Spur gear/clutch bell question

[B_Addie]

I’m running a HPI 16 tooth hardened clutch bell with a 49T plastic spur on my X4.6. No matter what I do I cannot get the gears to mesh flush with each other. The truck runs great and can do a standing back flip once it’s warmed up! I never really noticed this before and yesterday I did a complete full tear down of the front and rear ends, changed all the fluids in my shocks and diffs, did a full tear down of the engine and transmission, cleaned and soaked every bearing and after I re-assemble I noticed this in the picture.

 

[ELWOOD]

@B_Addie Possibly you lost a shim behind the rear clutch bell bearing .

 

[olds97_lss]

Have you ever had the flywheel off? Did you used to have a different bell? Not all bells are the same depth. Could fix it by adding a couple shims before putting the collet on the crank.

 

[guinnessdublin]

I had this where I swapped flywheel over to my new engine & brass collet was wedged into it, so in my ignorance just reused it. Even though my nova engine mount has movement from side to side aswell as back & front still could not line it up, so in end took it out & had to use a reamer to cut away collet until I could remove it & replaced with new one!

 

[B_Addie]

Have you ever had the flywheel off? Did you used to have a different bell? Not all bells are the same depth. Could fix it by adding a couple shims before putting the collet on the crank.

No I’ve never had the flywheel off. I replaced the stock 17t bell with a vented 16t but I don’t think it’s a HPI bell because the tooth number isn’t stamped on it. I have a genuine HPI 16t that I just ordered and I’m going to swap it with this one and see

 

[olds97_lss]

No I’ve never had the flywheel off. I replaced the stock 17t bell with a vented 16t but I don’t think it’s a HPI bell because the tooth number isn’t stamped on it. I have a genuine HPI 16t that I just ordered and I’m going to swap it with this one and see

Can probably just lay them on a table to see if the dimensions are different once you get them. I know they aren't the same across all the brands, some even within the same brand differ in depth.

 

[B_Addie]

Can probably just lay them on a table to see if the dimensions are different once you get them. I know they aren't the same across all the brands, some even within the same brand differ in depth.

Yeah that’s what I’m gunna do, the original 17 tooth is long gone and was replaced a long time ago with the one that’s currently on it, I’ve just never paid attention to see if the gears were flush before this last year down so I really don’t remember if it’s always been this way