XRAY - Model racing cars

1PHAT,

The Aluminum XRAY shoes should last until the point at which the spring groove (on the shoe to bell contact face) is down to the point where the spring is almost exposed. Like just before the sring starts wearing on the bell....that is worn-out.

Periodically (every gallon of fuel or so) you will want to check your aluminum shoes and remove any burrs created on the sides of the contact face of the shoe. These burrs can snag the flywheel and slow engagement of your clutch.

It is generally best to replace the bell with the shoes. However, if you can stand a slight loss in performance you can put new shoes in a used bell. It will take a bit for the shoes to break into the bell but for most club racing or practice sessions it's really no big deal. I would NOT reccommend wearing out more than 2 sets of clutch shoes to a bell though. The shoes contact face on the bell gets thin and that can be dangerous.

NEVER clean your clutch shoes or the internal side of the clutch bell with anything other than a good contact or brake cleaner. WD40, etc. leaves a thin film and will cause your cluthc to slip, etc. It will wear off eventually, but it's not good for the bearings or the engine.

Hope this helps,
Mike

Oh….BEARINGS, I have been just in love with the fact that the XB8 clutch bell bearings seem to last forever!!!!

I used to drive a Mugen X5 and with that thing the only way to guarantee that I would have a bearing failure was to replace the clutch bearings every hour (1/4 gallon) of run time. I KNOW!!! Seems like a lot and it was, but if I didn’t I would have a bearing come apart at (ALWAYS of course) the worst possible time. I don’t think there is ever a good time for a clutch bearing failure. There is just to much expense associated with it; clutch bell only if your lucky, but could easily be as bad as clutch bell, spur gear, fuel tank, clutch shoes……..ouch.

I recently ran the same clutch bearings over 3 gallons of fuel on my practice XB8!!! That’s about 12 HOURS of run time!!!! I finally changed them just because to me and my experiences in the past……that’s just insane they lasted that long. They were still smooth and clean when I pulled them too. The XB8 is so awesome!!!

Anyway, back to the topic:

I would highly recommend changing them at least every 2 gallons of fuel. That is if everything on your car is right. Like, if your engine moves and your mesh changes, or if your chassis braces come loose or something funky happens that would load the bearings…..change them at first chance! Definitely change them when replacing the shoes or the bell or before an important A-Main, etc. It’s just the right thing to do, at the right time.

I don’t ever re-oil/re-use bearings. To me, it’s not worth the risk.

ALWAYS remove the seals on your new clutch bearings and blast out all of the lube with a good contact/brake cleaner. Get a little comm. drop bottle or bearing bottle that has a needle type tip on it. Place about ½-1 drop of Mobil 1 oil in the bearing. NOT on each ball, just ½ drop of oil replaces all of the grease you blew out. That’s it……trust me and the bearing master Mr. Bearings-Jedi-Joor (who taught me).

For added security knowing that you have the absolute best working clutch possible after your first ½ -1 tank of fuel on your new bearings pull your clutch bell and again….with that dialed contact/brake cleaner clean-out the inside of your bell. With a ½ drop of oil you probably won’t clean anything out of the bell. With 1 drop of oil you’ll clean just a tiny bit out.

Anyway…….hope this helps,
Mike


geeeeesch, I'm a windbag huh.......

thanks windbag...

you helped

I've since taken it all apart and cleaned it all up really good. The bearings look like new still(only have an hour or two on the engine) and cleaned them with degreaser. Did the same with the shoes but will apply the brake cleaner. I think the wd40 caused it to slip too like Mike said. It's what I use after cleaning my buggy every weekend. When the new spur/ clutch bell come in I'm gonna stick the 1.0's back in and if it still is acting up I'll try the 0.9 springs. I just hope the screw holding it all on the drive shaft doesn't come out again. Thanks for all the help, it is greatlly appreciated.

~B

i use a cap head screw (2.5mm wrench) for the bell....that way i know i can get it tight without it stripping the head....

and get it back off

Is that like a hex head screw? I use a phillips now cause I couldn't find a allen head screw w/ the same thread pattern. I have it screwed as tight as I can get it w/o stripping it, hopefully it will hold better this time. Thanks for the heads up.

~B

No WD-40 on the center area of the car, brakes and clutch go slippy slippy for long time.

Agreed, WD-40 is great for a thin spray on the arms and carriers as well as the bottom of the chassis as it help keep large chunks of dirt from clinging on especially in wet conditions. Any contact cleaner or nitro spray cleaner is fine.