red233

i was out drivong my lst today and i had it tuned and it was running great. but then it would rev really high when i hit the throttle then would jump forward. so basicly i think my clutch is broken and i need help. any thoughts

A.B.U

Take your clutch bell off, and see if the clutch is broken, first, since that IS what you think the problem is.

red233

im new to rc cars at this scale i have had my lst since june and i dont want to mess up my engine. i take apart every thing else but my engine. also does any one have an easy way of geting of e clips
and i want to know if my clutch is engaging late a sighn of the clutch busting. there still the stock springs and shoes.

RCtruckRacer

Being as how the clutch absorbs about the most punishment out of anything on the truck, it should be on your list of regular maintenance routines. If you use the stock shoes, they leave a residue on the bell that should be cleaned often - it will help the shoes grab the bell. Not to mention its not unusual to break a new clutch spring in just an hour's of use (mine usually last at least one whole race day, or even 2, but sometimes they break earlier due to the high stress). The bearings don't usually last much longer, but you should be cleaning them every run so that they last as long as possible.

Anyway, it's a very easy procedure. I find the easiest way is to take off the engine so that I can grab the flywheel with some channel locks (after wrapping a rag around it first). Then its easy to remove the one screw that holds the clutchbell on. From there, the rest is pretty self explanatory.

It's a piece of cake, have fun!

red233

how do you get the clutch springs in?

RCtruckRacer

Well its kind of a PITA to do, but easy to figure out what needs to be done...

The long end of the spring goes over the top of the shoe - the short end sits in the groove on the shaft of the flywheel. Start by putting the spring in where it sits in/on the shoe. Get the first hole of the shoe on the mounting bar, then you have to use a flat head screwdriver to push up on the short end of the spring so that you can slide the rest of the shoe on. Alternatively, you can spend $10-20 on a clutchspring tool. I haven't tried the new Losi one, but it looks cool. Also consider going to aluminum shoes. They perform much better. One final tip: I have found that some springs don't have quite the right bend on the long end. What happens is that the spring then does not ride exactly right on the shoe, and the bend part rubs the clutchbell and does a good job of grooving the bell. No doubt it also shortens the life of the spring greatly. Once you have the shoe installed, lift up on it as if it were engaging the bell and check the bend in the spring. If it pokes up noticably at engagement height, take it off and bend/unbend the spring as needed to sit lower on the shoe.

This can be a frustrating experience when you've never done it before, but it's something you'll get good at cause you have to do it a lot. Because of this, I really reccomend getting a clutch spring tool as soon as you can. It makes the job a bit easier.

Good luck, and just remember how much you are increasing your vehicles performance as that spring flies across the room..... [sm=lol.gif] JK, its not that bad.

red233

thanks anyone on getting e clips off

DaveG55

I hate e clips.
Whenever possable I work inside a ziploc bag. If I cannot, I have lots of spares handy.

pointblank

Like DaveG55 says, aim the part toward the opening of a grocery bag and push both sides with your thumbnails. It might hurt at first until you get your technique down, not to mention the occasional clip under the nail, but once you do, you will be able to pop them off no problem. Also, ALWAYS have spares. Whenever I go to the hardware store I pick up a few extra of things that fly off easily. Screws and clips are usually less than 25 cents and it saves a trip to the hobby store.
For your other question in regards to the clutch and motor: You should be taking your motor off and cleaning it AT LEAST every gallon. Your engine life will be seriously cut short if you just leave it. Taking the motor off and opening up the back plate and cleaning off with some degreaser and adding some lubricant should be the minimum. Trust me take the extra time to clean, your truck will be much better. If you are nervous about the engine, take it down to your hobby shop, they will always help. Best of luck, and have fun.

marzac2

I've always had luck with using needle nose pliers. Put one jaw of the pliers on the open end of the e-clip and the other jaw surface should be under the hinge pin. I clamp down while using my finger to keep the clip from shooting off. I can just pick it off after that. It would be easier to take pictures of what I'm describing, but you should get the gist of it. Try it and with practice, you can get better at not loosing so many darn e-clips.[>:]