HELP ! Clutch Exploded I Think , pics incl.

J

jmc25fl

New Member
Hi, I just installed a 66cc BGF motor kit on my bike. This is my 3rd install and this is the first time I have run into a problem like this 15 hours after initial test run. The motor started making all sorts of noise. This led me to take the clutch cover off to inspect things. What I found was a real mess. There were tiny ball bearings resting in the cover. The large gear seems to have shifted away from the drive gear so that they are still meshing but not like they should. My question is what should I do? Should I try to send the motor back and get a new one or fix it myself. I am good with tearing down motors and such, but I would like to know what I am getting into and what parts I will need to replace or repair. I haven't disassembled the motor yet because I am waiting to hear from the manf. Can one of you experts give me some advice please. I have attached pics so that you can see what I see. This is my main means of transportation so I would like to handle this quickly. Thank you.
 

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Looks like the inner plate is toast. Fixing it will be a pain.
I'd probably just order a new engine and swap them out rather than take the trouble to rebuild the clutch
 
maniac57 said:
Looks like the inner plate is toast. Fixing it will be a pain.
I'd probably just order a new engine and swap them out rather than take the trouble to rebuild the clutch
Click to expand...

Could I not just order new clutch parts? an entire motor replacement seems extreme, but I could be wrong, as I have never taken these things apart. Thank you for your advice though.
 
maniac57 said:
Looks like the inner plate is toast. Fixing it will be a pain.
I'd probably just order a new engine and swap them out rather than take the trouble to rebuild the clutch
Click to expand...
Huh? New engine?? LOL
How about just buy a complete clutch unit and make sure that you have the special puller tool to get the old one off.
 
I agree with neil above. it's just the "flywheel" for lack of a better term.

rebuilding it is probably impossible. once those blow apart you're screwed. but it's an easy fix. and luckily those bb's have nowhere to go so they don't mess up anything else.

Call the supplier and see if they'll warrantee it and send you a new part. after they say "no" and hang up on you, call pirate cycles.i think they're in florida?

Edit... sorry, they're in massachusets
 
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jmc25fl said:
Could I not just order new clutch parts? an entire motor replacement seems extreme, but I could be wrong, as I have never taken these things apart. Thank you for your advice though.
Click to expand...
Get a replacement clutch from BGF.
Is he still in China?
The clutch parts press together capturing the ball bearings that make it freewheel.
Probably not worth trying to rebuild it........
 
Like some people above mentioned, rebuilding that side of the motor is more hassle than it's worth. I am experienced and I would just replace it and save the good parts for later use. The new engine is less than $100 bucks....
The entire clutch shaft needs pulled and is probably beyond most new members whereas replacing the engine is simple. Very little price difference by the time you get everything needed as well...
 
Hunh? All you gotta do is pull the flower nut off, zap the nut off, and use the kit supplied tool to pull the gear off. It'd take me 15 minutes to replace.
 
maniac57 said:
Like some people above mentioned, rebuilding that side of the motor is more hassle than it's worth. I am experienced and I would just replace it and save the good parts for later use. The new engine is less than $100 bucks....
The entire clutch shaft needs pulled and is probably beyond most new members whereas replacing the engine is simple. Very little price difference by the time you get everything needed as well...
Click to expand...
The clutch shaft does Not have to be pulled to change a clutch out!
Changing out a clutch is an easy quick task if you have the puller and the right sized socket 19 mm? for the nut.

If you send a polite email to BGF with a pic you will get a replacement.
 
I would dis-assemble everything connected to the failed part just to be safe.
I'm not fond of installing new parts and only THEN finding something else broken....
Maybe you know more about these motors than I do, but I'm not just bolting another anything on a failed engine without inspecting the innards.
Had to be a reason it failed....Find it or risk disaster.
 
Thank you all for your input. I am going to digest all this and then I will post an update. I bought the engine kit from BGF , but his ebay store is no longer up so I dont know the outcome of any support. Any ideas on where to buy a new clutch assy and the puller?

Thank you all.
 
The puller comes with all my kits. I have several laying around in my toolbox.
Apparently some vendors don't include them.
Your biggest issue will be finding someone to sell you the CORRECT parts...if you want to attempt a fix, I'd suggest calling Duane at Dax and describing your problem to him. He should be able to give you the parts to order without sending stuff you don't need.
I still think a new engine is easier than fixing yours unless you know what you're doing. Good luck ordering the right stuff from BGF...it will be up to YOU to know what you need. Rick is like most ebay vendors: he never see's the boxes, he just does paperwork.
Dax is a better bet to talk to someone who will help you figure out the right stuff to order.
Your other choice is to try finding a consistent accurate parts list to use for ordering.
I've never seen two the same yet.
Grubee, flying horse, Rico group, Super Rat, etc. There are simply too many factories making the ht to allow easy parts matching.
Replacing the engine is by far the easiest way to get rolling again. You can always rebuild the bad motor later if you want to tackle learning the inside of your motor.
 
Maniac, i'm not trying to give you a hard time, but it really is a simple fix. the "flywheel" is pretty much interchangeable on all 66cc motors, regardless of brands. i've had plenty of different motors and they fit all the same. the only difference is the way the clutch pucks are cut.

Jmc, i've got a pile of them. send me a pm and i'll ship one to you with a puller if you don't have one. i'll even write out some instructions...
 
Well there ya go!
I'm not upset. I realize my genius goes unheralded most of the time. :)
and I'm lazy too.
 
First let me thank everyone for your input. When I buy these kits I know that the tolerances are sometimes poor and this will cause problems to arise. I have experience with motors in general as I used to race jet ski's and have built many a motor after replacing cranks, seized pistons ect.. So I am not scared in anyway about getting " into the motor". The specialized tools are all that I lack, and of course the tricks of the trade that come with tearing down the motors. It has always been a dream of mine to tear one of these motors down and modify the bejesus out of it and extract more power. I have looked at the Morrini motors and would love to get one but they are just not in my budget as of now.
This clutch going bad has made me think I should tear the whole thing apart and check everything. I guess I will need to find a good source for parts ( PM me with any suggestions). I will continue to listen to the advice of you guys as you truly are experts in the field. These little motors are just so much fun.
 
Ok, so as of now I have taken the motor off the bike and have everything set aside for the upcoming repair/swap. When the experts that have been helping me here weigh in on a final conclusion I will be moving forward. Although I have to say I was looking at dax's ktm 50 cc engines and I think I actually drooled.
 
jmc25fl said:
First let me thank everyone for your input. When I buy these kits I know that the tolerances are sometimes poor and this will cause problems to arise. I have experience with motors in general as I used to race jet ski's and have built many a motor after replacing cranks, seized pistons ect.. So I am not scared in anyway about getting " into the motor". The specialized tools are all that I lack, and of course the tricks of the trade that come with tearing down the motors. It has always been a dream of mine to tear one of these motors down and modify the bejesus out of it and extract more power. I have looked at the Morrini motors and would love to get one but they are just not in my budget as of now.
This clutch going bad has made me think I should tear the whole thing apart and check everything. I guess I will need to find a good source for parts ( PM me with any suggestions). I will continue to listen to the advice of you guys as you truly are experts in the field. These little motors are just so much fun.
Click to expand...

Search the forum here for all the teardown and upgrade info you need. It's actually fairly simple to rebuild these engines so you should have no problem doing the work.
I suggest Dax for your parts since they can actually be called for advice and to help you buy the right parts for your engine. Much better than sending money off to ebay and hoping you get something close to what you need.
I would go ahead and replace the crank and rod bearings now if you want a full fresh bottom end. There are much better japanese and aftermarket bearings and seals out there for cheap. No time like while it's apart!
Good luck and have fun!
 
THIS IS on it's own thread , I was trying to combine but I did it wrong.

Everyone here on the forum helped me obtain the correct parts, and I started the repair. For some odd reason the clutch is so firmly attached ( spot welded? :-) ) that I stripped my puller tool.I can't imagine that these clutches are so firmly attached that they could not come off with the amount of pressure I was using. Should I have used some heat to get it off, I am at a loss on what to do now. bairdco in this forum was kind enough to actually send me a puller and clutch assembly so I could get back on the road ( THANKS!! ) , Now I have the parts but a new puller isn't going to solve the problem. HELP !

Also I have obtained a parts motor from DAX, it had everything minus the head. I thought that I could just pull the head off my other motor use the secondary motor I have, but the piston is hitting the head. Are there different crank lengths? I would like to get motoring again but really need some help.

Thanks
 
That DAX bottom end sounds like it's a GT5. (???!) The Grubee engines have different strokes and pistons. The jugs are the same though.
 
One other thing...I have seen two sizes of woodruff keys across kits too...can really be a hassle. I have used small keys in large slots without incident, although keeping the key in position while you install the gear can be really frustrating. Large keys can be ground down to fit the small slots.
 
Thank you for your advice, I will be trying to fix this this weekend. I have rented a jackhammer , a plasma cutter, and a rubber mallet. My problems should be solved, LOL
 
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