g-kart "torque converter"

[mancoowner]

i'm having problems with my go-kart "torque converter".. it is mounted on a 5 hp briggs and stratton engine. i think it was made by comet industries. it consits of two pulley lookin things one mounted on the crankshaft and another kinda at the back of the engine and the two are connected with a belt. the problem is, when i bought a new spring for the bottom pulley (goes inside) and a new belt, i put it all on and tryed to start it but when i pulled the 'rope' it turned both of the 'pulleys' and in escence the tires. so for some reason the cluth is grabbing it two tight or somthing. anybody who runs this kind of set-up knows what i mean. Thanks for any Help! :gmorning:

[cheese]

Sounds like you need to loosen the belt.

[mancoowner]

no, its the same belt and same size when you streth the two together so it tis something else.

[cheese]

So the other belt doesn't do this?

[mancoowner]

well, i dont have the old belt but before i replaced the belt and that inside spring i never had the problem before

[Thoran]

If nothing else has changed, except the spring and belt, then one or both of them are the problem. Why did you change the belt and spring?

[mancoowner]

i changed the belt and spring be cause the original spring twisted or bent and while i was at it i bought a new belt cuz it felt like it was lacking some speed anyways

[cheese]

The new spring changes the inside width of the variable pulley. That makes the belt ride out father towards the outside edge of the pulley than it did with the old weak spring. So...you need to loosen the belt.

[mancoowner]

i coulda told you that from the begining, and i know that it is the spring that is makeing it so tight but, i've tried to do so many different things witht that spring and turning it that i dont know what to do anymore

[mancoowner]

somebody told me today that it could be that the engine is running to fast or too strong.????? :thumbdn: :gmorning:

[mancoowner]

how would i loosen the belt then if thats the problem??

[speeddrivenkid]

a friend of mine has the same problem that when he goes to put a new belt on his gokart (same numbers and all) the belt is too wide and it catches on the pulleys causeing the tires to turn stalling the engine because it hasn't roared completely to life. he has two go karts and it only does it on the one so he puts the new belt on the other cart, wearing it down a little bit then puts it on the cart he bought the belt for. so what you could do is take a piece of sand paper and sand it down some.

[mancoowner]

thanks, i'll try that some time and post my results if the g-kart runs anymore..haha. thanks again i'll try it :thumbup: :gmorning:

[rpingry]

I got a used go-kart for my kids for Christmas. It was having the same problems that your were describing. The owner just resigned himself to lifting up the rear end to start it!

I thought of the "too tight" thing, except there is PLENTY of slack. The engine running too fast is not a solutions either, because it grabs when you are pulling the starter right?

Someone also recommended that the plates need to be REALLY polished smooth so they slip and do not grab. I could never get it smooth enough.

I did get rid of it and exchanged it for a Centrfugal clutch, but my kids burned that up after two days :wall:

My last hypothesis is that maybe the engine/rear axle are slightly out of alignment. I cen see that they are a timy bit, may 2-3 degrees. Perhaps that was causing the problem all along, making the belt kink slightly between the pulleys.

-- Rick

[mancoowner]

thanks for the help and i tried most of that and nothing seems to have worked. plus its a pain have to put it up on blocks everytime you want to start it. thanks! :gmorning:

[Pilot Dane]

Some belt style transmissions are critical about belts too wide. They seem to tolerate a narrow belt better than a wide one. Most people just look at it like any other belt (fan belt, water pump belt...) but it's a rather important part in the "transmission". It can effect when the transmission engages (like a clutch) and how it changes ratio (shifts gears).

**I am not familiar with your transmission/torque converter so take everything I type with a grain of salt...**

First: I would take a look at both sets of pulleys to make sure they are opening (the distance between the sides of the pulley) all the way. A worn bushing, shaft or no lubrication can cause the moving side of the pulley to stick.

Second: take a look and see if there is any way possible for the spring or clutch to be reassembled differently. Is it possible that you put something together wrong when you installed the new spring & belt?

Third: some units require you to pre-load the spring (put an extra 1/4 turn on it before assembling the clutch). Some have a series of holes that you put one end of the spring into. The different holes allow you to fine tune when the unit engages and how fast it changes the drive ratio (how it chages gears).

[mancoowner]

:wall: no, everything is working fine and i had it put together by a mechanic and had it done right in front of me so its right. and i already tried all kinds of combinations of spring loads and settings because it does have 3 different settings but nothing works. :madhell: :damputer:

[devildog]

I have the same cart I believe.I put a new belt on it after my daughter literally burnt the old one off.The new belt seemed to be too tight but after riding it for a short time,couple of minites, it worked fine.Although I did nothing to the spring or tention.

[blake123]

looks like your stuck in gear...just move your go-kart back and fourth until you can easily pull it.:)

[divot91]

try to loosen the engine mounts to get a little more slack in the belt, i dont think you should sand the belt need to find some slack somewhere in the mounts