Gear mesh
02-01-2016, 06:15 PM
#1
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Gear mesh
Hello all, i have the redcat caldera 3.0, and have lot's of fun with it, especially with my new OS 18. However, after the new engine came, the gear mesh was an absolute PAIN to get right. So its a bit loose, but i spent rough 4-5 hours messing with it. Youtube didn't help because the engine is different and id have to do alot of work to get it right. So the nylon spur gear stripped after about 2 months. The nylon ones are really cheap, but i was wondering about the steel. I am worried, because i have a feeling it will eat up my clutch bell fast. Should i buy the steel one or stick with nylon? Also, does anyone know if any other brand spur gear will work. This is my first nitro, which is why i bought a redcat, because i figured id blow a few motors before i got the hang of tuning, so i didnt want to dump to much money into my first one. So far so good, but id like to know if any other brand would fit so i can save time and cash on shipping. Thanks for any help.
02-03-2016, 05:30 AM
#2
When using a steel spur you need a hardened clutchbell or pinion, regular ones will wear out. I doubt the stock clutchbell is hardened and Redcat probably doesn't offer one leaving you to try and find a hardened clutchbell intended for another vehicle that'll fit. I've never had a vehicle where the stock plastic spur was so weak it needed to be steel, get the mesh right and they have lasted.
Now what's wrong with your mesh that it'll need a ton of work to get right? Getting the mesh right on a nitro can be a bit of a pain as the engine will move when tightening the screws but it's not that bad. Or are you having an alignment issue due to the OS engine being a slightly different length? Maybe take a picture of the spur/clutchbell alignment and the crankshafts of the new and old engines.
Now what's wrong with your mesh that it'll need a ton of work to get right? Getting the mesh right on a nitro can be a bit of a pain as the engine will move when tightening the screws but it's not that bad. Or are you having an alignment issue due to the OS engine being a slightly different length? Maybe take a picture of the spur/clutchbell alignment and the crankshafts of the new and old engines.
Last edited by Maj_Overdrive; 02-03-2016 at 05:33 AM.
02-04-2016, 12:27 PM
#3
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Ok, looks like ill get the nylon one. The gear mesh is so hard to set because the pull starter faces tge other direction. The drive shaft and the tank are in the way of the pull starter, so i cant move it the way it needs to be moved.
02-04-2016, 12:39 PM
#4
Can you post up a picture. You may have something mounted incorrectly and we could help with a picture possibly. If you replace the spur with steel or aluminum you are going to want to stay the same with the Clutch bell. I recommend Robinson Racing if steel is your choice.
02-05-2016, 11:53 PM
#5
If the pull start is interfering with the fuel tank then the pull start exits on the left side (when viewed from the rear) of the engine. The stock Redcat engine is the same so I'm not sure how the OS pull start faces the other way? Whatever, not that important, either way I do have a few ideas on how to fix this though.
One way is to raise the engine up about 1/8. You can put some small washers between the engine and mount or make your own spacer from a flat piece of aluminum, put it between the mount and the chassis, whatever you're able to do. How does this help? The clutchbell appears to be underneath the spur so if you raise the engine up the clutchbell will be closer to the spur. You may even have to move the engine to the right to get proper mesh giving you more clearance to the tank and center shaft. As long as the pull start isn't underneath the tank or shaft this is a viable option. Even if the pull start is under the tank I'd try it as the engine may have to be moved to the right for proper mesh and you could raise the tank a little too or drill new holes in the chassis to move the tank to the left a little.
The other option is rotating the engine backplate 90 degrees clockwise when viewed from the rear. This may not be possible and requires some engine disassembly to see if it is. Plus the pull start will be exiting the right side so starting with the body on may not be possible. And the pull start handle is going to end up right behind the exhaust manifold possibly burning the handle or you when you try to start it. As for the engine disassembly side of this proposal, the pull start has to come off (be careful with the spring inside) and then the backplate of the engine. Once removed have a look at the top of the backplate on the inside. If it's perfectly round you can rotate it, if there's a flat spot on top or any cutout in it for piston clearance the backplate cannot be rotated.
If none of this looks like it will work please be as descriptive as possible as to why. Your last post helped but was still vague and I'm making assumptions. I had to look up pics of the stock engine to determine which way the pull start faced and I'm assuming which OS .18 you have as there are a few out there.
One way is to raise the engine up about 1/8. You can put some small washers between the engine and mount or make your own spacer from a flat piece of aluminum, put it between the mount and the chassis, whatever you're able to do. How does this help? The clutchbell appears to be underneath the spur so if you raise the engine up the clutchbell will be closer to the spur. You may even have to move the engine to the right to get proper mesh giving you more clearance to the tank and center shaft. As long as the pull start isn't underneath the tank or shaft this is a viable option. Even if the pull start is under the tank I'd try it as the engine may have to be moved to the right for proper mesh and you could raise the tank a little too or drill new holes in the chassis to move the tank to the left a little.
The other option is rotating the engine backplate 90 degrees clockwise when viewed from the rear. This may not be possible and requires some engine disassembly to see if it is. Plus the pull start will be exiting the right side so starting with the body on may not be possible. And the pull start handle is going to end up right behind the exhaust manifold possibly burning the handle or you when you try to start it. As for the engine disassembly side of this proposal, the pull start has to come off (be careful with the spring inside) and then the backplate of the engine. Once removed have a look at the top of the backplate on the inside. If it's perfectly round you can rotate it, if there's a flat spot on top or any cutout in it for piston clearance the backplate cannot be rotated.
If none of this looks like it will work please be as descriptive as possible as to why. Your last post helped but was still vague and I'm making assumptions. I had to look up pics of the stock engine to determine which way the pull start faced and I'm assuming which OS .18 you have as there are a few out there.
Last edited by Maj_Overdrive; 02-06-2016 at 12:01 AM.
02-07-2016, 06:06 PM
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I do have some washers underneath the engine, that definately helped, but I think I'll add more. As far as the gear itself goes, is there any other gears that will fit? I'm not looking forward paying 20+ CAD everytime it breaks, ast the $$ will quickly add up. There are tons of 39 t gears out there, but i dont want to wait 2 weeks just to see that it does not fit. I would really be happy if a traxxas or hpi gear fit, but i'm not too hopefull...
02-08-2016, 07:12 AM
#7
Ok, first of all there's no point in replacing the spur with another brand if you can't get your gear mesh right. Bad gear mesh will kill any plastic spur. Second before even thinking about trying to replace the spur you need to determine the pitch of the teeth on it. Yeah there's other 39t Spurs out there but if they're not the same pitch they won't work with your clutchbell. And finally if you did make another spur work you wouldn't want to go with the same 39t since you can't 39t to mesh properly now. Honestly I'd forget about trying to get a different spur and see if Redcat has a clutchbell with a couple more teeth on it. With a couple more teeth (and it's larger diameter) you might be able to get the mesh right and the engine is more powerful than stock so it shouldn't have a problem pulling the gearing.
But if you're hellbent on replacing the spur this is what I would do. First figure out the gear pitch so you can match your clutchbell. Then see if any other spurs are available in that pitch and tooth count. Then take a look at the slipper of that vehicle and see what size shaft is used, will it fit the Redcat bearing? Can you get a different size bearing to make it work? If you can then buy the complete slipper assembly and swap it to your vehicle. There's no easy way to do this, you have to measure what you have (or look it up) then go to the other manufacturers sites and sort through exploded views and part numbers. No way around it if that's what you want and nobody else is going to do it for you.
But if you're hellbent on replacing the spur this is what I would do. First figure out the gear pitch so you can match your clutchbell. Then see if any other spurs are available in that pitch and tooth count. Then take a look at the slipper of that vehicle and see what size shaft is used, will it fit the Redcat bearing? Can you get a different size bearing to make it work? If you can then buy the complete slipper assembly and swap it to your vehicle. There's no easy way to do this, you have to measure what you have (or look it up) then go to the other manufacturers sites and sort through exploded views and part numbers. No way around it if that's what you want and nobody else is going to do it for you.
Last edited by Maj_Overdrive; 02-08-2016 at 07:14 AM.
02-08-2016, 07:40 AM
#8
Ok, first of all there's no point in replacing the spur with another brand if you can't get your gear mesh right. Bad gear mesh will kill any plastic spur. Second before even thinking about trying to replace the spur you need to determine the pitch of the teeth on it. Yeah there's other 39t Spurs out there but if they're not the same pitch they won't work with your clutchbell. And finally if you did make another spur work you wouldn't want to go with the same 39t since you can't 39t to mesh properly now. Honestly I'd forget about trying to get a different spur and see if Redcat has a clutchbell with a couple more teeth on it. With a couple more teeth (and it's larger diameter) you might be able to get the mesh right and the engine is more powerful than stock so it shouldn't have a problem pulling the gearing.
But if you're hellbent on replacing the spur this is what I would do. First figure out the gear pitch so you can match your clutchbell. Then see if any other spurs are available in that pitch and tooth count. Then take a look at the slipper of that vehicle and see what size shaft is used, will it fit the Redcat bearing? Can you get a different size bearing to make it work? If you can then buy the complete slipper assembly and swap it to your vehicle. There's no easy way to do this, you have to measure what you have (or look it up) then go to the other manufacturers sites and sort through exploded views and part numbers. No way around it if that's what you want and nobody else is going to do it for you.
But if you're hellbent on replacing the spur this is what I would do. First figure out the gear pitch so you can match your clutchbell. Then see if any other spurs are available in that pitch and tooth count. Then take a look at the slipper of that vehicle and see what size shaft is used, will it fit the Redcat bearing? Can you get a different size bearing to make it work? If you can then buy the complete slipper assembly and swap it to your vehicle. There's no easy way to do this, you have to measure what you have (or look it up) then go to the other manufacturers sites and sort through exploded views and part numbers. No way around it if that's what you want and nobody else is going to do it for you.
