Scalextric cars in need of a good service

We see many older Scalextric cars that have been in storage for a while or maybe cars that haven’t been used much lately and they don’t run very well on the track.  The owners very often think the car is worn out and good only as scrap.  This is often far from the case.



Frequently all that’s needed is a good service and a clean.  With the older Scalextric cars which have an unknown history almost anything could be causing bad running.  On the electrical side we need to provide a good electrical circuit from the track to the motor armature windings.  On the mechanical side everything needs to be free to rotate and be lubricated a little.

Firstly check all the electrical connections and if you are unsure replace the parts as just about all the Scalextric spare parts required are available.  Clean and refit all the electrical parts to the original design where possible which might include soldering the wires to their fittings.

For the mechanical parts ensure everything turns freely at slow speed by rotating by hand.  Some Scalextric cars fitted with the early RX motor suffer from binding of the gears which is a specialist job to rectify.  Also, ensure the gears mesh properly with all the gears feeling the same as you rotate the rear axle.  Finally, add a tiny drop of light engineering oil to all the bearings and a smear of Teflon grease to the gears.

Another great insight from Scalextric Car Restorations