H
HoughMade
Guest
I have always used grease- a lot of it, but grease only. It works OK and I was satisfied. There was some noise, but not real bad. However, one of the “problems” with the 4 stroke is that it is so quiet, every other noise besides the engine seems loud. Also, the clutch chattered if I revved up at a relatively low speed (48 tooth sprocket). I just figured I needed to pedal up faster. Doing that, no problem.
However, when is “good enough” ever good enough?
I ran into a friend of mine this week, I had not seen him in a little while. He is a gearhead, so I mentioned my motorized bike project- guess what, not only does he have one, he uses the exact engine (Honda from Small Engine Warehouse) and Grubee gearbox that I do. He suggested I try what is suggested on the bicycle-engines website- a 50-50 mix of gear lube (85-140) and stop leak. I decided, why not?
I had thought that something thicker than gear lube, but thinner than grease so it would flow may work because it would cling to gears. The key is the “stop leak”. I’m not talking about some substance just designed to swell seals, but to stuff you would add to engine oil (in the old days) to thicken it so it was too thick to leak much around worn guides. There is a product called “motor honey” that was as thick (or thicker) as honey. Sometimes it might be called “stop smoke” or something. The brand does not matter, but you want that thicker than thick stuff that says it keeps an engine from smoking.
Well, I got it- the gear lube pours great, the stop leak pours....eventually. I mixed in a container 50%-50%. I never expected this, but the real challenge was pouring it in- not hard, just took forever. You pour it in where the in/out control arm goes into the gearbox. It pours very, very slowly and it will make a mess if you try to go too fast. Also, add no more than 5 ounces, probably less. You just want enough for the gears to dip down into. You do not want to come anywhere close to filling the thing. If you put too much in (which I did, by maybe ½ ounce) the excess will back up out of the fill hole when the gearbox is engaged, but when enough is out, it will not come out anymore.
You may need to seal the gearbox. I used the original gasket, but I also used form-a-gasket as well. There was a little weeping at first at the seams, but it stopped.
The results? The clutch chatter is gone. A good thing. This means the clutch is engaging more smoothly because it slips in, rather than grabbing all at once. However, I have not been able to detect any slippage once the clutch is at a speed where it should be fully engaged. I can actually leave from a standing stop without pedaling- I do not suggest making it a habit, but I wanted to try it. Rather than just bucking and the engine wanting to die (it never had died, but it lugged very low before), it just takes off smoothly, if a little slow. The website says that the clutch may slip when you first try it, but slippage will stop after some use. I did not notice that (other than the gradual slippage on engagement). The website also says to add a little more when the clutch starts to chatter.
- Oh and noise- not gone, but markedly less. I still know its there, but I can hear the engine now.
I will report as I add more miles.
However, when is “good enough” ever good enough?
I ran into a friend of mine this week, I had not seen him in a little while. He is a gearhead, so I mentioned my motorized bike project- guess what, not only does he have one, he uses the exact engine (Honda from Small Engine Warehouse) and Grubee gearbox that I do. He suggested I try what is suggested on the bicycle-engines website- a 50-50 mix of gear lube (85-140) and stop leak. I decided, why not?
I had thought that something thicker than gear lube, but thinner than grease so it would flow may work because it would cling to gears. The key is the “stop leak”. I’m not talking about some substance just designed to swell seals, but to stuff you would add to engine oil (in the old days) to thicken it so it was too thick to leak much around worn guides. There is a product called “motor honey” that was as thick (or thicker) as honey. Sometimes it might be called “stop smoke” or something. The brand does not matter, but you want that thicker than thick stuff that says it keeps an engine from smoking.
Well, I got it- the gear lube pours great, the stop leak pours....eventually. I mixed in a container 50%-50%. I never expected this, but the real challenge was pouring it in- not hard, just took forever. You pour it in where the in/out control arm goes into the gearbox. It pours very, very slowly and it will make a mess if you try to go too fast. Also, add no more than 5 ounces, probably less. You just want enough for the gears to dip down into. You do not want to come anywhere close to filling the thing. If you put too much in (which I did, by maybe ½ ounce) the excess will back up out of the fill hole when the gearbox is engaged, but when enough is out, it will not come out anymore.
You may need to seal the gearbox. I used the original gasket, but I also used form-a-gasket as well. There was a little weeping at first at the seams, but it stopped.
The results? The clutch chatter is gone. A good thing. This means the clutch is engaging more smoothly because it slips in, rather than grabbing all at once. However, I have not been able to detect any slippage once the clutch is at a speed where it should be fully engaged. I can actually leave from a standing stop without pedaling- I do not suggest making it a habit, but I wanted to try it. Rather than just bucking and the engine wanting to die (it never had died, but it lugged very low before), it just takes off smoothly, if a little slow. The website says that the clutch may slip when you first try it, but slippage will stop after some use. I did not notice that (other than the gradual slippage on engagement). The website also says to add a little more when the clutch starts to chatter.
- Oh and noise- not gone, but markedly less. I still know its there, but I can hear the engine now.
I will report as I add more miles.
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