arsenal9102001

i am new to the r/c world so i was wondereing if someone could help. i just recently bought the towerhobby st-15. my engine seems to be leaking nitro from around the clutch but i can't really pinpoint the leak if it is a leak from the engine. just need a little advice that is all

Aaron Waldron

If it's indeed coming from the clutch-bell area of the engine, it'd have to be the crank bearings; that's no good if that's a brand new engine!

Check around the carb and make sure it's not just coming from up there..that's easily sealable. If it is indeed the crank bearings, give Tower a call.

arsenal9102001

well do i need to take it apart to check that or while it is running do i need to check that. because when i fill up the tank and prime it you can see a little bit of nitro underneath it right around the clutch and clutch bell.
also when i was cleaning it one day after i was done running it i took it off the chassis and i out after run engine oil in it. i spun it so it would get on the piston and sleeve. after doing so you could see a drop of engine oil coming out right in betwen the clutch and clutch bell.

Aaron Waldron

The bearings are almost definitely leaking. I'd go ahead and give Tower a call.

arsenal9102001

man that blows, but thanks for the help i will be getting tower a call today. that just ticks me off i want to take it out but oh well. thanks again.

corvettecrazy

The front one way in my .15FE has leaked since I got it. I was told first that the bearing would settle and stop. (this was drung breaking) now almost 2.5 gallons later it still leaks. It can't be good for the engine, but it doesn't seem to have hurt it either.

arsenal9102001

hey man don't you think that you need to get that checked out though. i mean won't it cause damage in the long run. just wondering. you said .15fe is that similar to the .15 abc engine or are you talking about something else completely. just wondering.
i guess if it doesn't oh well, but i like to keep mine clean and that leak just doesn't help if you know what i mean.

Aaron Waldron

If the crank bearings in the front of the engine are leaking (like what's happening in arsenal's engine) fuel and oil can get into the clutch, which will make the clutch slip, heat up, and cause much larger problems.

corvettecrazy

I mean no offense or anything but how does the fuel/oil get from the front bearing around the flywheel and into the clutch??

Aaron Waldron

Fuel and oil are spewing out of the bearing right behind the flywheel, and the whole thing is spinning at thousands of RPM's..

There's not exactly a physics equation for it, but it doesn't take very much of any foreign substance to make a clutch slip.