Defective clutch lever arm on new kit? Help!

M

meowy84

Member
Just purchased an 80cc kit from PowerKing (you've probably heard of them) and have 2 questions.

I haven't installed the engine just in case I need to play the warranty/defective part return game.

First, the fuel float bowl casting is very porous, looks like there might be a crack in it/casting imperfection from a burst hot molten aluminum bubble during the casting process but I'm not sure if it will leak until I actually put fuel in it. That's the best I can describe it. Anyways if there is a slight leak I can fix it with some JB Weld or something similar so that might be helped. But my big concern is the clutch actuation arm.

THE MAIN QUESTION: The clutch actuating lever seems to have a very large sweep/freeplay. Looks like it's a 45 degree sweep. Is this normal? Also it is very wobbly as though there should have been some sort of a bushing between the shaft that goes into the engine cover case and the cover casting. I've attached 2 photos to illustrate my point of the sweep of the arm before it comes upon any resistance..
 

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And here's the casting imperfection in the bottom of the float bowl. I took the bowl off and I can't see any light through (LOL) so it might not leak even though the wall thickness in that little area is probably infinitesimal. :(
 

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Clutch lever - I don't know if they are all wobbly, but I've had two and they both wobble. The clutch arm is normally in line with the wheels, then pulls inwards. It will never be swung out like you show in one of your pictures. My guess is it's normal and will work as designed.

The carb - as you say, if it doesn't leak, it's good. There are a lot of vibes when the engine runs and I wonder if JB weld will hold for long. I used JB weld on an exhaust stud that was not holding and it worked great, but in that application the JB is contained in a closed space.
 
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Thanks for the reply. Yup I know what you're saying about the lever being in line with the wheels (the position it would be in in the pic on the left) when in operation. And when I pull on the lever (towards the cable guide thingie) that's about the time when I start encountering lots of resistance, as I imagine I should because that's the time when the clutch mechanism starts being operated. It's just that from my experience with dirt bike engines long time ago and how their clutch levers operate I didn't think there would be that much movement/sweep in the lever of this kit and so I thought there perhaps was some stop or override that should be on the innards of the clutch rod that isn't present on this engine. It's good to hear that you have the same play in yours though.
 
all of what you are describing is normal and most people have play in there clutch arm and alot of people have small defects somewhere on there engines.
 
All of the advice you've received is good. Your observations are all normal and are no cause for concern. Put it together and ride it. Poor casting is more the rule than the exception with these Motorized Bicycle engines but most of them are cosmetic.
You should also know that the clutch lever will actually come all the way out of the cover if the cover is off and you rotate the lever about 90 degrees. It's designed that way and there is a small pin in the cover that keeps the lever in when lined up properly. You'll want to remove the clutch actuator cover and check for lubrication at the lever's cam and clutch pin. There is a steel pin that will protrude from the center of the sprocket and a ball bearing behind it. This is a critical area of lubrication. Use a good grade of wheel bearing type grease on all contacting parts. Hope this helps.
Tom
 
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