Repair questions

[xspare]

Hello folks,

I'm a noob with a grounded B400 (the std parts broke) and a few questions:

a) Which way does the main shaft retaining collar go back on - cone up or cone down? The non-cone side is stepped in and has a fairly large/flat bearing surface, which I've assumed mates with the main bearing. E-flite: why wouldn't you use a symmetrical profile on this part?

b) How do folks remove the entire head without pulling the main shaft? The anti-rotation pin binds in the guide and prevents me from slipping the swash plate off of the main shaft.

c) One of my paddles won't thread back onto the flybar. I'd say the setscrew on the flybar paddle mount (collet/weight) is the only thing holding it in place. Will this suffice at idle up?

d) Is Tamiya ceramic grease appropriate for re-stuffing the thrust bearings on the main blades? It seems a bit thin so I have visions of white guck all over the main blades.

e) E-flite: why are we suffering with a bit-mapped version of the exploded parts view?

Help appreciated while I continue to wait for a feather shaft,

Jeff

PS: Setup and QA seems abbreviated at E-Flite. Attached photo of a "PASS QC 14" is straight out of the box!

[HeliMix]

The answer to a few of your questions are in vids in the BLade 400 Build videos sticky. Better to see than to read. ;)

[xspare]

I did notice that the main shaft retaining collar is mounted "cone up" in sokal's videos, however E-flite's exploded view sure looks like it's showing the collar mounted "cone down". It's not clear that it would matter. Does anyone know for certain?

I didn't notice the head ever being off the shaft in any of sokal's vids, or any tips on how to get the anti-rotation pin out from the guide when attempting to pull the entire head off of the shaft. lt looked like the anti-rotation guide might fold down if I loosened the screws, but it only seemed to flex and I didn't want to snap it.

Thanks.

[schoep]

The anti rotation pin has a slot for a screwdriver, but i just flex it back.
If you unscrewed the paddle it should screw back on. A small drill could clean up the end of the hole but don't go in very far. check the good paddle fist to find out how far to drill. Just twist with your fingers.
Idon't think the retaning coller cares it's only hitting the inner race eather way.
I just put a drop of gun oil on thurst bearing when i change the fethering shaft (like once a week). Have fun

[sokal]

you wont snap it
you dont need to move it that far to get the swash out