Do other cars pause, slow or hesitate at the same point on the track?
For a Scalextric car to give its best performance the track must be in good condition. Below are some common faults found in track layouts.
1. Dirty or dusty track
It is common for Scalextric cars to drop a small amount of oil onto the track conductor rails as the car is used. This oil builds up over time and can hold onto any dust that may land on the track. Dirty and dusty track can be wiped clean with a cloth.
2. Tarnished track rails
Over time the bright metal plating on the surface of the Scalextric track rails will oxidise resulting in a rough and high electrical resistance surface. The high resistance will reduce the performance of any Scalextric car while the rough surface will cause increased ware to the pick up braids. The track rails need to be cleaned with a track polishing pad to return the rails to a bright clean and smooth finish.
3. Poor track rail connections
It is well known that in a medium to large track layout the joints between the individual track pieces can offer high electrical resistance causing a car to slow or hesitate at the far end of the layout. The solution is to electrically connect the track pieces together with a track power booster cable.
Does the car hesitate on left hand corners, right hand corners or the straights only?
It is clearly important that the electrical current flows from the track rails to the car’s motor with as little resistance as possible. Over time several faults can occur with Scalextric cars to reduce their track performance.
4. Pick up braids
The car’s pick up braids need to be in good clean condition and both be in constant contact with the track rails. If the braids are worn or very dirty then they will need to be replaced with new braids, these are available as normal tin plate finish braids and pure copper braids.
5. Poor wire connection to the pick up braids
The connection between the pick up braids and the wires are critical to the performance of any Scalextric car. Most of the cars from the 1970 through to the 1990s used little metal pins to connect the wires to the braids. These pick up pins must be present and clean to give the best connection.
6. Motor connection wire broken
As the guide pivots over time it can cause the motor wire to fracture internally. The motor wire should be replaced if this is found to be the cause. It might be easier to replace the whole guide assembly with the wires already fitted.
Does the car sound normal but moves slowly or not at all?
This can be caused by a mechanical problem between the motor and getting the power down to the track.
7. Broken motor pinion gear
One of the most common faults is that the motor pinion gear (the little white gear on the motor shaft) can split. This allows the gear to turn on the shaft. A new motor pinion gear is required to fix this problem.
8. Damaged rear axle gear
It is common for the gear on the rear axle to have damaged teeth. This is especially true if the motor pinion gear is broken. A replacement rear axle gear is required to remedy this problem.
9. Loose rear wheel
It is common for the rear wheels to become loose on the axle shaft. If this is the only problem then the wheels can be glued into position or alternatively replacement rear wheels can be fitted.
10. Tyres with little grip
In order for your Scalextric car to give the best lap times under race conditions the car tyres will need to give their best performance. It is necessary to keep the tyres in good condition. Even the best replacement tyres will reduce in performance if not maintained. Replacement tyres are available for most Scalextric cars and are easy to find with our unique tyre finder.
There are many other possible faults especially with the earlier cars with the open frame motors. This is intended as a simple fault finding guide only. If the information above does not resolve the fault then contact Scalextric Car Restorations for further information.
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