Lost race because of part failure. Need ideas

jsf74

Member
Friday with 5 laps to go leading the open feature our Bully clutch came apart. Upon further inspection it looks like the the snap ring came off the driver and the basket separated but I don’t know why. We’ve never had a issue in the past and all our equipment is either fresh or fairly new. Any ideas on how to prevent this in the future?
 
My stock appearing kicks the clutch apart every now and then... it will push the driver off or the back small driver circlip off... not sure why myself but it has happened a few times to me now. I got endplay in the clutch and endplay in the driver and retainer as required but sometimes it just pops apart. I thought maybe it was just heat it’s setup to hit at 5400 so it gets pretty warm? I dunno but I feel your pain.
 
Yes it happens, part of racing I guess. Having the clutch bolt back out is part of the game too.
 
aftermarket parts is likely issue , the aftermarket drivers or aftermarket baskets sometimes just don't work well together not allowing the clip to fully lock in place , I've had this issue before myself and I honestly believe thats the biggest issue
 
bully clutch has 5 races and bully 11t driver Was on its 3rd race. All oem hardware thats whats so frustrating. Crank to clutch has proper endplay and the whole shot. Clutch comes in around 4800 and the kart race ready is only 327lbs. Its actually a 196 clone stock appearing so not a giant hitter but definitely makes some steam.
 
^^^^^ that has happened to me with the 11 driver. I switched to a 13/66 now to get away from those tiny things.
 
Lucky 13 is correct. You have to use the small spiral lock on the outside of 11T drivers, no matter the brand - the chain will hit a standard snap ring on that tight of circle.

Also, make sure that the driver is lubricated well enough -- the 11T does not have needle bearings, so lube is critical.

You can use aftermarket drivers on Bully baskets, but be aware that the snap rings are different sizes for the different brands of drivers. (ie WMS uses a much smaller ID snap ring to hold the driver in place than the genuine Bully driver.) If you use a Bully snap rings on a WMS drive, I can all but guarantee that it'll come apart as happened with yours.

Always keep your snap rings with the driver that they came with (snap them on the driver even when in storage so that they don't get mixed up.)


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Snap rings have a curved side and a flat side.
The flat side goes to the outside aka in the
direction of taking off the part it's holding.
Curved side goes toward the part being held on.
I think I explained that correctly. :unsure:
 
I literally just heard this for the 1st time ever just a few hrs ago. I honestly can’t say what way it was installed.
 
The driver snap ring is the one that came off correct ?
Not the one on the snout holding the basket assembly on .
I never liked the new thin snap rings on the driver's .
 
I stopped using snap rings a few years back because they seemed to fail at the worst of times lol. I'm also not saying Bully clutches, its happen on all our clutches at some point. Anyway I've been using spiralox rings and haven't had any issues in 2 yrs. Grab a few though because if you change drivers alot they do get worn out.

 
If it's the type of snap ring with two holes for install and remove, couldn't you safety wire it on?

And make sure you install it in the right direction.
 
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I stopped using snap rings a few years back because they seemed to fail at the worst of times lol. I'm also not saying Bully clutches, its happen on all our clutches at some point. Anyway I've been using spiralox rings and haven't had any issues in 2 yrs. Grab a few though because if you change drivers alot they do get worn out.

I had a snap ring come off of my gas pedal while whooping the field at an indoor race. Terribly disappointing way to lose. Both pedals are drilled and pinned now.
 
I stopped using snap rings a few years back because they seemed to fail at the worst of times lol. I'm also not saying Bully clutches, its happen on all our clutches at some point. Anyway I've been using spiralox rings and haven't had any issues in 2 yrs. Grab a few though because if you change drivers alot they do get worn out.

Do you by chance have a part number or a source on where to get them. Mcmaster care has packs of 5 or 6 for less than 10 dollars just need to know the dimensions.
 
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