Think I've bitten off more than I can chew!

[waveydavey]

Any chance of doing a video Ian, easier to listen to and advise

[ianmat]

Video here: https://youtu.be/RWdIojo3tmg

[waveydavey]

Have you had the clutch and stack apart I an because it sounds like the clutch has thrown a leave and it's loose in the bell. Once you get up to speed it will be thrown against the bell and wont move, idle and it will rattle. The clutch will work with 1 leave but it's normally a bit unbalanced.

[ianmat]

Clutch and bell are both brand new... I'm starting to wonder if the silencer has a loose baffle?

[waveydavey]

It's possible but it's normally the other way round, idle nothing and when the pipe comes on the baffle banging about. It's a bad rumble and you should be able to work out where it's coming from just by listening to where the rumble is loudest. How strange

[trillian]

Was it doing the same sound before you changed the clutch? It almost sounds like a loose bolt rattling around inside of something.

[electricsceadu]

just because the clutch is new doesn't mean that its any good
the last new 600 clutch and bell I fitted lasted 4 flights
just the std clutch liner and fit a thicker liner in it

[ianmat]

It sounded like that with the other clutch and bell. When I took it apart, they both looked serviceable but I though I would change them anyway. I can't see anything obvious... all bearings seem good, but the noise is like something large rattling!! I'll try flying it again tomorrow now that I know that nothing is going to fly off and do any damage and if the noise persists, I'll strip the whole thing down and check all moving parts. I was hoping it might have been a common problem and someone would have heard it before... maybe not such the Ebay bargain I thought!

[ianmat]

I had fully expected to take it apart and find the clutch broken... before I changed it and was surprised to see no obvious source of the noise... For the record, it flies perfectly... rock solid. I might have to start replacing the various drive train bearings?

[Coxy]

Check the bearings in the starter shaft assembly.... Have you any pinion movement.

[ianmat]

Okay, having replaced all the bearings associated with the clutch and starter mechanism, the sound was still there. So I removed the engine again and decided to strip it... guess what??
Yep, the engine bearings are shot! So £20 later and I will have hopefully sorted it. It's strange, the rest of the engine is in amazing condition, liner is unscored and there is plenty of compression... fortunately, I've done engine bearings before, so not a big deal.
Thanks for all the helpful advice, hopefully, I'll be back in the air soon (when the bearings arrive)!