Homelite 179cc engine throttle issue

[1998nissanskyline]

Hello all, I am in need of help as im trying to convert a pressure washer engine into a go-kart it is a 179cc engine, not only do i need help with the engine but also the clutch to go along with it thanks!

-Skyline

 

[Rat]

First of all you will need to redo the throttle before anything else, assuming the engine runs currently.

You need the engine to be able to hold an idle speed of around 1800 rpm, but as a pressure washer it never idles. The governor and throttle linkage force it to run at a 3500-3800 rpm constant because that's where the peak power is.

Nobody can help you a whole lot with too much of anything without pics.

What's it going on?
Did you buy a clutch already?
Where will it be ridden most (terrain type)? By Who?

 

[panchothedog]

Also measure the crankshaft diameter, and verify that it is straight and not tapered. Some industrial engines had odd ball size and or shaped crankshafts
that could make it hard to find a clutch that would fit.

 

[1998nissanskyline]

First of all you will need to redo the throttle before anything else, assuming the engine runs currently.

You need the engine to be able to hold an idle speed of around 1800 rpm, but as a pressure washer it never idles. The governor and throttle linkage force it to run at a 3500-3800 rpm constant because that's where the peak power is.

Nobody can help you a whole lot with too much of anything without pics.

What's it going on?
Did you buy a clutch already?
Where will it be ridden most (terrain type)? By Who?

so i saw that there was a thread made roughly 4 years ago regarding the same issue but i will try and get pictures later today, and i am harvesting a clutch from a older go-kart that has been put to rest

 

[1998nissanskyline]

so i saw that there was a thread made roughly 4 years ago regarding the same issue but i will try and get pictures later today, and i am harvesting a clutch from a older go-kart that has been put to rest

and forgot to add on it's going on a go-kart and mainly ridden on street/asphalt

 

[Rat]

and forgot to add on it's going on a go-kart and mainly ridden on street/asphalt

Then you do not want a centrifugal, they HATE nothing more than stop and go. You'll spend more time replacing cooked clutches than riding if you don't get a torque converter set up

 

[JimD]

What size is the crankshaft? 5/8" or 9/16" ? RLS is partially correct, the longer you have pedal to the metal the better off you are so the clutch has a chance to cool down after lock up. Tire size, not over 13" and having the right gear ratio 12/72 with #35 chain and 10/60 with #420 chain. Now if you are in a hilly terrain then I would suggest the T/C. but if you are in Kansas or Illinois we sure as he!! don't know what a hilly is. The cheap china clutches cannot take heat because they use a music wire spring that can only take 250F before they get annealed and graphite steel bushing with expand and tighten on the sleeve of the clutch when hot while an oilite bushing with take the abuse but it needs to be oiled when you put the kart away each time you ride it. Don't oil it before the ride, oil it when you are done riding to give the oil all night to penetrate into the bushing and around the pins of your chain.

 

[1998nissanskyline]

What size is the crankshaft? 5/8" or 9/16" ? RLS is partially correct, the longer you have pedal to the metal the better off you are so the clutch has a chance to cool down after lock up. Tire size, not over 13" and having the right gear ratio 12/72 with #35 chain and 10/60 with #420 chain. Now if you are in a hilly terrain then I would suggest the T/C. but if you are in Kansas or Illinois we sure as he!! don't know what a hilly is. The cheap china clutches cannot take heat because they use a music wire spring that can only take 250F before they get annealed and graphite steel bushing with expand and tighten on the sleeve of the clutch when hot while an oilite bushing with take the abuse but it needs to be oiled when you put the kart away each time you ride it. Don't oil it before the ride, oil it when you are done riding to give the oil all night to penetrate into the bushing and around the pins of your chain.

so heres the thing the shaft is 3/4" to add on to the hilly thing i dont know what that is and i live in georgia i was looking to get the clutch from a company called GoPowerSports.com but also to add on tire size is 4.10/3.50-6 on the rear and 4.10/3.50-4 in the front
Thanks!

 

[Rat]

so heres the thing the shaft is 3/4" to add on to the hilly thing i dont know what that is and i live in georgia i was looking to get the clutch from a company called GoPowerSports.com but also to add on tire size is 4.10/3.50-6 on the rear and 4.10/3.50-4 in the front
Thanks!

3/4" straight shaft is the small block standard, it's also important that the shaft is at the very least 2¼ in length from the end to the shoulder (the fatter point the bearing and seals ride on) but anything under 3" is great.

I mention this because I have a Briggs Flathead with only 1⅝ which is okay mostly but far less than ideal, and since your engine is pulled from a powerwasher it could come up a bit shorter than most.

Georgia would be a mix, Northern would be hilly mountainous, and mid state/south would be more coastal flat... so it depends on what part of Georgia you're in.
Your answer of "street asphalt" says a fair bit of stop and go contending with roadsides and traffic so regardless of terrain type a Comet 30 copy/clone IS the only safe way to go.

Saying you're getting a clutch grom Gopowersports is relatively useless information by itself.

Your tire size is really only relevant to the final drive gearing ratio, although with a 30 series TC and such small drive tires you could gear in the range as low as 3.6:1 to upwards of 5:1 and still pull hard with a respectable top speed.

I'd suggest staying around or below 4.5:1 or 5:1 If you're in Central or Southern Georgia, 6:1 for Northern.