Cart won't move. Need diagnostic help.

[Mark27]

88 CC gasser. It's been running perfectly. Last night after driving for maybe half a mile, I coasted to a stop on level ground waiting for the dog to catch up. When I stepped on the gas, the engine just revved, but the cart didn't move an inch. I shifted to neutral and back to forward, same thing. I tried reverse, same. Engine revs, but cart won't move.

All I did was a quick under seat inspection. The drive belt is on and the clutches seem to be working fine. I watched the belt moving up and down with the clutches as expected. I flipped it in and out of maintenance mode, and it worked as expected. As I moved the shifter, I saw the maintenance mode "switch" rotate back and forth as the shifter engaged those cams on the switch. The shifter cable was moving the lever that's on top of the transaxle as expected.

There were no odd smells, nothing leaking, and no noises like grinding or clunking. It just wouldn't move. I put it in neutral and towed it home.

I'm just looking for thoughts about where to start? I haven't even pulled the cover off of the back yet. Any thoughts are greatly appreciated!!

[Mark27]

Just had two thoughts, see if you agree.
1. Make sure the lever on the transaxle is actually engaging.
2. See if the driven clutch is just spinning uselessly on the axle. (maybe that little key broke?)

Any other thoughts are wanted and appreciated.
Thanks!

[Springbok]

Yes 1 & 2 are both good places to start.

I had #2 happen to me a few months ago. What happened was the center bolt on the driven clutch must have worked itself loose over the last few months and was gone. Once the bolt was gone, the keyway decided it wasn't going to stick around either. So as I was driving, the keyway made it's final exit and I coasted to a stop, despite engine revving normally. The driven clutch was just spinning freely on the input shaft. Took me a few minutes to figure out what had happened as I sat there waiting for a tow from my father-in-law.

So inspect your driven clutch to see if the bolt is gone and if it spins on your input shaft. Keep us posted.

[Springbok]

Didn't you recently have your driven clutch machined and re-sprung like I did? I must have not tightened the bolt enough after I re-installed it, maybe you did the same thing. I added a dab of Loctite on the new bolt when I replaced it.

I was so relieved when I discovered the issue (which was a 10-minute/$2 fix). I was of course thinking the worst, that something in my transmission had let loose.

[Mark27]

No. I replaced my driven clutch a last year, but it wasn't machined. I'm like you, just hoping it's the bolt and/or key. My first thought was transmission. I'll check the clutch tonight and hope for a quick small $ fix. I'm hoping that since it doesn't make bad noises, it won't be gear related. As I thought about it this morning, a spinning clutch makes sense. I'll let you know.

[Springbok]

Right, if you replaced the driven clutch, you had the bolt in and out. Hopefully it just worked itself out because you just didn't tighten it enough.

I R&R'ed my clutch around February of last year and didn't have my issue until November. Fingers crossed!

[Springbok]

Originally Posted by Mark27

I'll check the clutch tonight

So? Did you check it out?

[Mark27]

Yep. Just like you...the bolt and washer came out as well as the key. The driven clutch was just spinning on the shaft. I'm thrilled!! Easy cheap fix. Thanks.

[Springbok]

Awesome!

I don't know what your luck will be, but for some reason the hardware stores around me didn't have a keyway long enough to replace the one that fell out. The only sold the keyways in like 1 or 2 inch lengths (?). I ended up just using two or three pieces of keyways cut to exact length and it worked fine.

[Mark27]

I was just about to ask you where you found parts. All I've found on sponsor links is FE350 parts. I'll call a couple of places, but otherwise, I'll need to piece something together.