Having completed after 3 years my R1 Locost, which i imensley proud of the achievement, im feeling a bit disappointed about the general clattering clonking and overrun noise i get.

I had the Diff rebuilt last week as there seemed to be an excessive amount of backlash, which i was later informed was due to wear in the pinion bearing and a badly adjusted pinion.

It now seems to be marginally better but i just cant seem to let it rest that theres something not quite right.

It had new wheel bearings during the build and now the diff is rebuilt, do i now replace drive shafts, and get a TRT prop, or do i just accept that its going to be as agricultural as it is, yet worry that something is going to break up, and create a mess.

I tried my first fast start today with higher revs and it didnt seem to like it much, making what sounded like a shuddering noise at the centre bearing.

I guess having built everything there is an element of doubt in my mind that ive done something wrong. Is this normal.

Any BEC drivers in the Herne Bay area of Kent please feel free to come and give me a second opinion.

Chris.

mhhh

the R1 clutch didn't it had some antijudder spring in the clutch wich could/can be modded...

ask every one about the clutch of your year/model combo..

i thought sometimes that they take out that antijudder thing...

also takeout the prop/centre bearing and ask a specialist what the state is of it...

Tks

sounds about right to me takes a bit of getting used to after jumping out of a tin top

A TRT prop will certainly help and also give your gearbox a much easier time.

If my engine is not set up correctly and shunts/hunts it clatters, rejetting sorted that out when coasting along.

You need to practice driving quietly/smoothly, foot off the gas for clutchless upshifts etc.

[Edited on 22/4/08 by mark chandler]

Like you say I think it would be a good idea to get a second opinion.
I take it you have checked all of the prop bolts etc?
Also how many miles have you done in it in total?
Have you one of those reverse boxes in it?
Lots of things can cause what you are describing and although they are completely different to tin tops etc as people have said IMHO if you feel it's not quite right then chances are something is not quite right.
I would hate to say carry on and get used to it and then your next post was because of a prop flailing about!

Got the prop from MK, so it could be the centre rubber mount that f.....d, as that section it was supplied as second hand.

I have no reverse box.

Im gonna go for a drive and record the noise later today, so hopefully ill put up a link to a video.

Ive checked all drive shaft bolts, that all seems ok.

The noise is deffinately coming from the diff/ drive shaft/drum area.

Hold the prop in your hand and twist it anticlockwise and clockwise - engine off of course - should help identifying where the problem is coming from.

Pat...

If you think it is coming from the centre bearing, how is it mounted. I was told to keep it as close to 90degrees as possible to the prop. I had to make a wedge to go top and bottom of the mounting plate to achieve this. I have it almost 90 degrees.
Rescued attachment Prop centre bearing wedge.JPG

It should be silky-sweet when going for it, but a bit clunky at lower engine speeds. Do you have any severe angles on any of your prop UJ's? Is the output flange tight?

A TRT will definitely help smooth things out a bit....