Clutch bell assembly + starter shaft play

[crf87]

How much vertical play should there be in the clutch bell + starter shaft assembly?
I have about 1mm of play in mine on the N5c, seems to be too much for my liking. Problem is I cant get the top part off the shaft where the starter goes. would like to know how much play there should be ? as I don't want to pull the engine out to get to the assembly if the amount of play I have is fine.

[ROSSCO]

Hi crf87,

You should'nt have any vertical play in the clutch/starter shaft assembly, it sounds as though the starter adapter hex cup may have slipped causing the starter shaft to shift down. Unfortunately the only way to rectify this is to remove the clutch bell/starter shaft assembly, what you need to do is remove the assembly and then remove/loosen the set screw holding the starter adapter cup onto the shaft and then compress them together making sure the stepped portion of the start shaft seats against the bearing in the clutch bell and the starter adapter cup seats against the top bearing in the bearing block. All you need to do then is make sure the set screw in the starter cup adapter is aligned with the flat on the starter shaft and then secure with loctite.

Hope this helps, any questions or if i can help just give me a shout.
Cheers,
Ross

[crf87]

Hi Ross

You have confirmed what I was thinking. Had Just finished installing the engine when I noticed the issue, bummer, oh well at least i'll be good at taking it apart lol.

Thanks.

[crf87]

So after taking the starter shaft assembly apart I found that the top hex cup had spun on the shaft. Had to clean the burs off the shaft and re install it, job done.

My last job is to re do the gear mesh, whats the best way to get a good mesh on the N5c? looks like if you get it slightly off It could strip these teeth really easy.

[ROSSCO]

So after taking the starter shaft assembly apart I found that the top hex cup had spun on the shaft. Had to clean the burs off the shaft and re install it, job done.

This can happen if the set screw does not contact the flat on the start shaft correctly, with these parts i will usually clean the threaded surfaces with meths to give the loctite a good clean surface to bond to and then give the grub screw a good nip up with a hex wrench.

My last job is to re do the gear mesh, whats the best way to get a good mesh on the N5c? looks like if you get it slightly off It could strip these teeth really easy.

Getting the mesh set good is well worth doing, i usually use the paper method, it has surved me well but some have other methods.

The pinch style hub should require no dial indicating but the design of the clutch stack does allow you some movement to get a good gear meash and alignment. If the alignment is off slightly it can induce a small vibration. Best way to get a good alignment is to have the engine bolted tight to the engine mounts but leave the engine mount bolts to frame loose, also leave the clutch stack bearing block bolts loose also. Set the gear meash of the pinion gear to main gear with a slip of paper in between the gear and pinion and then push on the block towards the gear and tighten the bolts, next adjust the engineby lifting it up and down while twisting the start shaft, what you are looking for here is a smooth spot which will indicate the start shaft is in alignment with the engine. Once you have set this tighten up the enigne mount bolts and make sure the start shaft still runs smooth, take out the slip of paper and you should have a perfect gear mech and alignment.

Hope this helps, any questions or if i can help just give me a shout.
Cheers,
Ross

[crf87]

Managed to get out and try the N5c late Saturday afternoon after all the good advise I had from Ross and others especially Coolice with the engine tips. Got to say the N5c is flying better than ever even with the 30mph winds I had to deal with. this machine is a joy to fly.

[ROSSCO]

Managed to get out and try the N5c late Saturday afternoon after all the good advise I had from Ross and others especially Coolice with the engine tips. Got to say the N5c is flying better than ever even with the 30mph winds I had to deal with. this machine is a joy to fly.

That's really good to hear crf87, i'm pleased i was able to help!

Cheers,
Ross