Mini Inferno 09 Clutch problem (Nitro)
 

Posted this in the Mini section, but it is a clutch problem in general and I really need advise and help to solve this one.

Clutch shoes seem to be hanging, occassionally. It idles and then grabs speratically. Sounds like a box of rocks when this happens.

Replaced clutch bell, bearings, shoes, etc., with no luck. This buggy runs great at full throttle and the idle is very low, but still grabs on and off of idle.

Need help from the regulars as I'm relatively new to R/C buggies. Never had clutch problems like this.

Gerald,

Am I reading your post correctly? the clutch grabs as it idles. It also acts as if it is ON or OFF, no gradual progression? If this is the case, there is a good chance the shoes are in backwards. If you need hands on help, go to Hobby Town on RT-14, the car guys there should be able to help as well.

Chunk T:
1st off, I noticed we live relatively close--say 10 miles apart.

Nice guess, but the shoes only go in one way. This is a little 1/16 Scale buggy and has only 2 shoes with a spring holding them in place. The crank nut has a special design so the shoes fit only 1 way over the nut.
My local HobbyTown would have no clue. Will be going out to my local track (LeisureHoursRaceway) in the future and spend a few hours marshalling and then hit them up with the question and show them the problem and let them hear the things I hear.

Back to the point, it idles low and smoothly after starting for about 5-10 seconds. Then the shoes start to grab and then let go. It makes a sound like a box of rocks or marbles grinding, then it goes away for a couple of seconds then grabs again. Don't fully comprehend what is going on. Can go full throttle on and off, but yet when you bring it in, or get hard on the brakes it dies because the clutch bell/shoes seem to be locking, not gently sliding inside and expanding.

Sorry for rambling, but if I take it apart again, it may be never seen again in 1 piece.
:cry:

Maybe the flywheel is slippin on the crank shaft.

i like the attitude, but no need to spend hours martialing (sp?). just come up to one of us and ask, i wont be there but guys with my experience x10 will be. bernie is always down to help aswell. good luck. my own personal guess is maybe the pilot shaft is bent, so it wobbles when it spins, causing the clutch to grab. ill be honest its kind of hard to troubleshoot when we dont have pics or can look at the wear of the shoes or bell. just go to leisure hours and ask! that or venture hobbies in wheeling.

I think it is the clutch spring.

Thanks for the advice. Will be taking the motor out one last time. Can't remember, but the advice of the pilot shaft bent sounds to be the best place to look. Allthough these minis don't generate enough force to bend things like that. Just don't want to look into another motor. Will become a shelf queen or donated to somebody who needs it more than me.