2000 DS Driven clutch not engaging

[robms]

Originally Posted by Fairtax4me

They only put one take-up spring in the clockwise rotation clutches. They used 3 springs in the early clutches and had problems with them sticking and not moving smoothly. They cut it back to one and that helped with clutch operation without any other problems.

The usual cause for a clutch not closing is stuck buttons or the center shaft is rusty or worn in such a way that the moving sheave gets jammed and can’t slide.

Check the center shaft of the clutch for grooving or any deep scratch marks. If it’s smooth and has no rust make sure there is no dirt and NO grease on the shaft or inside the center of the sheave.

If the buttons are worn they should be replaced, but if this cart is going to be sold in an estate sale I probably wouldn’t put too much into parts.
Make sure they don’t have any rough edges, make sure there’s no corrosion or dirt in the channels where the buttons slide.

The weights have to be able to move freely on the pivot shafts. If they feel stiff or don’t move at all remove them from the shafts and clean them up so they’ll move. They’re not supposed to have any oil or grease on them, but if they’re really sticky or rusty then a small squirt of silicone spray grease can help them move and won’t cause any major problems long-term.

Make sure everything is clean and reassemble the clutch and make sure the moveable sheave slides easily by hand.

So I need to break the clutch down further? You were talking about the center shaft. I’m assuming I need to remove the sheaves? The weights move freely. I noticed when I took the clutch off, it rattled on the inside. This is my first time taking apart a clutch, and from he sound, I was expecting to see something broken. But there wasn’t. I’m assuming those were the weights. The sliding sheave seems to slide just fine.

But again, if I need to tear apart further, I will.

[Fairtax4me]

The only other thing to take apart is to remove the small snap ring so the sliding sheave can come off.

You should be able to push down the sliding sheave by hand. You can use a large C-clamp to hold it if needed. Just push it in enough to take the snap ring off. The sheave has a couple of thin nylon bushings inside that might get hung up in the snap ring groove. Just give it a couple gentle taps and a wiggle and they should slide over and the sheave comes off.

[robms]

Originally Posted by Fairtax4me

The only other thing to take apart is to remove the small snap ring so the sliding sheave can come off.

You should be able to push down the sliding sheave by hand. You can use a large C-clamp to hold it if needed. Just push it in enough to take the snap ring off. The sheave has a couple of thin nylon bushings inside that might get hung up in the snap ring groove. Just give it a couple gentle taps and a wiggle and they should slide over and the sheave comes off.

Gotcha. I’ll take a look at it tomorrow. Thanks for the replies!

[robms]

Took the entire clutch apart. The shaft looked fine. I put everything back together, reinstalled the clutch and it worked just fine. I told the customer it may be a temporary fix....it may quit again. But it did a large amount of dirt inside it when I took it apart. So maybe just cleaning it will give him a few more rides!