8880 - Issues with build

[Verengard]

Hello,

recently I got my hands on this classic set :) Unfortunately I found some issues with the build. I want to ask if you guys also had same issues or I did something wrong:

1) High friction in drivetrain caused by suspension stoppers ( Axle and Pin Connector Perpendicular ) rubbing against axle connectors ( Technic, Axle Connector 2L ) --> this was easy to fix, I just put 5L axles (which were not available on release of set) instead of 2 & 3 connected together:

 

 

2) Crown 24tooth gears driving the steering wheel not working smooth, well these gears in this configuration don’t work smooth, so no idea how could i do anything wrong --> also easy fix just replace with regular z24 (no idea why LEGO used crown gear here):

 

 

3) Rear axle not entirely straight, its less noticeable then on my drawing, but the wheels are not parallel, they aim a little to the front middle, probably caused by higher placement of the steering rack to reach z8 instead of z16 in front:

 

Edited August 30, 2021 by Verengard

[Jurss]

16 minutes ago, Verengard said:

1) High friction

You put it wrong way

[gyenesvi]

9 minutes ago, Jurss said:

You put it wrong way

I don't think he put it wrong, step 24 flips it upwards, otherwise it wouldn't be doing anything there.

27 minutes ago, Verengard said:

I want to ask if you guys also had same issues or I did something wrong

I think the friction is just like that, I remember wondering the same. I think it didn't matter at the time, since it's a manual set, and large enough so that you don't really feel it when you push it around.

[Jurss]

May bad. Then it is feature.

[Verengard]

16 minutes ago, Jurss said:

May bad. Then it is feature.

Yep, its build according to instructions:

Edited August 30, 2021 by Verengard

[Toitoine]

Just checked mine.

no frictions on drivetrains.

[Andman]

Mine is fine too. Is the 6L axle, which you installed on page 7 (step 9) to hold the connector in place, twisted?

[Verengard]

Of course it's in place and not twisted. The axle/pin connector is rubbing with it's ege agains the tabs of the 2l axle connector, when you rotate the wheel you can "feal" it because there are 4 spaces between the tabs.

[Andman]

13 hours ago, Verengard said:

Of course it's in place and not twisted.

The reason I was asking is that even the slightest twist could cause friction. Mine is ok, but both parts are really close to each other. BTW, when I use HOG steering, the steering wheel also doesn't move smooth. I guess it is just the way it is.

[amorti]

17 hours ago, Verengard said:

Of course it's in place and not twisted. The axle/pin connector is rubbing with it's ege agains the tabs of the 2l axle connector, when you rotate the wheel you can "feal" it because there are 4 spaces between the tabs.

I think with "twisted", he's not asking if you built it wrong, but whether there's age related warpage to any of the parts. Even if a lower wishbone had warped just by having the model's weight sit on it, it might cause this issue. It's very old plastic after all.

Did you understand it the same?

Edited August 31, 2021 by amorti

[thekoRngear]

Sorry to drag this old thread as I was having the same issue as OP where the 2 crown gears were not producing smooth experience. Replacing them with 2 24z gears just completely eliminated them. I am currently in the middle of the building process where I just have mounted the dashboard and, there I see the 4L black axle happens to stick out beside the steering wheel. I checked and found for the remaining building process that black axle will remain sticked out by full one stud. Looks totally odd. Is it left in that state for a reason? Might sound stupid but I wanna know if I put a full 1L bush will it hamper the steering function? This set is a legend and therefore I am bit hesitant even for pawing on a few modifications 😛 

[Polarlicht]

It does the same on mine! You can put a bushing there no problem! It might be a cool set with lots of functions, but it's almost 30 years old and in some places not well thought through...

[astyanax]

On 8/30/2021 at 1:12 PM, Verengard said:

Anyone knows what this construction is even for? Is it to limit the range of motion of the springs?

[Frequenzberater]

I think its purpose is to prevent the drivingaxle from slipping out off the wheelhubs, which would be a total pain in the asstrology to reconnect. 

[thekoRngear]

20 hours ago, Polarlicht said:

It does the same on mine! You can put a bushing there no problem! It might be a cool set with lots of functions, but it's almost 30 years old and in some places not well thought through...

Thanks! I now have become a lil' lion from a kitten! Used a 3L brown axle with stop and also if you remember the 8L from the other end has its end one stud bare. Used a 7L axle to replace it.
After rechecking I have discovered I had forgotten to flip the axle pin connector perpendiculars to upward. Shame. Corrected them. And then moved the drivetrain axles slowly only to find the olden 2L connectors' tabs were indeed getting contact with the top edge of the perpendicular connectors. Took OP's "fix" as a caution by putting 5L yellow axles. Howevr, if the driving axles get slipped out of the wheel-hubs as pointed by Frequenzberater I will revert them back to the classic connectors with 2L and 3L axles. I kept the 1L full bush though. 
Here is the current state of the build. If anyone points out any mistakes (or concerns) I will happily correct them as the final parts are getting their ways sooner into the final assemblies, hopefully.

About OP's 3rd point, it was another pain in the back to make them aligned as per many builders. It was super tricky to make them as straight as possible. Unfortunately that segment of build was done one and a half months ago and I cannot remember the trick.

[CP5670]

It's supposed to hold up the wheels up and prevent them from going down all the way, but just creates friction. I just removed these and mounted the suspension one stud higher on the chassis.

[amorti]

40 minutes ago, thekoRngear said:

the 8L from the other end has its end one stud bare. Used a 7L axle to replace it.

You have to keep in mind how old this set is. Hard to believe, but the 7L axle was first used in 2003, when this set was about to get its 10th birthday.

[gyenesvi]

Exactly, that was my guess about the 7L axle too. About the 4L axle that sticks out on the dashboard, could it be that it’s required for the alt build? Don’t forget that these sets had B models too :) And sometimes they needed to hide some parts in the A model to make it easier for the B model!

[astyanax]

9 hours ago, gyenesvi said:

Exactly, that was my guess about the 7L axle too. About the 4L axle that sticks out on the dashboard, could it be that it’s required for the alt build? Don’t forget that these sets had B models too :) And sometimes they needed to hide some parts in the A model to make it easier for the B model!

Or maybe to make it easier to attach the dashboard assembly. (See 2nd pic in 1st post.)

[gyenesvi]

7 hours ago, astyanax said:

Or maybe to make it easier to attach the dashboard assembly. (See 2nd pic in 1st post.)

That makes sense too actually. I often see that in official sets, using a different pin for example than would normally, to make it easier to attach.

[thekoRngear]

I reverted back to the 2L-connector-3L setup for the axles. After finishing the build I did not find any friction in the drivetrain. Replaced some half bushes with newer ones with a few changes on the top steering. Kept the build as original as possible. Another possible reason for keeping both the 8L and 4L ends open maybe is to keep the steering as stress-free as possible because after some times the steering of a Technic set (depending on the gearing and setup) becomes a bit hard, i.e., 3L with stops (for the car attaching bushes) can sometimes be seen pushed out a bit.

Edit: in my unit I have found one of the two plain 1x2 plates has a sticker (labelled 1 and 2) applied on it. I had no idea which side that plate to put on LOL.

Edited January 25, 2022 by thekoRngear

[astyanax]

11 hours ago, thekoRngear said:

Edit: in my unit I have found one of the two plain 1x2 plates has a sticker (labelled 1 and 2) applied on it. I had no idea which side that plate to put on LOL.

That sticker is for the B-model. In the A-model, I'd put that part at p42 step 7, then it won't been noticed.

[thekoRngear]

24 minutes ago, astyanax said:

That sticker is for the B-model. In the A-model, I'd put that part at p42 step 7, then it won't been noticed.

Yes, p.42 step 7 is where you would be putting those two plates on. It was broken down in two boxed instructions to put them on the left and right sides. I was in a dilemma as to which side I should put the stickered one  I chose left 

[Verengard]

On 1/18/2022 at 4:08 PM, thekoRngear said:

Took OP's "fix" as a caution by putting 5L yellow axles. Howevr, if the driving axles get slipped out of the wheel-hubs as pointed by Frequenzberater I will revert them back to the classic connectors with 2L and 3L axles. I kept the 1L full bush though. 
 

Sorry for topic necromancy but what i forgot to mention i added 2x 1L full bush (instead of the axle connector) to prevent axle slipping.

By the way, there is also another minor issue with this set - the front and rear steering never allign straight, probably not possible to fix easily due to gear slack (rear is geared down).

[thekoRngear]

On 12/30/2023 at 8:52 PM, Verengard said:

Sorry for topic necromancy but what i forgot to mention i added 2x 1L full bush (instead of the axle connector) to prevent axle slipping.

By the way, there is also another minor issue with this set - the front and rear steering never allign straight, probably not possible to fix easily due to gear slack (rear is geared down).

Hi, thanks for the follow-up!

I had to make do with something which I think is efficient and effective. I observed and found out that the reason the 2L axle connector colliding with this part  actually was the orientation of the oval shape of that part. If you take a look at the instructions manual you will see the clutch hole of that perpendicular connector is positioned upwardly and is facing towards the wheel-hub and causing the parts potentially colliding with each other. I used  to replace that perpendicular connector which has its clutch-hole part positioned upwardly and now has different oval position. It just does not make any contact with those connectors at all when pushed forward/backward with inclined steering and with/without suspending. That way you do not have to use 8x full bushes; you only need 4 of those 2L beams to make it go away.

As for steering, there is certainly one tricky way which can make the rear steering aligned as much straight as possible. Unfortunately I cannot remember how I did that. All I can remember is it had something to do with doing one specific step before the following ones so that you can ensure it can be aligned (although not 100% perfect but close enough).

Edited January 26, 2024 by thekoRngear