GO kART WONT MOVE

[EKOSMUS]

I have a gx160 5.5 hp that i mounted on a 2 seater go cart made by carter. It will not move with 2 people on it. It will barely go up a small incline with my 50 lb son on it. The clutch is new. I wonder what I can do to get more torque out of it. It will go fast when it gets up to speed but only works on flat ground. The back tires are around 15 in. how do i get this to move?

 

[napalmfire]

This is one of the drawbacks to a standard clutch versus a torque converter. The clutch must slip until it is up to speed to where it can lock metal on metal for the most speed. I would suggest opening up the clutch and roughing up the inside of the drum a bit with some medium grit sand paper. You may be able to get the clutch shoes to lock a lot easier if you give them something to grip. If it does slip a lot though, you may experience a rather hot drum. Do you see any signs of the clutch bell burning? Does it smoke a great amount?

You say it is new, sometimes they also do take a while to break in. Giving em a scratch speeds this up a bit.

 

[EKOSMUS]

When i say new i mean it has been run about 10 times. I will try roughing it up. it will not even pull up the slight incline on the drive way. It did smoke a little

 

[napalmfire]

My friend had a new one and at first it had trouble up the driveway. now he can do it with no problem after about 3 hours of time on the clutch. How much time does the clutch have on it? how much do you estimate it slipping and engaged?

Rough it up a bit and see how it fares.

 

[EKOSMUS]

3 hours on clutch and slipping 30 minutes

 

[anderkart]

If you cant get it sorted out, a larger axle gear and/or smaller clutch gear should help.
Here's a link to a gear ratio chart : http://www.diygokarts.com/speed-calculator.html
(If you were to gear it to only top out at around 20 mph or so, it should climb much better)

There not cheap but you also might consider switching over to a Comet torque converter system like this: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&...lt&cd=1&q=comet+Tav2+torque+converter&spell=1
(I've seen new ones selling on ebay for much less than full retail)

You'll find serveral DIY threads discussing the advantages of torque converters in this search link: http://www.diygokarts.com/vb/search.php?searchid=75584

 

[Kaptain Krunch]

First of all, what size sprockets do you have on your axle/clutch?

 

[EKOSMUS]

i will let you know all of that tomorrow. i am going to look when i get home. what all do i need to look at to give you all the info you need

 

[anderkart]

It will barely go up a small incline with my 50 lb son on it.

You know you might have some other problem gong on here. Does the Kart roll prety free when you push it? Sometimes wheels, axles and stuff can get bound up causing these symptoms.

 

[TOO FAST]

Sprocket size is a good place to start like K says but I'd like to
know if it was like this before the new clutch, has the cart always
had this problem or is this something new. Is the engine bogging
down or the clutch slipping excessively

 

[EKOSMUS]

This is the only clutch that has been on the cart. It does sound like it is bogging down. the cart does move easily when i push it. I thing the engine may be bogging down now that you said that. What do i need to look at on the engine

 

[Kaptain Krunch]

Your chain is probably too tight if its hard to push by hand, how tight is the chain?

Sorry i read that wrong, thought you said it doesnt not move easily. probably not the chain then.

 

[EKOSMUS]

the chain does not seem that tight but that would make sense. i will check that when i get home

 

[TOO FAST]

Might be a good idea to make sure the engine is 100%. Check
or replace spark plug, clean air filter, try new gas, change oil,
make sure throttle is opening all the way... It kinda sounds like
an engine problem, the kart wouldn't have operated this when
it was new would it? That means something has changed

 

[TOO FAST]

i will let you know all of that tomorrow. i am going to look when i get home. what all do i need to look at to give you all the info you need

Tell us how many teeth on the clutch and how many teeth on
any sprockets after that - a picture would be good too

 

[mike75925]

though not a very common problem, the float could have a hole in it. or the float is not to spec (since they aren't adjustable). or maybe just alil trash in the circiut.

 

[Doc Sprocket]

While looking into all those other things, also make sure your brakes aren't sticky or dragging. Might seem like a no-brainer, but it could happen!

 

[EKOSMUS]

Ok i did not count the teeth on the sprocket but the clutch has 10. It is a size 41 chain. Also the clutch is getting real hot and smoking. i cleaned the carb and check the chain. It has started backfiring and almost dies when you let off the gas.

 

[Kaptain Krunch]

We need to know how many teeth are on your axle sprocket. It sounds like your gear ratio is too high.

 

[EKOSMUS]

What about the clutch smoking. also if i raise the back wheels when it is idling it spins