[scubapro820]

My sled is pretty un responsive, replaced a few motor mounts and carbs are perfectly tuned. my problem is with my 1991 arctic cat ext 550 i ride trails with many hills at about 800ft above sea level. i have stock clutches but i have a yellow spring. I know i have clutch problems with my brand spanking new belt because at a stop the belt squeaks at the primary once i do get going i can get amazing takeoffs sometimes other times it hesitates or bogs

I suspect several clutching problems such as buttons or the slides or spring or idk but i did clean the clutches and sand down the sheaves (the clutching surfaces)?


am i using the wrong spring color for my setup and is there anything im missing?> any input will be appreciated

 

[kccats]

There are 3 dif colors Red,Yellow and Green! The squeeling belt at idle is OK, but not under acceleration. Have you checked the center to centers?

 

[ZRNUT]

Has the drive ever been rebuilt? Or at the very least cleaned? Check it for dirt belt dust and for oil buildup. If it is all gummed up and dirty it wont engage properly. You can do a quick clean with a can of brake clean and some compressed air to blow it out. But I'm betting that if this is the original drive yet the the weights have worn the bushings out and have started to hang up on the spider. Look for wear grooves on the side of the spider where the weights slide back into.

 

[scubapro820]

There are 3 dif colors Red,Yellow and Green! The squeeling belt at idle is OK, but not under acceleration. Have you checked the center to centers?

I have not checked the center to center measurement , the cutches are alligned properly i think. what am i looking for center to center wise

 

[scubapro820]

Has the drive ever been rebuilt? Or at the very least cleaned? Check it for dirt belt dust and for oil buildup. If it is all gummed up and dirty it wont engage properly. You can do a quick clean with a can of brake clean and some compressed air to blow it out. But I'm betting that if this is the original drive yet the the weights have worn the bushings out and have started to hang up on the spider. Look for wear grooves on the side of the spider where the weights slide back into.

I'll try to check that, I tried to get the seondary off but it was on so tight it wouldnt budge so i left it alone i guess i might have to get an arctic cat puller....or can i dissassemble the secondary on the jackshaft?

 

[scubapro820]

btw it squeels at idle and wants to stall the motor. that makes accelerating goofy from a stop. which spring color should i use for my style riding ?

 

[BC_Dan]

Check the weights and rollers. On the Comet 6-post clutches, that is a weak area that requires frequent rebuilding. Look for a weight with damage on the back and/or a roller with a flat spot. That can keep the primary from opening completely at idle. If that's the cause, it's probably better to find a good used Arctic Cat 9 post clutch and not put a whole lot of money into the Comet...

 

[ZRNUT]

I'll try to check that, I tried to get the seondary off but it was on so tight it wouldnt budge so i left it alone i guess i might have to get an arctic cat puller....or can i dissassemble the secondary on the jackshaft?

That would be your driven and that can be checked to see if it is working properly in a stopped mode if with a new belt it is about an 1/8" over the lip of the clutch disk.
Then look at the ramps and buttons see if the buttons are still round and ramps on helix are still smooth. But to do an alignment you will need to remove the entire driven from the jack shaft as the bushings you will need to put in or take out are behind it. To reomve the driven turn the sled on its side and remove the 1/2"bolt out of it. Then soak it down real good with break free and lert it sit overnight od=r at least a couple of hours. Then put the bolt back in not tight leave a small gap and while pulling on the clutch have some one hit the end of the bolt with a hammer. This should jar it free. Once it is off clean the jack shaft with emery and apply a light coating of anti seize, this will keep it free for future removale.
But if the drive is worn out you are going to have to rebuild or replace. If the spider is worn then it might be better to find a good used 9 post.

 

[BC_Dan]

Like ZRNUT stated, to align the clutches, you need to remove/add shims behind the secondary. The secondary should also float freely on the jackshaft to help keep the alignment precise. Cat does make a puller, and there is a cheaper after-market tool as well. The secondary should just slide off with removal of the holding bolt. If it doesn't, there will be corrosion between the secondary and the jackshaft. You can try PB Blaster or other penetrating lubricant to see if that will help. Depending on the amount of corrosion, it could be a difficult process getting the secondary off. Once you do, make sure to grease the jackshaft, or use Never Seize to prevent the issue in the future.

 

[scubapro820]

Like ZRNUT stated, to align the clutches, you need to remove/add shims behind the secondary. The secondary should also float freely on the jackshaft to help keep the alignment precise. Cat does make a puller, and there is a cheaper after-market tool as well. The secondary should just slide off with removal of the holding bolt. If it doesn't, there will be corrosion between the secondary and the jackshaft. You can try PB Blaster or other penetrating lubricant to see if that will help. Depending on the amount of corrosion, it could be a difficult process getting the secondary off. Once you do, make sure to grease the jackshaft, or use Never Seize to prevent the issue in the future.

yeah i'm not the original owner so who knows how long its been on there and what was done to it b4 . Is there a good place to get a matched set of arctic cat 9 post primary and driven clutches for a good deal and will i be able to use my oem belts?

 

[scubapro820]

recind the previous statement and question my stuff is arctic cat and i believe 9post i think thats what the ext 550 special came with

 

[BC_Dan]

Cat didnt' start making their own clutches until after 1995, I had two 1995's and both had the Comet 6-tower clutch. A friend with a 96 ZR 800 had a Cat 9 tower. How many screws are on the clutch cover plate? If it's 6, it's a Comet clutch made for AC. If it's 9, it's a Cat clutch. If it's 9, then someone else has had issues with the Comet that came stock on your 91 and has replaced it. If so, that's good for you

 

[scubapro820]

Cat didnt' start making their own clutches until after 1995, I had two 1995's and both had the Comet 6-tower clutch. A friend with a 96 ZR 800 had a Cat 9 tower. How many screws are on the clutch cover plate? If it's 6, it's a Comet clutch made for AC. If it's 9, it's a Cat clutch. If it's 9, then someone else has had issues with the Comet that came stock on your 91 and has replaced it. If so, that's good for you

Id definately doesnt say comet on it , it does sat Arctic cat . it very wel could have a new clutch but i will use the info to figure that out when i go check

 

[scubapro820]

The drive clutch is a 6 post and i found a rebuilt one from a 1993 for 150$ my driven clutch has round slides and ramps are good i think dont look worn or etched and belt is 1/8'' above the top of it. i did notice that while starting from a stop it will squeel and want to grab prematurely and wont want to disengage at a stop so it will stall the engine. going to go get the drive cluch in a couple hours. does this sound like a good fix to yall?

 

[BC_Dan]

If it was rebuilt correctly, that would be a good buy. If it was hacked together by someone that thinks they know what they are doing, it may not be. Your call. You should be able to determine the difference by the guy's other work; if it's from a dealer, it's probably a good deal. If it's from some guy that has 14 dead sleds in his yard because he can't figure out how to get 'em running, maybe not so much

 

[scubapro820]

If it was rebuilt correctly, that would be a good buy. If it was hacked together by someone that thinks they know what they are doing, it may not be. Your call. You should be able to determine the difference by the guy's other work; if it's from a dealer, it's probably a good deal. If it's from some guy that has 14 dead sleds in his yard because he can't figure out how to get 'em running, maybe not so much

Hey thanks , I did go buy it, it even had the sales receipt from the dealer to prove it. I could see that all the rollers buttons and weights were brand spanking new as well as a red spring. The drive clutch came with a ring gear for electric start models that's not a problem i hope , mine was not electric start but came off a Suzuki 550 just the same. I cant wait to go put it on only thing is I don't know what size 12pt socket to use my guess would be 1/2'' or 13mm ???