slow max II

[JOHNMcDANIEL0322]

my max II has a 18 horse vanguard and from watching the videos on youtube and even on maxs website my 6 wheeler is super slow any sugestions on what is wrong with it



i have already checked the magnito wires and plugs but not the bellt or the clutches

[Mike]

I would start by making sure that your belt is tight. If not, loosen the four bolts holding the motor in place and slide it back until the belt is tight. Does the motor rev up in neutral like it should?

[JOHNMcDANIEL0322]

ok thank you would the belt make the machine run about 10 mile per hour slower though

[liflod]

Yes. If the belt is too loose, you start out in "high gear" and it will never reach its highest gear. The belt should not sit down inside the transmission pulley. It should stick up just a lttile above the sides of the pulley. If its down deep, you need a new belt. If it sits high on the transmission pulley, it needs to be tighter.

[JOHNMcDANIEL0322]

yeh well mine definitly sits about a 1/4 inch down inside the tranny clutch and it also can touch it self if u squeeze it between the clutch on the motor and the transmission clutch it will pull hills fairly good though its just slow like a golf cart up hills and i dont remember it being slow when we got it 8 years ago

[jpswift1]

Sounds like a worn belt....replace it, and it'll be the difference between night and day.

[JOHNMcDANIEL0322]

hah yeh it sounds like it because a max II should run top end 18 to about 23 right

[JOHNMcDANIEL0322]

could anyone show me a picture of how the belt should look while sitting in the clutches

[Mike]

If you will browse the gallery you should be able to find a picture or two. Here's one from my wife's Max IV:

[JOHNMcDANIEL0322]

ok mike thanks that belt on your wifes looks way tighter than mine and i like the cold air intake pretty cool idea haha another question for u about how fast should my max run

[Mike]

It should be in the 20-25mph range.

[JOHNMcDANIEL0322]

o ok one more question for u do u think that by any chance the clutches are worn out or maybe the clutch springs are worn out

[Mike]

You should be able to rev the motor up while in neutral and watch to see if the clutches are engaging properly.

[racerone3]

i've seen on the secondary clutch where someone has sprayed it with lube and it gums up over the years. with the corect belt and properly adjusted this will usually cause the engine to bog as you try to rev it up. the primary tries to close, but the secondary can't/ won't open so the belt gets overly tight and bogs the engine. in the machines i've found like this, i've removed the belt and cleaned the secondary out with brake clean, then lubed it with dry graphite and that has fixed the problem.
with your belt removed, does your engine rev up as it should, and does the primary clutch close up as revs increase?
have you replaced the belt and gotten it tightened where it should be? from the start of your thread it sounded like that was the problem.

[thebuggyman1]

I bet if you bring it to Ashtabula you will have lots of volunteers to help with it.