I bought a kart on Craigslist and ended up putting a newer motor on it that runs great. The problem is that things were not matching up. We ended up taking off what now I think is some sort of torque converter and have a cetrifugal clutch running directly to the sprocket on the axle via a chain. Not a great mechanic but thought it would work but now it seems that the clutch is burning and is very slow to get up to speed. Do I need the part I took off? The converter. Please help, very frustrated.
Help on gear ratio and clutch burning
- Thread starter Oregondad
- Start date
- Status
mr.matt
New member
Just cause I know it will need to be covered, go ahead and count the teeth on the sprocket on the clutch and also on the sprocket on the axle. Also it wouldn't hurt to post overall Tire height and engine hp
Yup. Do the above. You are geared too high. A TC is generally way better than a cent clutch.
You have a 6:1 ratio, and that is normally ok with smaller tyres. Yours are a bit too big. The higher you gear the more your clutch is going to slip and burn up. I would make sure on the axle sprocket tooth count. It could be in the fifties. To correct the problem, you could get a 72 tooth sprocket or in back to the TC. Why did you change it? To oil the clutch, just put a drop or two of oil JUST on the bronze bushing.
The motor that came with needed carb work and clutch that was on it was bad. The motor I now have starts on first pull, idles great and came with the new clutch that was not yet installed. I don't need this thing to be crazy fast but I do not think the clutch will last the way it is. When I first got the kart before motor change the kart really was fast but had issues. Thought this would solve my problems. Can the kart work with just the centrifugal clutch geared directly to the axle sprocket? I will count teeth tomorrow. Would oiling it prevent the burning? Thanks for the info. I would have thought a smaller axle sprocket would make the kart go easier. I know it would not be as fast. Chain is 40 if that matters.
You can use a centrifugal clutch on your kart. You will just need to gear lower. That is why I suggested getting a 72T axle sprocket. This will mean a longer piece of chain is required, but it is an easy swap. Your tyres are also tall enough for sprocket ground clearance not to be an issue.
A smaller axle sprocket would theoretically give you a faster speed, but you will never reach it because your clutch would burn up in 5 seconds. I think your idea of gearing is the wrong way around. A lower gearing (higher gear ratio number) is better for torque, but you sacrifice speed. A higher gearing (lower gear ratio number) improves speed but with a loss of torque.
Oiling the clutch will not solve the problem of it slipping and burning up. This is due to an incorrect gear ratio which cannot be fixed just by oiling
I would post some pics of your setup for us. It would be better to use the TC, and we can help you get it lined up. There are tricks to fix these problems
mysteryboy28
New member
i think whoever invented the centrifugal clutch should be tarred and feathered, because torque converters just absolutely blow them away. although, if the centrifugal clutch was invented first, paving the way for the torque converter - i guess they deserve a hug. lol.
ditch the centrifugal clutch, and make the torque converter work! you will be so much happier in the long run. they alter your gear ratio autimatically for more take-off torque, then give you the speed you want too. and they're so much more durable than a centrifugal clutch. sure, you have to replace the belt once in awhile - but that's cheap.
ditch the centrifugal clutch, and make the torque converter work! you will be so much happier in the long run. they alter your gear ratio autimatically for more take-off torque, then give you the speed you want too. and they're so much more durable than a centrifugal clutch. sure, you have to replace the belt once in awhile - but that's cheap.
A tc is not always the way to go. Cent clutches also have their place in the karting world where TC are not suted. Don't knock them just cos they work differently to a TC.
With all that said, in this application, I would try make your TC work. The only reason being that you have it already, and don't have to go out and buy one
With all that said, in this application, I would try make your TC work. The only reason being that you have it already, and don't have to go out and buy one
mysteryboy28
New member
i think what's confusing for the new guys is when the old guys argue like this. a TC is flat out the best option for MOST of the people registered on this site. yes, i realize that certain types of karts aren't designed for or allowed to have a TC, but for the average guy with his 5-13hp kart - a TC will always be the better choice for performance and durabilty. so we might as well steer the new guys in the right direction right from the beginning, so they can focus on learning other important stuff that is hard enough to figure out without wondering why their clutch is burning up and they have no balls.
i think what's confusing for the new guys is when the old guys argue like this. a TC is flat out the best option for MOST of the people registered on this site. yes, i realize that certain types of karts aren't designed for or allowed to have a TC, but for the average guy with his 5-13hp kart - a TC will always be the better choice for performance and durabilty. so we might as well steer the new guys in the right direction right from the beginning, so they can focus on learning other important stuff that is hard enough to figure out without wondering why their clutch is burning up and they have no balls.
A TC might be the best option for MOST of the people on the site, but it is not the MOST practical option.
You speak about most of the members on the site. Most of the members here do not have 13 HP engines. Most of them have 5-6.5 HP engines. Most of the members on here are also still school going age, so they do not have cash to buy an expensive TC. When you do have an engine of 13HP, you are going to be sinking $400 into a comet 40 series. Not too many people on this site can do that. The whole aim of this site is DIY, which essentially means people are trying to save money.
Yes, in a perfect world where we could all buy what we want, I would suggest a TC for EVERY kart. It is just not practical though. That is why the humble centrifugal clutch is actually the BEST clutch for most people. If we have to spend a little time helping them with gearing...thats fine. Just keep in mind that you also have to know how to gear your TC just as much as you need to know for your cent clutch. You can burn your cent clutch, as well as burn belts on your TC with incorrect gearing.
The OP has a TC already, that is why I have said that if he can use it, for THIS application it is probably the best
mysteryboy28
New member
word. 
mysteryboy28
New member
go advanced, manage attachments, browse to upload files from your computer.
Or you can paste your urls in the spaces provided in the same advanced window.
mysteryboy28
New member
always an advocate for the lesser than ideal alternative. lol.
the problem with posting URLs is that the picture size may end up being freakin' HUGE and hog up the page and make it hard to view.
DIYgokart's built-in picture viewer helps eliminate this, allowing us to view the pics at a reasonable resolution - but still giving us the opportunity to click and make it bigger. so "browse to upload files from your computer" is the BETTER choice.
the problem with posting URLs is that the picture size may end up being freakin' HUGE and hog up the page and make it hard to view.
DIYgokart's built-in picture viewer helps eliminate this, allowing us to view the pics at a reasonable resolution - but still giving us the opportunity to click and make it bigger. so "browse to upload files from your computer" is the BETTER choice.
always an advocate for the lesser than ideal alternative. lol.
the problem with posting URLs is that the picture size may end up being freakin' HUGE and hog up the page and make it hard to view.
DIYgokart's built-in picture viewer helps eliminate this, allowing us to view the pics at a reasonable resolution - but still giving us the opportunity to click and make it bigger. so "browse to upload files from your computer" is the BETTER choice.
LOL. What i am suggesting is EXACTLY the same as browsing from your pc. You will see that you can either upload from you pc or paste a url in that advanced window. Both ways copy the image to the server and display them as clickable thumbnails. This means that BOTH ways are the BETTER choice. It is only when the url's are pasted in the body of the post that they display huge. Remember the thread i started regarding clickable thumbnails?? I am waging a one man war against large pics.
Last edited:
- Status