How to Loosen Up a Go Kart Torque Converter Belt

Loosening up your go kart torque converter belt might be necessary if you experience kart movement when the engine is running at idle. If not fixed, a belt that is too tight may lead to a rapid belt wear and may even damage the torque converter itself. Most of the time, a belt that is too tight can be attributed to a motor that is out of alignment. Fortunately, adjusting the tension on a go kart torque converter belt is not that difficult, and you can do it in an hour or so. Here is a handy step by step guide that will show you everything you need to know.

Step 1 – Remove Driver Clutch Pulley Main Bolt

First, you will need to identify the driver pulley of the torque converter. In a go kart torque converter, there are two pulleys: the driver clutch pulley and the driven pulley. In most cases, the driver clutch pulley will be the smaller of the two. Using the screwdriver or hexagonal tool (varies from model to model), remove the bolt from the center of the driver pulley. There may be a couple of washers that you will need to remove as well.

Step 2 – Remove the Outer Driver Clutch Pulley Drum Face

After you have removed the bolt from the center of the driver pulley, carefully remove the drum from the outer face of the pulley. The drum should resemble a small circular Frisbee.

Step 3 – Remove the Shoe Driver Assembly

Directly behind the drum of the pulley, there should be a small circular device with a spring wrapped around it. This is the shoe driver assembly. Remove this very carefully. There will be a hexagonal peg that you can remove with a 3/16 inch hex key. Remove it as well

Step 4 – Remove the Drum Rear Face

There will be another Frisbee looking drum face you will need to remove. It should look almost identical to the very first piece that you removed (except it will be facing in the reverse position). Slide it off as well.

Step 5 – Loosen Motor Mounts

Slightly loosen the motor mount bolts.

Step 6 - Remove Belt

Remove the belt from the torque converter.

Step 7 - Align the Engine and Torque Converter Pulleys

Make sure that the engine is straight and that the torque converter pulley are perfectly aligned. Drape the belt over the open driver clutch pulley and then pull the belt tightly to the rear and straight back (the belt should still be over the exposed sheave (a short cylinder that protrudes from the driver clutch) on the face of the driver clutch. Have someone help you pull the engine forward ever so slightly until there is approximately a 1/8 inch clearance between the inside of the belt and the driver clutch sheave. (Note—You should not have to move the motor very much at all. Less than a 1/4 inch in most cases.)

Step 8 - Tighten Engine Mounts

Tighten the motor mount bolts securely.

Step 9 - Reassemble the Driver Clutch Pulley

Reassemble the driver clutch pulley. First, replace the drum rear face, then the shoe driver assembly, and finally the outer drum face. After everything is back in place, reinsert the washer and main bolt and tighten securely.