Max drive issues (belt)

[Jonny]

Recently traded my 06 king quad for a 2000 max IV with kaw motor. the motor was an afterthought and is only a year old. heres the issue: it has a commet duster clutch and a john deere belt. but it doesn't seem to have the grunt power i would expect from this thing. the belt is 45 1/2 by 1-1/4. it seems to slip when climbing. the clutch works like its supposed to but cant seem to grab the belt very easy at lower rpms. i dont want to go with a wider belt do to being too wide for the driven clutch. i wandering if the rpms being too high before the drive clutch engaging the belt is keeping me from having low end torque. any thoughts?

[jpswift1]

The most common issue with this and many other situations like yours is the belt tension. Your belt is probably way too loose. A Kawasaki engine (probably a pretty good amount of horsepower I'm assuming) will move that Max around very well. You'll need a 1 3/16" wide belt (but I'm not sure of the length because this is a custom application). The proper belt tension (or a new belt that's the correct length and width) should fix this. Also, is the Comet Duster clutch set up with the proper weights for a 4 stroke machine?

[Jonny]

I did try to shim up the engine to get better belt tension but this only made the belt start to squeal, and i only took it up about 1/4 inch. the current belt has about 1/8" clearance on both sides of the drive clutch. and i bought the hp3029 belt from mfgsupply and havent put it on yet. heres a link to the commet duster 209739A - Model 94C 1 1/8 Bore | Snowmobile Parts | MFG Supply

[Jonny]

ok, well i now understand that the commet duster clutch engages at i higher rpm than i would expect and the belt deflection should be 1-3/4 inch (wow) ,got that done. I know quads so a belt with a little play is strange to me. ill take it out for a test tomorrow.

[Jonny]

took it out today with the fam. almost got stuck on flat loose sand (pretty sad). heres my theory. current drive clutch is set to engage at 1800 rpm 6 pucks and pink spring. it takes alot of throttle to even get it to move. the belt and tension are good (1-3/4 inch deflection). Is the rpm at engagement making it difficult for the clutch to grab the belt to achieve any low end torque? also driven clutch is green spring and is working correctly. ordered 3 more pucks for the clutch, should bring engagement to 1650 rpms and the pink spring is as weak as it goes for this clutch. this thing has no grunt power but never bogs down the engine. im stumped.

[Bazooo guy]

You'll need a 1 3/16" wide belt

If your belt width is 1 1/4" it will likely slip and squeel like its worn too narrow.
Get the correct belt before you start changing springs or weights.
Its ok if the secondary opens a little (1/8") with the wider belt installed.

[Tomo]

hi
clutch application 101

correct clutch 4 transmission and the application [eg factory max unit ]
Was the original set up 2 or 4 stroke ,both drive and driven can be different
Generally the drive and driven setups are sold and fitted as pairs
eg 700 includes 770 780 790 series and the 1090 series yes some small bits are interchangeable but not major parts . eg interchanging these two series of units can cause restiction of top speed .

pick clutch setup for hp, rpm and shaft size
Beaware of your centre to centre distance of your clutches this is the MAJOR factor in belt selection ,.............
The clutch system u use will determine belt width ............... typically supplied with clutches or by a replacement belt listing

belts can be interchanged to vary characteristics of drive but beaware that belt life may be shortened..

used clutches need to be at least inspected [wear and tare] and repaired if needed
check the colour and type of parts against factory spec for your application

hope this helps
tomo

[Jonny]

The belt made all the difference! put the 1-3/16 belt on and it grabs. this thing will climb straight up! the 1-1/4 belt was slipping horibbly. doesnt make much sense for a wider belt to slip more even at the correct deflection and not riding on the clutch face at idle. probably dont need the pucks but it still engages at 1800rpm. factory max clutches engage at 1700. if i put the pucks in it will engage at 1650 rpm. may just try it with the extra pucks to see if i like it better. but the main problem is SOLVED! This thing has got power now. Thanks for all your help guys. i appreciate it a lot.

[Jonny]

Update ! Been a while since i posted but i did put the clutch pucks in for a total of 9 from 6 and it has much torque. feels like i have been driving this thing around in second gear all this time. i got my first gear back now and its a powerhouse. i knew that v twin kaw motor could do better than that.

[jpswift1]

Cool! Glad to hear it's working properly now.

[minzwa]

Hey, how heavy were the pucks you added? I have a similar situation, not sure if i should add the 25 gram pucks, or the 53 grams?
my machine feels like it's in second gear going up steep hills, and i notice the belt only moves about halfway up the drive clutch.
Does the extra weight help with this? I'm trying to create a setup where i can haul a load uphill easily.

[thebuggyman1]

This is an old thread, and somehow I missed it. There is a lot of sketchy or bad info here, and it could be really confusing if not clarified. The proper belt deflection is NOT 1 3/4", it is closer to 1 1/4"...this is also very hard to measure. The way I adjust a belt is to tighten it too tight (@ 1" or 1 1/8" the machine will try to drive off at idle). Then loosen it till it works properly. Usually approx 1 1/4", but again, deflection is hard to measure accurately.
1 1/4" wide belts work well in most clutches. Make sure it does not touch the sides of the primary, and should sit at the top of the secondary or just slightly above. Read this: ATV and Snowmobile Belts - by Dayco

Minzwa: Your clutch movement is not the cause of your issue, but perhaps a symptom. Low end grunt comes from when the primary is small and the secondary is large. This is why you want the belt to be slightly above the secondary at the start (larger diameter). New belts often improve performance because the old belts can get hard or glazed and not grip the clutch faces well.