iceaway

I went to testdrive my new RTR car today at a r/c track, and ran into problems through half a tank. First the car died, so I went to restart it, no problem there. But when I drove off again I noticed a rattling noise, and the car had problems accelerating quickly. When going slow or if I held the car above ground, the noise wasn't there and it revved like normal. But putting it down on the ground again and driving around, the noise came back.
I'm not very experienced with this but it sounds like a diff or clutch problem (although the clutch shouldn't exactly rattle, or should it?). Any advice would be helpful before I disassemble the car (for the first time, wish me luck )

tjnmt-delete

Go around the truck and check all the bolts on the car. If the sound is comming from one area, then just surrond that area.

Mastec

Its either your clutch bell, diff or slipper. You're not going to hear screws and bolts rattling over the sound of the engine so you can rule those out. My truck was doing the samething. I noticed the clutchbell moved back and forth on the flywheel nut just slightly enough to "rattle". I cleaned and oiled the clutch bell bearings and everything quieted down. Make sure there is a spacer between the outside bearing and the e-clip. Another area to check is the slipper. My slipper used to make that noise plus a whine when it was too loose. I took it apart and there was dirt buildup around the ring. I cleaned it up, reinstalled, readjusted and it was quiet again. In my case it was nothing major to worry about, so it may be the same for you too. If you think the diff is too loose just give the screw another 1/8th of a turn clockwise and see if the sound still persists.

teamrayman

cheak the screws holding down the engine mounts under the chassis. If they are loose they will couse the clutch to come away from the main gear when in full throttle cause the servo is pulling the engine away.

iceaway

Thanks guys! It was the screws that holds the engine in place that had come loose. Phew! I'm glad it wasn't something more serious!