Help with my Clutch?

[aeriojunkie]

Okay, so I am really new to the karting world. I had one as a kid, but my dad's friend who owned a Stihl chainsaw shop did all of our work to it for us. So, here it goes. I have a Manco Interceptor cart that I put a H.F. Blue 6.5 hp motor on. The clutch seems to be working, but I suspect that it has been overheated at some point. I dismantled it and cleaned it and oiled the bushing as best I could before mounting it to the new motor. There was a slight bluing/purple cast to a couple of small areas.

The cart has had the jack shaft sprockets removed, which leaves it at a 3:1 ratio. I know that this means no real low end torque, but the clutch doesn't seem to be working right to me. You can really hear it when it engages and it seems like it never really gets completely quiet. I don't remember mine sounding like this when I was a kid? Is that normal?

If not, what should I do? If I replace it, what brand would you recommend? I know that Tractor Supply has the "Masters of Motion" branded one for about $28! I believe that is the Manco brand, and their parts manuals call out the part as being a Max-T (which I assume means Max-Torque brand) clutch. Is that brand as good as any or would I be better off buying something online? By the way, my 7 year old son and my 4.5 year old daughter are driving it, so I don't necessarily need a race quality clutch, unless it is just truly the best one to use.

Sorry for the long thread. Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[Jerryburger]

You're going to need to change that ratio aeriojunkie. With that ratio (3:1) the clutch is never fully engaging until you hit a pretty high speed. As long as the clutch isn't fully engaging, it's slipping and causing lots of heat, which fries off whatever oil you have on the bushing, and eventually causes the springs to lose tension. I ruined a good clutch doing that.

 

[I like karts]

yeah, put the ratio at like 5:1

60t axle to 12t clutch

or put the jackshaft back on