Clutch Advise Tanaka 33

[kenspice]

Thanks Vaughn, an excellent post! It shows exactly what I needed and also shows the profesionalism and very good advice we can expect from you and Golden Eagle. When the rain stops in Wa. state (ha,Ha) and hunting season approaches I will get the big 2 stroke from you. Since the switch-over is so quick and easy, I will use the 40 for hunting and the 35 for the streets. I hope I remember to empty the tank and fill with the mix.(ouch) Thanks again, Ken

 

[Vaughn@Gebe]

BTB,
Our next printing, perhaps we should go into more detail but seems you missed this excerpt under "Operations" in the Installation manual that accompanied your engine:
**When going up steep hills, if you feel the clutch begin to slip, throttle back just a bit, Peddle to assist engine, as you feel clutch engage, Slowly increase pressure on throttle and you will feel speed increase.**

If you have burned up the pads of the clutch shoes, continued use will cause damage to the bell/drum of clutch. Usually you'll feel the clutch grab or hear a scrapping sound, when shoes are beginning to go - if they're grabbing/scraping, replace them - before more damage is done to your clutch bell/drum.

When shoes need to be replaced, spring the extra $ and get a new Spring - that is recommended for the shoes you are buying. To remove/replace the clutch shoes requires a wrench & screwdriver. Be sure shoes are re-installed in the same direction, when replaced.

Usually we do have clutch shoes in stock - who was it that told you you'd have to get the Shoes from Tanaka? 76mm KSK clutch shoes are available at many small engine shops.


Ken,
With 2 & 4 stroke engines around, we find it helpful to have Two gas cans, 2-stroke and 4-stroke Boldly marked on the cans - make Sure you don't get them mixed up! The 4-stroke will run with oil in the gas (not that great) but would cause no real damage. A 2-stroke run on straight gas, Will burn the engine up. Thanks for your Spicy attitude and good luck with the hunting!

 

[BTB Wild]

Is it possible to buy a new clutch assembly while the worn one is being rebuilt?
Then swap em out as necessary. My local small engine shops are VERY slow with repair turn-around.
If the new clutch assembly is available and sold seperately, how much do they cost? Thanks.

 

[kenspice]

You might check the clutch housing to see if the area where the shoes engage is worn also. If not, just order and replace the shoes and spring as per Vaughn@GEBE in the above post by him.

 

[smapadatha]

You're not going to pretend that this:

**When going up steep hills, if you feel the clutch begin to slip, throttle back just a bit, Peddle to assist engine, as you feel clutch engage, Slowly increase pressure on throttle and you will feel speed increase.**

Which you tell people, is the same as this:

If ridden properly a set of shoes should last 2 or more years - if you don't find that kind of life, it's probably your riding style. It WILL wear out shoes prematurely if, when on a hill that is so steep or long, that engine speed slows to 8 - 10 mph - it's NOT going to do any good to hold throttle Wide Open, to try to power up the hill!! You'll have Much better results if - when you feel the clutch slip, reduce throttle slightly and Pedal to assist the engine. As you feel the clutch re-engage, Slowly increase throttle, to increase speed. Listen to your engine and you'll soon learn when rpm is mated to speed, you'll have the hill climb you need.

If you have burned up the pads of the clutch shoes, continued use will cause damage to the bell/drum of clutch. Usually you'll feel the clutch grab or hear a scrapping sound, when shoes are beginning to go - if they're grabbing/scraping, replace them - before more damage is done to your clutch bell/drum.

When shoes need to be replaced, spring the extra $ and get a new Spring - that is recommended for the shoes you are buying. To remove/replace the clutch shoes requires a wrench & screwdriver. Be sure shoes are re-installed in the same direction, when replaced.

Which you do not???

GEBE Step 1: Wait until customers damage their clutches.
GEBE Step 2: Warn customers about doing so.

Why isn't this information on your website? Why is it the responsibility of your customers to figure out what the performance specs of your product are? Shouldn't that be your job? The cheerleading BS on the GEBE website says over and over how great your product is for climbing hills. There's nothing like the above information that I've seen.

Our next printing, perhaps we should go into more detail ...

Yes. Perhaps.

But for the people who have already been stupid enough to buy your product, do you really believe that the half-wit gibberish which you've posted in this thread constitute even casual instructions, let alone documentation?

To remove/replace the clutch shoes requires a wrench & screwdriver. Be sure shoes are re-installed in the same direction, when replaced.

Got it. Wrench. Screwdriver. Boy, your manager at McDonald's must have ******* wept when you left to work at GEBE. But don't worry Vaughn, after I repair your *****y clutch, I'll write it up for you. I have job skills enough for both of us.

GEBE Step 3: wait until customers are so frustrated that they painstakingly create their own documentation. Save a fortune which can be used to pursue GED certificate. Ka-*******-ching.

-Kalkin

 

[kenspice]

Hi Sam,
I am fairly new on this website but I don't recall that many people having burned a clutch up. Have you had a problem with yours? I asked a few questions here and there on clutches but got pretty good answers from GEBE that told me exactly what I wanted to know. Mainly I wanted to find out how easy it is to swap engines back and forth (R/S 35 and one of the bigger 2 cycles). Vaughn put diagrams on this thread of just that. It will take the removal of 4 bolts, slide the old engine out and put the new engine in and replace the 4 bolts. As far as using the clutch to make it last is quite simple. When going up a hill if it is too steep for the engine it will start to slow down. If you get below the rpm that the engine requires to keep the clutch engaged it will start to slip. Don't let that happen! Start pedaling before it starts to slip. If you pay attention to just that one thing your clutch will last a long time. Hope this helps. One more thing. A clutch is a clutch. Clutches wear out. Manufacturers usually do not tell you not to ride your clutch. That is a part of driving that comes with experience. You are the first person to call me stupid for buying a GEBE product. I only have a thousand miles on mine yet but have not worn my clutch out. I may be stupid but I'm having fun! Ken

 

[kenspice]

Is it possible to buy a new clutch assembly while the worn one is being rebuilt?
Then swap em out as necessary. My local small engine shops are VERY slow with repair turn-around.
If the new clutch assembly is available and sold seperately, how much do they cost? Thanks.

Hi BTB,
Did you get your clutch back together yet? I did a little experiment today and disasembled my clutch. There are 4 allen screws that attach the engine to the clutch bell and housing. Without touching anything else (except to remove the black plastic tensioner cover) I had the engine on my bench and was inspecting the shoes and drum in 17 minutes! Those 4 screws are all that holds the engine to the GEBE unit. They are adequate because the engine is SO light. The plug that holds the fuel lines to the gas tank just pops out with a nudge from a screw driver tip. To remove the throttle from the engine takes about 2 minutes. After 1000 miles my clutch shoes were not worn at all. I very lightly sanded the drum, cleaned everything up and put it back together. 47 minutes after I started this maintenance check it was back together and the engine started and ran just fine. Very ,very simple system to work on and yes just an allen wrench, screw driver, piece of light grit sandpaper and a needle nose pliers were all that was needed. It is a very decent piece of equipment to work on and if maintained and operated correctly it will run great for a long time - and cheaply too! Ken
By the way, I am still running my original tires and spokes.

 

[BTB Wild]

KENSPICE, thanks a million for posting this! I was still riding up until this week....winter has really set in! ( 20*F tomorrow ) so I'll get to pop er open soon enough. My guess is the clutch shoes may be alittle worn but still OK.
I'll lightly sand the drum as you suggested. What to look for as far as pad wear? Should I measure with a caliper or will a visual inspection be obvious enough? Thanks again for the encouraging post!

 

[kenspice]

KENSPICE, thanks a million for posting this! I was still riding up until this week....winter has really set in! ( 20*F tomorrow ) so I'll get to pop er open soon enough. My guess is the clutch shoes may be alittle worn but still OK.
I'll lightly sand the drum as you suggested. What to look for as far as pad wear? Should I measure with a caliper or will a visual inspection be obvious enough? Thanks again for the encouraging post!

BTB, my suggestion is to ask Vaughn at GEBE to get you a caliper reading of the thickness of new shoes. They looked to be about 1/8" thick if my memory serves me. As the shoes wear they leave dust in the drum. Lots of dust = lots of wear. Mine were quite clean. If you see any metal or they are worn more than Vaughn suggests, replace them. Another easy job. In my opinion, working on these clutches takes a very minimal amount of skill. Just a bit of common sense and a basic tool kit should get you through it just fine. Ken

 

[BTB Wild]

I'm Back

I finally got around to inspecting the clutch. Thanks for the tips KENSPICE, a rather easy task for anyone except ole BTB. I broke the head of the allen wrench and of course it was lodged flush into the bolt head. So I removed the top mounting bracket so I could get the engine on the bench. I stared at the thing for 20 minutes contemplating my next move. Drill it out, order a new bolt etc? Called the machine shop and they advised me to suck it out with a magnet. Couldn't believe it popped out so easily.
Anyway, the clutch looked OK, alittle dust......I'd say it's at half-life right now. I used my Dremel to clean up the housing then hand sanded with a light paper. Put everything back together rather quickly........no problems.
Since I'm using the stock clip-on throttle, there was no need to remove the throttle cable from the engine. I'll go ahead and order the clutch pads and spring ( only 2 pads, one spring....very simple design) so I have them on hand. I'm ready to roll! Thanks to everyone for your help.