Large clutch gear wobble

GoldenMotor.com

Stormsorter

Member
Jun 10, 2010
122
1
16
Jasper County Illinois
After noticing my clutch was slipping I took the cover and plate off to see what was going on. I found that there was a little grease on the pads and wile cleaning it off I noticed there was a bit of wobble in the big gear. It's not side to side or up and down it's a tilting wobble. It doesn't seem right to me and I wanted to make sure before I contact the store I bought the motor from or try to fix it myself. It tilts enough that I can see the bearings but non have fallen out. I'm pretty sure the grease on the pads came from the bearings. The nut seems tight but should I just try to tighten it more to get rid of this wobble? Advice from pros would be much appreciated since most of my engine experience is from lawnmowers and simple stuff like replacing alternators or water pumps. Its not very good (flashlight and cameraphone) but here's a pic if it helps explain a bit better.
IMG0060A.jpg

After closer inspection this seems to mostly disappear when the clutch is engaged and seems like it isn't an issue. But if it is please let me know.
 
Last edited:

Bikeguy Joe

Godfather of Motorized Bicycles
Jan 8, 2008
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up north now
Read my signature. :)

If you didn't know the wobble was there before you took it apart, it is not hurting anything.
 

Stormsorter

Member
Jun 10, 2010
122
1
16
Jasper County Illinois
Ya after looking closer I kind of figured as much. Then I went for a test ride just for the cable to break a block from the house lol. Luckily I have a Kent mountain bike someone gave that has a bent frame that I use for spare parts. The brake cable from this thing was so thick that it almost wouldn't go through the clutch arm and brass keeper so hopefully it will last. Now for a test drive to the grocery store.
 

Stormsorter

Member
Jun 10, 2010
122
1
16
Jasper County Illinois
Well I'm starting to think this may be a problem again. Every 3-5 miles it starts slipping and I have to clean what looks like pencil lead off the pads. There is no evidence of grease or oil anywhere so I have to assume its comes from this gap that I can see the bearing through and in very small amounts. I even sanded the paint or coating off the friction plate since it was the same color as the material that builds up on the pads and left it a little ruff but that didn't help much and the material still forms on the pads every few miles.

Also there has always been an excessive wine in the clutch that I assumed was normal during break-in but after a gallon and a half it hasn't got much better but I can tell if the engines 4strokeing or not now if that tells you how bad it is. No its not rubbing the plate its painted black and there are no marks on the inside. I also put a 1/8in thick piece of rubber on the outside of the plate and that helped a bit with the noise.

Now this wobble seems like it might be more of a problem than I originally thought. So should I just give the clutch more time to break-in or should I do something like tighten the inner spring? Any thoughts or suggestions would be much appreciated.

Other than the clutch this little Flying Horse seems to run great. There's very little 4strokeing from what I can tell and most of that's at idle but I like to keep a low idle. Right now I'm trying to adjust the needle on the slide since my plug was black and almost slimy when set at the second from the top. But I'll give that its own thread if I can't get it sorted.
 

rustycase

Gutter Rider
May 26, 2011
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There is no way to tighten up wobble in the clutch/ring gear.
...except, maybe replace the 52 ball bearings in there with new ones.
It's kinda difficult and really won't make much difference because they only come into play when the clutch is dis-engaged, which should not be very often.
(These are really not designed to be ridden with the engine off.)
Lord Vader has a section on it, and I posted some pics when I took mine apart, and pressed it back together. There was NO difference in how it operated, but I felt a huge bit of confidence knowing I had greased those little ball bearings well! lol
To tighten one up it would be necessary to purchase another ring gear and hope, through luck of the draw, that it had improved tolerances.
Fat chance! lol

Yes, you could try tightening up that inner spring a bit, to improve slippiness.
Problem is usually that the clutch release rod is not adjusted properly, though.
Good luck
rc
 

crassius

Well-Known Member
Sep 30, 2012
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USA
I've opened them & put them back together working, but they're not worth fixing if they break. However, if that gap is large enough to show the bearings, it may just need to be pressed down further - it should be all the way down onto the lip.
 

biknut

Well-Known Member
Sep 28, 2010
6,631
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Dallas
The clutch gear wobbles to some degree on all my china girl engines. It's just the poor quality way they're made.

If your clutch keeps slipping it's probably because your pads are binding in the clutch gear. Remove the pads and file the edges for a looser fit in the clutch gear. China girl clutches are actually one of the better designed parts of the engine. None of mine ever slip after proper setup.