RC Car steering not working? Here's how to troubleshoot!

[@natev4881]

Been stuck for a week or so trying to get mine to work. New build. Bench tested everything before installing and it worked perfect. Built the truck... no love. Didn't realize the plug could be backwards... Had no idea... easy fix! Thanks for helping me!

[@HobbiesDirect]

Those are the best kind of fixes! Glad we could help :-)

[@Amoose1037]

The way it was plugged in was the problem for me, really helpful video thanks

[@HobbiesDirect]

Nice, easy fix! 🙂

[@jasonstivers7806]

Brilliant 👏 video deserves way more likes. You helped me. Thank you.

[@HobbiesDirect]

We think so too haha. Glad it helped you 🙂

[@MiketheHighLord]

Thank you! Your video solved my problem! My problem was the D/R. We thought it was the bottom dial on our FlySky to limit throttle and had it turned way down.

[@HobbiesDirect]

Nice, the cheapest fix ever!

[@markmalcolmdunthorne-holme7653]

Thanks for the tips, nice and precise.

[@JohannesKarpf-ls4sk]

For me when I use my Transmitter sometimes instead of steering it just makes the cooling fan go slower and sometimes it just doesn’t respond at all

[@HobbiesDirect]

Sounds like the ESC's BEC can't supply enough current to drive the servo, or the servo is faulty and pulling more current than any BEC could handle.

[@hermierey4219]

Same for me. Any suggestions how solve this? Thank you!

[@HobbiesDirect]

@@hermierey4219 If it is that the ESC's BEC can't supply enough current, you will need an ESC with a more powerful BEC, or a separate, individual BEC to supply the servo and fan :-)

[@ganert8616]

Have got same problem what should i change or try ?

[@HobbiesDirect]

@@ganert8616 If it is that the ESC's BEC can't supply enough current, you will need an ESC with a more powerful BEC, or a separate, individual BEC to supply the servo and fan :-)

[@guysmalley]

You pointed to my issue I reversed polarity thanks. I appreciate it.

[@HobbiesDirect]

Easy fix, nice!

[@Bbeavis]

Love your dry humor A-a-ron.

[@HobbiesDirect]

We try to spice it up! 😀

[@REPORODGE]

Great video I got left turn but no right going to try this method thnx

[@juggie19]

😂😂😂😂

[@FigureFromLibary]

Thank you so much the wire thing near the power switch was put in the wrong way

[@HobbiesDirect]

Glad it helped!

[@stuartperth6431]

Thank you, been away from RC for a long time, DR was set to Zero. Thus my steering problem. We call this a user error. Thank s.

[@HobbiesDirect]

Awesome! $0 quick fix!

[@totallyrandomuser5760]

Now that I think about it, I might've plugged ESC(5.7V) into channel 1 reversed(trimmed in a way that allows easier plugging into tight Sanwa) and killed the steering signal lines. Or those lines died when I tried driving in snow and car shut off after some time

[@axellcline8649]

I think I may have a bit of a unique problem I just got a WL toys 144001 and and there is no response out of the transmitter on the big wheel that turns the servo INSTEAD the small knobs at the front that control steering trim and driving trim are what is steering the car I got a tiny amount of movement from the servo using the big wheel that is actually meant for turning but no luck, I is a binding issue but I’m not really sure was thinking of taking it to a hobby shop as this is my first experience with RC but I would love to hear your thoughts

[@HobbiesDirect]

Have you checked that the steering DR isn't turned all the way down?

[@abo0d7025]

Thank you for making it not steering at all

[@granddaddyHerps]

My kraton 6s had a servo saver go out. I was about to buy a new servo.

[@Mulisak]

Hi guys, I will try my luck here. I have Traxxas Rustler XL5, it was working just fine and then suddenly, the steering started to jitter and not respond properly. Basically if I just try to steer while stationary, it steers, but once I apply the throttle, car just won't steer or won't steer straight away. When I apply full throttle and steer, car just looses speed very quickly. Basically it behaves as like it does not have enough juice to power servo and motor at the same time, but batteries are fine, I tried 2 different batteries and also 2 transmitters, it's still the same. I tried to reverse the channels like in your video and it's still the same. So my guess would be servo or ESC, but I don't really know, I will try to disassemble it and clean it properly, but I'm not counting on it. It's quite weird, because this started all of a sudden, I'm not bashing my cars, it didn't do any hard landings or crashes etc... I will be thankful for all comments.

[@HobbiesDirect]

You are right, it sounds like there isn't enough current being sent to drive the servo. Whether that is because of the ESC's output, or the servo drawing too much, is hard to say without being able to test the car. Hit up your local hobby shop and see if they have a test servo you can plug in and see if it works :-)

[@sal_ssp]

Very helpful video, thank you

[@HobbiesDirect]

You're welcome 😀

[@chancesaviation3367]

My problem is that my steering only works if you lift the car off the ground or the car is in motion. When it’s at a standstill, it only turns right and can’t turn left. Any ideas?

[@HobbiesDirect]

Either the servo saver is too loose, something is broken in the rack, or the gears are slipping :-/

[@chancesaviation3367]

@@HobbiesDirect Ok at least I know what to look for. Thanks!

[@mendy5453]

Just straightened the antenna wire and it corrected the continuous left tapping

[@Murphys_Law9]

Wow i had it in backwards i was about to buy a more expensive one that i really didn’t need 😂 Thanks

[@HobbiesDirect]

Haha classic! The cheapest fix there is.

[@seychelles44]

Is there a way to wire 3 pin servo to work as 2 wire? To turn left to right? I understand about the signal wire, but can that be bypassed?

[@HobbiesDirect]

Bypassing the signal wire would do just that; bypass the signal. No direction signal, no turning.

[@RYNOCIRATOR_V5]

Hiya, A while back I bought an AGF A81BHMW servo for my Traxxas XRT, while I was out one day there steering went lame and very weak. Power cycled the system and it went back to normal, for a few seconds at least, decided to go home, on the way back to my car the steering magically fixed itself? I decided to fit a Castle BEC (which I was putting off for fear of doing something wrong) to get more power to the servo, hoping it was a voltage issue causing the problem (6.0 volts up to 8.4 with the BEC). Went out again and it was great for a while, then did the same thing again. Any ideas? It's not the gears, they sound fine. Other than the BEC, new fans all round, new servo, and Traxxas X-Maxx/XRT light kit, all electronics are standard Traxxas stuff.

[@HobbiesDirect]

As long as the servo is definitely getting all the volts it needs, it sounds like there might be a fault with the servo itself :-/ Does it still play up if you turn TSM all the way off?

[@RYNOCIRATOR_V5]

@@HobbiesDirect Yes I think still screws around with it off. It started a while after installing the new servo, quite a few outtings, not immediately. *[edit]* Also, again, it's not all the time, it can just magically fix itself. It makes no sense. Thanks for the reply by the way.

[@leventkircalk]

İ have hbx 12891 brushed. When i pair car and remote controller, car directly turn left and stuck like that. When i turned off back in normal

[@HobbiesDirect]

Have you checked your steering trim? If it's not that it could be receiver or servo, or even hand controller.

[@motok1d]

I just took a low speed hit with my new Losi pro moto and now the steering servo is locked and I cannot move it in either direction with the power on or off. There is no noise or movement coming from the servo.

[@HobbiesDirect]

Only way to know is to take the servo out and have a look - sounds like maybe a gear has moved out of place or something else in the steering is jammed.

[@isaac_glover]

Thanks mate😊

[@HobbiesDirect]

No worries!

[@MikkelStahr]

I have a problem with my controllers stearing.. there are no response what so ever.. but when i switch the servo with esc, it turns just fine.. like in your video! but not when i switch back.. there are still no response- and the dualrate just turn the wheels like its ajusting it.. Can you reconnect / Rebind transmitter and receiver ?

[@HobbiesDirect]

Sounds like you are adjusting the Trim, not the Dual Rate. Make sure the Dual rate isn't at zero. Then try rebinding. If still nothing, it might be time for a new receiver :-/

[@chrisspearline767]

Mine is actually set up one to burn two to turn

[@callous_edits4737]

I have 2 rc cars and took the batteries out and charged them and I must have put the wrong ones in because when I try to turn it on to connect to the remote both of them work for one car but they both don’t work 100% like one will only turn and the other remote will just go forwards and backwards so I just need some help on what to do or if I can fix it

[@HobbiesDirect]

Without knowing anything about the cars, you're just gonna have to do some trial and error and figure out what component is letting down the team.

[@FrankieCreates96]

My arrma senton 4x4 550 goes reverse and forward but slowly turns left and right ... Most likely new servo right 🤔

[@HobbiesDirect]

Most likely new servo :-/

[@FrankieCreates96]

@@HobbiesDirect good thing is not a hard thing to change, thanks 😎

[@TheDaniishDude]

Help needed! I’m completely new to RC and I recently just received my 124016 V2 2 weeks ago and now my steering doesn’t react to anything after only running it 4 times. It doesn’t even center it self when I’m powering it on. It had a slight jittering and turned all the way to the right when powering it on after cleaning it and It lost steering completely 2 days ago, I might have been too heavy with the water? I left it to dry and the next day it was back to normal. Ran one pack on the beach today with my new paddle tires and after a failed jump(nothing crazy) it lost steering again… The car do still drive and reverse but steering is completely dead. Servo gear sounds fine, nothing binds in the steering, fresh batteries both car and transmitter. Ive tried plugging the cables from WL into my MJX receiver and the MJX turns and drives with the WL transmitter. If I do it the other way around: nothing happens… Bad/fried esc, bad servo?

[@HobbiesDirect]

Definitely on the right track. Either servo is faulty, ESC can't supply enough current, or receiver has a dodgy channel.

[@TheDaniishDude]

@@HobbiesDirect hmmm i hoped you pretty sure about one of them but I guess I have to keep diagnosing. Any suggestions how to attack it from here?

[@HobbiesDirect]

@@TheDaniishDude can you swap receiver channels to see if the servo works with the trigger?

[@TheDaniishDude]

@@HobbiesDirect that doesnt work either, then it would have worked when i plugged in my WL cables in my MJX

[@HobbiesDirect]

@@TheDaniishDude Okay, if it's not the receiver, then as above, either servo is faulty, or ESC can't supply enough current. Just keep going through the process of elimination.

[@Bobodeman]

My kit car steering wont work but the steering trim is. Any thoughts?

[@HobbiesDirect]

Sounds like the steering dual rate is turned all the way down 🙂

[@Zeehalves89]

I modified a rc car toy. Had put 2 esc, one connected to the back motor (acceleration) and battery. Other, connected with the steer and battery too. It works fine, but sometimes the steer doesn’t respond. I turn right than left, for example, in the remote controller, but the car doesn’t go. It not work when I make it one after other right on. If I wait, like, 1 second, it turns. But it’s not working right on time that I turn in the controller. I have to wait to do. Why’s that?

[@HobbiesDirect]

Being modified, and with no other knowledge on the make/model of car, or what the specs of the electronics are in it, it's very hard to say. But it *sounds* like the ESC's BEC doesn't have enough current output to supply the servo, so it's browning out.

[@Noah.377]

When I Steer left on my controller the rc car goes to the right and and when I turn right it goes to the left any chance you could help with this plz 🙏

[@HobbiesDirect]

There should be a channel 2 reverse switch on your controller :-)

[@dada6785]

Thank you

[@jatoja424]

What to do if when i turn on the controller the wheels just start spinning backwards by themselfes but after i apply a little pressure to the throttle it stops

[@jatoja424]

And if i use another controller it just sends wrong signals i thinknit might be the fault of the quartz or something

[@HobbiesDirect]

Sounds like the throttle trim is off, try adjusting it@@jatoja424

[@ravenjamtay5347]

Hi could you do video of one of the most problematic remote controls. Product enterprise Daleks and Davros had issues. I'm trying to resolve the issue with Davros since I only had two plays with it until wheels continually clicked every time it moved then stopped working! .

[@HobbiesDirect]

Toy grade stuff is really hard to diagnose - it sounds like a gear might have moved out of place or stripped. Your best bet would be to bust out your Sonic Screwdriver, open it up, and see if you can find any physical damage. Allons-y!

[@dancearoundtheworld5360]

(WL TOYS 14800) hey Aaron you got a full rc car redo video, my rc wheel loader has no steering, motor works even new one didnt help, doesnt steer, no channels to swap to check, just battery to board to features i dont have power at main board should be 9v, lithum ion battery still good

[@HobbiesDirect]

If you don't have power at the main board, but the battery is all good, double check all connections and maybe re-solder. Otherwise, it might be time for a replacement main board.

[@dancearoundtheworld5360]

@@HobbiesDirect I'm at a stand still because I looked the whole internet for a new board and didn't find a seller and certain some connections aren't even soldered to the board

[@andrewchen8647]

I have a problem with my hosim q905. I took the turning wheel from the remote and when i screwed it back on i heard some snapping noises and when i tried driving my rc car, the front wheels was not turning and with more 360 degrees of snapping the remote wheel the wheels turn but it doesn't go back to the centre automatically.

[@HobbiesDirect]

Sounds like you broke the travel stoppers for the steering on the remote. You could likely repair it if you took it apart and are good at that sort of thing :-)

[@andrewchen8647]

@@HobbiesDirect unfortunately I am not. Thank you for the information, much appreciated ☺️

[@Seriouslydave]

Mine works if i turn the wheels left and right then use the remote to turn it left then right it then locks up making a fizzing noise. The gears are ok inside, it just started doing it no impacts just went out of range one time.

[@HobbiesDirect]

If the end points weren't set correctly, the internal position sensor may have been damaged or burned out; might be time for a replacement :-/

[@shyonemami7388]

My build is brand new and when i binded the transmitter to the esc, the servo jerked left and is unresponsive (throttle works, steering doesnt). I cannot get the steering to engage. I connected another servo and the backup worked fine. Could it be that my servo is faulty?

[@HobbiesDirect]

That's the most likely scenario, but it also could be that the new servo draws too much current for the ESC to run it.

[@shyonemami7388]

@HobbiesDirect turns out i forgot to bench test it before assembly and had set the servo horn before ever centering the motor. I removed the servo horn, centered the servo motor, and then reassembled everything, Problem Solved!

[@HobbiesDirect]

Haha nice! Problem solved 🙂@@shyonemami7388

[@haydnholder7090]

What if you took a transmitter/ receiver aswell as servo out of another car that works, but there's still notta? Would it be the esc? Only thing i havent replaced, first time coming across this problem in my 15 years of rc 😅

[@HobbiesDirect]

If you've changed everything but the ESC, that's the last place the problem could be.

[@haydnholder7090]

@@HobbiesDirect man thats weird maybe the bec or somthing blew in it (even tho its new lmao, tt02 kit)

[@HobbiesDirect]

@@haydnholder7090 That's unfortunately possible :-/

[@hamzaeljacifi5710]

Hi everyone - i just got a brand new WLTOYS 144010 and stupidly when wanting to start it I plugged in the white battery connector cable (used to charge battery) instead of the deans cable (red). Some cables started smoking right after and melted. The car starts, engine runs but steering does not work. Would appreciate any support here 🙏🏻

[@HobbiesDirect]

Did you plug the battery into the receiver? Sounds like you've burnt out the receiver, servo, or both :-/

[@user-ze3io1iq7g]

Great video. Thank you. New subscriber here :)

[@HobbiesDirect]

Thanks, and welcome!

[@Icy2-hq4it]

My Rf car makes a weird sound when i try to trun but it wont turn bc of the weird noise

[@HobbiesDirect]

Something wrong with the steering servo?

[@Icy2-hq4it]

@@HobbiesDirect idk when i turn the remote it just goes like bzzzzzzzzzz bzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[@gavbrown164]

So my car flipped over now steering don’t work but it’s still got power to it but makes a whining noise it’s like it’s jammed and car still goes forwards and backwards

[@HobbiesDirect]

If the steering rack still moves smoothly, it sounds like you stripped a gear in the servo :-/

[@gavbrown164]

@@HobbiesDirect hi no steering rack or servo does not move at all it’s still

[@HobbiesDirect]

@@gavbrown164 But can it be moved by hand? Not all jammed? If it seems fine otherwise, it'll be that the servo has a stripped gear.

[@gavbrown164]

@@HobbiesDirect can’t move it at all mate just makes a whining noise

[@HobbiesDirect]

@@gavbrown164 Sounds like you've broken a gear in the servo 😕

[@overratedprogrammer]

I don't know why I can't find anything about the servo being stuck.. like I can't even move it by hand. No idea how that happened. Trying to get it apart right now

[@HobbiesDirect]

Sounds like time for a new servo :-/

[@overratedprogrammer]

@@HobbiesDirect so for some reason while I was taking the servo off it all of a sudden freed and worked perfect. So I was driving more. Then the same thing happened. So this time I took the servo apart, the gears seemed messed up. I tried to "rebuild" it, it worked for a little, and now i can move it by hand all the time, but I can only steer left or right all the way. So I'm just going to order a better servo and hope it's compatible lol. Thanks for the responses

[@HobbiesDirect]

@@overratedprogrammer No worries! If it's a standard size servo it should be compatible, just don't go to high on torque or you'll freak out your esc/receiver.

[@strinex4047]

If you can mby solve the problem,my car can go right but no left if you can diagnos it

[@HobbiesDirect]

Steering servo maybe?

[@imno3471]

What if I don't have steering dual rate on my transmiter

[@HobbiesDirect]

Then dual rate can't be adjusted electronically - there might be a linkage to adjust the throw, but some RC vehicles just don't have any adjustment.

[@imno3471]

@HobbiesDirect turns out that the servo itself is going on way more than the other no matter the steering trim what should I do

[@HobbiesDirect]

@@imno3471 Is the servo centered?

[@imno3471]

@@HobbiesDirect yes, it is

[@imno3471]

@HobbiesDirect the transmitter was recently opened, and I might have broken something in it.

[@magmagold2969]

I have no idea what happened to mine, I was driving it around slowly and it for some reason stopped steering does anyone know what it could be

[@HobbiesDirect]

Did you maybe bump the D/R down on your radio?

[@magmagold2969]

@@HobbiesDirectyes I have mine at the max and it still would not turn but it would drive forward and backward just not turn

[@magmagold2969]

@@HobbiesDirectI didn’t mean yes I meant no sorry😅

[@magmagold2969]

@@HobbiesDirect I think my servo has burned out😢 I don’t think it was the d/r because I have mine on top of my remote with a hatch to close it

[@HobbiesDirect]

@@magmagold2969 If there's no signs of life at all, then it might be time for a new servo :-/ If you plug it into channel 1 instead, you can see if it moves with the trigger. If it does, then it's likely the receiver that's the problem.

[@txpatriot7038]

Connector is backward... I just assumed they were designed to be idiot proof lol....they are not. Thank you!!!

[@HobbiesDirect]

Happy to help!

[@xsyphen4869]

My rock crawler would turn left but won't turn right and I can't find the issue

[@HobbiesDirect]

Check end points on your radio, and the physical linkages of your steering. If everything else is fine, it might be time for a new servo 😕 Does it still make a noise when trying to turn right?

[@tygaurd]

How about when the servo jitters or twitches ?

[@HobbiesDirect]

A lot of Savox servos seem to do that, and we haven't figured out why. Using a glitch-buster capacitor pack in the receiver can help in some cases.

[@tygaurd]

@@HobbiesDirect thank you for the response

[@GRIMSUP]

My controllers steering wheel makes it go backward

[@HobbiesDirect]

What controller on what vehicle? Are the channels switched on the receiver?

[@PHILLIPPINESGOVERMENT]

Mine has a problem mine doesn't work

[@HobbiesDirect]

That *IS* a problem!

[@Yumi_xxx]

Please could you help fix my rc car 🙏 As you seem like quite a professional 👀

[@HobbiesDirect]

What car do you have and what's it doing/not doing?

[@Yumi_xxx]

@@HobbiesDirect it’s fine thank you. I’m returning it 🙏 Simply just didn’t pair

[@dannycalin60]

my servo is like 70percent to the right and 50 to the left

[@HobbiesDirect]

Have you/can you check the end points on your radio?

[@dillonj9836]

i have a brand new servo and when i put the throttle in the steering one it works but the steering still doesn’t work any idea what it is

[@HobbiesDirect]

have you checked the steering Dual Rate (D/R)?

[@Jayzkayaydancasper]

Why is mine shaking left and right

[@HobbiesDirect]

What servo in what car with what controller from what brand? If it has any sort of stability control, it might be calibrated wrong, or the controller's wheel's contacts might be dirty or not working properly. Or, it's time for a new servo.

[@Jayzkayaydancasper]

@@HobbiesDirect Deerc 300E brushless

[@Jayzkayaydancasper]

Not to bother as now got the 1/8 scale mvck rx flux 4S

[@HobbiesDirect]

Nice!@@Jayzkayaydancasper

[@suchislife82]

My problem is the steering isn't on the wheel it's on the a and b switch smh

[@Lvtdgb_40m]

None of these worked for mine

[@NBKRebelGamer87]

My car is turning left or right but it is sticking either way unless I turn the wheel back. After I turned left or right the wheels would automatically return to the neutral/facing forward position but since I put new steering arms on due to a break in one I am having this issue with the steering...Any suggestions? In 2:10 of this video when you let go of the steering wheel the wheels return to neutral/straight, mine isn't doing this. When I let go of the steering it is still facing left or right.....Any suggestions please?

[@HobbiesDirect]

As a guess, either the position sensor in the servo has been damaged in the crash, or the new arms are binding up on something.

[@NBKRebelGamer87]

@@HobbiesDirect Thanks I'll look closer to see if there is any binding, If still no luck I'm replacing them with aluminium ones anyway so if there is still issues I'll replace the servo!