Woohoo! Kart is done!

[CSB]

First - thanks to everyone here who helped me get through this build. I had no idea what I was doing when I started this thing and I would not have made it this far without the help I found here. Thanks!

Runs well. My kids (and their friends) love it.


One more question as long as I'm here:
I notice after several runs that the clutch seems to tighten up a bit such that the kart won't roll as freely. If I spray a little wd-40 on it, it seems to loosen up a bit. I didn't expect that I'd need to do this very often. Is this normal? Is there something else that might be causing this?

 

[landuse]

Explain what you mean by 'tighten up'. Does it feel as if it is still engaging?

 

[CSB]

Explain what you mean by 'tighten up'. Does it feel as if it is still engaging?

Yes, still engaging and working. I just notice that when the kart is cold I can roll it pretty easily when the engine is off but after several runs when it warms up the kart is more difficult to roll freely and the clutch seems to be heating up pretty good. It seems to help if I oil it a bit after several runs. Maybe this is normal behavior but I wanted to check if it may be a sign of something that is not quite right.

 

[landuse]

It could be that your idle increases a bit when your engine is warn, therefor engaging the clutch more. See if it is at all possible to lower your idle speed, within reason. Maybe this will help

Oh, and make sure that you are only oiling the bronze bushing, and not anything else on the clutch

 

[CSB]

It could be that your idle increases a bit when your engine is warn, therefor engaging the clutch more. See if it is at all possible to lower your idle speed, within reason. Maybe this will help

Oh, and make sure that you are only oiling the bronze bushing, and not anything else on the clutch

I don't recall seeing anything in my engine manual about changing the idle speed. I'll look again.

What would be the consequence of oiling more than the bushing?

 

[klicky96]

This is probably happening because of the heat. Its basic Science. When metal gets hot, It expands. After a while, the bushing will wear down a little and you won't notice it. Its nothing bad, just a new clutch/bushing issue. Mine always do it.

 

[CSB]

This is probably happening because of the heat. Its basic Science. When metal gets hot, It expands. After a while, the bushing will wear down a little and you won't notice it. Its nothing bad, just a new clutch/bushing issue. Mine always do it.

I'm fine with that answer. In fact, it's probably the one I was hoping to see. But, never having had a kart before I wanted to make sure I wasn't doing anything that might be causing damage to the clutch or the engine. Thanks.

How often do you guys find it necessary to oil the bushing on the clutch?

 

[landuse]

How often do you guys find it necessary to oil the bushing on the clutch?

The recommendation is every 4 hours of use. Putting oil on more than the bushing will cause the pads to slip and not engage properly. It would be like oiling your brake pads on your car and then going for a ride

 

[CSB]

The recommendation is every 4 hours of use. Putting oil on more than the bushing will cause the pads to slip and not engage properly. It would be like oiling your brake pads on your car and then going for a ride

Got it.

Would it be considered normal for a new clutch put off a bit of smoke after heating up during the first few runs?

 

[B.M.800]

^^I rekon the smoke could be from any oil that got in it.

 

[flowerman]

No a new clutch should not smoke. The reason why your clutch is smoking is because it's burning off all the oil that you have put on it. Don't worry it's nothing bad, but if there is excessive amounts of smoke coming of the clutch it is problobly because you have put on a little to much oil.

Edit: bm800 our posts must have crossed lol

 

[anderkart]

If I spray a little wd-40 on it, it seems to loosen up a bit. I didn't expect that I'd need to do this very often.

Use about 3 drops of motor oil, not WD40. Then before starting, push the kart back and forth a bit so the oil can work its way into the bushing instead of just slinging off.

How often it needs re-lubrication depends on riding style. You might need to re-oil every hour of use If your kids are doing a lot of Idling, stop and go or low-speed riding because the bushing will be constantly working.

On the other hand if the rider gets right up to speed where the clutch is no longer slipping and fully locked in, the bushing will be under much less stain and need less-frequent re-lubrication.