Club Car Clutches: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

[Springbok]

Originally Posted by Scooter Bob

I joined this forum a couple months ago when I bought a new to me 86 CC ds. I have the kf82 running pretty good now, and have added 3 leaf rear springs and rear flip seat.

The drive clutch faces are very worn on the outer third of the diameter, and am looking to replace it. Just looking for clarification of the last post on this thread.

Can I just buy a clutch to fit a 88 and newer, and redrill/ swap on the s/g pulley and bolt it onto the engine??

My problem is I just can't find a replacement for the original clutch.

Thanks for any input, Bob

Yes this is correct. You can order a 1988-up drive clutch. It's a way better design than the old 1984-87 model. You can take the pulley from your old clutch and you just have drill out new holes for the bolts. Center bore is already a match between the two style clutches.

If you don't want to do that, you can just buy the pulley that already fits the newer style clutch at the eBay link below. This is the pulley for the 1988-91 clutch (even though they say 1984-91).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/153480495573

[Scooter Bob]

Thanks for the reply. I have one of the 97+ primaries coming from the jungle, along with a new 1" wide belt. I had brief thoughts of remachining the belt surfaces on the salsbury until I took the cover off and saw all the rust and sloppy rollers, half worn through guide pins, 2 broken and one missing springs around the pins, etc.

[Springbok]

Good choice. I haven't heard much complaining from guys who bought the Amazon or eBay clutches. They seem to work just fine.

Here are my YouTube videos on this subject:

Putting a 1997-up Club Car Drive Clutch in a Pre-1997 Club Car
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55yeRnUqqVs

Club Car DS Driven Clutches
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiExDznGSb8

Club Car DS Driven Clutches - Which Style Should You Choose?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGIiQcBqZvQ

Club Car Drive Clutch Button Clip Position (1988-1996 vs 1997-up)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_2qwBPEjvg

[Bigbswa]

Originally Posted by Springbok

Good choice. I haven't heard much complaining from guys who bought the Amazon or eBay clutches. They seem to work just fine.

Here are my YouTube videos on this subject:

Putting a 1997-up Club Car Drive Clutch in a Pre-1997 Club Car
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55yeRnUqqVs

Club Car DS Driven Clutches
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiExDznGSb8

Club Car DS Driven Clutches - Which Style Should You Choose?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGIiQcBqZvQ

Club Car Drive Clutch Button Clip Position (1988-1996 vs 1997-up)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_2qwBPEjvg

Hi. Your videos have been a great help.
I have a 96 gas ds and have the bucking/jerking issue when I initially press the gas pedal. After the buck the cart runs fantastic for a 1996. Its just that initial take off from dead stop that is annoying. Definitely spill any beverage you have open.
Items I have replaced:
Carburetor
Fuel Pump
All filters
Oil
Spark plug

After watching your videos I replaced the main drive belt and s/g belt.
Still have the issue.
This is a great running cart but this buck/jerk on take off is annoying.

Is this the symptom of a bad clutch?

Thanks for any help.

Bob

[Bigbswa]

Originally Posted by Bigbswa

Hi. Your videos have been a great help.
I have a 96 gas ds and have the bucking/jerking issue when I initially press the gas pedal. After the buck the cart runs fantastic for a 1996. Its just that initial take off from dead stop that is annoying. Definitely spill any beverage you have open.
Items I have replaced:
Carburetor
Fuel Pump
All filters
Oil
Spark plug

After watching your videos I replaced the main drive belt and s/g belt.
Still have the issue.
This is a great running cart but this buck/jerk on take off is annoying.

Is this the symptom of a bad clutch?

Thanks for any help.

Bob

I would like to add...
That my cart is a late yr 96. I think the 43rd week if I am reading the vin correctly.
The replacement s/g belt I purchased for a 96 was to small. I made a mistake of buying without checking the numbers on the belt. Turns out the 96 cart has a belt used for 97 and up.

[Springbok]

Originally Posted by Springbok

Another good morsel of information was discovered by Lockman1 the other day. Apparently there are no differences between the 1988-1996 drive (front) clutches and the 1997+ drive clutches except for some red plastic inserts in the holes on the outside sheave:

I did a video showing the sole difference between these two clutches. As was explained correctly earlier, all of the individual parts within the clutches are exactly the same. The only difference is that there are three small metal clips inside the sheave that are installed in one direction for CCW motors, and installed in the opposite direction for CW motors. However, I have run these clips in both directions on the same cart and neither position seemed to make any difference when driving. This video shows this and explains:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_2qwBPEjvg

[Springbok]

Originally Posted by Bigbswa

Hi. Your videos have been a great help.
I have a 96 gas ds and have the bucking/jerking issue when I initially press the gas pedal. After the buck the cart runs fantastic for a 1996. Its just that initial take off from dead stop that is annoying. Definitely spill any beverage you have open.
Items I have replaced:
Carburetor
Fuel Pump
All filters
Oil
Spark plug

After watching your videos I replaced the main drive belt and s/g belt.
Still have the issue.
This is a great running cart but this buck/jerk on take off is annoying.

Is this the symptom of a bad clutch?

Thanks for any help.

Bob

How much weight are you hauling? My 1987 cart will sometimes do the jerking thing if I’m starting from a dead stop on a hill or if I have 3 or more adults on board. Otherwise it starts smooth.

Can you duplicate the issue in maintenance mode? This is when you flip that little yellow cam on the back side of the shifter which allows you to run it in neutral. Just wondering if it will still start jerky under zero load.

[Bigbswa]

Originally Posted by Springbok

How much weight are you hauling? My 1987 cart will sometimes do the jerking thing if I’m starting from a dead stop on a hill or if I have 3 or more adults on board. Otherwise it starts smooth.

Can you duplicate the issue in maintenance mode? This is when you flip that little yellow cam on the back side of the shifter which allows you to run it in neutral. Just wondering if it will still start jerky under zero load.

Sorry for late response.
Ummm as far as weight, I am 350lbs lol. But it does the same with lighter people in tbe cart.
In maintenance mode it has no jerk.
Thanks