New to the forum, new to karting, do we have a clutch issue?

R

Ratman44

Member
First off this is awesome forum, excited I found it. I am personally not a mechanical inclined person, but my son actually is, he has taken Lionel trains apart that didn't work and rebuilt them to get them going. He is 14 so he has been youtubing and watching videos on how to set and fix certain things, and I am his support help him screw stuff in in and remove bolts and parts.

My son has raced at local indoor go kart tracks for years, but just decided to get him into real karting.

We bought a used go-kart, it is a Birel chassis, and LO206 engine go-kart.

He is running the LO206 Road course class at our local track and his kart was good for the first 5-6 weeks, but this past weekend his lap times fell off almost a second as the race went on. This was also the first week we raced in real heat, it was almost 90. (Ran 20.4-20.6 the previous weeks this week was 21.2-21.4 the last 5 laps.) He won 3 of the first 6 races and then this week he couldn't even keep up finished 5 seconds behind.

First noticed an issue 2 weeks ago when the kart came off the track, I was looking at the back tires and I tried to spin the back axle and their was almost a metal grinding sound coming from area of the clutch and the axle didn't spin freely. When the kart is cold you can spin the back axle and it will spin for a while before stopping.

So from my online research I was thinking this is a clutch related issue as the clutch may be experiencing to much friction/heat during the race causing it to seize up a little. But truthfully I have no idea. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. (I know it is a centrifugal clutch, as I said I am not a gear head so I have limited knowledge.) I was just hoping it was something with the clutch and not the engine itself or it's crankshaft.
 
There is a bearing in the clutch drum .
It needs lubrication every now and then weekly is best . Also the chain could be shot or unlubricated .
The speed issue most likely was tire related . Not enough air pressure , too much air pressure or even wore out .
 
Definitely remove the clutch and service it. Clean, sand, clean again, and lubricate the bearings.
IF a clutch gets very hot, it's not working correctly. This can also affect the springs as they'll lose tension over time and simply need replaced occasionally.
Too much chain lube can get into the clutch and cause the linings (shoes) to become glazed. Cleaning and sanding them each week will maintain (and even improve) the performance of when the clutch was first assembled.
Having a spare clutch ready to go can be a great advantage as well, instead of spending time diagnosing and maintaining the same clutch at the track.

Your lap time drops could well be tire related, but since you mentioned the clutch and rear axle not spinning freely when he comes off the track, let's get that issue addressed first.


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🏁Thanks and God bless,
Brian Carlson
Carlson Racing Engines
Vector Cutz
www.CarlsonMotorsports.com
Carlson Motorsports on Facebook
33 years of service to the karting industry ~ 1Cor 9:24
Linden, IN
765-339-4407
bcarlson@CarlsonMotorsports.com
 
You can get allot of speed by having your carb and valve lash set right and get a new spark plug. If you bought used you should be checking that stuff, replace hardened fuel lines and bleed the brakes. New tires are always good and check that your front tires are straight ahead (zero toe). What kind of clutch is it, do you have a tachometer?

Sundog
 
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