the right, and scroll down, you will see a "rules" page. Click on the 1.9 and read up.
Q. Hey, I'm a newb has anyone thought of doing this yet.... (insert random mod)
A. Most likely yes. But we are always open to new ideas. Please, before you post something up, do a search to see if its been done before. If you have a new idea, or a mod to the mod then by all means. Once you have been around for a while then you will know if you have something original. Until then tho, search first, then post.
Q. Is the MRC any good/ is the MRC a turd/ is an Axial better...
A. Yes, the MRC is a good rig, if it werent there wouldn't have been a whole comp class set up just for it.
Yes, the MRC has some issues,
Maybe. Depends on which axial, and what upgrades.
Q. Will (insert random body) fit the MRC.
A. If it has a wheelbase of 8" then yes, it will. Its up to you to figure out how.
Q. I found this cool integy part for the MRC, should I get it.
A. Nope... integy is hereby banned from being used. I banned them, they are not made well, and break before you can get them out of the package.
Q. My shocks leak.
A. Alot of shocks leak, you have either assembled them wrong, Dont have them tight, they are a bad design and you need to fix them, or you have nicked the shock shaft. So, check your assembly, make sure they are tight, and use some teflon tape, or replace them.
Q. What weight shock oil should I run.
A. Everyone likes something diffrent. Start with at least 50wt and work your way up until you are happy.
Q. One of the tabs on the shock mount on the axle is broken
A. Its a common problem due to over-tightening the screw that holds it in place. Its not a game changer, or anything really to worry about. It will hold just fine. Replace it if you wish
Q. Should I upgrade the center locker
A. Yes, tho they dont break often, if you are already doing the front and rear, then you might as well do the center while you are at it.
Q. My MRC was running fine, and then all of the sudden it stopped, or It ran fine the other day, I charged the batteries when it died, and now it wont run at all..
A. More than likely the problem you are facing is dead batteries in the TX (radio). For some reason, when the batteries in the radio get low,or dies, it can unbind from the reciever and your rig wont work. So, replace those batteries with either some good regular batteries (energizer, rayovac or duracell's) or a quality set of rechargables (energizer, sanyo..et al), and then re-bind it per your instruction manual.
Q. I was out driving my truck around the yard/rocks/ditch/laundry/over the kids, and now only the front/rear wheels turn, its like I dont have four wheel drive anymore/ or I only have 3 wheel drive now...
A. You have broken a locker. The axles on the MRC have little plastic lockers that mount inside of the ring gear housing, to much torque, and the metal axle shaft spins in the locker , instead of turning with the locker. You need to buy some metal lockers.
Q. I see on here that one of the free-mods is to flip the tranny/motor. What does that mean and what will it do for me...
A. It means unbolting the motor/trans from the skid, and turning it around so it faces the other direction. Flipping the motor/tranny mainly is only done for one reason, more room for the electronics to be mounted closer to the front axle, and off of the top of the rig.
Q. When I am driving around, or climbing up a rock, my MRC leans really had to the left side. What/Why is it doing this
A. You are experiencing Torque Twist. This is a common occurance in a shaft driven rock crawler (shaft driven meaning it has drive shafts going from the transmission to the axles). Torque Twist (TT from here on out) happens for alot of reasons, and there are lots of fixes, or helpers for it. You need to seriously consider doing one, or all of the following. Getting all of the weight you can as low as possible, using heavier shock oil, converting to a 4 link suspension, heavier springs.
Q. I hear that limiting your shocks is good, but I want lots of articulation, I think it looks cool... How, and wy should I limit it my shocks.
A. Yeah, it looks cool but its not very effective. To limit your shocks, you need to diss-assemble them, and slide a piece of nitro fuel tubing on the shock shaft inside the shock body The tubing needs to be betwee 1/4 inch and 3/8ths inch long. The reason for limiting your shocks is that while having tons of articulation looks cool, it actually hinders your ability to crawl. When you have as much articulation as the MRC has stock your suspension is actually losing control of the chassis, and allowing the weight in the chassi to push the suspension around. This causes huge problems in the vertical, sidehilling and descending departments of crawling.
Q. How do I loosen/tighten the slipper clutch.
A. the small 1/4inch nut on the transmission. (its under the transmission cover)
Q. Should I upgrade my servo...
A. Yes, but only if your budget allows you to get something better the stocker. There is no point in wasting money on another mini servo that is weak and plastic geared. You want power, as in at least 100oz/in and metal gears. The most popular choice (and for good reason) seems to be the hitech 645. If you dont have the money to get a good full size servo, then dont get one at all. Be sure to always leave the servo saver on your stock servo at all times. If you pull it off, you will fry your servo and maybe your esc very quickly
Q. I have a new servo, and was wondering if I needed a BEC.
A. Yes, and No... Is it absolutely neccissary, no... will it help... yes. A BEC basically allow the servo to get its power straight from the battery instead of from the ESC, which doesnt put as much strain on the ESC. This is a good thing. Alot of people are running the stock ESC with upgraded motors and servos and dont ever have a problem with them. So you may get lucky... but its better to get one and not need one then to have your rig sitting on the shelf for a week while your order comes in.
Q. Whats the best chassis for the MRC...
A. Dont ask us this question anymore. for the love of god almighty. You want to find out whats the best. Read around on here. Look at the pics, go out to your local comps, make friends and see what others are doing. When you start getting up into the more comp level chassis it is no longer about which chassis is better, but who is better at setting it up and driving it. No-one on here has driven every chassis out, and therefore can only give their opinion on the few they have actually driven. You will get a 9 page discussion with no clear answer. Its up to you, so read, learn and search.
Q. What is the best motor/esc/random electronic out there.
A. See above.
Q. I ran my MRC through the water, or it slipped into a puddle, or a water tower fell over 200 feet from me and my MRC got wet...
A. Seriously, what did you think was going to happen. Here are some things that may help. Remove the electronics from the rig, open them up and dry up all the water. Spray WD-40 inside, let set for a minute or two, dry it out and let it set overnight. It might work and it might not. Next time, dont get the thing wet.
Q. Where can I get ___insert part here_________.
A. First, look at the first page of threads, up top is a thread with just about everything you could want. Second, you should use the search button. And if you see a part you like in someone elses buildup, then ask them.
Q. Which wheels/tires are best.
A. Well, that depends on what type of crawling you do, and where you live. One thing is for sure, hard, solid steel tires would be better than stock. Make some friends in your area and see what they like.
Q. How much weight should I put in my wheels and tires.
A. If you have the stock servo, then no more than about 2oz each. If you have upgraded to a full size servo, then you can get away with about 8 max. Anymore is way to much. And please, save yourself the trouble... dont put any weight in your rear tires.. If you do, limit it to no more than about 2 to 3 oz.
Q.Are the stock wheels real beadlocks
A. No... they arent. There is a mod you can do to make them real beadlocks. Use the search button and you will find it.
Q. What are the 1.9 class comp rules...
A. If you will use the use the forum select tab at the very bottom of the page on the right, and scroll down, you will see a "rules" page. Click on the 1.9 and read up.
Q. Hey, I'm a newb has anyone thought of doing this yet.... (insert random mod)
A. Most likely yes. But we are always open to new ideas. Please, before you post something up, do a search to see if its been done before. If you have a new idea, or a mod to the mod then by all means. Once you have been around for a while then you will know if you have something original. Until then tho, search first, then post.
Q. Is the MRC any good/ is the MRC a turd/ is an Axial better...
A. Yes, the MRC is a good rig, if it werent there wouldn't have been a whole comp class set up just for it.
Yes, the MRC has some issues,
Maybe. Depends on which axial, and what upgrades.
Q. Will (insert random body) fit the MRC.
A. If it has a wheelbase of 8" then yes, it will. Its up to you to figure out how.
Q. I found this cool integy part for the MRC, should I get it.
A. Nope... integy is hereby banned from being used. I banned them, they are not made well, and break before you can get them out of the package.
Q. My shocks leak.
A. Alot of shocks leak, you have either assembled them wrong, Dont have them tight, they are a bad design and you need to fix them, or you have nicked the shock shaft. So, check your assembly, make sure they are tight, and use some teflon tape, or replace them.
Q. What weight shock oil should I run.
A. Everyone likes something diffrent. Start with at least 50wt and work your way up until you are happy.
Q. One of the tabs on the shock mount on the axle is broken
A. Its a common problem due to over-tightening the screw that holds it in place. Its not a game changer, or anything really to worry about. It will hold just fine. Replace it if you wish
Q. Should I upgrade the center locker
A. Yes, tho they dont break often, if you are already doing the front and rear, then you might as well do the center while you are at it.
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