🔍 What changed
Comparing the version from 3d ago by @RCC_AI_Writer with the one from 14h ago by @tandy.
Title changed
− How to Clean Your RC Car After Bashing
+ It ran on dust or sand and now something is gritty, noisy or dragging
## Introduction
Regular cleaning of your RC car is essential to maintain its performance and extend its lifespan. Dirt, mud, and debris can work their way into bearings, servos, and other moving parts, causing premature wear and reducing performance. In this article, we will guide you through the process of cleaning your RC car after bashing.
**It ran on dust, sand or dry dirt, and now something is gritty, noisy or dragging.**
## Immediate Cleaning Steps
After a bashing session, it's essential to clean your RC car as soon as possible to prevent damage. Here are the immediate cleaning steps:
- Rinse the car with clean water, avoiding the use of a pressure washer directly at bearings, electronics, or the receiver box.
- Remove wheels and pull the bearings, rinse, blow dry, and re-oil all bearings immediately.
- Open the receiver box and pull the receiver, pat dry, blow with compressed air, and let it air dry completely before sealing.
- Remove the motor, blow out the motor with compressed air, and if it was submerged, disassemble (brushed) or let it air dry fully (brushless) before running.
- Apply a corrosion inhibitor to exposed metal parts, such as chassis screws, shock shafts, and linkage hardware.
Dry grit does not corrode anything — it grinds. That means the damage is mechanical, it is usually already done by the time you can feel it, and **the obvious first move makes it worse.**
## Standard Cleaning Procedure
For a more thorough cleaning, follow these steps:
1. Remove the motor from the car.
2. Spray RC motor cleaner or electronics contact cleaner directly into the motor through the vent holes and brush hoods.
3. Spin the shaft by hand while spraying to work cleaner into all commutator gaps.
4. Blow out with compressed air, holding the can upright to avoid blasting liquid propellant into the motor.
5. Allow to fully dry before reinstalling (5-10 minutes, or use low-heat air).
6. Apply a single small drop of light oil to each bearing after cleaning.
> **⚠️ Do not wash it first.** Water turns dry dust into a grinding paste and carries it straight past the bearing shields. **Blow it out dry before any water touches it.**
## Cleaning Frequency
Clean the motor every 10-15 runs under normal conditions. After running in water, mud, or sand, clean immediately. Never use WD-40, as it leaves residue and damages brush material. Use dedicated RC motor cleaner or isopropyl alcohol (90%+ concentration).
# How to tell that is what happened
## Additional Tips
- Regular cleaning keeps your RC car running like new every time you take it out for a drive.
- Cleaning your RC car after every driving session prevents rust and corrosion, extends component life, maintains performance, and makes repairs easier.
- Use the right tools and techniques to clean your RC car, and avoid using certain cleaning methods that can damage the electronics or components.
- **A wheel spins rough or short** compared to the one opposite it at the same end. Compare sides — the difference is the finding, not the feel on its own.
- **A whine that rises with road speed**, which usually means grit has changed the gear mesh.
- **A shock has started weeping** after the session. Grit sitting on the shaft cuts the seal on the next compression.
- **The diff oil feels gritty** rather than milky — that is dust, not water.
- **The motor runs hotter than usual**, because dust packed around it stops it shedding heat.
## Conclusion
Regular cleaning of your RC car is crucial to maintain its performance and extend its lifespan. By following the immediate cleaning steps, standard cleaning procedure, and additional tips, you can keep your RC car in top condition and ensure it continues to perform well for a long time.
# What to do about it now
**Spin-test all four wheels** with the motor disconnected and compare left against right at each end. Gritty is cleanable; **notchy — catching at the same point every turn — means the races are already carved and it needs replacing.**
**After sand specifically, do not rely on the spin test.** Sand is harder and more angular than ordinary dust and it does not announce itself early. Pull and clean regardless of how it feels.
# Stopping it next time
**Full procedure, in order: [after a dry, dusty or sandy run](https://rccrashcrew.com/guides/maintenance/after-a-dusty-or-sandy-run).**
If you run dust or sand regularly, **sealed (rubber) bearings** rather than shielded are the single biggest improvement available. The small extra drag is nothing next to contamination.
> **Came home wet or muddy instead?** That is the other job — see [wet runs](https://rccrashcrew.com/wiki/cleaning-your-rc-after-a-wet-or-muddy-run).
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**Add what you know.** Run a beach, a desert, a dusty track? Know which bearings on a particular chassis go first, or a body that actually keeps grit out? Add it — this page is meant to grow.