t20 not quite right

[structureman]

greetings,

I ve been in the 80 hustler 900/950 restoration mode for a few years and the tranny still isnt quite right. its been rebuilt and run dry, torn down inspected with no damage and reassembled. i am adjusting it with proper tools with 20 in lb wrench as well. the kohler 16 hp 4 stroke may be alittle tired but runs well now and compression checks out. The trans seems like its not really biting. it will ocationally climb up to decent speed on the flat maybe after 50 yrds. Otherwise it revs around crawling. bands still looked new when reassembled as well. i want to get tracks for it, however poor performance is keeping me from dropping the major coin for snow legs. any thoughts?

[jpswift1]

Is your drive belt tension in spec? Also, inspect your drive and driven clutches for damage or wear.

[racerone3]

sounds more like a belt or clutch issue. make sure the belt is tight and isn't glazed. then, with the machine in neutral rev the engine and watch to see that both clutches are opening and closing as they should. Dry Graphite Lube will go a long way to help sticky clutches

[George]

Maybe the driven clutch has a 2-stroke spring in it?

[racerone3]

Maybe the driven clutch has a 2-stroke spring in it?

the 950 hustler should have come set up with a 4 stroke spring from the factory, but no telling what has been changed over the years!

I left the 2 stroke spring in my Attex Racer and Attex Trail machine, and have had no performance issues. I was banking on needing to change them, but I'm so happy with the way the trail machine performs that if the clutch spring ever goes south I'll replace it with another 2 stroke spring.
the racer will need further testing (hammering on) but I've been happy so far with it as well.

[lewis]

The spring in the T-20 clutch on my racer was so weak i could compress it with very little effort. While i had not driven the machine prior to Ash i was not sure how it would perform and the clutch spring was the least of my worries. Ash was a test and tune run for me. What the spring did was it would bog the machine on take off and in the turns. Instead of down shifting it was as if it was taking off in 3rd gear.(this can be heard in the videos) I replaced the spring with a red spring from Rec and there is a world of difference. You may start looking at the clutches and springs in the T-20. Also Race mentioned the belt and belt tension, check these items also.

[structureman]

The belt is new with correct tension. The clutch looks good with rpms in neutral. the engine clutch was sprung once while running without a belt and i firmly popped it right back. The nylon tabs on the trans clutch are worn but not all the way gone.

[racerone3]

I missed the "Run Dry" part the first time I read your post. you may have overheated the glue holding the friction material to the bands. looked fine when you tore it back down, but shucked the friction material off once you put it under load. it might also be that the friction material got really hot and severly glazed both it and the drums. is performance equally bad in reverse?

[hydromike]

There still may be a spring issue on the driven clutch. When you rev the engine in neutral, there's virtually no load on the driven clutch. If the belt is moving all the way down the sheaves on the driven clutch, and to the outermost part of the drive clutch, that's a good test that at least your clutches are physically capable of engaging and disengaging. Now, whether they're doing so at the right rate is better judged by how progressively they engage/disengage under load.

A clutch tear-down may be in order. With a 9/16" wrench, a pair of snap ring pliers and a vise or C-clamp, you can have the driven clutch torn down in now time. It's a good time to clean everything up, even if it LOOKS clean. The bushings can get quite sticky and gummed up from the grease and dirt flying around under the engine lid. If it all cleans up well and you still have the problem, a new clutch spring may be in order.

The over-ramp incident on your clutch probably didn't hurt it. You can always tear it down, too. Never hurts to give everything a thorough inspection just to make sure.

~m

[structureman]

the 'dry run' was quick 30-45min produced alot of shavings from some grooves cut by a lump on a small disc cutting into bigger disc. the bands still looked brand new with no glazing on the drums. reverse seems no problem backing down, out, twisting turning when stuck etc. the trans clutch doesnt seem to open under load much as i can tell, (its not bogging in 3rd gear).