Predator dying problem and TC question

[J.S.@SMS]

I have a predator 212 on my minibike with a 30 series, and the motor keeps dying on me when I'm riding it. It almost seems like it's running out of gas, but if I give it a minute it starts right up and will keep running until it dies again or I take a break. I have already checked the tank breather tube and fuel line for clogs, and the carburetor is clean. The strange thing is this engine is only 5 months old with 10 hours on it including the 4 hour break in period. So I would greatly appreciate it if anyone could tell me why this is happening.

Another question that I have is how can I tell when a TC belt needs to be replaced?

 

[itsid]

just to be sure it's not the breather tube..
try again with the tank cap off..

immediately after it died, check the spark plug.. if it's too dark you're running too rich and need to lean out the fuel mixture..
else if it's very light in color or even has a crisp coat.. you're running too lean and it's likely a fuel issue.

A nice tan color indicates that the problem lies elsewhere..
maybe the low oil sensor kicks in and kills the engine?

'sid

 

[J.S.@SMS]

It was the tank breather, but I found a new problem. The torque converter keeps eating the bushings that go on the stationary sheave. So are these bushings necessary for the TC to function properly? And how can I tell when the belt needs to be replaced? Also is there a reason that it has jumpy acceleration?

 

[itsid]

the bushing shouldn't get eaten away too quickly really..
it's there to lift the belt at idle.. so the sheaves grab it properly once engaged.
(the reason you don't have a bushing on 1" drivers it's at the proper height already )
And yes it is kindof important, if you remove the bushing the belt sits a bit too low and the driver chews on it's sides at engagement speeds, which cause premature belt wear and lousy contacting surfaces [less efficiency etc..]

maybe your belt is a hair too short or center to center is a tad too big
(in case you use a seperate jackshaft not the backplate tav kit)
or worse: the driver and driven are not 100% parallel (bent backplate/ misaligned jackshaft)

that not only explains the bushing getting eaten away too quickly, but also the jumpy acceleration at least in parts.

Check proper belt tension/length by removing the outer half of the driver,
squeeze and pull the belt forward (the driver) proper belt size (or jackshaft position) should be so that you have 1/8" to 3/16" of clearance around the bushing.

belt wear is easy to tell, measure the top section width of the belt and if it's 5/8" or less
you should replace it (the belt should be 3/4" and about 1/8" of wear might still work ...or was it 1/16" *headscratch*)
anyways if you see frayed edges and the belt smearing on the sheaves it's a good idea to replace it

'sid