ORIGINAL: fizzwater2
I've been running TTpro .40's with 9/6 props for the last few years, they run around 16,500 or a little more on the ground.
I've had rear bearings fail, no warning, no corrosion, no rust - the stamped metal ball retainer cage gives up.
This pretty much makes hamburger out of the piston, sleeve, head, and sometimes the case.
Now ALL of my TTpro .40's get new bearings with plastic ball retainers in the rear bearing, before they ever run. The bearings will probably be replaced at some point before they're worn out, and I haven't seen that make much of a difference in piston/sleeve fit anyway. After they're past their prime for racing, they make good sport engines still!
I think I'm just going to find a way to get this thing apart, replace both bearings since I'm in there and be done with it. Then I know its good to go. I'll look on those bearing links I had seen earlier and get some ordered. I'll probably opt for the highest quality Steel bearings w/ phenolic bearing cages I can find. I'm not putting a full tuned pipe on this engine (yet..?) so I'm not gonna try to crank out every last bit of RPM from it so Ceramics are out I think..
The final concensus on the prop hub is just to tap the thing off with a block of wood on the end of the crank (with nut screws on) or is it worth buying the hub puller?
I don't know about the Jett I'm going to get, but this TT is the only engine I currently own with a pressed-on prop hub. I don't see it being worth it if the block of wood will do the trick.