Optima Mid Metal Counter/Idler Gear

[DanB4]

Morning all!

I was stripping down my latest mid from eBay last night as it's parts are needed for my LWB runner project.

I thought the transmission was a little noisy which made me wonder if it had a metal idler gear. On opening the rear gearbox I noticed it does indeed have one, which I haven't seen before and must be an aftermarket item(??).

Is this a good idea for a runner? The noise is obviously the metal on metal teeth of the top 2 gears as the diff gear is still plastic.....maybe if i just pack a load of black grease on the metal teeth it'll make the car a bit more brushless ready?

Thoughts?

Dan