40 Series Drive Clutch Sticking

[Aircomet]

Hello, I've been scouring this forum for awhile now but finally decided to join in on the action. As the title suggests I have been having an ongoing problem with my aftermarket 40 series TC. I purchased this unit off of Ebay early this summer and have been struggling with trying to keep the drive clutch from sticking.

It works fine at high speed; however, it has very rough engagement from a dead stop. However, this biggest issue is once the drive clutch engages it will not disengage and allow the engine to idle. Sometimes it will completely stall my 420cc predator and still remain "locked" in the slow speed position.

I have repeatedly disassembled the driver to clean it and re-lube it with graphite grease like the Comet manual says. I have also swapped the springs out for the stiffer red ones. Nothing seems to help long term though. After being lubricated it will operate for maybe 20 minutes before hanging up again. This has been ongoing since about the first hour of use. I really cannot wrap my head around why these weights keep jamming like this.

Here are some photos of my setup. It is a Carter two seater with a 420 predator. I fabricated the engine and jackshaft plate myself. I also made sure to repeatedly check my alignment of the TC and it is dead on spec. I also have the engine idle set fairly low to in order to help, but it bade no difference.

I greatly appreciate anyone willing to help me come to a solution. If all else fails and this driver turns out to be defective I may order a genuine Comet 44 magnum driver. I am extremely mechanically inclined with access to almost any tools I may need, so I am prepared to act upon any advise given. Thanks again.

 

[itsid]

take it apart and check the rollers..
chances are they're not running inside their tracks properly
unlikely but not impossibel: they're out of round
(maybe cause by not running in their tracks)

Anyways, get them out, clean the inside of the driver (bell and sheave)
reassemble properly (check they sit in the tracks and all pins/springs are well connected), spray them with dry lube close the driver and try again.

your driver and driven are porperly aligned, if you belt is of the correct size (looks okay to me from here) there should be no issue with that.
The sheaves look a bit dirty IMHO.. maybe just the lighting, maybe you need to clean them

'sid

PS when in doubt post pics of the inside of your driver

 

[Aircomet]

Alright, I'll try that. I will snap some photos while I am in there. Is there any particular brand or type of dry lube you would recommend? That graphite powder stuff doesn't accomplish anything. It just gets thrown out once the engine fires up. Thanks.

 

[mckutzy]

What is the condition of the shaft journals where the movement occurs?... Seems to me there is a bit of a rough surface that is making the sheaves hang up on...

 

[itsid]

Alright, I'll try that. I will snap some photos while I am in there. Is there any particular brand or type of dry lube you would recommend? That graphite powder stuff doesn't accomplish anything. It just gets thrown out once the engine fires up. Thanks.

Well.. no I'm afraid, being halfway round the globe I have differently stuffed shelves in my hardware store than you for the most part.
Any dry moly should do IIRC KartFab (our resident Godfather of TC maintenance) has a can of CRC Dry Moly on his shelf *shrugs*
So my guess is... if he's using it, it can't be a bad choice

'sid

 

[Aircomet]

I haven't gotten to the store yet to pick up any dry lube; however, I broke down and went ahead and ordered a 1" bore Comet 44 magnum driver for the kart. I still hope to get the 40 series driver working and possibly use it on another engine later (8hp Tecumseh). But my hope is that this new Genuine Comet 44 driver will prove a bit more reliable for my main kart.

However, I haven't been able to find too much info on the 44 driver. Does anyone know what the stock engagement rpm is on the unit? I know it can be tuned with different springs and pucks, but I don't know what they usual come with. I'm hoping for around 1800-2200 rpm. I can probably track down a chart to list the rpms, but I don't know which particular springs and pucks come standard. I have no experience with this particular driver so any info or even personal experience with it is welcome.

Another quick question. I ordered a Genuine Comet belt and have been running that with no problems after wearing out the knock off China ones (mainly due to offroading). However, I just noticed the Comet belt has a marking denoting which side to face towards engine. I don't understand why it is marked that way because the 40 series is a symmetrical setup. There should not be any difference which way the belt is run right? At least that is what I always assumed as no other symmetric cvt I've ever had has had directional belt markings.

 

[Whitetrashrocker]

Here's the chart.

 

[Aircomet]

Actually, I am looking for the 44 magnum driver settings. Sorry, I could have been more clear.

 

[Whitetrashrocker]

The heavy weights are 130 grams. The medium weights are 96 grams.
I have not seen any info on the light weighs.

 

[Aircomet]

Found this chart for it. Still doesn't tell me what pucks and springs are stock.

 

[itsid]

green spring, white garter spring, red pucks (9) is the stock setup (the italian package )

you're right, the "this side towards engine" doesn't make much sense on a symmetric belt..
IDK why it's printed on (maybe because it's the same silkscreen for both types of belts to save some money)
*shrugs*
But at least it doesn't hurt to obey that print

'sid

 

[Aircomet]

Thanks. That is the info I was hunting for. According to the chart that should put the engagement rpm around 1900 rpm. That should be about perfect for a relatively stock 420cc predator. The clutch should be coming in the next few days. I'll report back how well it works as soon as I can get it installed.

 

[Joe-405]

The 44c magnum does engage at about 19-2000 rpms stock. I had one but set mine to 4,000 on launch for my mini dragbike with my 420cc clone................and melted the driver I might add !

 

[Aircomet]

Thanks for all the info and help. My 44c magnum driver came this past weekend and I got it installed and realigned. It is a night and day difference from the old 40 driver. It engages smoothly and backshifts all the way to neutral as it should. I rode it hard hauling me and my buddy all over these mountains for a good 2 hrs and it held up. I'm hanging onto the old 40 driver and will clean it up and re-lube it and put it away until I need it for another big block. Thanks again.

 

[landuse]

Thanks for all the info and help. My 44c magnum driver came this past weekend and I got it installed and realigned. It is a night and day difference from the old 40 driver. It engages smoothly and backshifts all the way to neutral as it should. I rode it hard hauling me and my buddy all over these mountains for a good 2 hrs and it held up. I'm hanging onto the old 40 driver and will clean it up and re-lube it and put it away until I need it for another big block. Thanks again.

Glad to hear its working out for you!