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@@trikeusa you’re welcome. Thanks for the kind words. Just glad that other Atom80 users find it useful.

@@ramashiajairo7260 My all up weight is 105-110 kilos. I fly mostly around sea level and the atom80 works well for me on 18-20m wings. I know that there are heavier pilots flying the atom, but it really comes down to what elevation, size wing & flying style you have. Check with pilots in your area of similar size to compare their satisfaction.

@@nzmikec in my experience, usually the noise is from worn bearings. I tend to replace all the seals, o-rings and bearings. But inspect the gears and see if the teeth are chipped, polished or have any grooves. Gears are an expensive part of the entire gearbox. So it might not be cost effective to rebuild one if it requires gears, seals and bearings. Best of luck with your decision.

@@wednesdaykartingflyingclub8164 Great news, ill keep my fingers crossed! Thanks so much!

@@justincohee2875 I bought mine at skysportsusa.net/acc101-multifunction-puller-vittorazi/

@@pascalpeladeau5604 there are a total of four bearing in the case. Two of which are identical and the other two are different sizes. This makes for three different sizes. I took the original bearings to a bearing supplier who determined the sizes for me and recommended that I use the Nachi brand to replace them with. I hope that answers your question.

@@ajcrm125 the holes in the top cover are threaded to receive a larger bolt than is used to secure it to the bottom case. However, the way used in the video that I originally made does present a real risk of marring up a thread or two of the lower case. Since the making of that video Vittorazi has changed the cases on MY20 and newer models to make it much easier to split them. Also, I no longer use larger bolts to “jack up” a my19 or older one, I use a plate with bolts and washers to “lift the cover up. Check out this updated video. Hopefully it’ll make more sense to you depending on which gearbox that you have. th-cam.com/video/Ht8ENpR8htA/w-d-xo.htmlsi=DsRLNyYlZ4A2i29Q

@@MrBigjoecincy sorry to hear that. The good news is that it’s a pretty easy fix. Hopefully it didn’t do damage to your rear main seal too. Be sure to inspect that as well and have a few on hand just in case you need to replace it.

@@wednesdaykartingflyingclub8164 yeah seems easy enough i have the new clutch on the way. question though how do you get the nut off without the motor spinning? just a impact drill or something will break it loose?

@@MrBigjoecincy yes. An impact will break it loose. However, a piston stop tool is the best way to remove and reinstall the nut. But if you do use the piston fixation tool, DO NOT USE AN IMPACT DRIVER. 😁 It could easily damage the piston if you do. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09NBL5TFV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Also, if you haven’t already watched it, this is another video on my channel that shows a complete teardown of the engine. You can look at the chapters to find the clutch removal in installation. At the time of making the video, I didn’t have a piston fixation tool (the preferred way to secure the clutch). So it shows another way to get the torque correct. Hope it helps you out. Good luck with the repair, it’s actually pretty simple to remove, even without a puller. th-cam.com/video/qQ706ZCMy00/w-d-xo.htmlsi=BsZN1trXxltqXznI

@@wednesdaykartingflyingclub8164 awesome I will watch it later. Thanks

@@gaetanperrier4305 you’re right. Good catch. Those bearings are still running with over 500 hours on them mounted that way. 😁

@@wednesdaykartingflyingclub8164 amazing how long this engine can last !

@@wednesdaykartingflyingclub8164 amazing how long this engine can last !

Thanks for the kind words. Glad that you found it helpful. I do have a playlist on my channel with other atom80 repair videos.

I used a titanium bit that came in a set from Harbor Freight. Those rivets are stainless steel so they’re pretty thought to drill out and require a heavy duty rivet gun to replace.

Do you by chance remember what size drill bit you used to drill out the rivets?

@@white7684 the shank of the rivets are 3/16”. So that would be a good drill bit size to start with. Also, using a punch to drive out the pin in the center of the rivet (the mandrel) after drilling the head a bit, will sometimes be enough to break the rivet loose.

Thank you so much for the information. Just ordered all the parts that are needed to re pack the exhaust from sky sports.

@@white7684 perfect. SkySportsUSA are the best. Best of luck with the repacking. You can always call them for help too.

Thanks for the kind words. I have rebuilt one or two for other pilots. Usually they’re local though to avoid the shipping costs. Are you on Facebook? If so, we could exchange phone numbers and discuss options on getting yours fixed up.

Havasu was pretty good. The footage in this video was from our trip to Glamis in January. Needless to say, I’m slow at getting these videos processed. 😂 This one took 10 months.

We’ll have to work on that. 🤔🪂

Yeah, the gearbox rebuild does require a decent amount of mechanical know how. I’ve rebuild a few since making this video and a lot of the disassembly can be made simply by heating up the cases and then the bearings will simply fall out. But it is pretty involved. If you’re in the USA, I do know that skysportsusa does do this type of repair if you ever needed it.

Yes. Both karting and motorbike mechanics would be good choices if they’re familiar with two stroke engines. Even some lawnmower/landscaping mechanics have the ability also.

Thanks for the kind words Martin. This video does show removal and installation of the coil and flywheel. Other than that it’s really just the kill switch on the throttle. But the throttle would be different for every frame manufacture. But let me know exactly what you’re looking for and maybe I can make a video.

Thanks for the kind words. 🤙🏼

Yeah. I ended up buying another pull starter so that I’d have a spare on hand. Now I simply rotate the two in and out whenever I have the engine off or need to swap pull starters. This enables me to have somebody hold the engine in place for a minute while I swap pull starters. I don’t have to disconnect all the wiring, fuel lines, etc. Then I clean and inspect the dirty one and keep that as my backup.

Thanks for the kind words Thad. Keep in mind that I made this video a long time before Vittorazi came out with a service manual. This technique though has served me well. When I made this video, I asked Vittorazi how to wrap the packing and which way the inner mesh was oriented. They sent me the picture with the description of the orientation being “towards the final chrome”. So I put it in as per the video. But their maintenance manual, starting on page 36, shows it the opposite. 🤷🏼‍♂️ vittorazi.com/manuali/Maintenance_manual_Atom80_Eng_022.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3Q-giff3-l5xb9oVDGjdLas3HvJzciFITj2-omuz2YC-93aW-U9LPxfHM Personally, I like having the extra packing towards the baffle because there tends to be a lot of heat concentrating in that area and burning the silicone causing a heat signature on the outside of the exhaust. Also, one technique that I have used since this video is to use an old exhaust bracket (or make one out of flat stock) to secure the exhaust in a vice. Don’t put the vice to any parts of the exhaust that will be used during flight. But holding it in a vice will make it much easier to disassemble.

It should be fine if you pierce the plug wire in it’s center. However, you could still verify contact by running a continuity check between the copper wire and the spring/plug connector.

I’ve rebuilt a few Atom80 gearboxes since I made this video. The newer gearboxes are much easier to split the cases making the job much easier. I’ve also found that heating the the bearings will simply fall out by heating the case halves to the correct temp, no need for special tools. But I’d only heat them if you’re planning on replacing the seals too. Check out this video for the update on splitting the cases. Good luck with the rebuild, let me know if you have any questions. th-cam.com/video/Ht8ENpR8htA/w-d-xo.html

Thanks for the kind words Martin. Hopefully somebody can benefit from them. 😁

Thanks so much David for the nice comments. It took a lot of time to make this video so I’m glad to hear that you found it useful. Hope to see you in the air!!

That’s what I think too. I’ve kept one on hand just in case and it came in handy when this one let go.

Yes it was! Hopefully many more to come. 😁

Thanks so much for the kind words. Glad that you found it useful!!

You’re welcome Dan. I like working on engines, so I think filming and editing this was tougher for me than the actual engine teardown and rebuild. I’m happy to see and hear that others are benefiting from it too. That makes the work worth it in the end. Thanks for the kind words.

If you’re not already aware, this video is an update to a prior complete rebuild video found here. th-cam.com/video/_mFpdoJdeq8/w-d-xo.html Best of luck with your rebuild. Let me know if you have any questions or need help along the way.

Hey Victor. I pulled out one of my older clutches and compared it to a new one with the thicker backing plate. It does appear that all of the parts on the old one will bolt straight onto the new backing plate. However, I did notice that the new shoes have a slight difference in where it contacts the backing plate at rest. There’s a small nipple on the newer clutch shoes so the contact point is much smaller. Personally, I got about 460 hours out of my original clutch before it started to slip a little bit under high rpm’s and only 165 hours before my last one broke. I hate missing flights, so I’d just replace the entire clutch if you feel like you’ve put a lot of hours on the shoes anyway. Best of luck on the decision. Feel free to reach out if you need any help swapping it out.

@@wednesdaykartingflyingclub8164 I only have 78h on this clutch. Based on your help, I think I'll be fine with just changing the plate for now.

I don’t know, I’ve seen better. 😂 But, Thanks for the kind words Bill. I enjoy working on engines. That part comes easy for me. The video part was a lot of work making this one. I’m just happy that other people found any of it useful.

Hey Don. I didn’t replace the cord on this rebuild so I didn’t have any footage on replacing the cord. As far as why the cord is pulling over the left shoulder. All I can think of is that you might’ve installed it 90 degrees off. Maybe take a look and make sure that the outlet for the pull cord is facing upward on the carb side of the engine. Hope that helps.

Yeah. The little bearings take a beating in there. The slide hammer will work. Another option is to heat the case up a bit with a heat gun or a few minutes in an oven and the cases will expand and the bearings will simply drop out. Same in reverse, heat the cases and freeze the bearings and the bearings will simply drop in. Anyway, keep at it. Glad to hear that you’re getting it done. 👍🏽

@@wednesdaykartingflyingclub8164 Dude Im just waiting for my parts now its all apart. I have two more questions.1.Can all the bearings go in anyway or do the letters always go down.I noticed on one of the gear bearings(larger one with less balls)there are no markings.2.Would it be better to stick the cases back in the oven with the new bearings in them and heat them up before tapping cold gears into cold bearings.Especially when we have to beat on the INNER race to instal which is the weakest part of the bearing?

@@577buttfan I haven’t personally paid any attention to the direction of the bearings. I did notice on the engine main case bearings that Vittorazi does now have a recommendation for bearing direction on those. But not on the gearbox. The easiest way to assemble would actually be to heat the bearings and cool the gears. Then assemble the bearings onto the gears (they should slide right on). Then heat the clutch side case, cool the bearings (with gears now attached) and drop the gears into the clutch side case (might take a slight tap with a block of wood and a mallet). Next, install the Oring, case seal and clutch drum which will finish that side. Then, I’d cool that entire assembly and heat the prop side case. The prop side case should then fit onto the gears with a slight tap of a mallet and block of wood. Then don’t forget to put the thin oring, case seal, prop bushing then finally the prop hub back on. That’s the order of how I’d do it now after a few rebuilds. Check out Vittorazi’s manual. They now break it down too. vittorazi.com/manuali/Maintenance_manual_Atom80_Eng_022.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3Q-giff3-l5xb9oVDGjdLas3HvJzciFITj2-omuz2YC-93aW-U9LPxfHM Also, I’ve found that replacing the bearings will eliminate the grinding noise of the gearbox (provided that there’s no major damage to the gears). But the only way to get rid of the high pitched whine during high rpm’s (if yours is making that noise) is by replacing the gears too. So, if you’re replacing the gears, make sure with your parts supplier that they send a main gear with a psi relief valve built in, or order one to be installed when you get it.

@@wednesdaykartingflyingclub8164 Yeah mine had that high pitched whine and I ordered both gears and all 4 bearings.Not sure if the gear is going to be updated with PSi relief I hope so. Thanks again man!!

Oh no. That’s too bad. I’m curious, What’s it doing exactly?

@@wednesdaykartingflyingclub8164 Mine has been developing a high pitched whine but it started really slow and would only make the noise for 2-3 seconds on and 2-3 off.Now its louder and more constant plus if I spin the prop CCW it grumbles pretty good. How exactly did you split the cases.I dont understand how putting bolts back in there will jack the covers apart? Thats the only step thats confusing me so far lol :)

@@577buttfan what year is your gearbox? The my20 and newer ones have two threaded spots in the case cover to split the case. However, all model year outer covers have oversized threads on the case cover. There’s a link in the description to an update to this video with pics of a better way to split the case. Hope it makes sense.

@@577buttfan Look at this video before rebuilding. th-cam.com/video/2CnCr7I9oes/w-d-xo.html After rebuilding a handful of these I’ve realized that it’s better to “lift” the lid of the gearbox (when splitting the case) rather than “jack” it up as shown in this video. This can be accomplished by using a flat plate over the output shaft gear with holes that correspond to the lid retaining bolt holes. Then using bolts to reach through the plate in order to lift the lid.

@@wednesdaykartingflyingclub8164 Its a 2019 I think.Thanks brother Ill let ya know how it turns out when I tear into it!! Huge help!!!

Here’s a link to Vittorazi’s maintenance manual. I made this video about a year before the manual was published. So keep that in mind. I did buy all my parts along with a flywheel and multi (prop hub/ clutch) puller from www.skysportsusa.net. The other pullers/case splitters I made using flat stock aluminum and correctly sized bolts. vittorazi.com/manuali/Maintenance_manual_Atom80_Eng_022.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3Q-giff3-l5xb9oVDGjdLas3HvJzciFITj2-omuz2YC-93aW-U9LPxfHM