144f hs How much play if any should the clutch bell housing have?

[Michiganmetzger]

First time build and want to make sure everything is torqued and greased correctly. Also the gear on the end of the bell housing looks pretty dinged up from the factory. Hopefully it doesn't cause any issues.

 

[michael whiteman]

Even though your pulley isn't pretty, from what is showing it's nothing to worry about. What we can't see under the belt is the question. As long as the teeth do not have any sharp edges that might tear into the belt you're OK. If so. just file/sand off the sharp edge and you'll be good. How much end play do you have ? Just make sure when you push the clutch bell towards the engine it does not drag on the case. The clutch should spin freely without the belt and not make any dragging noise. I had to add a washer behind the clutch on my 142F to fix this. You might check out the thread @Deleted Member 4613 did on installing an Oilite Bushing as an upgrade under Transmission/Drivetrain.

 

[Michiganmetzger]

It has about a 64th of an inch of play in and out. No scraping or drag on the case.
Although the belt seems to creep back and forth on that pulley/gear from the middle to outside edge. Belt tension has about 1/4 " of play.

 

[darwin]

It looks like your engine/shaft isn't square to the belt. Offset to the left a lil. That will make the belt not ride in the center and can cause premature wear.

 

[michael whiteman]

This is something I posted to Jerry a while back but is worth repeating............

I talked to about 6 belt dealers today and none of them could give me a simple answer to the question of belt tension. There's a big formula and a couple of special tools if you really want to get anal. I finally found a video where a belt dealer stated that the general rule of thumb is 1/64" depression for every 1" of lineal travel. On our belt drive tranys the distance between contact points on the pulleys is 4". Lay a ruler on top the two pulleys and at the half way point you should be able to press it down 1/16". New belts stretch right away so the need to recheck this soon is advised. This seems tight but you don't want the belt skipping which will tear the teeth off in a big hurry.

Another thing I learned.........our belts are p/n HTD 575-5M-15. The HTD is a registered trade mark for GATES . The other guys do not show this. Even HTD belts are made in China. This size belt only comes with a fiberglass reinforced thread. Kevlar is not available for us in this size.

 

[michael whiteman]

Your end play at 1/64" equals 0.016 in. which is just fine. Jack you rear wheel up, remove the belt cover and loosen the 4 motor mount bolts just enough to wiggle it around a bit. Darwin had a good point about your shaft alignment. Best case scenario: the belt still walks around a bit, not to worry. They are pretty forgiving but you should tighten it up some more. I'm happy to hear the clutch doesn't drag on the case. Looks like you're about good to go.

PS: If your big 100T pulley has any lateral runout this will also make the belt wander. Mine was terrible at 0.100 inch. Yours might also track better when you tighten it up.

 

[Deleted Member 4613]

My belt drive came with a very over-tightened belt,
which I adjusted. The drive will have very little walk due
to the closeness of the two pulleys and the belt
tension. Don't really know why your clutch bell pulley is
bent.

 

[JerryAssburger]

Mine of course, came with the tweaked LARGE pulley, which despite my best efforts, wobbles about an 1/8" and noticeably tightens and loosens the drive belt- replacement pulley is more than I'm willing to pay, so it limps along. Just rode it to work tonight, and it must be in the sweet-spot... no slippage! Despite the minor hiccups, I still think the budget 4-strokes are worth it.