HPI Baja Clutch

[nareshpatel101]

 

Hi all, can someone please confirm if this clutch is still OK or needs replacing? I've had no issues but need to replace the clutch bell mount as you can see its in bits!! Can anyone recommend a alternative mount?

 

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[Ninetiesbeard]

Clutch is probs alright, check the springs. New mount can be pretty much anything as long as its metal, the heat from the engine and clutch softens the plastic ones. Ive had great luck with turtle racing products, vertigo also made nice ones, im fairly sure rovan/kingmotor make budget versions of the same parts also.

[nareshpatel101]

Sorry guys by bad posted the same pics, I've added the pic of the clutch plates

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[spents]

clutch looks to have some wear left in it mate,

as above though check or replace the spring, they do get weak with heat,

and it looks like your carrier has seen heat lol, you can see the melting where the bearing sit in,

not sure how you've managed to get it into three pieces though, or did you just cut it off cos it was knackered anyways ?

bit of advice, the part above that still has the orange spacer in, keep that piece plastic, you can get alloy ones but they can be a pain to fit, and a little flex is fine at that point,

as for the carrier itself defo go alloy, as ninetiesbeard said above,  plenty manufacturers make em in varying prces,

but if you just want to keep costs down then fit one of these linked below,

hpi do there own, or used to, but there around three times the price as this one,

i 've run both the hpi version and this cheaper one and both have been fine and lasted well,

yes this ones rovan, but they are fine and any alloy one is better than stock plastic ,

 

https://www.rcmodelz.co.uk/aluminum-clutch-bell-carrier-black-2162.html

Edited July 10, 2020 by spents

[nareshpatel101]

Hi thanks for the info guys, and yes the clutch bell mount was snapped in 3 places!!

Daft question but how do I check the clutch spring to see if its lost its strength? Sorry never changed one before.

Going back to the clutch bell mount I was thinking something like this:-

 

 

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https://www.rcmodelz.co.uk/turtle-racing-integrated-alloy-gear-plate-silver.html

 

[spents]

easiest way to check the spring is to wipe it off and if its discoloured, ie; going brown, then thats a sign that the springs stretched with heat,

if the spring feels loose in any way then its stretched, and if clutch engages at what seems less than the usual revs then its stretched/weakened,

easiest thing is to grab a few spare springs and change out as and when you feel it needs one, springs are fairly cheap and yours is the 8k (red) spring,

that turtle part is just a one piece gear plate mate, your still gonna need an actual bell carrier to go with it,

[nareshpatel101]

The spring is still bright red, and seems very rigid, no issues whilst its idling either.

Spents, I'm glad you informed me the Turtle Racing mounting plate isn't complete, so I'm i right in saying I would still require one ofthese:

-https://www.rcmodelz.co.uk/alloy-clutch-housing-16653.html

 

 

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[mond]

Give the clutch bell a check as well. Depending on the manufacturer, some are tack welded in 3 places rather than a continuous weld then machined down. They can crack at the welds.

[nareshpatel101]

Give the clutch bell a check as well. Depending on the manufacturer, some are tack welded in 3 places rather than a continuous weld then machined down. They can crack at the welds.

Njce one Mond, I've had a look and its welded all the around, its still the genuine bell that came the buggy. So they tend to crack after awhile, thanks for that I'll keep my eye on it.

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[mond]

4 hours ago, nareshpatel101 said:

Njce one Mond, I've had a look and its welded all the around, its still the genuine bell that came the buggy. So they tend to crack after awhile, thanks for that I'll keep my eye on it.

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If it's welded all the way around it will wear out before it breaks. Just I've seen some with tack welds that crack eventually. I wouldn't worry in your case.

[spents]

19 hours ago, nareshpatel101 said:

The spring is still bright red, and seems very rigid, no issues whilst its idling either.

Spents, I'm glad you informed me the Turtle Racing mounting plate isn't complete, so I'm i right in saying I would still require one ofthese:

-https://www.rcmodelz.co.uk/alloy-clutch-housing-16653.html

 

 

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if the springs still red and it feels good then run it mate,

the link you put dont work mate, but if its the carrier i think it is then no it wont work with the turtle gear plate,

this is the one i think you mean,

https://www.rcmodelz.co.uk/upgrades/km-buggy-hpi-baja/drivetrain/alloy-clutch-housing.html?___SID=S,

 

it has the gearplate brace built in and so does the turtle plate, so unless you start modding stuff ie; chopping bits off then it wont work,

do you want to upgrade to a turtle plate ? if so , then why not (but its much more expensive) upgarde to a full trutle clutch system,

that comes with the carrier and bell as a kit, but bear in mind it will come with a turtle bell which has a different pinion drive setup, 

so you will need a turtle pinion of the right size as well,

i think the systems come with a pinion though, but depends size teeth wise the supplied pinion is,

and larger the pinion the smaller the spur gear you will need , 

larger pinion makes gearing taller, so you need to make sure you have an engine with enough power to pull the gearing used,

remember, on a baja, the pinion and spur should always add up to 74 teeth in total so the gears mesh right,

ie; 17/57 which is stock,

for example if you use a 19t pinion the you will need a 55t spur and so on,

other issue is making different parts work together that are made by different manufacturers, as above the carrier you listed wont work with the turtle gear plate ,

research everything you can and ask questions on forums etc to get as much info as possible before you buy mix n match parts,

most stuff will work together, but sometimes it just aint gonna happen, most manufacturers have a different idea on tolerance as well,

so alloy parts sometimes holes a tad off and can be a real pain to fit,

sorry this posts a bit long winded lol,

but always double and triple check before you part with your cash, especially if its something on the more expensive side,

 

 

 

[nareshpatel101]

if the springs still red and it feels good then run it mate,
the link you put dont work mate, but if its the carrier i think it is then no it wont work with the turtle gear plate,
this is the one i think you mean,
https://www.rcmodelz.co.uk/upgrades/km-buggy-hpi-baja/drivetrain/alloy-clutch-housing.html?___SID=S,
 
it has the gearplate brace built in and so does the turtle plate, so unless you start modding stuff ie; chopping bits off then it wont work,
do you want to upgrade to a turtle plate ? if so , then why not (but its much more expensive) upgarde to a full trutle clutch system,
that comes with the carrier and bell as a kit, but bear in mind it will come with a turtle bell which has a different pinion drive setup, 
so you will need a turtle pinion of the right size as well,
i think the systems come with a pinion though, but depends size teeth wise the supplied pinion is,
and larger the pinion the smaller the spur gear you will need , 
larger pinion makes gearing taller, so you need to make sure you have an engine with enough power to pull the gearing used,
remember, on a baja, the pinion and spur should always add up to 74 teeth in total so the gears mesh right,
ie; 17/57 which is stock,
for example if you use a 19t pinion the you will need a 55t spur and so on,
other issue is making different parts work together that are made by different manufacturers, as above the carrier you listed wont work with the turtle gear plate ,
research everything you can and ask questions on forums etc to get as much info as possible before you buy mix n match parts,
most stuff will work together, but sometimes it just aint gonna happen, most manufacturers have a different idea on tolerance as well,
so alloy parts sometimes holes a tad off and can be a real pain to fit,
sorry this posts a bit long winded lol,
but always double and triple check before you part with your cash, especially if its something on the more expensive side,
 
 
 

I messaged rc modelz to ask if that would replace my original clutch carrier and they said it would be fine. I was hoping to kill 2 birds with one stone!! So no I rather not carry out any extra mods. Just need to replace the plastic carrier for a alloy one that's all really.
By the way my Baja is 26cc model with all the original parts, nothing modded to be honest, might consider modding the brakes to front cable discs and pads......

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[spents]

3 hours ago, nareshpatel101 said:

I messaged rc modelz to ask if that would replace my original clutch carrier and they said it would be fine. I was hoping to kill 2 birds with one stone!! So no I rather not carry out any extra mods. Just need to replace the plastic carrier for a alloy one that's all really.
By the way my Baja is 26cc model with all the original parts, nothing modded to be honest, might consider modding the brakes to front cable discs and pads......

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yeh that carrier would replace yours if you used the stock gear plate mate, it would just need major mods (or major ish  ) if you used the turtle gear plate thats all,

rcmodelz are spot on as far as i'm concerned mate, never had any problems with em, well had the odd problem with a pack of tyres once but they sorted that with no issues,

and technically it was a packaging issue anyways and not there mistake if that makes sense lol,

and yeh i get what ya mean about two birds with one stone, my post above was just to make you aware that not everything bolts up first time sometimes,

as for the brakes, thats your decision mate, everyone has the right to make there baja there own with modifying em, and if front brakes are what you want then go for it,

done the front brake thing with hydro brakes myself as will have quite a few on here and it all boils down to personal choice when all said and done,

myself i prefer replacing the stock disc and pad setup with RCR ones , night and day difference with braking power as long as you have a half decent throttle/brake servo to gowith it,

 

 

 

 

[nareshpatel101]

Nice to have info glad you guys are on here for guidance. I'll leave the the Turtle Racing plate.
Whilst I've stripped the car down can you see if my brake discs and pads or OK plz? By the way my throttle/brake servo I'm using is Hitec HS645MG and steering servo is Savox Jumbo 40kg SAV-SV0236MG

Also I'm replacing my shock piston sleeves my original ones are now ripped, I was gonna order these:-

https://www.rcmodelz.co.uk/cnc-6mm-rear-suspension-piston-pair-orange-2043.html?id=6912&key=5f07c5e8702b6&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=logolink&utm_campaign=spring_sale

Question, I'm i right in saying when stated 6mm,8mm and 10mm that is the actual size of the piston rod? So I can go for 8mm or 10mm without modding the shock housing etc?? All my shocks see the genuine ones that came with the car.
Oh coz I've stripped them all down how much shock oil do I have to replace for both front and rear plz?


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[spents]

your discs will be fine mate, just give the faces a rub off with some scotch bright to take any glaze off em, clean em etc,

pads may be fine, they look to have plenty wear left in em, clean the faces off with wet n dry/ sandpaper to take any glaze off and see what they look like,

or replace with new pads, upgrade to RCR  discs and pads as and if you want to, RCR brakes are night and day difference to stock setup,

if you still have the spring on the brake arm at the brake arm end, back of car i mean, then remove spring and replace with a piece of heavy duty fuel line,

still cushions a little but will make the brakes much better 

a more powerfull servo would help with brakes as well, but do the mods above and brakes will get better, or should do lol,

then upgrade as and when you can afford to, or if you burn the servo out over time etc,

as far as i'm aware the shock rod sets are fully interchangbeable, ie; you can fit 8mm shock rod/seal set as you listed into the 6mm and so on, not sure about the 10mm shafts though,

someone else may know,

get yourself a few bottles of shock oil , it will get used up , cant rememeber off hand how much each stock shock holds, 

and stock hpi shocks use mineral based oil and not silicon based, if i remember right the silicon oils can affect the seals in hpi shocks, someone may put me right if i'm wrong on that though lol,

experiment with different weight shock oils as well, handling can be improved using a heavier oil, personal choice but i like 35wt front and rear, 

[nareshpatel101]

Thanks for the info spents, I'll try cleaning up my pads and discs, and replace the spring on the brake rod. Definitely upgrade to RCR discs and pads if I have no joy with this set.
Just out of interest what servos would you recommend or which ones are you running?
Thanks again spents for your help and advise really appreciate it mate

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