VC 780 drive clutch and idleing

HBR

Does the VC 780 drive clutch work well with a cart wired to idle or does it grab and creep?

Thanks

BGW

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AaronW

Our clutches are designed to engage between 1900-1950 RPM's. As long as your idle speed is lower than that, you should not have any issues.

Be sure to lower your engine idle speed so that you can shift gears while the motor is running.

-Aaron

HBR

Thanks. What kind of belt tension or slack should I be shooting for?

AaronW

When it comes to pedal start you want the belt pretty tight (.75" - 1") deflection up and down. Key start will be twice that if not a bit more.

-Aaron

HBR

I must be missing something. Why would there be different belt tensions for key vs pedal start? Once the engine is running/idling it shouldnt matter how it got running, right?

Shepard

I believe its because the cart is not running when its shifted. If it were running it would grind the gears with the belt that tight.

David Maner

I just put a VC460 in my '86 club car. I have it set up so I turn the key on and then when I'm ready to start the engine I press the gas pedal. To kill the engine I turn the key off. It matters not if I'm in forward, neutral or reverse when I start it. It doesn't start moving until I give it the gas to increase the speed of the engine. I recently replaced the springs in the 780R clutch to the red springs so it takes up at 1200 RPMs I like that much better than the stock 1800 plus RPMs take up speed. I can shift the gears no problem as long as I'm not moving and the engine is idling. I have my idle speed set a 1050 rpms. I have my belt pretty tight also, maybe 3/4 to 1 inch deflection.

I'm fixing to order the 106 gram weights so the clutch will shift out sooner as I feel the engine has plenty of torque to handle that without any problem. I can always go back to the 88 weights if I find I don't like the heavier weights. Took me about an hour and a half to change the springs the other morning. Changing the roller weights will be about the same as its pretty much the same process.

Shepard

Did you take any pictures of the inside of the clutch as you replaced the springs?

HBR

David - thanks for this info. My kids use a '92 CC with a stock engine and drive clutch (it has a roller type bearing that the belt can run on when idling). It is wired the same way you have yours - with the key on, the pedal starts it but it stays running until you turn the key off. Shifting gears while idling is no problem.

I want to wire my clone/vc 780 combo the same way. My original concern was if the 780 would all the engine to idle since it doesnt have the roller bearing like the stock CC clutch. Sounds like that will be no problem.

David Maner

That was my main concern too but so far it seems to not be a problem. Mind you I don't let it set and idle for any length of time without putting it in neutral though. I see no reason to just let it idle for a long time.

My ten year old grand daughter drives my cart a lot and she has no problem with how it operates. Most times she'll put it in neutral to start it then let it idle and shift to either F or R whichever. Sometimes she'll do as I do and thats just leave it in F and start and take off like we/I was on the golf course chasing after those little white round thingys :-)

VC 460 Rocks