Vaseline?
 

I seem to be running out of the gear grease that comes with the AWD kit. Would it be okay to use vaseline instead? What else would be good as gear grease?

I use no gear grease at all and even degreased my bearings. Degreasing the bearings is a huge speed improvemnt.

yeah, use somethign like goo-gone and get rid of all the grease in teh bearings and use a motor oil from a hobby store

I soaked the bearing for a few hours in a solvent (STP fuel injector cleaner) and then sprayed them out with RC motor spray to get rid of any remaining grease. I tested each one to make sure it spun free. The difference is night and day. I then installed the bearings dry without adding any lube at all. This way no dirt will stick to the exposed races and slow them down.

can someone post how u do all this stuff

Here's how you degrease the XMODS bearings:

1. Wear gloves and eye protection!
2. Work in well-ventilated area!
3. Soak the bearings in STP Fuel Injector Cleaner. For best results, place the bearings in a small mesh parts tray in the container they're soaking in. The STP cleaner will dissolve the grease.
4. Towel dry the bearings and then spray each with RC motor spray.
5. Test each bearing by placing it over the tip of a pencil and spinning it. If they don't spin completely free, keep spraying them with motor cleaner. You might have to soak some in motor spray to get them perfectly free.
6. Don't add any oil and install as normal.
7. Enjoy the huge speed increase.

You guys can also use Teflon or a dry lube. I wouldn't risk it on bearings, but I've use it on my suspension moving parts in light coats and it hasn't attracted any dust. I suppose it you were careful it may work in bushings. Graphite is another alternative, but I'd research that. I think it has mixed results.

u could also use graphite or maybe trailer hitch lubricate

hey thanks for the steps man it really help me :bdrop:

so use a dry lube like graphite and can i degrease them with Brake Cleaner?

I don't think degreaser will remove graphite. An air-gun is probably all you need. Graphite is pretty much a smooth, soft forming powder. You can buy it at a hobby store, I think they use it for locks. Degreaser might be needed for white lithium and maybe teflon lubes. I don't think degreasers will be necesary unless you over-apply something like teflon and it binds something up. Degreasing is usually to clean off and relube a part if needed. The purpose is to get heavy greases and oils, that attract dirt and over-time start to lose efficiancy.

ied just soak the bearings in WD-40 <----best lube EVER
then pull them out ab dry them off with a paper towel
gettin them as dry as possible so no dirt sticks to them

WD40 should be ok for the open bearings but I'd keep it away from most other moving parts. I believe they work against sealed bearings.

if one side of the bearing is open an one is sealed just soak them in WD-40 an when installing them point the open ends of the bearings toward each other

is this good for stock bearings also or are they ungreased? How do u get to them?

The stock bearings are heavily greased and they also happen to be open or non-shielded bearings. The problem with the grease is that it is so thick it actually slows the bearings down and dirt also sticks to it which will cause the bearings to seize. So, the degreasing of the stock bearings provides to advantages: the bearings will spin much faster (your car will be faster) and, two, they will be much less likely to seize up.

cool ill grab some stp at work

I just realized I misspoke in my last post. When I referred to the "stock bearings," I meant the RadioShack XMODS upgrade bearings--as opposed to an aftermarket set from some other company. There are actually no stock bearings in the XMODS. The XMODS come with plastic bushings.

Re: Vaseline?
 

Don't use vaseline. If it gets cold it will harden and mess your car up. I didn't use the grease either because anywhere you race, you're bound to have dust or dirt. And grease likes to attract dust and dirt, thus screwing up your gears.

But there shouldn't be gears in the ball differentials for the AWD kits (I don't own one though). Inside the differentials there are very small planetary gears or balls that kind bind up pretty easily, and they are not exposed like a pinion gear would be. Plus the grease can slow down the action if you want.

its ok to grease the differentials but make sure to put a little in the ends to attract any dirt/dust so it doesnt get inside the diff.

the diff. that comes in the awd kit is ball bearing