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Clutch issues

4K views 23 replies 4 participants last post by  RJ Gleason 
#1 ·
Hey everyone,
Being a new member I'm trying not to make posts on topics that have already been covered, but I have some questions that extensive searching didn't answer for me.

1) My 72 Arctic Cat El Tigre runs strong but doesn't have the top end speed that it should unless lots of oil is dumped into its clutch, then it's like something breaks free and it has all the speed I could ask for. I'd like to know how to properly oil this type of clutch, so if anyone could provide me with a link to info or give me some pointers that would be great.

2) My 76 Arctic Cat Panther suddenly developed a problem last season where it would destroy its drive-belt almost instantly if run above ~60 mph. It also would smell strongly of burning rubber from the belt before this happened. I ruined two belts before realizing that I had a more serious issue. If anyone has experience with this issue, please chime in. This may also be a clutch oiling issue:dunno:
 
#2 ·
About the 76...I'd check to see if the motor mounts are all OK, and check to make sure the clutches are aligned. MOst of the time a belt explodes is misalignment.
 
#3 ·
smallengineguy said:
About the 76...I'd check to see if the motor mounts are all OK, and check to make sure the clutches are aligned. MOst of the time a belt explodes is misalignment.
I'll be sure to check on that, but there's another thing I forgot to mention. After the belt got chewed up, the two sides of the clutch were clamped onto what was left of it. It seemed that the sides of the clutch had moved inward and stayed that way.
 
#5 ·
They're stuck like that to this day, as far as I know. Do you have any tips on lubing the clutch? I'm clueless on these clutches. I have no idea where I should be oiling and what type of oil to use. As far as cleaning one, I'd be half terrified of taking it apart after what I read about the springs flying out of them. The clutches in both my machines undoubtedly need a good cleaning and lubing, however. They've never been taken apart or properly lubed to my knowledge.
 
#6 ·
NO oil on the clutches, that attracts belt dust and dirt, making the problem even worse. Remove the belt or what is left of it and spray the shaft down with penetrating oil to get the sheaves seperated.

Do both of your sleds have the HEX shaft primary clutch?
Recommend an upgrade to a Comet or other aftermarket unit. Those HEX shaft clutches are a PITA adn once they start malfunctioning, never seem to work right again.
 
#8 ·
smallengineguy said:
You CAN use Comet clutch spray on them, no other lube.
You forgot to mention that it's a "dry" lube still has no oil in it.
 
#9 ·
I'll have to pick up some of this Comet spray. Where could I find that? In a pinch, could squirrel piss (Parts Blaster) be used instead?

RJ Gleason, I can't say for sure what type of clutch they have, but I know it's the same on both of them. I want to say that the sheaves move on threads on the shaft, but I'm away at school and won't be able to take a look at either of them for several weeks. What kind of $$ are we talking for aftermarket clutches?
 
#10 ·
They may have the original clutches still, in which case, they are most likely the HEX shaft clutches.

You can get away with the Comet 94-C (duster) on those sleds.
Dennis Kirk |

I have one that is attached to a 440 right now. Its available. PM if interested.
 
#11 ·
RJ Gleason said:
You forgot to mention that it's a "dry" lube still has no oil in it.
Yup, I did forget t omention that. Don't use PB on it.
 
#12 ·
I just read the sticky on clutch removal/installation. I really think that these clutches need to be taken apart and cleaned since they've honestly never been cleaned and in recent seasons were soaked with oil (hey, I didn't know any better).
The sticky didn't go into much detail however, so I have a few questions for you guys.
1) If the spring tension in the clutch is dangerous, how do you safely release it once the clutch has been pulled using a puller?
2) Where do most people get these clutch pullers and are they costly?
3) I don't know what the inside of these clutches looks like yet, but I'm guessing that a bunch of parts are going to unwind and fly out of it due to the spring. Is there a trick to repacking all of these parts and getting them back onto the sled properly?

Thanks for all the help guys.
 
#13 ·
When you disassemble them, you do not remove the outer bolts all the way, just most of the way. Then you can press on the plate and remove the bolts by hand and controll the pressure release. Once you have the outer plate off, the rest is fairly easy.
 
#14 ·
i didnt read all the posts but i would check the plastic slides in the secondary, take apart the primary, replace any worn out bushings or anything that is worn, put it back together and use some graphite spray, it works really good on clutches, dont use oil based lude, it will just make a mess and can get on the belt. the griphite spray comes out in alchohol so it leaves the graphite and the liquid evapotates almost instantl.
 
#17 ·
Well guys, I finally got a chance to work on the sleds. I got some silicon lube from the Cat dealer, which he said is better than graphite lube. I tore down, cleaned, and rebuilt the clutches in both of them. The panther had the stock hex-shaft clutch and after seeing how it works I now understand why those have such a poor reputation. The hex shaft itself had some corrosion which I sanded smooth. I also sanded the inner surfaces of the sheaves. I noticed a lot of slop between the urethane bushings and the shaft, but since those aren't sold separately I put it all back together hoping that with the shaft smoothed out and the right kind of lube in it, it won't bind up again.

The tigre's clutch is called a Comet and is an aftermarket 6-puck design. There wasn't anything noticeably wrong with it so I cleaned and reinstalled it, and lubed it well.

It turned out that the panther's chain case was completely empty so I filled that as well. (Don't look at me. These sleds belong to my grandpa who died over a decade ago. I'm just doing what I can to get them back in shape.)

While I was at it, I also adjusted the brakes on both sleds since they had been completely innefective above ~5mph.

Both started after just a few pulls and without the use of ether, which was a nice change of pace from last season where they hadn't been started in a decade or so. They did smoke a lot from the gasoline in them evaporating away and leaving the oil behind. I'm thinking that we'll add a gallon of plain gasoline to each to correct that, before adding new gas/oil mixed this season.

I can't wait till Ohio gets some snow and we can test these golden oldies out. It's been a loooong time since we've had them running for any length of time.
 
#18 · (Edited)
{quote}I'm thinking that we'll add a gallon of plain gasoline to each to correct that, before adding new gas/oil mixed this season.{quote}
Do notdo this. better to drain the old fuel out completely and refill with fresh.
 
#20 ·
TO avoid a deficit of oil in the engine.

As for the "Hex" shaft clutch that you are still using, I recommend that you replace it with a Comet 94 or 102 to avoid problems later on. The Hex shaft slutches where notorius for breaking the spider inside them. The 102 will give you a performance increase to.
 
#21 ·
You're preaching to the choir on throwing out the hex shaft. Problem is that these sleds kinda belong to my entire extended family, but I'm the only one willing to spend some cash on them or turn a wrench on them for that matter (although once the snow starts falling, everyone will want to ride them). I've already spent what I could afford to get them working this season, so a new clutch is really out of the question.
 
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