How to remove the clutch bell

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Raptor 30/46/50
Most people think you have to take the frames apart to get the clutch bell apart. I did too the first time I removed it. It only took once for me and I was determined there was a better way.
remove glow plug extension - if you use one
remove fuel line and pressure line - I usually take the pressure line loose from the tank side so as to reduce stress on the muffler end of the tubing. This area has a decreased lifetime due to the high heat.
take off the muffler - it is held on with two bolts
remove throttle link - page 15, step 17, item 5
remove the four bolts from engine mount - page 10, step 10, items 1
take out engine - the engine, fan, and clutch all drop down together

remove start coupler - held on with two set screws
remove start shaft - if the shaft does not easily slide through the bearings then it probably because the set screws caused the shaft to bulge out and make it too big to go through the bearings. You can use a dremel with a grinding stone to grind down the bulged area. I recommend placing a paper towel over the shaft and poke the shaft up through it so that the paper towel catches the grindings. You don't want the metal grindings to get in the top bearing. BTW: Do not try to force the shaft through the bearings, you will end up pitting the bearing races.

*** Removal of clutch bell - As long as the threads of the pinion gear do not have loctite on it then you should be able to have someone hold the main gear while you unscrew the clutch bell. If it is too tight then there are two techniques for removing the bell. Removing the pitch arm and clamping some pliers on the top of the pinion gear is the common way I do it. This is described in the following steps. Another way is to remove the main gear and clamp some pliers on the teeth of the pinion gear. If you do this be careful not to damage the teeth.
remove screws in pitch arm
- page 8, step 6, item 2 and 3. The bolts have collars on them that you don't want to lose. Also the bolt on the right side has a small washer. I usually place a small diameter piece of fuel tubing on the end of the screw to keep from loosing the parts.
remove collective link - page 15, step 17, item 6
lift pitch arm off and hold up out of the way with a rubberband

Next you will need a good set of pliers. I have had great sucess with some Snap-On pliers that have a flat tip instead of the normal pointed type so I have a larger surface area to grip the pinion with. The grip pattern on these is very good too. *See the bottom for a different set of pliers. As you can see in the pictures, I insert the pliers between the frames and grip the top of the pinion gear. Next turn the bell clockwise (as viewed from the top), if you are looking at the bell from the bottom toward the top, then you turn it counter-clockwise. Note: my ARF had red locktite on the pinion gear so it made it very tough to remove. I had to get someone else to hold tightly on the pliers so I could use both hands to unscrew the bell. You should take off any locktite as this part does not need it. The engine will turn the bell clockwise (as viewed from the bottom) and self-titghten the bell.
Note: If you can not grip the pinion gear at the top good enough to unscrew the bell then you will have to split the frames and take the whole assembly out. An alternative which I do not encourage but offer as another option is to remove the main gear so you can get some pliers on the teeth of the pinion gear. You would need to make sure the teeth of the pliers engage good with the teeth of the pinion gear. Use a piece of paper between the pliers and the gear. You really do not want to scar the pinion gear!

Remove old liner - Once you finally get the bell unstuck and off then you need to remove the old liner. First try using an exacto blade between the liner and the bell to seperate the liner. If this does not work then you can soak the liner in acetone but be sure you don't get any in the bearing.

Install new liner - Here are a few ways:
1) Clutch Dummy - Although I don't have one of these yet, I think it is a great idea. The tool is made such that the liner will have a 0.005" gap between it and the clutch and it will be centered.
2) standard method - Glue the stock liner in with 5 minute epoxy. Put two* wraps of electrical tape around the clutch and insert it in the bell. *Two layers should give you the right gap size but I did once have some higher quality tape that was a lot thicker. Before you glue the liner in you should put a slight curl to the ends of the liner. I have noticed that if you don't then you end up with a flat spot where the two ends meet each other.
3) Concept 60 liner - The Kyosho Concept 60 liner is thicker and is a popular liner to use. Glue it in with epoxy.
4) Gasket line - Go to your local auto parts store and get some gasket material called Garlock 2000.
5) two liner - If you have a lathe then leave the old liner in and glue a new one on top of the old one. The use the lathe to turn down the new liner until you get a diameter that is about 0.012" larger then the clutch.

Remove excess glue - It is common for some glue to get on the inside top of the bell. If you don't remove this then in some situations the top of the clutch could drag on the left over glue.

reverse order to put it back together, some things to note are:
+start shaft installation - you have to push it up all the way. If you look at the bottom of the shaft the top edge of the big end should be up against the bearing. in the clutch bell. And when you put the start coupler on make sure you get the flat sides in the top of the shaft aligned so the set screws will engage them. Use blue loctite on the set screws. As you tighten the set screws you need to push upward on the shaft and downward on the start coupler. That will eliminate any up/down play in the shaft.
+engine alignment - I use the start coupler to tell me if the engine is aligned. When you rotate the start coupler counter clockwise it should spin with little to no resistance. I twist the engine left/right or twist forward/backward until I can spin the start coupler backwards and have little to no resistance. In some cases I have to increase the size of the bolt holes to allow me to angle the engine just right.
+install muffler - If the bolts thread into the muffler then be sure to use some blue loctite, if the bolts extend through the muffler exhaust flange and go into some nyloc nuts then do not use loctite. After the first tank of fuel, retighten these bolts while the engine is still hot.

 

Phillip Todd emailed:
I just removed my clutch bell and used some information from your site. I had great success with a certain tool so I thought I would send you a picture of it to you in hopes that it helps someone else. The method was the same as yours other than I removed the radio tray to gain access to the pinion gear (needed more room but was only 6 screws). The tool is used for securing arrow stays on a bow and arrow. It crimps little brass pieces around the string on the bow in order to have a reference of where to place the arrow on the string, an arrow stay. It grips into the teeth of the pinion perfectly with no chance of damaging the gear. I simply place the end into the pinion gear then put a rubber band around the handle of the tool to keep it closed. I am not using much, if any, force on the gear. The tool simply locks into the teeth at the pointy ends of the tool. Hopes this helps someone.
P.S. You can probably buy this tool at any store that sells archery equipment for under 10 bucks.