My LT80 no longer gets power to the chain. It's as if the clutch is disengaged, which makes me think it's a clutch problem, but i don't really know how those auto clutches work. Engine runs fine. Please help.

 

Does the engine rev freely? Any strange sounds coming from the belt cover? You can take the small metal cover off the side, and look in while revving the motor,long shot, but could be a broken belt,you didn't say how old the unit was,I've never heard of a ripped belt,but there is a chance. The front clutch works off little cylinder rollers,they can get stuck when they are worn,could be your front drive clutch can't grab the belt, and you're not getting the back clutch to move. Then there is the back clutch,there is a plate on the outside that has a layer of brake-like material,if this plate comes loose,the back clutch can turn,but won't engage the drive shaft that goes into the transmission to drive the rear chain. The sheaves on the rear are held in tension by a large spring,possible for it to jam or break. The first thing is to take that side cover off and take a look, the front clutch drives the oil injector,but you can run it for a few seconds with the cover off to see what is and isn't working. Let us know what you find, and good luck.

 

it's about 2 years old... engine revs freely and there are no weird noises that i can hear...

 

Best thing to do then is to remove the whole belt cover,keep the bolts in order,lots of them are different lengths,and only go in one spot. I always took the bolts off the footpegs, then you can pivot them out of the way to get at the cover bolts and get the cover off. Remember to take the oil injector drive off the top,just set it to the side with the hoses connected,it won't leak that way. When you do get the cover off,keep track of the position of the drive notch in the front so it will line up when you put it back on. Like I said before, you can then start it up and run it briefly to check the belt, just don't run more than a few seconds at a time,no oil is being injected without the pump connected. It should be easy to see what is happening then,just have the rear end jacked off the ground, give the motor a couple of quick revs,and see how the clutch reacts,then you should be able to see where the problem is,front not grabbing,or back not grabbing. If you get that far and don't know how to proceed,let me know,I'll walk you through it, I had my son's old one apart a lot, so I should be able to help,and there are several other LT80 experts here in the forums that have a lot of experience with them,too.

 

Good Job 95 wolv!
I think it's in the front clutch,usually a roller problem.Unless the brass bushing broke,thats been a real problem also. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

LT80- coming from you,that's high praise, thanks !!! I'm just going off personal experience,from years of fixing and fiddling with my son's when he rode it, while guys like you make a living really digging into these little quads, so I hope I made it easy for everyone to understand, I just know what worked for me, and passing along any knowledge (and mistakes !!) I've come up with.

d33pt, don't be nervous about taking it apart if its something your not familiar with, as long as you take your time,don't force anything, and remember where all the parts go, you'll be fine, plus you'll really impress your kids !!! I started knowing almost nothing of what I was doing, but after a few times taking apart,cleaning and checking, it turned out to be no big deal. If nothing else, get a mechanically inclined pal to keep an eye out for flying parts !!!

 

thank you guys..i will take it apart first chance i get and see what i can do and update the thread..

 

update on this thread.... Thanks for the help guys. It turned out to be the broken belt after all. You've made one little dude happy again.