FG Clutch not engaging

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
D

ddhdragon

Member
Messages
10
Reaction score
0
Location
MN
I have a FG monster beetle pro with a GP29 engine I bought used (supposed to only been run for less than a tank). I was running it for the first time yesterday and everything was going fine then I stopped the truck and when I tried to go again the engine would rev but it did not move. I could not hear any grinding or slipping noises as if it had stripped gears or something slipping only the engine revving. So I brought it in thinking it was the clutch but when I tore it down and took a look at it the clutch bell looked like it might have overheated (outside was discolored) but other than that it all looked good. The shoes were intact and when I turned them the engine would turn over. I re-inspected all of the gears and all looked great...no noticeable wear, chips, missing teeth or cracks. So then I thought maybe I blew the diff and I took that out and opened it up and again all gears look good, including the splines on the shafts for the cups.

So I am back to thinking it is the clutch. As I said earlier when I would give it gas I only heard the engine rev, I could not hear and other noises that would indicate something is wrong. Can or will a clutch get stuck in the closed (non-engaged) position? If it can what causes it and what do I need to do to fix it?

Sorry if I am not explaining things well this is my first gasser and I have limited experience with nitro.

Thanks in advance for any help or suggestion you may provide.

Dave
 
Take the model and start it. Hold it down tight or place it against a non-moving object so it cannot move. Remove the cover/top so you can inspect all the interior items and gears. Look to see what is not spinning when you give it gas. 1st the clutch will engage and spin the bell. 2nd the bell will turn the pinion. 3rd the pinion will turn the spur and so on. If you have a plastic gear set then the pinion has probably melted in the center and is just letting the pinion gear spin on the shaft.

Good luck and let us know!
 
After going over everything again yesterday I decided to do just what you suggested and put it back together and try running it so I could see exaclty what was and was not working. To my surprise it worked just fine...I still don't know why it quite working the one day but it was working like a champ yesterday...that is until i lost a bolt from the front suspension. :o

Thanks for the reply

Dave
 
you probably had a loose grub screw on one of the drive squares or gears along the drive train. when you put it back together, the loose one was probably tightened back up.

did you apply Blue Locktite to all your metal to metal screws and grubs?
 
It is has a full metal drive train and yes I used locktite on all metal to metal screws and grubs. Thanks for your responses.

Dave
 
I use retaining compound Loctite brand to hold my FG together and it works a treat. only problem is you need to apply heat to undo it but other than that it's all good.
 
Just to clarify the screw I lost in the front end was the one that holds the top suspension arm to the front upright (plastic) so no loctight otherwise the loctight had plenty of time to dry and held fine.
I had heard at one time that when putting screws into plastic/nylon you can use canopy glue as a replacement for loctight but I have never tried it. Anyone else ever heard of this?

Thanks again for everyones input!

Dave
 
ddhdragon said:
Just to clarify the screw I lost in the front end was the one that holds the top suspension arm to the front upright (plastic) so no loctight otherwise the loctight had plenty of time to dry and held fine.
Dave
Click to expand...

The front uprights have a small metal ring in the center of the plastic that the bolt screws into. To get the locktight to work properly it is a must to disassemble. Remove the shaft by removing the wheel, square and pushing the shaft out the rear. Then you can drip the blue locktight into the hole hitting the threads on the metal ring and bolt the bolt through the ring and wipe off the extra. If you bend the bolts as you will, go to the hardware store and pick up some extras. The rears aren't made that way and it is plastic so if those back out or get loose and strip try using a more aggressive screw the same length as the original or if that fails use a bit of super glue to hole the screw in place.:)
 
Thanks for the insight on the uprights, I would have never noticed that and was about to order some alloy ones so I could locktight them. So you saved me a lot of money and that was needed especially since I need to order the alloy motor mounts. I still have a lot to learn but thanks to members like yourself there may be hope yet. :)
 
The alloy front uprights are a great investment! Make sure when you order them you make sure they are the MT uprights - Use no others! This will allow you to keep your turning radius and clear your front arms with front brakes.

Where are you buying your FG parts from?
 
Back
Top