mathprofdk

Good to know! I like to use rechargeable ones, but I must have had some alkaline ones in there at some point. Any particular brands you'd recommend if the need arises?

Thanks for all the tips everyone. So I've had some luck. I haven't rebuilt the model, but the steering appears to be functioning correctly. The key ended up being inside the steering component within the remote control. I don't have any pictures, but I had to take apart that component and do a little cleaning. Honestly, it all looks pristine. I used a Qtip in some running alcohol and liberally spread it on the little circuit board inside the steering component. One thing to note is that it seems to be pretty sensitive. I'm not sure if it's the alignment on the board or if there was still alcohol, bit it initially was even worse after my first cleaning - turning 180 degrees one way and not at all the other. I didn't change anything, but just positioned the controller again and got it working. I had it powered up throughout and would periodically check to see if what I had done made a difference. Thanks again for the tip. I'm going to build a model using it soon, so hopefully it will continue to work!

OK, I'll take a look. Based on some other sources I've seen, the recommendation was vinegar to clean, then alcohol to clean off any vinegar residue. Does this seem reasonable? It appears (from my novice research) that the brown material might be rosin remaining from the original soldering. I believe all the joints have it. I'll do some cleaning and get back to you. I'll also try to see if I can do any further disassembly of the rotation sensor. As I wrote earlier, I am an electronics novice, and I'm nervous about doing any damage. Thanks so much for taking the time to respond. This is a pretty awesome set, so I'm really hoping I can get it back working. I really appreciate the help.

Ok, here are the photos I took. One of the remote, and then 3 of the receiver area near the steering motor. https://photos.app.goo.gl/s4xVPHxfyo8NKrG49 It turns perfectly left, but intermittently to the right. It will often do like a "false start" and turn partly, reset, then turn completely. It seems to work better the more it gets used. Like, if I try to engage it 10 times, it will behave like I've described above the first 3 or 4, then work fine the last 6 or 7.

This is a bit of a long shot, but I purchased an 8366 a couple of years ago (you don't want to know the price). Despite being pretty dusty from sitting on a garage shelf, it ran perfectly. Now it's a couple years later, and the steering is acting up. The motor turns left just fine, but only intermittently turns right. I'm assuming there's a contact in there that's loose or dirty, but I'm not quite knowledgeable enough to diagnose which one. I was able to open the receiver and I can see all the connections. Everything looks fine visually. Also, I did have some battery acid leakage, but I only see evidence of that in the battery area. I found another thread about cleaning that off, so I'll do that next So, any ideas? I can post pics if that would be helpful. I'm a bit of an electronics novice, so my apologies if this isn't enough detail. ~DK