This might be a dumb question but I feel it’s better look dumb than let something get ruined. I started my new kart up for the first time yesterday. It’s practically brand new. Only been in one race for a factory sponsored driver. Manufacturer sold it to me used. They prepped it before shipping. Just took it for a test drive yesterday. Very short drive and didnt really open it up due to not having much room on pavement. Got back to my garage and shut it off. I noticed that it was smoking right where the clutch sprocket and chain meet. It wasnt smoking a ton but it was noticable. I checked the chain before starting it up and it seemed well lubed. Is this something I should worry about or is it normal?
If you were driving it low-speed and having to ride the brakes at all, you could easily burn up a clutch.
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I was low speed but not really riding the brakes. Mostly coasting for a bit before coming to a stop. Just wanted to get the motor running for a little bit.
Yes but low speed means you’re engaging the entire clutch while you’re driving around. The clutch is slipping at 3,400 RPM, so if you never got above 3,400, you’re just engaging the clutch and heating it up.
Makes sense. Im still learning these engines and theres a lot to learn it seems like… Im not able to make it to a track with all of this virus stuff but I needed to test it since it was shipped to me from the manufacturer. Luckily it was only a 2 or 3 minute ride. Lesson learned. Do you think its possible that I damaged the clutch?
Driving a racing kart at a slow speed is a recipe for a destroyed clutch. Yours may or may not be damaged but a good inspection is needed.
what kind of clutch what type of kart did ya purchase on line
It’s a Margay Ignite K3 with an LO206 and a Hillard Flame clutch. All of it is practically brand new. It was only used for one race weekend down in Miami by one of their drivers.