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Old 05-06-2010, 08:21 AM   #4
PIB-My-Ride
Getting Wild
 
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Michigan / Put-In Bay OH
Posts: 148
Default Re: My own drive clutch removal thread

I finally liberated the clutch, but it wasn't easy. I removed the belts, applied oil to the threads and end of the puller and hit it repeatedly with an impact gun at about 115 psi. I reversed and slammed it home, and that didn't work either. I was nervous about hitting the end of the puller, and I couldn't wrap my brain around what that accomplished, so maybe I made more work for myself by taking that too easy....? I didn't want to risk delivering big, unnecessary blows to the crank bearings of a perfectly-happy engine. Instead, I placed a 2x4 on the clutch surface and hit the other end with a mallet.

Next, I packed the clutch with grease (by hand). The puller became a piston at that point, compressing air and grease into the center of clutch, but by the time I would get the threads to grab, the air would force out much of the grease and relieve the pressure. The grease seemed to aid the "slam home" technique, but still no-go.

The cart hadn't been run in 2 months and I was frustrated, so I put the belts back on to go for a cool-off ride. Now I know why smart people roll the belts off - adjusting the tension on the starter-gen with only 2 hands is NOT fun. I finally wrapped a wide tow-strap under it, and pulled up on the strap from the back with one hand, while tightening the adjuster bolt with the other. It worked, for the most part, and my back is starting to feel better...

Round 2 (or 20): more grease, more impact, but by now I had gotten grease onto the 2x4, so I grabbed a wooden garden stake instead. This may have been the ticket, because the end of the stake reached closer to the center of the clutch surface. After a few medium whacks, the clutch was off.

So Tom, thanks for taking my call the other day. The clutch is on its way to you via UPS.
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