Replaced clutches, cart won't move

[HDBEAVIS]

Thanks for all the responses. Here's a recap of where I am......I took the drive belt off and noticed that when I pressed the gas it did the same thing. I would see the pulley/clutch start to move then just stop. The sound was like what you hear the second after you press the gas before the cart starts, only the cart never started. If I press the gas peddle a few times it would eventually start turning. the battery was at 12.5 when I tested it so went ahead and put it on 2amp charger overnight but no real difference, battery showed 13.5v at this point. I was still worried I had the clutch bolts too tight (though don't see how that would necessarily cause a problem) so pulled bolts back out and re-tightened them with a box wrench, no extra leverage applied. I also thought the starter belt could be a little tighter so was able to get a little slack out of it. Now it is a ton better but does still seem to "hang" every once in while like previously described. Now that I have been able to take it up and down the road a little I am noticing that the belts, and clutches, are getting very hot. You can smell the rubber......I am going to pull the drive clutch back off and compare the pulley to the old one. I replaced the clutches because it was engaging hard but it didn't have anything resembling this issue so gotta be related to me replacing the clutches/belts. Here are the two clutches I bought, it is a 2003 DS:

https://www.amazon.com/ROP-Shop-1997.../dp/B07DNF4ZCX

https://www.amazon.com/Driven-Clutch...g-goods&sr=1-1

[Fairtax4me]

What year cart is this? What motor is in it?
Look carefully down the center of those clutches and see if the secondary clutch is offset from the primary clutch. They need to be perfectly on center to each other. An issue with the Old style secondary clutch that you bought is that it may not line up correctly with the primary, and it will eat the drive belt because it's running through the clutches at an angle.

Second thing is, what Belts did you buy? If they also came from Amazon, it could just be that they're crap. You can get the real deal Club Car belts for less than $40 and they're worth every penny.

[HDBEAVIS]

Think I have found my problem. It appears that drive belt has been riding on the outer sheave of the drive clutch. The starter pulley is the same size. Everything on the Drive clutches seems to match up within 1/16 no matter where I measure. The driven clutch though seems is about 1/8-3/16 different, again, no matter where I measure. That difference would put the belt out further to the outside which seems as though would explain the belt riding on the outside of the drive clutch. I attached pictures of the drive clutch and comparison of old/new driven clutches. Guess I need to call golfcartking unless someone that knows more than me has a different opinion of what my problem is.

[HDBEAVIS]

Fairtax4me ......your last post came in while I was putting my reply together so didn't see it but looks like we are on the same page. I did buy the belts on amazon, these new ones are both smoked now because of the heat that was generated by this misalignment. I will get two new ones, club car. Not sure what golfcartking is going to say but do you have a recommendation for a good secondary clutch? Do I need to just get it straight from a CC dealer?

[Fairtax4me]

Yeah the clutches are not centered. Combine that with one of the cheapo belts and you'll have a Belt BBQ no doubt.


Rebuild the old clutch would be my first choice. Even if there's a little bit or wear on the sheaves the secondary clutches are usually so thick they can wear down a lot and still work perfectly fine. The buttons that the helix rides on will wear out, and the spring can wear out or break with age. I've had to replace one helix (the crown on the back) and that was like $60 I think, but that clutch is still working great now about 5 years later. There really isn't much to go wrong in them, but it can be a bit of work to get it apart and back together.

If it is really worn down and grooved or broken, then you can get a new secondary from a few different sources, but if you have big tires or are riding trails, using the cart off-road, or pulling anything heavy, I'd really recommend getting a clutch from Cart Parts Plus and have them install their torque spring in the clutch. The torque spring makes a big difference even for a stock cart, but really helps out a lifted cart or one being used for work.
You can go with their Severe duty drive belt as well, but it's a bit expensive, and would only really be beneficial if you're trying to climb mountains or drag stuff out of the woods or constantly going in deep water/mud. But it will last almost forever, and its definitely not going to burn.
I like to use the 1017188 heavy duty drive belt from Club Car. You can order that from Revolution Golf Cars, and get the Club Car starter belt as well. Having the correct starter belt can really make a difference, as the aftermarket belts are often too wide, and sit up too high in the starter pulley. It makes the belt slip on the pulley, and it also makes the starter have to work harder to turn the engine.

[HDBEAVIS]

much appreciated sir, thank you. At the risk of over staying my welcome.....got any advice on best way to clean rubber off the primary without damaging the metal?

[Fairtax4me]

No prob buddy! Hope you get it all straightened out.

Stainless steel wire brush, or 120+ grit sand paper going with the circle of the clutch, or just let the new belt chew it off.

[Golf cart guy]

Another example of why to not buy aftermarket parts.

[Fairtax4me]

Belts, very much agreed, aftermarkets are junk.
As far as clutches go, most of these golf cart "parts" companies are pushing the wrong clutch. They have the old design listed for the wrong year of carts.
Those old style steel sheave clutches seem to work fine when used on the old flat head carts that were supposed to have them. But Club Car changed the transaxle design when they went to the FE motors and the clutch changed with it. I thought I saw someone here had modified one or made a spacer or something for the primary clutch so they lined up properly and it worked just fine.
IMO it's easier to just get the correct clutch. These don't necessarily have to be OEM original Club Car. I've got several aftermarket primary clutches that work just fine, some going on 5 years now running around in the dirt and gravel dust here.
I would imagine one of the aluminum secondary clutches should be fine for at least a few years.

[Springbok]

Originally Posted by Fairtax4me

Belts, very much agreed, aftermarkets are junk.
As far as clutches go, most of these golf cart "parts" companies are pushing the wrong clutch. They have the old design listed for the wrong year of carts.
Those old style steel sheave clutches seem to work fine when used on the old flat head carts that were supposed to have them. But Club Car changed the transaxle design when they went to the FE motors and the clutch changed with it. I thought I saw someone here had modified one or made a spacer or something for the primary clutch so they lined up properly and it worked just fine.
IMO it's easier to just get the correct clutch. These don't necessarily have to be OEM original Club Car. I've got several aftermarket primary clutches that work just fine, some going on 5 years now running around in the dirt and gravel dust here.
I would imagine one of the aluminum secondary clutches should be fine for at least a few years.

Yes I also believe that cart parts suppliers are recommending the steel-sheave driven clutches beyond the model years they were designed for. Those steel sheave clutches were designed for the older Salsbury drive clutches that Club Car only used from 1984-1987. In 1988 both drive and driven clutches were redesigned for the better.

Here's my thread where I tried to lay out my case:
https://www.buggiesgonewild.com/showthread.php?t=134358