Cold Weather vs. RK400C clutch?

[cowlove 33]

It got below 30degF for a while here in Seattle, and my 582's clutch started acting up.  It was definitely freewheeling properly when I last parked the plane, but I found the clutch solidly stuck during my next preflight.  I hand propped the engine over a few times trying to see if it would free itself, but it was solid.   I came back when it was warmer, and the clutch would slip slightly, but made screeching noises and was definitely not free-spinning as normal. 

Bringing the plane home for a gearbox/clutch inspection is definitely in order, but in the meantime I'm pondering things.  Has anyone heard of anything similar? 

 

 

[akflyer 1427]

Sounds like it may have gotten moisture in it and it froze up?  How much warmer was it when you came back?  It takes a while for a cold soaked engine to actually warm up to ambient temp.

 

[Yamma-Fox 403]

In MN I always keep a hairdryer or propane heater handy for all my dang machines!

But a temporoary drop below 30 degrees  doesn't sound cold enough to freeze it up... 

Hope it turns out ok.

Please post back with what you find  (I am also planning to use the clutch here in cold weather)

Edited 21 Jan 2017 by MN Kitfox 2

[cowlove 33]

Finally got around to tearing down the gearbox/clutch.  A large chunk of lining had come off and was causing the drag and squealing.  Given the problems started suddenly in the cold, without having run or touched the engine, I think that some moisture was trapped under the lining and broke it off during the cold.

Clutch overhaul kits seem to be on backorder everywhere... Grrr.

Jim

 

[Yamma-Fox 403]

Finally got around to tearing down the gearbox/clutch.  A large chunk of lining had come off and was causing the drag and squealing.  Given the problems started suddenly in the cold, without having run or touched the engine, I think that some moisture was trapped under the lining and broke it off during the cold.

Clutch overhaul kits seem to be on backorder everywhere... Grrr.

Jim

 

 

Curious, how many hours were on that clutch before it failed?

And BTW, I saw a guy had one listed for sale here recently:

http://www.avidfoxflyers.com/index.php?/topic/4832-excellent-shape-rk-400-clutch-for-c-box/

[dholly 718]

Sorry, not familiar with these clutch things but it seems Leni ran his for years in some pretty crappy winter conditions with no cold weather issues? How could moisture infiltrate, freeze and expand sufficiently to crack the lining which caused a subsequent failure... ie., is the housing open? Or does the lining simply have a TBO and is considered a wear replaceable consumable?

[cowlove 33]

About 150 hours on the clutch at this point.  The friction linings are definitely a consumable item, and were *right* at the wear limits anyway, so I'm not bummed at all.    

It's almost completely implausible that moisture could get in the clutch- the entire engine is well-covered by a fairing, and the entire interior of the clutch housing and clutch itself has a very light and delicate layer of clutch dust from the last 50-ish hours of operation that would show a single drop or trickle of condensation.  

However, it definitely happened while the plane was sitting during the cold.  I have to handle the prop to put on the plane's canvas cover, and it was as free-spinning as ever when I put the plane away.   Then a few days later on a cold morning, the clutch was engaged solid as a rock, and the motor could easily be hand-propped.    A few days after that, on a warmer morning, the clutch had some heavy drag on it, but would move with some squealing.   All without moving or starting the plane. 

Anyway, I plan to keep using the clutch with the new parts, and will report back any info.