Chain Heat Testing

[standfast]

Yeah, fill it until you put about 1/2" under oil.

I don't have any bearings or seals. I just have the flat plate of the back side of the chain case siliconed up against the surfaces that sticks out of the motor that houses the output shaft bearing. Same thing on the RPM. There is a snout that sitcks out that houses the input shaft bearing. I just siliconed to that surface. Takes a lot of the precision out of the mix so it can be fabricated with basic tools and welded up. Pretty simple really. You just need to figure out some spacers for the bolts to put that back plate at the correct distance to seal it up. The surface I sealed to on the RPM was .300 further inward than the engine sealing surface so I spaced that sealing surface back with a piece of 1/4" plate and some shims and welded it on. The holes that the shafts come through were just made with a hole saw. Very basic really. A little time consuming to make but a simple concept.

I also got some M6 all-thread from Barnhill Bolt to space the slave cylinder out since it will interfere with the chain case. Machined some spacers to move it out 1" from the factory location and those run to a piece of 1/4" plate with the holes in the same locations to mount the slave cylinder to. We then took a piece of solid stock round and machined a sleeved extension for the clutch pushrod to move that out 1". Sounds complex typing it out but it was quite basic itself. Just pickup as many mounting points for the slave cylinder as you can so it doesn't move on you.

Here is some pics of that. Sorry some of them are from my phone but you'll get the idea.

[K-fab]

Nice setup.

I know you're running a cooler on the tranny - by chance are you circulating the oil in the chain housing with the tranny oil? Might be a way to keep the temp down even more.

[nutz4sand]

Originally Posted by K-fab

Nice setup.

I know you're running a cooler on the tranny - by chance are you circulating the oil in the chain housing with the tranny oil? Might be a way to keep the temp down even more.

I'm sorta just thinking out loud here but wouldn't that maybe add heat from the motor and tranny possibly?

I could see (if needed) having its own cooling fins or even a pump with a tiny radiator. Even just tubes that carried air in thru the box and back out to cool the oil more that way.

[LiveWire]

I would think once it is in oil, the temps will be dramatically lowered. The surface area of the case is significantly more than the chain itself. A temp guage could be plumed in pretty easily though. While the clear cover may look cool, an aluminum one with fins would dissipate more heat. It would probably look cool too.

[standfast]

i just wanted to be able to see what was going on before i concealed it. I agree an aluminum cover would disipate heat better. One i have a bunch of miles on it i was going to put a aluminum cover on it maybe with a small window in it.

[LiveWire]

Yeah, I think it would look cool.

[roostingrhino]

have you tested the temp now? wonder how much temp has droped...
i would think enclosed like it is and oil bath it should last a really long time...

[nutz4sand]

I agree a nice finned aluminum would look cool but the clear cover and being able to see it seems very nice.

Myself I would prefer the clear cover and adding a way to cool the oil IF it needs it.

Like Roost I wonder what the chain temp is now with a run like you used to do that would fry orings out of master links (and the rest) on the old setup.

[K-fab]

If you decide to machine a cover out of aluminum, go to your local Honda (motorcycle) shop and get one of the little oil level sight windows that you find in the clutch cover of a CRF450. Any year model - guaranteed they're in '05 on up.

You can then figure out where you want your oil level, machine a hole, press the window in and tada, instant oil level checking with a nice aluminum, heat dissipating cover.

[roostingrhino]

hows it holding up? anything you would change?