Kraton Pinion gear issues

[RPatt]

Hey all, I don’t know what I’m doing wrong but the snap ring that holds the pinion gear in place keeps flying off and the set screw loosens enough for the gear to slide out of place. Is there something I'm missing here? Or perhaps some trick to keep everything in place? I do use loctite on the set screw. I appreciate any help, this has been driving me crazy.

 

[Dan B.]

Hey all, I don’t know what I’m doing wrong but the snap ring that holds the pinion gear in place keeps flying off and the set screw loosens enough for the gear to slide out of place. Is there something I'm missing here? Or perhaps some trick to keep everything in place? I do use loctite on the set screw. I appreciate any help, this has been driving me crazy.

If it keeps being an issue you might want to keep an eye on your motor temps (high motor heat can get the motor shaft hot enough to loosen 242/243 Blue threadlocker) and make sure you’re running proper gear mesh.
As always, when installing a pinion make sure and clean the motor shaft and the pinion bore (as well as the set screw and the set screw bore) with acetone or alcohol. When dry, put a small amount of threadlocker on the pinion bore as well as the grub screw, tighten the heck out of it and let it cure 24 hours before running it.
If that doesn’t work for you, maybe consider stepping up to Orange threadlocker.
Obviously, you’ll need to apply heat before attempting to remove them later. I use the tip of a soldering iron, but you can also use a small torch if you’re careful. Good luck!

 

[RPatt]

Thank you!

 

[Garcbomber]

Check your motor mount alignment (those underneath flathead screws can loosen too) to ensure the motor shaft is truly parallel to the center diff axis.

Once the pinion/motor is snug mounted for mesh, confirm there isn't any binding or loosening of teeth engagement during 360 degrees of manual rotation.

 

[RPatt]

Will do, thank you!

 

[hollabackyall]

Had the exact same thing on a blue kraton v5, drove me nuts. The pinion would come loose every fiddlesticking time. Went to my local hobbyshop for help 3 times and even their solutions didn't work. Got so fed up with the car I traded it and bought a Kagama. Got a Kraton exb v2 as well and luckily that pinion is safely in its place.