cllutch or wheel problem
- Thread starter tbolt76
- Start date
Is the wheel equipped with a coaster brake? Is it attached to it's proper bracket? Is the center of the brake arm ovaled out?
Think of trouble shooting as a flow chart. Look at the components in line, write them down if it helps conceptualize and start at one end of the process and work your way systematically towards the other end. For example: In your case we can start at the very end of the drive system. The wheel. When it is at the point where you are having issues with binding you need to raise the wheel off the ground with the motor off and attempt to turn the wheel. Observe the chain, and if necessary relax your idler wheel if so equipped to make sure you have some slack. If there is slack in the chain it takes the clutch and engine out of the equation. If you cannot get enough slack to observe then pop your master link and remove the chain from the equation all together. If your wheel is difficult to turn at this point you have eliminated one major sub system in the drive train and can now confine your investigation with the wheel hub assembly. If your wheel spins freely, then indeed you will need to investigate the drive system at the motor end.
Think of trouble shooting as a flow chart. Look at the components in line, write them down if it helps conceptualize and start at one end of the process and work your way systematically towards the other end. For example: In your case we can start at the very end of the drive system. The wheel. When it is at the point where you are having issues with binding you need to raise the wheel off the ground with the motor off and attempt to turn the wheel. Observe the chain, and if necessary relax your idler wheel if so equipped to make sure you have some slack. If there is slack in the chain it takes the clutch and engine out of the equation. If you cannot get enough slack to observe then pop your master link and remove the chain from the equation all together. If your wheel is difficult to turn at this point you have eliminated one major sub system in the drive train and can now confine your investigation with the wheel hub assembly. If your wheel spins freely, then indeed you will need to investigate the drive system at the motor end.
This is going to be hard to diagnose without a better description of what is happening. This might sound silly but are you using the clutch? Is it adjusted correctly? If the clutch is working as its designed to do you need to disengage the clutch, squeeze the clutch lever, when you slow or apply brakes; just as you would in a manual transmission car. I can't begin to help you with the noise you hear. The clutch in most of these engines (you didn't tell us what kind of engine you have) that is the manual clutchs, can be noisy but if you're slowing with the clutch engaged then it could provide you with some interesting sounds both from the clutch and the chain and sprockets. Get back to us with a little more information and we'll see if we can help you out. Your problem could be one of several things such as sprocket/chain/wheel alignment, or some other things that you'll need to check. Tell us more first.
Tom
Tom
Heres what I found so far the bike uses a coaster brake which sems to stop the bike too well and its bumpy a litle bit when braking the chain does have slack and the wheel turns ok when raiseed off the ground its just when i brake therea a jerk accompanied by a grinding noise and i do disengage the clutch when braking and everything sems to be alligned ok the chain is not binding up but the problems only occur when braking and its a 2 stroke engine
Okay, now lets see where we are. Did the coaster brake make any noise before you installed the engine? Is the coaster brake lever attached to the chain stay and not rotating when you back-pedal? When you had the rear wheel off to install the sprocket did you rotate the axle cone nuts which might have changed the bearing pre-load? Try removing the chain and see if there is any noticable binding/noise in the rear hub while rotating the wheel. If the rear bearings/brake are binding you'll need to adjust them. If you're not sure about the procedures seek help from a local bike shop. Watch what they do and ask questions. There is also lots written here regarding bearings and coaster brakes. Use the search feature and do some reading. Do you feel the noise you hear is from the clutch or the rear hub? If you find nothing wrong with the rear hub/brake the problem might be in the clutch but personally I've never encountered the symptoms you described.
Tom
Hophead_90720
New Member
Hello, I have a problem with the coaster brake too. I don't even know if I put the engine on correctly yet because I can't get the back wheel to move. Someone suggested that I may have tightened the nuts over the brake cap too much? I can get the wheel to move a few links and can hear the cylinder move with a pop. I haven't even put gas in it yet because I want to make sure the thing can pedal on its own. My fingers and knuckles look like **** right now.
Well I have isolated the problem its not the clutch at all its the coaster brake itself nothing goes wrong until i apply the brakes. when applied lightly its as if you just slammed the brakes real hard and the wheel seizes im worried its going to break the chain or somthing any fix to this?
GoFastBicycles
New Member
Coaster wheels are very tricky if you don't know what you are doing. Taking them apart to put the rear sprocket on is where the problem starts for the less experienced bike guy. Everything loosens up wile it is apart and you are fussing with the rag joint. Then you put it back together loose or tight. Bye bye bearings. When ever I did a install on a bike I was selling I would only use freewheel hubs.1st you don't have to remove any thing from the hub. 2nd the kit sprocket dose not need any mods to fit.3rd the customer is not going to be back with burnt up rear hub.4th the bearings are better and much easer to grease. This is only my opinion (I'm not a bike tech) I will say have had no rear bearing issues sense I used the lazy not wanting to deal with coaster brake hubs.
Adam
Adam
Bikeguy Joe
Godfather of Motorized Bicycles
Have you packed it with a good high temp. wheel bearing grease? That is usually the problem with coaster brakes...not enough grease.
The nut that you stated was loose is also a crucial adjustment. The wheel needs to be set up properly before you put it on the bike and run the engine through it. You can take it to a bike shop if you can't get it yourself.
Let us know how it goes.
bangbang880
New Member
i think i am with "gofast" on this one. I am having a problem with my coater brake and rear workings as well. I mounted the sprocket and then everything was off and would not tighten back up properly. took it to the bike shop. no go. Then i read about the "dust cover" on the brake. I didn't read that before and did not remove it and cut it down. I think that the sprocket is pushing on it to hard and wont let the wheel turn right? or let me properly tighten up things. Does that make sense to anyone?