clutch tuning tool

Kansas John /

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Aug 14, 2008 04:20AM

Ok, so Linda and I were talking, and I mentioned that I'd really like to have a machine like the dutch have for tuning clutches.

Basically, they can set the RPM, and spin the clutch outside of an engine to see where the different shoes engage, and adjust accordingly. (I'm interested because I think the shoes in my two-shoe clutch are coming out at different times and wearing my clutch bell prematurely)

Anyway, Linda said there should be some janky way to replicate that. Well, I immediately thought of gym fans. What if we got a huge fan, like a 36 or 48 inch thing like this:

Took the fan motor out of the housing, took the fan blades off of the output shaft, and slapped a clutch on there. Surely that would have the power (these run about 1 hp for the 48inchers on down) to spin a tiny clutch up to higher RPMs.

To control the speed of the motor, and thus the RPMs the clutch is turning at, you could rig a simple dimmer switch like you'd use on your light fixtures in your house into the power cord and voila! A janky-as-hell clutch tuner! Sure it doesn't have a digital readout or push buttons, but it'd probably work, right? Help me out here. Is this possible, financially feasible, or fucking retarded?

Re: clutch tuning tool

) Cupermcnewbster ( /

boardmonger

Aug 14, 2008 05:24AM

why not? Just check the rpm rating on the motor and go!

Re: clutch tuning tool

Crackstar X /

crackstar

Aug 14, 2008 08:28AM

while your at it hook up three magnets and a hall effect sensor and get your timing gun out too...

Re: clutch tuning tool

weeder /

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timr

Aug 14, 2008 11:06AM

Yeah, without some sort of strobe hooked up, you're just going to see your clutch spinning really fast. You won't be able to see which shoe comes out first.

Re: clutch tuning tool

Responsible Jon /

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philip

Aug 14, 2008 11:33AM

I also would like a clutch machine like that, the problem would be I think it needs to be synced to a strobe to make it super useful, although it would help if you could adjust the rpms 100 at a time to at least get an idea of when your arms open and if they open together.

Re: clutch tuning tool

Gunther McCilicutty /

creamygoodness

Aug 14, 2008 12:17PM

go to a place where they make/service electric motors. They should be able to hook up a circuit for you to run the strobe.

Tell them what you want to do and maybe it will take the guess work out of the project

Re: clutch tuning tool

SchijnHeilig /

schijnheilig

Aug 14, 2008 12:39PM

I'd use something like this:

Cheap and reliable.

Mount a sprocket on there, get another sprocket and an axle to mount the clutch on. Use a dimmer to vary the RPM. Get a strobe. Any strobe is good, you don't need it synced as you can sync it yourself by fiddling with it.

Maybe you can use a bicycle speedo for the RPM read-out.

Re: clutch tuning tool

freebird /

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tommy

Aug 14, 2008 12:56PM

Yeah, I dont know if the fan would do it.

Grinder might cut it.

Re: clutch tuning tool

Gunther McCilicutty /

creamygoodness

Aug 14, 2008 01:17PM

you will need a tachometer that reads RPMs...a speedo reads MPH

Re: clutch tuning tool

Kansas John /

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johnw OP

Aug 14, 2008 11:26PM

Bicycle speedos just measure RPM, then multiply the rate by the circumference of the tire. They're basically just little computers. You also have to set them by giving them the radius of your wheels so that it can multiply by the circumference. There's some math involved, but you could make a bicycle speedo give you RPM.

The bench grinders I found on a quick search were like 1/3-1/2 hp, and rated at like 3000-3500 RPM with no load. To get it to spin up to the RPMs a puch will generate, we need more RPMs than that. I guess that's where gearing would come in.

Roald, what's the horsepower or RPM rating on the electric motor you guys used on yours?

Re: clutch tuning tool

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tommyr

Aug 15, 2008 03:06AM

a good gear ratio would work. to get a full horse you'd have to spend big money.

maybe a magnet and reed switch for shaft rpms? could be pretty awesome.

what if you made a "dummy" bell on bearings. maybe with a little resistance against it so you know when the clutch fully engages!? once you know where the clutch grabs, swarm the lower rpm range with strobes and find when the first shoe opens.

i'd like to have that. make two.

Re: clutch tuning tool

davey /

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daveypi

Aug 15, 2008 03:40AM

it doesnt need to reach the highest rpms you engine will generate, right? i would think that something that spins a 3500 rpms would be fast enough. something like this should work pretty well i would think.

Re: clutch tuning tool

Kansas John /

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johnw OP

Aug 15, 2008 03:51AM

Dude, that's like $200. A bench grinder costs like $40-$60.

Re: clutch tuning tool

Gunther McCilicutty /

creamygoodness

Aug 15, 2008 08:35AM

or you could just buy an electrical tach for 30 bucks and you don't have to do the math.

I would go with the bench grinder at first for the "Prototype" then once you get the mechanical theory figured out, then spend the money to make the actual machine. Don't blow a huge wad of money on something that you don't know will work...start small...like tuning.

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