A bunch of total Newb Questions..

[wackman69]

So....I need some advice...As the thread states, I am totally new to the golf cart world...
I purchased this 1976 EZGO for 225.00. I have invested approx another 150.00 in parts (just what it needed to get it up and running) The motor seems to run very strong (so thats a plus) I still however have no reverse and am pretty sure that I never will because fixing the internal stater generator is way outside my mechanical expertise. And to top it off, I finally got all my parts in and the cart put together only to find out that the secondary drive clutch is bad. When the RPMs get up on the motor, the clutch starts to shake which makes the whole cart and motor shake violently and go very slow. So with all the knowledge I just gave you all, here comes the question...
I have priced a new clutch and it is in the 200 dollar range. If I purchase that it would put me approx 575.00 into this cart. My wife is already kinda upset that I started this project to begin with. Thats not really the point though. I just want an honest opinion about what you guys would do in my situation...(spend more money and hope for the best or cut my losses and try to sell it as is and recoup as much of my expenses as possible?) Bottom line, I want a cart, just not sure I want one that may continue to nickel and dime me. Thanks for the input!!

[kyerik]

Hopefully you can take the secondary off and take it apart and inspect it (this won't cost anything). My 90 doesn't have ramp buttons, but I have read that bad ramp buttons might cause your issue.

If the secondary is trashed, maybe you can at least lock it into the low gear position so a potential buyer will at least get to take it for a smooth (but low speed) test drive and thus you should get a bit more $ for it if you do sell it. OR- if the wife enjoys taking low speed rides, then maybe she'll agree to spending more $ on fixing it.

[wackman69]

how do i lock the clutch in low mode. i see nothing i can adjust to keep it from expanding. thanks!

[wackman69]

any other advice regarding the clutch would really be appreciated...

[kyerik]

Once you have it apart and verify that it is trashed, you should be able to drill a hole through some of the overlapping/pivoting parts and insert a 1/4" grade 8 bolt to lock it in that position.

When you remove it and inspect it, you may find that it is a cheap fix without having to lock it in a certain position.

[wackman69]

OK, thats kinda how I figured one would go about it. I have a couple of follow up questions though. First how do I determine whether or not its trashed? I have had it off the spindle and out of the cart. All looks ok, I can spread the discs apart with my hands. The main thing I did notice however is that one of the discs is slightly bent. Could this be causing my vibration and shaking issue? I tried to bend it back, but I know that if these are precision balanced I am SOL. Also, my second question, If I put a bolt in a certain spot to keep it from opening up, don't I run the risk of throwing it even farther out of balance? Thanks for any further clarification!!

[kyerik]

If one side of the pulley is bent outward (the metal is actually bent), then I don't know how that could be patched up. As the clutch turns, the belt is likely getting tighter and looser and that is causing all of the vibration. I was thinking that maybe the ramps that open and close your clutch were messed up and had a lot of play.