Vintage Salsbury clutch help/advice

[nezwick]

The $40 SketchyTrike I picked up over the weekend has a Salsbury Corp. 500 Series driver clutch for its torque converter system. It is misbehaving (I think) and I'm not sure what I should do.







It seems to want to throw the movable sheave at the belt WAY too soon (like at startup/idle speed) causing the kart to take off without a rider. I have hooked a tach to the engine and it idles between 1500-1700 RPM - it's a Tec H50 - the idle "surges" but I suspect that will be resolved after I rebuild the carb. Parts are on the way.

If I try to slow the engine down enough that the clutch stays disengaged (1100-1200 RPM), the engine won't stay running. That's a lower idle than factory spec anyway, I assume.


I did a little internet research and it seems that Comet took over production at one point and this became the Comet 500 series, as shown in this diagram:



I did find some parts for it here:
Comet 500 Series Torque Converter System (Symmetrical) for Go Karts & Mini Bikes | Go Kart & Mini Bike Parts | MFG Supply



However, there are too many options for the weights etc. and I don't understand which ones I may need to purchase in order to get the clutch to engage at a higher RPM.

Am I correct to guess that I should have the 302290A Green spring kit, plus the 300157A roller kit, in order to obtain an engagement speed of 1800 RPM (just above idle)?


I really don't want to dump a whole bunch of money into this project because it's just something dumb/funny to tool around on. But if someone knows how I might make the clutch behave the way I want it to, it might be safe(r) to drive.

 

[kc57]

Have you checked the clutch alignment ? It looks off in the picture . If the clutch's are not lined up properly it could keep the belt from slipping at idle. Good Luck

 

[bikebudy]

I would try the springs first, Your springs could be very tired and decompressed.

 

[Richard Trotter]

I think bikebudy is right. Maybe a bit stronger spring would help. The salsbury/comet 500 is a very good clutch and was the preferred clutch of the trail scooter racers because of its adjustability.

 

[chrisr]

Looking at your picture of your driver/driven, it looks like your driven should be to the right of the driver so the belt is in alignment like the attached picture. With it being off like it is it will try to apply pressure to the belt sooner at a lower rpm.

The $40 SketchyTrike I picked up over the weekend has a Salsbury Corp. 500 Series driver clutch for its torque converter system. It is misbehaving (I think) and I'm not sure what I should do.


View attachment 78941

View attachment 78942


It seems to want to throw the movable sheave at the belt WAY too soon (like at startup/idle speed) causing the kart to take off without a rider. I have hooked a tach to the engine and it idles between 1500-1700 RPM - it's a Tec H50 - the idle "surges" but I suspect that will be resolved after I rebuild the carb. Parts are on the way.

If I try to slow the engine down enough that the clutch stays disengaged (1100-1200 RPM), the engine won't stay running. That's a lower idle than factory spec anyway, I assume.


I did a little internet research and it seems that Comet took over production at one point and this became the Comet 500 series, as shown in this diagram:
View attachment 78940


I did find some parts for it here:
Comet 500 Series Torque Converter System (Symmetrical) for Go Karts & Mini Bikes | Go Kart & Mini Bike Parts | MFG Supply



However, there are too many options for the weights etc. and I don't understand which ones I may need to purchase in order to get the clutch to engage at a higher RPM.

Am I correct to guess that I should have the 302290A Green spring kit, plus the 300157A roller kit, in order to obtain an engagement speed of 1800 RPM (just above idle)?


I really don't want to dump a whole bunch of money into this project because it's just something dumb/funny to tool around on. But if someone knows how I might make the clutch behave the way I want it to, it might be safe(r) to drive.

 

[nezwick]

Thanks for the replies. Looking at the pictures I can definitely see there is an alignment issue. In order to get the belt to actually be lined up, I'll need to remove the engine and re-work the engine mounting holes to allow for some adjustability. That will be step 1, since it's a visibly obvious problem. I honestly didn't notice that in real life until I saw the pictures.

Last night I tried to get the driver clutch off the engine shaft but was unsuccessful. I'm going to have to use a puller of some sort because it's stuck on there good.

I did notice the driven clutch was backwards compared to the Comet 30 Series on my Tricub. I'm unsure if the jackshaft is actually long enough to flip the driven clutch over to have the moveable part on the outside. I might have to do a little re-engineering eventually.

Before I go buying any springs or parts, I need to get the clutch apart so I can see what's going on inside. It looks like it's going to want to fight me.

 

[jeep4me]

First thing I would do is a real good cleaning of the driver clutch. Then add a spacer on the engine shaft to bring the clutch out just a little bit more.Your driven is installed correctly. Comet tavs are set up differently.

 

[nezwick]

So the driven is actually correct? That's good news.

I assume to get the "bell" off the driver to inspect/clean the internals I would remove the big bolt and the snap ring, and it should slide off, leaving the rest of the parts stuck to the sheave?

 

[chrisr]

Most drivens can work in either direction like the picture that was added earlier or flipped, but the belt needs to be aligned with the driver no matter what the driver is Comet or Salisbury otherwise the driver/driven won't engage properly. Maybe adding a spacer behind the driver may be the easiest solution to get better belt alignment.

 

[nezwick]

Didn't get to work on this last night but I am trying to find a puller for the clutch. I shouldn't even need to add any spacers - there is already a collar with set screw between the driver and the engine that I can use to make the adjustment.

It also seems to me like the engine is mounted slightly crooked, so I may still have to modify the engine mounting holes accordingly. I guess I'll find that out once I get the driver moved outboard just a little.

 

[nezwick]

Alright after a bit of PB Blaster and pounding I was able to get the "bell" part off of the driver clutch. Needed to remove the main bolt, the snap ring, and also the 3 Allen screws. It was definitely full of crust and rust and in need of cleaning. I sprayed the spring/roller assembly with carb cleaner and washed the bell part with dish soap and a wire brush. It's not perfect but I didn't notice any damaged springs or rollers. The springs had a good bit of tension.

In addition, I replaced the carburetor so the engine actually idles like it should now.

After reassembly, it definitely works way better than it did. The moveable sheave backs off when the engine is idling and when I hit the throttle, it engages REALLY fast so the trike takes off hard.

I tried but still could not get the entire driver clutch off the engine shaft to adjust the alignment. I'll have to look through our assortment of pullers at my parents house and see if we have anything that will work.

 

[Havasu Dave]

Hi Nez, a few years ago someone posted a neat trick for this that I have used twice with good results. Clean all rust and burrs off of any exposed crankshaft outside of the clutch. If it's a threaded crank, thread a bolt in it. With gloved hand, grab the clutch from behind, jamming your hand between the clutch and the engine, or otherwise supporting the clutch.

Hold the engine up with one hand, recoil side down, and use a deadfall hammer, or a heavy steel five pounder, and smack that bolt head.

There are obvious drawbacks to this, like someone catching the engine before it falls, and having to have a bit of Kung-Fu grip like a 1972 GI Joe, but it does work.