Engine Trouble Clutch Problems, Small bearings keep falling out!! HELP!!!

[Samlovesham321]

I just bought an 80cc engine for my bicycle. I went to start it for the first time and went to find out the plug cap to the spark plug was bad. I brought it to a friend who said he had a new one and he would splice the wire and replace it. He ended up giving it to his other friend, but when he was looking at the bike he took the clutch cover off and tightened the clutch nut which when he tried to start it, it caused all the bearings to fall out. He's not very smart and I had to go through hell and back just to find replacement bearings because he lost all of them. Today I re greased the bearing race and put the steel balls back in and went to start it. The same thing happened. The bearings kept falling out and just scattering around the clutch plate. I don't understand why this keeps happening? Any one else have this problem?

 

[dougsr.874]

What bearing are you talking about???

 

[crassius]

if you mean the 57 tiny bearings in the clutch hub, then it means the hub wasn't pressed together properly at the factory

I took one apart once just to see what was there & got it pressed together again OK, but would never do it again as the part is only about $14 new.

 

[Samlovesham321]

if you mean the 57 tiny bearings in the clutch hub, then it means the hub wasn't pressed together properly at the factory

I took one apart once just to see what was there & got it pressed together again OK, but would never do it again as the part is only about $14 new.

Yea it is the small metal bearings that sit in the bearing race and then go around the plate with the clutch pads. I didn't see how my idiot friend took it apart so I don't know if it was seated in and he popped it out. It makes sense though that it needs to be pressed in. How do I press it in if I don't have a bearing press?

 

[crassius]

it's hard - I'll never do it again

you can't hold the bearings in place with grease as then you'll end up with grease on your clutch pads - I used some assembly grease that dissolves in gas, then washed it all out before putting the pads in

without a press, you'd need to hammer it together which would probably knock the bearings all over the place

time to go to ebay & get another unless you have several hours to kill trying & re-trying to get it right

EDIT: thinking more, it should never have come apart without some serious effort on your friend's part - makes me think it was defective or improperly assembled in the first place & possibly unfixable now