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[timwiser]

Hi everyone,

I'm new on this forum but am really pleased that I've found it. I had a Tamiya Hornet as a kid and, well, it was perhaps third hand and pretty battered by the time I had it. It didn't last long unfortunately, I think it had seen better days well before I had the chance to ramp it off the pitch & putt on Matlock park

Anyway, I've recently decided to get hold of a new one and last week won one on eBay. I got the whole kit, fully built and only driven twice in two years along with charger, battery, unpainted (!!) shell and a few other bits and bobs. Needless to say, I love it.

One little problem, though, is that I can't for the LIFE of me get it to stay in a straight line. The servo arm is returning to the neutral position (straight down) pretty much all the time. The only time is doesn't is when I stop the car and its wheels are angled. I figure that's normal.

But despite my best efforts, if I get the wheels straight and put the joystick up, the car always veers off to the left hand side. I've tried tweaking the trims (I think that's what you call them?) but just can't get it right.

Anyone know what I should be looking at?

Oh, I'm Tim, by the way. I live in Aldercar. I'll hopefully get down to your track at some point!

[nottmboy]

hi tim
welcome to the forum
chances are its a cheap servo which won't return to centre properly.
you would be welcome at the club anytime, any of the the guys would be happy to have a look for you
cheers andy

[lastplace]

Hi Tim welcome to the forum

do not know much if anything about the Hornet but was wondering if the Hornet has a servo saver, or is it just direct steering linkage normally Tamiya have some for of protection for the servo

If you do have a saver then check to see if there is no slop (movement) when on the servo and at the steering linkage. Hold the wheels and see if you can move them with out moving the servo.

sometimes there is a plactic part that is designed to flex slightly these can brake or become distorted (been known for people to wrap a tie wrap around to strenghten)

you may just have a lot of general Play in the wheel hubs and may not be able to do much with it i'm affraid

the other thing to check is that your using the correct Servo horn for the make of servo that you have there are three common fitments are 23,24,25 the 25 is normally used it fits most futaba and the clones.
but if the arm looks straight then i can not seeing it to be that

hope this helps, look forward to seeing you at some point down at the track , hope you have fun when you do get the car going

[timwiser]

Hi,

Thanks for the replies guys. When do you meet at the track?

I'll take a look at the car again tonight - I've been busy recently. The servo has a little white thing sticking out of it that obviously moves left and right, and there's two metal rods attached to that which goes to the wheels. Is the white thing a servo saver?

Sorry for my ignorance, I'm only starting out

[lastplace]

Evening Tim sounds like the little white thing is just the servo horn .
may be there is no servo saver on this model its a very old design car this being a re release of a classic.

the steering issue could just be like Andy said down to a cheep servo, or just down to the wire push rods bending. it might be somthing you will have to live with

These cars where never designed to run like the newer cars or take the Hammer that we give them if you have seen club racing you will get an idea of the treatment we put them through

at pressent we are still racing indoors on the saturaday night at a local sports hall, just out side of Eastwood, but the club have just held a outdoor meeting last sunday in all that rain (I stayed in Bed )

you would have to look for our web site to find the next date proberly not untill beginging of April thats also when our Regonal series starts and we all come out to play. It's rummered even me ?, it's been that long i have forgoten what our track looks like

Hope you get sorted and can join in

[lastplace]

Hi Tim
just downloaded the Manual for the Hornet out of curisity.

from the manual the white thing, is a servo saver made up from 3 parts with the push rods poked through not the best design i have seen,

It's the middle plastic part that acts like a spring and is shapped like a horse shoe or a splt Open ended circular bit this is the bit that flex's and may cause the problem, by not being strong enough there are better after market ones available but you may find that these don't fit as yours has to hang through the cars tub chassis.

They should all fit your servo as there all more or less a standard using the 3 different servo splins. it would be more a case of getting the right size of hole for the pushrods to go through with the same spacing and distance from the center screw that could be the problem.

you could take to a local shop and see if they have anything that looks similar (it could well be working perfect and does not need replacing through) please keep this in mind it might just be the way the car is

hope this helps
Dave

[timwiser]

Thanks guys. I don't think that it is something of the nature of the car as the angle it goes off at is too extreme. It almost goes off in a horse shoe shape sometimes. I think I will take it to modelzone and get it looked at. Failing that I am told there is a shop in Eastwood?

[lastplace]

Hi Tim
have had another idea for you to look at. It is Posible that you have a broken tooth off one of the gear's thats inside the servo gerbox.

Its not unknown to take a tooth off after having a impact you don't know what the other person has done. if you loose a tooth then at one position of the servos travel the out put arm can jump a cog causing the wheels to flap about in any direction. this is one of themain reasons we always like to install Metal geared servos in our cars.

The servo saver is supose to stop this from happening but if its a cheep servo you never know.

only way to find out would be to take the gear box apart and having a look i'll warn you the teeth are tiny and covered normaly in a white grease making it hard to see.

regards
Dave

[john333]

Originally Posted by timwiser

Failing that I am told there is a shop in Eastwood?

yes it's called PBM and its 54 Valley Drive, Newthorpe.

phone no. 01773 769323