Kyosho Nitro Tracker

[iggy the igloo]

I am new to the rc hobby, I am having trouble with my gears constantly stripping on my kyosho nitro tracker. if anyone could direct me in what I should do, that would highly appreciated.

 

[alfredwong2003]

Make sure the gears are not meshed too tight and the gears are align properly. When you have it setup, push it around and all gears should run smoothly. Also make sure the engine mounts are secured with thread lock.

 

[iggy the igloo]

Make sure the gears are not meshed too tight and the gears are align properly. When you have it setup, push it around and all gears should run smoothly. Also make sure the engine mounts are secured with thread lock.

How do I adjust gear mesh? Never done it before.

 

[iggy the igloo]

How do I adjust gear mesh? Never done it before.

How do I adjust gear mesh? Never done it before.

 

[alfredwong2003]

You should be able to put a piece of paper between the gears without chewing up the paper.

 

[iggy the igloo]

You should be able to put a piece of paper between the gears without chewing up the paper.

Thanks man I'll give it a go.

 

[olds97_lss]

What gears are stripping on you? Clutch bell/spur or diffs or in the transmission?

 

[iggy the igloo]

What gears are stripping on you? Clutch bell/spur or diffs or in the transmission?

Its a two speed, its the spur gears that are stripping

 

[olds97_lss]

Have you replaced the clutch bell bearing recently? I can't get to the manual, my antivirus blocks it... lol!

Looking at the parts list, it appears to use a long needle type bearing:
https://rc.kyosho.com/en/nt025.html

https://rc.kyosho.com/en/97004.html

My old HPI NitroMT used one of those and they would get sloppy pretty quick allowing the clutch bell to float and not run as true. With a single speed, there's not as much deflection, but with a long bell for a 2-speed, wouldn't take much wear to allow it to move too much.

Looking at the chassis, the engine mount holes don't appear to be slotted, so I'd assume the gear mesh is fixed and cannot be adjusted. Hard to tell for certain since I can't look at the manual.

 

[iggy the igloo]

Have you replaced the clutch bell bearing recently? I can't get to the manual, my antivirus blocks it... lol!

Looking at the parts list, it appears to use a long needle type bearing:
https://rc.kyosho.com/en/nt025.html

https://rc.kyosho.com/en/97004.html

My old HPI NitroMT used one of those and they would get sloppy pretty quick allowing the clutch bell to float and not run as true. With a single speed, there's not as much deflection, but with a long bell for a 2-speed, wouldn't take much wear to allow it to move too much.

Looking at the chassis, the engine mount holes don't appear to be slotted, so I'd assume the gear mesh is fixed and cannot be adjusted. Hard to tell for certain since I can't look at the manual.

Slotted meaning there's room for adjustment for the engine. If that's the case, then NO, its not slotted. I simply screw in the engine to the chassis. If the gear mesh is fixed, is this going to be a habitual problem? Constantly having to replace the clutch bell?

 

[olds97_lss]

Slotted meaning there's room for adjustment for the engine. If that's the case, then NO, its not slotted. I simply screw in the engine to the chassis. If the gear mesh is fixed, is this going to be a habitual problem? Constantly having to replace the clutch bell?

Well, replacing the needle bearing may be something you have to keep a close eye on. I'd check the bearing to see how it looks and if it seems bad, order a couple to have a spare.

 

[iggy the igloo]

Well, replacing the needle bearing may be something you have to keep a close eye on. I'd check the bearing to see how it looks and if it seems bad, order a couple to have a spare.

I'm really new to the rc world. Its quiet the learning curve. But thanks man, I will give it a go. What exactly should I look for when examining it?

 

[olds97_lss]

I'm really new to the rc world. Its quiet the learning curve. But thanks man, I will give it a go. What exactly should I look for when examining it?

With the NitroMT I had, the bearings fell out of the cage... so it was pretty obvious it was well worn. Also, the cage itself was pretty melted.

You can try just wiggling the bell around before taking it off and see if you feel a lot of wiggle/movement of the bell on the crank. If you don't, I'd still remove it and check as it could be melted making it seem like it's good until it heats up again.

Also, what do the spur gears look like when stripped? Got a photo?

 

[iggy the igloo]

Oh ok. Ill upload a photo later, for a deeper opinion.

With the NitroMT I had, the bearings fell out of the cage... so it was pretty obvious it was well worn. Also, the cage itself was pretty melted.

You can try just wiggling the bell around before taking it off and see if you feel a lot of wiggle/movement of the bell on the crank. If you don't, I'd still remove it and check as it could be melted making it seem like it's good until it heats up again.

Also, what do the spur gears look like when stripped?

 

[iggy the igloo]

With the NitroMT I had, the bearings fell out of the cage... so it was pretty obvious it was well worn. Also, the cage itself was pretty melted.

You can try just wiggling the bell around before taking it off and see if you feel a lot of wiggle/movement of the bell on the crank. If you don't, I'd still remove it and check as it could be melted making it seem like it's good until it heats up again.

Also, what do the spur gears look like when stripped? Got a photo?

 

[iggy the igloo]

its the spur gears that keep stripping

 

[alfredwong2003]

its the spur gears that keep stripping

The first gear looks better and the second gears looks bad, not sure if the gear ratio is correct or just too tight. If it is a bearing issue, I would think in this case, the first gear would look bad.

 

[iggy the igloo]

The first gear looks better and the second gears looks bad, not sure if the gear ratio is correct or just too tight. If it is a bearing issue, I would think in this case, the first gear would look bad.

The first gear (the gear sticking outward), is actually worse and is typically the first gear to strip.

 

[olds97_lss]

The one furthest from the bell would be the most likely one to be worse, that would be 1st gear, the larger of the two spurs.

Could also be your motor mount is loose or cracked, or your getting a lot of chassis flex. Chassis flex was also an issue on my NMT. I put a 1/8" thick steel plate on the chassis below the engine and center spur so they both locked the plate down to the chassis and it was a lot stiffer between the bell/spur. Kind of like using a sledgehammer when a tack hammer would do... but it did help.

You can see the plate here:

 

[iggy the igloo]

The one furthest from the bell would be the most likely one to be worse, that would be 1st gear, the larger of the two spurs.

Could also be your motor mount is loose or cracked, or your getting a lot of chassis flex. Chassis flex was also an issue on my NMT. I put a 1/8" thick steel plate on the chassis below the engine and center spur so they both locked the plate down to the chassis and it was a lot stiffer between the bell/spur. Kind of like using a sledgehammer when a tack hammer would do... but it did help.

You can see the plate here:

should I start by checking my motor mounts first? I do believe that the gear mesh is set because engine position is adjustable.