Clutch won't engage.. not woodruff key.

[Matafuna]

Greetings all,

I'm new to posting to this site but have been researching my problem and have run out of ideas..

So I was riding to a Bacon Festival yesterday morning when mid ride I lost forward power.
This is a 2 stroke new build with a c-clutch with about 100 miles total. I was passing a family on the path so I pulled the clutch and killed the engine so as to not startle the little ones. When passed them I went to pedal start the motor and released the clutch but nothing happened. I pulled to the side, took off both covers and didn't see anything overtly wrong so I pedaled back home sans bacon.
Here's what I did:
I checked the clutch cable and activator and that is working normally.
I took off the front chain gear and checked to see if the woodruff key had somehow come out or sheared and it was still in place and looked fine.
Then I took off the c-clutch and checked the gearing and didn't see anything either. I cleaned the clutch pads on both in and outer assemblies in case they were just coated in oil and wouldn't grab but afterwards its the same result.
The bike rolls with and without the clutch engaged but the clutch engages the large and small gear on the R side under the clutch plate when the handle is released but it seems like there is a disconnect from the motor to the drive system..
Do I need to split the case to look deeper? Any ideas of what I should be looking for?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[crassius]

sounds like the woodruff key under the small gear - should be easy to see where the turning stops - if gear is turning and crank is not, then that's the place

 

[Matafuna]

Crassius that might be it.

I remember checking the tension on that large gear behind the clutch with the clutch released and engaged, and the small gear moved in time with it but I never thought to pull it out to see if the key was sheared.
Blast. I should have looked closer.
I'm at work tonight but I'll check and report back tomorrow afternoon.

Thanks for the heads up!

 

[Matafuna]

Hold on a tic.. I don't think the gear that comes with the centrifugal clutch has a notch for a woodruff.
I believe its just held on by the long threaded bolt.

Can anyone confirm this before I start sourcing replacement parts?

 

[crassius]

not sure how many clutches are out there now, or if all are same - seems if one jammed something in to lock clutch, then a non-turning crank would be a clue

 

[Matafuna]

Well I found the culprit.

Looks like the gear sheared off from the c-clutch housing. Not sure how it was secured there in the first place but I'm guessing if I clean it up I could tack it back on.

Not too impressed with the whole design to begin with (no woodruff key is a big one) so I might just put this on the back burner and keep the original clutch design.

 

[crassius]

never liked the idea of a cent. clutch that had no neutral setting to allow revving the motor for working on it - gets old real quick chasing the bike across the yard after blipping throttle a bit