Chewing up Clutch Bells

Welcome to RCTalk

Come join other RC enthusiasts! You'll be able to discuss, share and private message with other members of our community.

Register Log in
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
D

deputybill705

RCTalk Racer
Messages
94
Reaction score
2
Location
Indianapolis
RC Driving Style
  1. Bashing
  2. Racing
Evening everybody. I have a Savage X SS with a K4.6 in it. Last week I was out bashing and the truck just stopped and wouldn't move. I thought the slipper came loose. Upon further inspection I seen the clutch bell was chewed up. When I got home I checked to see if the motor mount screws came loose. Screws were still tight. I got a new clutch bell today. I ran it for 5 minutes and the truck did the same thing. The slipper is set properly. The motor mount screws are still tight. The motor is not cocked. the clutch bell bearings are good. I'm stumped. Anybody have any advice? Thanks for your help.

The engine has about a gallon of fuel through it. It is a fairly new truck.
 
What shape is your spur in? I'll assume it's steel? Does the outside of your clutchbell have a ring around it (like it might have been rubbing against something). Check your clutch shoes to see if they might have melted any....if so, could you be your engine plate/mount got bent. Are teeth missing from the bell, or just burred up? Ensure you don't have too much end-float on the bell, etc. The spur can wobbly quite a bit without causing problems but if the bell changes its position too much...well you already know.
 
Last edited:
If you're running a hardened steel spur gear but running a non hardened steel clutch bell, then there's your problem. If you have both gears being hardened steel, then you might have play inside your transmission. From mY experiences chances are it's one or the other.
 
You might consider going with plastic. I run both (prefer plastic due to weight loss) but assuming everything is setup correctly plastic will work fine. I went 3+ gallons until bending my engine plate melting the spur (which is actually good so you know you have an issue)...cheap replacement. Just a suggestion.
 
if you got a steel spur gear, go back to plastic, metal spurs are more problems than they are worth, the velocity which they spin and if it breaks while traveling at full velocity could break your engine in a split second, upon other things
 
Thanks for the quick responses. It is a steel spur. It came stock with the truck. There is no end play in the clutch bell. There is a ring where the teeth are still fine. I will check my engine plate. The clutch shoes are still in good shape. I will will advise if the engine plate is bent. Once again thanks for all your help.
 
I checked the engine plate and found I lost some screws that hold the engine plate braces to the TVPS. The screws that hold the engine plate to the braces were all tight and secure. Could the screws that were missing cause the clutch bell to get chewed up?
 
deputybill705 said:
I checked the engine plate and found I lost some screws that hold the engine plate braces to the TVPS. The screws that hold the engine plate to the braces were all tight and secure. Could the screws that were missing cause the clutch bell to get chewed up?
Click to expand...

Yes, any movement of the engine plate will cause the stock steel spur to eat the stock clutch bell in short time.
 
I imagine that is your problem (vertical play). HPI is bad at thread-locking core components. At least they were on mine, and when I inspected my neighbors new Savage most of the screws that needed to be thread-locked were not. Perhaps you want to check all the other metal-to-metal screws. If you need a list of them let me know---there's not a whole lot.

If it were me, I'd throw a plastic one on there when you test it out next....just in case. That way you lose a $5.00 part instead of a $20 part in the event there is something else causing it....but the fact plate braces were not secured would have eventually caused this so either it's good you found it.
 
Thank you everyone that replied. Your advice was very helpful. When I get the new clutch bell in I will let you know hownit turned out.
 
Well thank you for the follow up. All too often someone has a problem, seeks assistance, never to be heard from again. Posting your resolution definitely helps others who might be searching for something similar. ;-)
 
Update on the Savage. I replaced the steel spur with a plastic one and replaced the screws in the engine plate braces. Took it out for a couple tanks and all is good. Wanted to thank everyone for there help. Stay safe.
 
glad you had the dignity to take the advice of using the plastic among other things! plastic sometimes does do better than steel:) glad you got it figured out man!
 
It's a good day in the Savage world. ;-) Had a helluva time with mine today for sure! Glad you got it worked out. I just posted a thread about how I cannot believe the inconsistency with respect to thread-lock on the Savage RTR vehicles. My neighbor learned his lesson real fast. I hate to see that, but sometimes that is the best way to learn.
 

Similar threads

3
Slipper Nut Won't Budge on 1/10 4WD Torment
Replies
7
Views
515
305HemiGuy
3
kdecesari
Losi 22S SCT - Pinion & Spur Gear Option
2
Replies
23
Views
2K
J’sCrawler
J’sCrawler
Out4lox
Follow up to Prior Revo Thread—Slipper Clutch Adjustment in Revo 3.3 Tekno Electric Conversion
Replies
0
Views
896
Out4lox
Out4lox
DavidB1126
Setting the Slipper Clutch for 2.8 MT tires
Replies
4
Views
1K
tntpoof
tntpoof
DavidB1126
Got my cars back! Rebuilding the Mini B, again.
Replies
2
Views
951
YourConfused
YourConfused
Back
Top