Max torque clutch

Old enough

Old enough

Member
#1
#1
Hi Guys,
I disassembled the clutch that came on the mini I bought a while back and there is a groove 3/16 wide were the shoes engage the drum seems like the shoes should be in contact the full width of the shoe right? Not just the edge of the shoes, has anybody seen this is it normal or junk to be replaced? Previous owner claimed was a new clutch. Thanks
 
capguncowboy

capguncowboy

Well-Known Member
#2
#2
Yes, this is normal. There's a spring that goes around the shoes and falls into that groove. That's what holds the internals together and keeps them from engaging when it's at idle speed.
 
Old enough

Old enough

Member
#3
#3
capguncowboy said:
Yes, this is normal. There's a spring that goes around the shoes and falls into that groove. That's what holds the internals together and keeps them from engaging when it's at idle speed.
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This is a groove that is worn in from the shoe as evident by the wear on the shoe, no other contact visible on the shoes
 
jeep2003

jeep2003

#5
#5
sounds like a max torque clutch very common. the spring is to one side of the shoes so they tend to come out crooked and wear more on the one side
 
Old enough

Old enough

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#6
#6
jeep2003 said:
sounds like a max torque clutch very common. the spring is to one side of the shoes so they tend to come out crooked and wear more on the one side
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Thanks jeep, that is what seems to happening, the shoes are contacting crooked. I have since looked at a parts diagram and see that the garter spring sits in a slot on each shoe and could go to one side and have this result, won't last long I'm sure, looks like more $
 
ogygopsis

ogygopsis

#7
#7
Dear Old Enough, You can relax. The Max Torque clutch is designed so that only the inner one third of the shoes engages. You will always see wear on the inner part of the shoes and the rest of the shoe looks like it has never been touched. It does this to allow the shoes to engage smoothly instead of all at once. If the entire shoe surface area engaged all at once you'd experience a head snapping, wheelie popping, top fuel dragster type take off. Your clutch is fine. Ogy
 
jeep2003

jeep2003

#8
#8
yup dont worry about it. max torque clutches seem to last the longest because of this feature. I still have the first max torque iv ever had. over 25 years of hard use. its dead tired but still works like it should
 
R

Rambling

Member
#9
#9
Do you mean a groove is worn into the inside edge of the drum where the shoes make contact? Is it starting to slip? I've seen that on fun karts that are overloaded/geared wrong, smokes the clutch in no time.
 
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#10
#10
Rambling said:
Do you mean a groove is worn into the inside edge of the drum where the shoes make contact? Is it starting to slip? I've seen that on fun karts that are overloaded/geared wrong, smokes the clutch in no time.
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Yes on the drum, looks like only 3/16 contact, thinking it should wear through in no time, have not finished the restoration and haven't rode it at all, 69 Taco 100. Bike had a predator in it when I got it.
 
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#14
#14
creia said:
That is not "normal" wear. I have never seen that with any of the Max Torque clutches we have owned.
Michael
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Thanks Michael, that's what I had thought immediately when I saw it, as others have said its normal, I just don't know, even Max torques web site said that it engages to one side but to cause a groove surely is not right!
 
R

Rambling

Member
#15
#15
image.jpg I've only seen wear like that on a clutch that was being used on a yard kart with a 6.5 predator that was pushing 18" tires, that should have had a tc.
That's what I meant by smoked! Never seen it on a mini
 
creia

creia

#18
#18
The best thing to do is contact Jim Donovan of Max Torque Clutches jim@maxtorque.com
Describe the condition and send him your photo. Jim is extremely knowledgeable about clutches and very passionate about his product. He is also one heck of a nice guy! Some of us (yours truly included) have contacted him over the years for technical support with our projects. He always gets back to you promptly. I would bet he will take one look at your photo and immediately know what is causing this. Make sure and check back with what you find out so we can ALL learn. Regardless of what you find out, the good thing is that these clutches are very inexpensive (about $ 30.00 I believe?),a great value and do not bust the budget if you have to get a new one.
Michael
 
Old enough

Old enough

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#19
#19
After giving it much thought and the input from everybody, I am thinking the previous owner had installed the new clutch and had been driving around slowly and had never fully engaged the clutch like you or I would, what do you think about my theory?
 
capguncowboy

capguncowboy

Well-Known Member
#20
#20
Old enough said:
After giving it much thought and the input from everybody, I am thinking the previous owner had installed the new clutch and had been driving around slowly and had never fully engaged the clutch like you or I would, what do you think about my theory?
Click to expand...
It's possible. It's also possible that the spring wasn't in the groove all the way. Was it the correct size or did it ride on top of the shoes?
 
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