harleyrules

Iīm really dissapointed with the front bearings in my 2 V-Specs.

The first engine had problems from the beginning and I didnīt check the bearings at first but after half gallon I checked for leaks and it leaked alot.

Put the other engine in and it had the same problems so I checked this one for leaks and of course it leaks really bad.

Is this a problem with the V-Spec or what?

Going to change the bearings but itīs a relief that I got a deal to change to Novarossi next season, not trying to put down OS but I would throw it in the trash if I had the cash to buy 2 new engines right now.

Sorry if the OS drivers got affended now but this canīt be right that 2 brand new engines got shit for bearings...

wingracer

iTrader: (24)

It leaks, so what? Have you ever noticed that the front bearings in onroad motors have NO seal at all? Novas are the best but they will leak too.

If it really bothers you that much, drop some TKO's in them and problem solved for very little money.

rageworks

iTrader: (47)

Don't feel too bad about your issue with the bearings
in your O.S. engines. The bearings that come in most
of the other engines aren't any better. It used to be
when you saw "SWISS" stamped on a bearing you knew
it ment quality, but not any more. You may as well replace
the rear bearings too. Look and see what is stamped on
the outer races of your old bearings.

harleyrules

What do you mean by saying so what?
The front bearings shouldnīt leak like this, I had 3 experienced guys check when I did the leaktest and they just started laughing... I can say that one of the guys had 1 Werks and 1 Novarossi +4 and they tested them so I could see the difference.
The werks had a very, very little amount of a leak but the Novarossi was ok.

I know that the quality can vary but this shouldnīt be ok, I have had plenty of engines through the years and never seen front bearings leak this much.

wingracer

iTrader: (24)

I said so what because it doesn't matter. It is a very common misconception that the front bearing actually seals the engine. It does NOT. You could run a bearing with no seals and it would run just fine (onroad motors are like this). The only reason for the seal is to keep the dirt out.

I think the reason OS motors leak more than some others is due to their different design of the oil groove and the little hole that sucks out this oil. To see what I mean, pull the bearings from an OS and a Nova case and take a look down in there. There is a thread in the engine zone that talks about this, I will post a link in a minute.

wingracer

iTrader: (24)

Here is the link. Make sure to read it all, the explanation comes further down.

http://www.rctech.net/forum/exclusiv...novarossi.html

harleyrules

I donīt have any of my old engines left, gave them to a beginner and bought these 2 instead so I canīt check my old bearings.

Well Iīm going to find some better quality bearings and hope my smile can come back.

harleyrules

Iīll check it out, thanks...

wingracer

iTrader: (24)

Again, it is NOT a bearing issue. Any bearing is going to leak. If you really want to upgrade the bearings, put TKOs in it. Their great seal design will probably reduce the leak a bit and if you go with the ceramics, might make it a bit quicker too but it will not solve anything. OS motors will leak because of their design.

JAMMINKRAZY

iTrader: (17)

+1

Any front bearing will leak some. If it's not giving you issues, it's fine. If it is giving you issues, pick up a TKO ceramic for $15 and fix your problem. While you are at it change the rear to a TKO too. This is a needed procedure for ANY engine. If you aren't doing this, and changing con rods, you aren't properly maintaining your engines. I have a v-spec that I did the above to that now has 10+ gallons on it, without one single issue.

http://carolinasrc.com/Webstore/Scri...idproduct=1384
http://carolinasrc.com/Webstore/Scri...idproduct=1385
http://carolinasrc.com/Webstore/Scri...dproduct=10454

Frank L

iTrader: (148)

+2 on the tko bearings. Front bearings should not leak. If they do it will change the tune and make an inconsistent tune. I have a newer os speed that is supposed to be the top of the lone os engine and the font bearing still started leaking after 2 gallons. I put in a tko and prob fixed for now. I know some engine modders that suggest changing the front bearing every gallon (FYI not the modder listed in my signature). I think that's a little ex excessive but everyones opinion is a little different. I know if I did change It every gallon then it would never leak.

markr04

iTrader: (1)

Can you elaborate on why the front bearing can be open and not matter? I'm curious because:

1) I've sealed my carbs and backplates. I also did it for a friend, which made a big improvement in the consistency of his engine's operation. His engine just wouldn't run right before I did so. I realize carbs and backplates are not front bearings, it just seems to me to go hand-in-hand.

2) I had an RB that leaked fuel badly. It was pooling in my chassis and, in hindsight, the runtime was terrible. I was a total n00b at the time, so I took my buggy to a LHS. He took the flywheel off and showed me that the front bearing seal was gone. They replaced that bearing and the problem was gone. If the front bearing can be completely open and operate fine for on-road, do they have a problem with fuel loss?

Thanks in advance.

PowerHouse

iTrader: (66)

True on both accounts. Onroad engines like to use steel shielded bearings and the purpose for that is for less drag. You can tune ad run an engine with no seal at all but dirt and debris will penetrate and cause premature failures. The rubber seal in offroad use is used to prevent dirt from entering but it also changes/increases case vacuume so Frank is also correct in saying that a engine that is tuned around a sealed front bearing will start to become more erratic in tune and the oil residue arond the engine case will attract more dirt causing an accelerated wear and eventually dirt will enter the bearing and engine causing damage. I change my bearing when I start to get a noticable wetness around the seal. A little wetness with a touch of dirt sticking to it is normal but when you can see beads of oil and clumps of dirt, it's time to go. You will also start to get ghost flame outs when the bearing has reach the end of it's service life due to the case pressure loss so that will also be a good indicator that the front bearing is past due.

PowerHouse

iTrader: (66)

An engine engine can run without a seal but as you experienced, performance and run time are affected. I had engines that also leaked like a sive and only got 4-5 minutes of run time. The less case vacumme, the less fuel signal and when you have a low fuel signal, the needles will naturally be in a richer position to allow a greater pull from the vortex of the needles. The onroad engine's get low run times for several reasons but the main reason is throttle positioning. They are run at higher rpm's more consistantly and that eats the fuel but another contributor is the steel shield that lowers case pressure which in turn makes onroad engines run in richer needle positions to accomidate the seal. There are other reasons as well but those are the biggies. Unfortunately you can't have steel to steel contact so there is always an air leak with steel shielded bearings.

harleyrules

Thanks for all the responses.

Iīm going to put in some TKOīs and Iīm still going to argue that a bearing thatīs leaking is going to cause tuningproblems.

Iīm always thankful though to you guys and this forum for all the responses and you can always learn something new here and for that Iīm thankful so everybodys opinion is always welcome.