Topic: Click, click! From the gearbox?!

[joerg]

Hi folks....

very very bad news. (
I fitted a brand new belt, then pressed the motor switch a couple of times. It seemed to work. Then I fitted the wheel and put the C5 on it's wheels. While standing next to the vehicle (not sitting in it) I pressed the motor switch again while watching the drive cog and the belt through the wheel that I hadn't covered with the white caps.
And well...unfortunately, the drive cog is now really gone:



Any idea how this could have happened? The belt was brand new and the tension was allright. And well, the vehicle was empty and very easy to push forward.

Hmm, I now definitely need the metal insert...Chas, should I post the damaged one to you or should I simply discard it? I thought you might still use the metal poles or so.

Thanks a lot,

Jörg

[kamilb1998]

  Holy crap! How have you managed to do that?!

One thing I can see from the picture straight away is that the gearbox doesn't appear to be correctly sat on the plastic 'wall'. It should be underneath supporting the gearbox.

[PLOD11]

Never seen anything like that before,      How long was the motor running ?  It looks like the gear box was not turning and the belt has just melted the drive shaft  :-

As  Kamil says the gearbox is not sitting on the wall 

[marra]

wow  . thats a first for me. If the gearbox did not turn I cannot see how this has happened, the main cog is free wheel ( no belt turn to gearbox when running ) one way this could have happened is perhaps the main cog was on the wrong way round, the gearbox was turning and the main cog did not as there was resistance  . A mess whatever .

[joerg]

Hmm, the motor was on for about 15 seconds....
What do you exactly mean with "the wall"? The shaft of the small outside cog? With the bigger diameter? Or the fingers that snap into the brown thing?

Jörg

[PLOD11]

If the gearbox did not turn I cannot see how this has happened.

Yes you are right (not got my brain in gear  )

Have a look at the pic in this thread, there are also several other threads on this subject 
http://c5alive.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,1994.0.html

[PLOD11]

This link shows how the gera box should be sitting

http://c5alive.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,1181.msg15044.html#msg15044

[joerg]

Ahh, thanks....now I finally got it!
I have had a look at the cable tie solution earlier, but I didn't quite get the point that the wall need to be underneath the brown plastic.
There's this piece of metal that seems to hold the wall in place, is that enough or should I better go for the cable tie?
If I just push the motor a bit more forward and then tigthen the motor mount again, that should fix it, right?

Just to make sure I got it right: With the plastic wall in the wrong position, the gearbox has some play and can move when it's turning. And that causes the belt slip, even though the tension seems allright when the motor is not turning. Correct?

Damn, this will be an expensive lesson for me... I hope Chas or anybody else can help me out of this with a new (metal) insert.
I fortunately have two C5s - this one which is my "learning object" (which was in a very bad condition when I got it). It will be equipped with a microcontroller and cool sensors and upgraded to 24V as soon as the mechanics are working....and the other one, which is still in the original condition and will not be touched for experiments

Jörg

[PLOD11]

The metal bar was an early solution by sinclair to over come the problem , which now can be easily  overcome with a good strong cable tie.

Adjustment of the tension on the belt  is done by rotating the motor/ gearbox once in place and before tightening up the main bolt.

Hope this helps ... 

I am sure Chas will be able to help you out  ..   

[C5 ENTHUSIAST + RESTORER]

Hi that is some wear on the teeth ....Like in the email I sent to you I will be having some more alloy  inserts made next week And I will contact you when they are made ...And post them on the site for sale .........bye Chas

ps take a look at the item on the Chas section  under Metal gearbox insert

You can also look at my videos on You tube under JAYDAN8ISH   take a look at them they may help you ....

[Retro Andy]

Not something you want to happen when you are a distance from home. I think the alloy remakes that Chas has had made is the ideal solution for keeping your C5 back on the road and reliable.

Retro Andy.

[C5 ENTHUSIAST + RESTORER]

Hi there Andy that is a lot of wear I feel that there is something else not right there but I cannot figure it out ..I have passed on my number to Joerg I think it's the only way to get it sorted out ..

[Karl]

Holy crap! How have you managed to do that?!

..my thoughts exactly , never seen a gearbox cog toasted like that before 

Are you sure the motor/gearbox was able to rotate freely ?

[PLOD11]

The gearbox and motor were rotating ok, its the bigger drive wheel and the belt that wasn't ... 

MAY BE PUT BACK ON WRONG WAY ROUND ?

[steve_1360]

Yes looks like the axle must have been stationary while the motor was turning. Was the drive wheel turning? Very strange. If the big plastic gear was on the wrong way round wouldn't it just free wheel when power applied?