How to check for a bent spindle

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Home › ✈️Aircraft › 🚁Helicopter › e-Blade › Other › How to check for a bent spindle

05-23-2007 07:33 AM 13 years ago

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tutelar-rc

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Nobleton, Ontario - Canada

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How to check for a bent spindle

Bent Spindle > How to confirm that you have a bent spindle.
Note: This is intended as a supplement to the excellent work that has been done by Rob Moll at (http://www.bladecprepair.com) and SSG Scott at (http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=494197). I credit both these guys with giving me the knowledge to be successful in this great hobby! If you have not read all the information at both of these sites, you should.

This method allows you to confirm if you have a bent spindle that should be repaired/replaced, without the need to remove the entire head and spindle.

Symptoms
Signs of a bent spindle range from any one, to multiple, of the following:
1. main rotor blades no longer track,
2. main rotor pitch is “jumpy”, seeming to change on its own,
3. helicopter seems difficult to control in a hover, moving around on its own,
4. head wobble (although this is normally a bent main shaft),
5. loss of power.

Inspection
• Remove the main rotor blades.

• Use a 1.5mm hex wrench to turn one of the two socket head cap screws #013 – ELFH1159, turning the spindle inside the head assembly.

• Look for one of these indicators of a bent spindle:
1. the spindle is hard to turn,
2. there is up/down or sideways movement of the blade grips #070 – EFLH1171.

Visit (http://youtube.com/watch?v=9btqv9riAew) for a video of this method.

Note: ANY movement of the blade grips confirms that you have a bent spindle that should be repaired/replaced. Failure to correct the problem will cause significant difficulty in flying the model.

Repair
Go to (http://bladecprepair.com/man_mr_center_hub.html) to learn how to disassemble, repair, and assemble the Center Hub, Spindle and Blade Grip Assembly. Once disassembled, verify that the spindle is bent by rolling it on a sheet of glass or other perfectly flat surface.

Although BladeCPrepair shows how to repair the spindle, I have not had any luck in getting the spindle straight enough to use and always just replace the spindle.

After completing any repair, I always rebalance my Blade CPP by following SSG Scott’s direction at: (http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show...chmentid=812465).

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05-23-2007 01:44 PM 13 years ago

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bilbo

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Boston, MA - USA

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Thanks, that's useful to know.

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05-26-2007 03:19 AM 13 years ago

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tutelar-rc

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Nobleton, Ontario - Canada

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Does anyone have a good method to straighten a bent spindle?

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09-26-2007 05:27 PM 13 years ago

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nitro_joe

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Totowa, NJ

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Buy a new one.
http://www.horizonhobby.com/Product...ProdID=EFLH1145

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09-26-2007 09:12 PM 13 years ago

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dezertdog

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Bellevue, WA

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Anyone else have two washers where 015 is installed? My blade has the 015 washer with the collar on one side, but is backed by another flat washer.

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09-26-2007 10:03 PM 13 years ago

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Micro-Maniac

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Pasco,Washington Formerly: Captain Chaos

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I've been using back-to-back step washers (015 CP or 039 Pro) since I went from bearings back to dampeners (o-rings 038) - The symetrical sets of back-to-back step washers feels and behaves perfect to me

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09-26-2007 11:56 PM 13 years ago

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tutelar-rc

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Nobleton, Ontario - Canada

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Those are head dampening shims - EFLH1144.

Page 37 of the Blade CP Pro manual talks about this...

Personally, I am now playing with replacing the "O"rings with bearings.

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09-27-2007 12:08 AM 13 years ago

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Micro-Maniac

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No they're step washers not shims (shims are sold separately)

Don't substitute the O-rings for bearings w/ a stock motor - Low head speeds without dampening will cause the heli to wobble into self-destruction

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09-27-2007 12:11 AM 13 years ago

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tutelar-rc

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Nobleton, Ontario - Canada

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Micro - I was responding to dezertdog's query about the flat washer...

Good advice regarding the stock motor and head dampening.

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09-27-2007 03:43 AM 13 years ago

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Gino CP

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Philippines

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DIY shaft and spindle repair:

http://s97.photobucket.com/albums/l...Shaft%20repair/Turn on a dime. Flip like a quarter. Feel like a million bucks.

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10-03-2007 03:51 AM 13 years ago

0Post 11

Tioli

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Kona, Hawaii

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A great tip that I use on all helis. It is easier to see a bent spindle, though, if you leave one blade on. The bend is magnified by the length of the blade, making a problem easier to see.

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