How to Waterproof RC Car Electrics
- Before venturing into the water, snow, or mud you can protect some parts of your RC with waterproofing. Clean up after the fact is also important to keep your RC in good working order
WD-40
- If you decide to drive in some mud without special preparations, after a good clean up, squirt some WD-40 in the gear box and back of motor if possible. Let it dry for about a 24 hours before running to give it time to dry out. It won't prevent all damage but it can help.
Tape and Balloons
- Electrical tape and balloons are two methods of protecting delicate internal parts. Wrap tape around exposed wires and connections. Use a balloon to protect the receiver pack. Balloons provide great protection of internal parts from dirt and moisture. But don't use a balloon on your ESC.
- Carefully stretch the balloon over the servo or receiver slowly working from the end that doesn't have the wire sticking our of it. It can be tough to get the balloon over the servo but if you stretched the balloon before you started, it makes life easier.
- Work it over the servo little by little. Take your time and be careful not to break the balloon. Once you have done a couple of them you will get the hang of it and each one will become easier to do. If you do happen to break one of the balloons, don't worry as they are inexpensive and you have a bag full of them.
- Once you have the balloon completely over the servo, the wires should be sticking out of the balloon as shown. You now need to punch a hole where the servo shaft is with a pin. Once you have the hole you can easily work it around the servo shaft so it sticks out of the balloon. Do not make this hole very big, just use a pin to make it. By stretching it out over the shaft you make a nice tight seal to keep out water and fuel.
- Just use a tie-wrap or twist-tie to around the neck of the balloon to seal where the wires exit the balloon. Here you see the completed servo. The balloon is nice and tight around the servo making it easy to install. The balloon is also snug against the output shaft and there is a tie-wrap around the wires to keep any moisture or fuel from entering there.
- Silicone adhesive is easy to apply. To do this you will have to unscrew the retaining screws of the case. Select the top part of the case and hold it in your hand. Apply some of the silicone adhesive and green slime to a piece of disposable plastic and pick some up with a tooth pick. Apply a thin layer of the silicone to the top case of the servo all the way around. Then, apply some of the green slime on the inside of the main bearing hole.
Plasti Dip
- The plasti dip method is very straightforward. Pop the can of the dip and dunk. Wait 30 to 60 minutes for the plastic dip to dry and then dunk again until you are satisfied with the coating process.
The main gear is pretty water proofed as it is. You will want to take a hobby knife and cut around the plastic dip around the main gear so that it can pivot properly. If you want to enhance that area then you can put green slime around the inside of the hold by opening the case and applying it.
Clean Up
- No matter what the weather or how well you've waterproofed your RC, you always need to do proper after-run maintenance when you're done