G1 Torque Kit Woes

[DirtDiggler]

Finally got around to installing the torque kit I got from Everything Carts- removed the snap ring, put in the spacer, checked the ramps, lubed the sheave and put on a new belt while I was at it. Now the engine seems to be over revved all the time. Plus, when I take off it seems to have to rev more before it engages and when it does engage it jerks suddenly. It kinda feels jerky when at slow speeds also. It does seem to climb hills a little better but not as well as I expected. I raised the rear wheels and watch the clutches while I reved the engine- both clutchs seem to be working fine. I drove the cart for about 3 miles and the problems seemed to be a little better but it still lurches really bad on take off- any ideas what is going on? Seemed to work fine before I replaced the worn out belt and put the torque kit on it! Thinking about putting it back stock.

[GMB74]

The torque kit will keep it in a lower gear for more power, so the higher revving wouldn't be too unusual. The jerky takeoff may be due to a sticking primary clutch. Pull it apart, clean and lightly lube. Look for worn parts. I have found shimming the original spring with pieces of PVC pipe connector to work well to tune the secondary spring. I went to the hardware store and found a connector with a 2 1/4" OD, cut it into sections of different lengths and experimented. Try a 1/4" section to start and substitute thicker and thinner sections to find the shifting characteristics you like. Keep the spacer on the shaft to retain things, the c-clips are weak and have been known to break on standard setups.

[smallblock450sl]

Nothing against Everthing Carts, but I have found some aftermarket torque springs to be way to stiff. Have had to take them out because of that. Good luck on your situation.

[Flintrock]

And let the new belt break in more before you decide to pull the spring back out...

[sho305]

New belts are sticky unless you run dusty conditions, it takes a little bit to wear in and not be sticky. I don't like the big springs either, but there they are. I still have a stock spring. I should say the lurching could be the new belt, but the shifting is the kit and that is the way they work.

[BigBlockMan]

For a G-1 yamaha we find a machined sheave with the stock spring or stock spring shimmed 1/4 will give you the best performance.

[DirtDiggler]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I will tear down the drive clutch asap and check it out. It never occured to me the belt would have to break in- the old belt was a good 3/8 inch narrower and forever old but worked perfectly- I assumed the new belt(genuine Yamaha) would only work better. Drove it a lot today and it seems to be shifting better and the rpms seem to be more of where they should be (only slightly revved). It gets much better after warmed up a mile or so but after cooling off its worse again. I also noticed that at low speeds I have a bit of belt noise. At any rate, the worst problem (jerking on take off) is consistant so I betting on the primary clutch issue. Will update when I tear it apart. To get into it all I have to do it remove the tank and pull the long bolt to get the cover off?

[GMB74]

A belt 3/8" narrower than stock is WAY worn out. No wonder you notice a difference. Removing the big bolt will allow the outer half of the primary clutch to come off for cleaning and inspection.

[sho305]

What clutch is on it? If you see the bolt and its kind of square looking raw aluminum that is the original G1 clutch, the best one IMO, but they don't take off as smooth as the newer ones. However you can shim the spring in them for more rpm on takeoff. It is very important and more so lifted that the clutches are working well...clean and lubed.

Supposed to change the belt when it hits the 1" wide limit. You usually can't pull anything or climb with a 1" belt on a lifted cart, compared to a new one that is 1 3/16" wide.

[DirtDiggler]

As usual, yall are spot on. I finally had time to take the primary clutch apart today. It was fairly clean but I cleaned it out with brake cleaner and lubed everything up. Couldnt see anything wrong except for some wear on the heads of the counterweights. It was significant but was smooth and in my opinion normal for what I would expect. Much to my surprise when I put it back together it now performs MUCH better with just the cleaning and lube. It takes off at lower RPM and much smoother- still a little jerky but at least it doesn't jerk your head off if you dont feather it just right. Not only that, it shifts better across the entire rpm range and the engine seems to be in less strain. My questions (see pics) 1) what kind of clutch is this? 2) Does anyone see anything wrong (pics are before I cleaned it) 3) This doesnt look like somthing that was really designed to be lubed- does it need to be taken apart and lubed on a regular basis? 4) Will I see more improvement by replacing the weights and white plastic guides? Thanks again!