Send out clutch refurbisher

[Maineiac]

Hey Boyos, I’ve pulled my drive and driven clutch off of my 89 Carryall. I know I’ve read in the threads about someplace where you all recommend for clutch refurbishment but i cant find the info via a search of the threads. Help a brother out.

[superpro56]

Carts Parts Plus does clutch machining. Click the site sponsors link at the top of the page, there will be a banner that will take you to their website.

[Fairtax4me]

I'm sure there are a few shops that will rebuild the clutches for you.
Check with some of out Site Sponsors, such as CPP, or Revolution golf cars.

Before you send them away, check the sheaves for wear. If the sheaves have a wavy appearance, you will be better off to replace the clutches.

[Maineiac]

They are both wavy. Is steel the better option if available? Who makes a decent replacement clutch for my old cart?

[Fairtax4me]

There are some inexpensive clutches that work well. They may not last as long as an original club car clutch, but if you don’t use the cart every day, or don’t use it for hauling or pulling heavy stuff, they usually work fine.

I know there are steel secondary clutches (built with steel sheaves) but I’ve never used any, so don’t know how they hold up compared to the aluminum clutches. The ones I’ve seen are aftermarket, probably made in China, and probably questionable quality.

As far as steel primary clutches I’ve seen a few, but don’t know about fitment on Club car engines.
Honestly the aluminum clutches that are on it are probably original. (30? years old now) Steel clutches would probably have rusted out by now. And they’re not immune to wear either.

I have used a couple of the cheaper aftermarket primary clutches. They seem to work well enough. I have one on a regular DS, and one on a transporter 6 cart with an idle spring, and after three seasons it’s still smooth to engage and it closes and opens smoothly. The one on the DS has been on for 4 seasons now I think. Still seems to work fine.

[Maineiac]

Will later model drive clutches work on older carts like mine? Also, how stiff should the springs be on the drive clutch? It seems pretty easy to push the sheave down compared to a newer model clutch I had access to recently. I’m not sure if the newer one was a 92-96, or a 97-up, but the newer style seemed a fair amount stiffer.

[Fairtax4me]

Can you post pictures of which clutches you have?
Which engine does your cart have? I think on an 89 it should have the KF series flathead motor right?
I’m not familiar with which clutch types were used on the older models. The oldest I have is a 93 and it has the FE290 motor and same clutches that they still use at least up until 2014.

[Maineiac]

Yes, it has the KF-82 flat head and original clutches. Here are a few pics of the clutches. I also took a closer look at the drive belt. It’s a 1” belt, but actually only measures 15/16ths at the back. I don’t know if a 1/16th makes a big difference or not...but I figure I should probably replace it just on general principle.

[Fairtax4me]

Yeah you have the standard aluminum clutches that they still use.

The only real difference in a pre-96, and 97+up clutch is the direction of rotation.

The early motors turned counter clockwise, 97 and later are clockwise.
Both clutches are the same with the exception of which way the helix is turned on the secondary clutch, and the direction that the anti-rattle clips face inside the primary clutch.
Also a Key start motor, and a Pedal start motor use a different spring in the primary clutch. The Key start motor uses a stiffer spring so the engine can idle at low rpm without the clutch dragging the belt. So make sure your new clutches match direction of rotation, and Pedal start or Key start, whichever your cart has.


That belt is worn out, but probably still usable as a spare if you happen to ever need it, so may be worth hanging on to. You can tell it's worn out when the top of the belt sits down inside the sheaves of the secondary clutch. A new belt, and new clutch, and the belt will stick up out of the clutch about 1/8".

The spring in that secondary clutch is broken, which is why you have the gap between the helix and the brown clutch buttons. (why they call them buttons I don't know)
That can lead to damage on the inner sheave of the clutch, which would not be repairable. The only way to tell for sure would be to disassemble it. But as I said before, if the sheaves have a wavy surface, it's usually best to replace them anyway.
The best way to tell when a primary clutch is worn out or need a rebuild is if it starts "clinking" when the engine is starting. Or if it is sticking in certain positions and not opening and closing smoothly. If it's easy to push the movable sheave, that usually means the spring is worn and probably should be replaced.

I don't remember what a new secondary clutch costs from Club car. I know the primary is around $300. The secondary may be similar cost. If you want to get good clutches, get in touch with David at Revolution an get a quote from him on clutches and new belts. A new drive belt is only abut $30 and worth every penny to replace with the clutches. A new starter generator belt is less than $20 if I remember right, and just good practice to replace while its off and easy to get to.


The cheaper aftermarket clutches work OK and are usually in the $150-200 a piece range. Try searching google and such if you'd rather try the budget friendly versions.

Regardless of which way you go for the clutches, I highly recommend getting original Club Car Belts! Cheaper belts tend to cause problems and Do Not Last. The $15 belts you might see some places might last only a few months and be totally worn out.

[Maineiac]

I figured the belt was toast, but its good to know where it should be riding in the clutch. I’m a firm believer in buying good quality belts, so ill spend the money on a CC belt.

The spring on the secondary isn’t broken, I had it off and probably put it back together wrong. The “helix” and the button surfaces had mated with substantial ridges running up and down the faces, so i took it apart and filed everything smooth, plus cleaned and lubed the moving parts to see if i could make it work better. It seemed smoother, but i did notice the gap. Is there an instruction somewhere on here about the re-assembly procedure for the driven clutch? No clinking in the drive clutch, its just pretty easy to push the moving face when the clutch is on the bench.