HELLCAT improvements

[China Rider 27]

I had purchased an oil cooler as a kit but when I got to see it, I was not impressed with the construction. I decided to put together a mix of parts myself. I did use the steel braided line from the kit which was ID 6 MM. Using the angle iron that came with the bike (frame cage) I fashioned some down supports which mount to the airbox mounting holes and a cross member (flat sheet steel Simpson steel ties Home Depot) to attach the cooler. I used a grinder to shape the pieces, a jig saw with steel cutting blade, and a drill to make the mounting pieces. The cooler I re-purposed from my HAWK and it came with M12 8mm inlet banjos so I had to find some M12 6mm inlet banjo fittings. The adapter plate from ebay (which can now be found on amazon too) has an odd M10 1.25 pitch and a search revealed only M10 by 1.0 banjo bolts. I located some M10 1.25 brake line fitting bolts (with rubber gasket seals) I got to work with the M10 6mm banjo fittings. There is a kit on Amazon pretty much what I have assembled here at a fair price.

The adapter splits the oil off from the head under pressure through the oil cooler returning to the head. Hoping it will come in handy for slow speed riding this summer.

https://i.ibb.co/dP1zfz0/Hellcat-Oil-Cooler-install-Lines-resize.jpg (https://imgbb.com/)


https://i.ibb.co/0f0YFnw/Hellcat-oil-cooler-install-bracket-resize.jpg (https://imgbb.com/)

[daytonacat]

here is the link here on China Riders to the oil cooler pics that I installed on my Boom Vader last year. it is mounted to the stock air box assembly.

https://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=25925

Carl

[China Rider 27]

here is the link here on China Riders to the oil cooler pics that I installed on my Boom Vader last year. it is mounted to the stock air box assembly.

https://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=25925

Carl

That is a great looking cooler install, and allows using the stock airbox! I definitely looked hard at it, but in the end had an extra cooler.

[ripcuda]

Nice install!
Do you have a link (or search keywords) for the kit you mention is pretty much what you put together?


A side question... while I'm sure an oil cooler is a good thing... how would you know if you needed one? I live pretty far North and it's not really hot around my parts. Just curious.


Cheers!

[China Rider 27]

Here is the link to the oil cooler.

https://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Cooling-Radiator-Universal-Motorcycle/dp/B084ZKYBM1/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3F01A1FCJ5FIQ&dchild=1&keywords=motorcycle+oil+cooler+kit&qid=1615168511&sprefix=motorcycle+oil+cooler%2Caps%2C349&sr=8-4

As far as needing an oil cooler, on the forum here, most agree it is not needed. I would say not needed unless it makes you feel good to take some heat off of your engine when it is working hard in hot weather! I'm no expert but I have seen data says a cooler will reduce oil temperature 30 to 40 degrees. Many say it increases oil life and oil change intervals. I'm not installing it to increase oil change intervals, oil is cheap insurance, change it! I want to increase reliability by reducing heat during low speed trail riding or high stress operation. I think it also helps the transmission and the clutch. The down side is it puts a system on your bike that has multiple areas to leak or fail and if not paid attention to could result in engine catastrophic failure if not well maintained.

[RedCrowRides]

You probably don't "need" an oil cooler in most cases but i ride mine around a great deal in a Florida beach town where it is hella HOT in the daytime and during tourist season , traffic is often a bumper to bumper crawl ,and the Vader gets HOT from no airflow ,so i added one because any help is good help to keep the oil and engine any cooler at all , if you use quality hardware and hoses and check it from time to time you should avoid any failures , I judged it to be worth the risk given the punishing conditions i ride mine in. I even considered adding a fan , but the stators are so weak in these little Bikes i just wasnt sure it could handle the load , altho a good fan shouldnt draw that much and i still may do it.

[China Rider 27]

This Hellcat dropped the clutch weekend before last. I have never worked on a Motorcycle clutch but that is the China way, get it done cheap, get it done with our mechanical skills so here we go. Ordered a clutch tool to make it easier which came in last Thursday. I have seen on U tube some guys knock of the retaining nut with a chisel knocking it around but the tool is required if your are going to reuse the nut. Drained the oil and WOW what an acrid burning smell and black colored.

Removing the case you see all black pieces scattered throughout which are pieces of the friction disc. Put the tool on the retaining nut no go, no matter what, clutch will just slip around. Tried my battery drill and a ½ inch drill no go. I have gotten by many years without an electric impact driver but need buys a lot of tools and the day had come. Took maybe all of 3 seconds and was done. Looks to be 17 tooth clutch set up. Inside the case, at the end of the yellow pointer you can see the corner of a 2.5 inch square rubber edged oil screen that slides in right below the oil pump.

A C clamp does good work to compress the clutch to remove the retaining ring and then the plates will all come out. First thing you notice is one of two friction discs with the face sheared off down past the cuts and the corresponding steel plate with a blue case-hardened look indicating high heat. The rest of the plates and the other friction disc look to be in good shape.

I ordered some friction discs and we’ll see if I can get it in better shape.

https://i.ibb.co/wdqYMqv/Clutch-1.jpg (https://ibb.co/x2b3Jb4)

https://i.ibb.co/crYT95k/Clutch-debri-1.jpg (https://ibb.co/CHP0ydm)

https://i.ibb.co/pJfszk0/Clutch-oil-pump-screen-LI.jpg (https://ibb.co/qkN4s2y)

https://i.ibb.co/FXwtNYP/Clutch-burned-friction-plate-LI.jpg (https://ibb.co/bFBnqvf)

https://i.ibb.co/drP9zj1/Clutch-with-plates.jpg (https://ibb.co/Dt9XSzs)

https://i.ibb.co/C8LRm6t/clutch-tool.jpg (https://ibb.co/8sk1NbB)

[China Rider 27]

Thought I would be slick and get some “heavy duty” clutch plates. When I got them last week one look told me they were wrong, a three disc set, with friction material on one side of the disc instead of both sides. The picture shows two discs of the right size (I measured) but it doesn’t show the back side which is smooth metal. I ordered two friction discs off ebay for $9 and when I realized I could get the whole clutch off Amazon 3 days earlier I ordered that too.

The complete clutch came last night and fits in every way I can tell with all the right parts and one piece extra. It is a 17-tooth outer and 18 tooth inner. I took it apart to soak the friction discs in oil overnight and went after it today. Straight forward job nothing to difficult EXCEPT the four small clutch springs that go in the outside of the clutch cage. You know how springs are, TINK, gone, so I lost one. Took one outa the old clutch. Took awhile to figure out a technique that would work with those springs. I pass it on to save somebody time and frustration. The clutch has to be together, meaning the plates are locked in place. Put one end of the spring on the tit that protrudes on one side. Take a screw driver and push in the center of the spring toward the tit allowing it to arch some up in the middle like a caterpillar inching until you can catch the edge and then push it down until it slides into the indention cut for it the whole will use your thumb to keep it from flying out. It has to be worked into position as it is tight.

There are three adjustment points for this clutch. The clutch lever, in the middle of the clutch cable, and within the box on the side of the case covered with chrome that has two screws. I think the old clutch was not correctly adjusted at the box which basically relieved some of the spring pressure making it weak and contributed to its failure. Not being familiar with this clutch I had no idea. First place to look if you are having any funky clutch issues going on.

I bypassed my oil cooler and ran some new oil through it while testing it and then changed the oil and reconnected my oil cooler. Up and running, good and strong.

Amazon Link:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UJ9ATDK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://i.ibb.co/SQskq0W/IMG-20210705-193406159-LI.jpg (https://ibb.co/PTm2B43)

https://i.ibb.co/PC6wFzG/IMG-20210706-131825479.jpg (https://ibb.co/WK2gGpv)

https://i.ibb.co/JrrQG70/IMG-20210706-141239398.jpg (https://ibb.co/444dXT9)
nerd foto (https://imgbb.com/)

[China Rider 27]

Thought I would post up my experience for others. I had another post on problems I had with dropping a lock washer in an intake.

Problem that can bite you, is these horizontal engines have intake ports that face up and increase the chance, like a funnel, least for me, they will catch something like a washer bouncing. I usually try to stuff a paper towel in them unless I am in a hurry and think I am so good no bad can happen. What can you say, paper towels are cheap insurance?

Here is a link to the original thread and picks of the removal.

http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?p=363148&highlight=hellcat+luck#post363148

That washer sitting there pretty can be.

https://i.ibb.co/KrNrw3Z/IMG-20210709-113244656.jpg (https://ibb.co/QK8Kd1B)


Once you do a Head Porting, you will never look at a detached cylinder head the same way and I could not resist scrapping the considerable carbon of the surfaces and going after it with a polishing wheel.

https://i.ibb.co/TqRSNqd/cylinder-head-polic.jpg (https://ibb.co/cXtHsXV)

54mm cylinder - Head gasket that different in shape from stock but works

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07K9YS73M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I did oil the threads with Rotella on reassembly hoping to get an even torque, after I pondered it all reading this article.

http://www.dansmc.com/bolts2.htm

I torqued it to the lowest Tao Tao cylinder head spec. From this spec sheet.

https://taotao.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/204167645-General-Torque-Spec-Settings-

Upon start up, it had a knocking sound, like the crankshaft weights were hitting the cylinder sleeve. Fearing I had over torqued it, I backed off the torque and retorqued to a lower spec of 12 NM because I had used oil on the threads. I reset the valve lash. After some time the knock/rattle seems to have gone away pretty much. I rechecked the valve lash again. There has been no effect on the way it starts or runs.

https://i.ibb.co/vYW0kgg/Washer-pix-2-long.jpg (https://ibb.co/TLG9tpp)

Crosshatch looks good

https://i.ibb.co/h86pCM0/Crosshatch-good.jpg (https://ibb.co/KyPCmGn)
2014 cayenne 0 60 (https://statewideinventory.org/porsche-0-60-times)



Good practice, make diagrams for re assembly

https://i.ibb.co/HHMhnj0/IMG-20210709-111416599.jpg (https://ibb.co/kSrmQtp)

Cylinder Fishing Rod

https://i.ibb.co/2SwPCmf/IMG-20210709-114119110.jpg (https://ibb.co/BGmjQdS)

[China Rider 27]

20 miles and some more on the backroad Sunday and all appears to be well with the Hellcat running good. Tis a mystery what was causing that knocking, rattling, thumping sound after the head gasket was replaced several weeks ago. At times it would raise in tempo and sounded like the valve train. I thought maybe it was the clutch came loose so I took the side cover off and no problem it was tight. The more it ran the better it got. Maybe the cam chain tensioner. Whatever it was it has completely disappeared.

I discovered the other day if you click on these IMGbb pictures they will load in another window, click full resolution, and click on spy glass one more time get full resolution detail.

https://i.ibb.co/Rb29Lm8/20-miles-on-backroad.jpg (https://ibb.co/XLXbmgH)

[minimac]

Nice job showing your work. Thanks!

[China Rider 27]

Links to some other improvements featured on this bike.

Hellcat VM22 carburetor and 26mm intake realignment http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=27483

Hellcat got SHINKO'D
http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=27596

[China Rider 27]

The limited fuel capacity on the Hellcat is an issue that needs improvement for those who like to venture far from home. A typical motorcycle 1-gal auxiliary fuel can is a good answer but the best price I could find is $40.00. The can mount costs almost as much as the can so I made my own. A 3” hole saw is perfect for the cut out. A rubber pad in between the clamping force to provide something to ride on prevents wear and provides a “clamp”. Field tested on a bump or two without problem.

https://i.ibb.co/BP5KX7S/IMG-20210920-104910680.jpg (https://ibb.co/RSk4xMV)

https://i.ibb.co/6r5Qb67/IMG-20210920-105137980.jpg (https://ibb.co/k5FZ0Ys)

[China Rider 27]

Off road riding is a contact sport and then there is the general state of China bike manufacture, which means shortly after getting my first China bike I did begin to wonder when I would need to seriously consider learning to weld and obtain welding equipment. That day came a month ago when I found the Hellcat Rectifier bracket swinging by the wiring. I ordered the least expensive 130 amp, 110 volt, MIG flux core welder I could get that had good reviews, a welding helmet, and some good flux core wire.

I thought welding helmets just had a piece of “sunglass” material in them but the inexpensive one I got had a self-darkening adjustable shade with sensitivity adjusting function and a timed delay. Complex, I thought for a welding helmet. I studied up on welding.

You see in the pix where I burned through some 2/16-inch metal multiple times and that on the lowest setting. Practice and I did but the results did not seem so good. What could be wrong? I finally realized my shade adjustable helmet was adjusted to dark and I could not read the welding pool clearly signaling me to move on. I adjusted the shade. I got better and went after the bracket the first time failing to get it to hold. Did some grinding and chamfering. It is tough welding inside a frame and then trying not to burn the bike up. You kind of have a time limit to get the job done before surrounding material gets too hot and spontaneously bursts into flames. I used a metal tin shield to prevent showering sparks. The first attempt I caught a plaid shirt on fire from splatter. Don't use flammable materials to shield. The second attempt I got a weld I think will work.

I am NOT suggesting anyone weld or try this without the proper knowledge, skills, and ability, and consideration for SAFETY. Welding is dangerous. If you do, always have a fire extinguisher handy and beware of the gas tank, GAS in the tank, fuel lines, fumes, and other flammable materials. Remove the gas tank if there is any doubt! Do it outside away from buildings!

https://i.ibb.co/4gDLjcc/Welding-1-A.jpg (https://ibb.co/7NTDGHH)
verdon of broadway crossword (https://the-crosswordsolver.com/broadway-singer-actress-verdon-4-letters)

https://i.ibb.co/1n3dt8N/Welding-1.jpg (https://ibb.co/X493rSP)
verdon of broadway crossword (https://the-crosswordsolver.com/broadway-singer-actress-verdon-4-letters)

https://i.ibb.co/MZYsdjN/Welding-2.jpg (https://ibb.co/bQSPtyd)
verdon of broadway crossword (https://the-crosswordsolver.com/broadway-singer-actress-verdon-4-letters)

https://i.ibb.co/tKHFRGD/Welding-3.jpg (https://ibb.co/YQNwgCh)
verdon of broadway crossword (https://the-crosswordsolver.com/broadway-singer-actress-verdon-4-letters)

https://i.ibb.co/ZgQm6Jh/WElding-4.jpg (https://ibb.co/dpNg0cQ)
verdon of broadway crossword (https://the-crosswordsolver.com/broadway-singer-actress-verdon-4-letters)