Leopard Clutch and Ring Gear Installation

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Bryan W. Joplin
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Posts:111
Joined:Mon May 12, 2008 7:38 pm
Location:Magnolia, Texas
Leopard Clutch and Ring Gear Installation

Post by Bryan W. Joplin » Mon Feb 07, 2011 11:11 am

Below is the next tech tip. Any suggestions for future papers??

Tools necessary for this repair include a torque wrench, clutch spanner wrench and clutch puller.

1. Clutch Removal
a. With the clutch drum removed, remove the clutch holding nut (left hand thread). You should use the clutch spanner wrench designed to hold the clutch. (invest in this tool). Attach a Leopard clutch puller, and tighten the extraction bolt. If tightening the bolt will not remove the clutch, then, with the bolt as tight as possible, strike the end of the clutch puller with a hammer. (a single sharp blow) The clutch should separate from the crank taper. If the clutch does not separate, retighten the puller (it probably is slightly loose) and repeat the process. Repeat as necessary until the clutch pulls free. Be careful, when the clutch comes free, it can jump towards you.
b. Check the clutch drum holding nut threads on the PTO end of the crankshaft. The process of pulling the clutch (a difficult removal) sometimes expands the end of the crankshaft, making it difficult to impossible to reinstall the drum nut. Use a thread file or small triangular file to carefully dress the first 2 threads of the PTO end. Carefully filing and restoring the thread shape will allow the drum nut to spin on without difficulty. Do not force a nut on to the shaft, it will gall the threads. Take your time and repair the thread damage.

2. Ring Gear Removal/Installation
a. To remove the ring gear, apply heat to the center of the clutch, not on, but around the holding bolts. If the bolts have been installed to the correct torque with loctite, some may break, if you attempt to remove without heat. If the bolts have red loctite, the bolts will all break, when attempting to remove cold. Remember, red loctite must be heated to break the bond. Any bolt with red loctite may need to be reheated, if not completely removed while hot. If the clutch is to be reused, be careful not to overheat the clutch pads.
b. If reusing the ring gear on a new clutch, inspect for cracks. When installing a new or used ring gear on a new or used clutch, place the gear over the alignment/drive pin. Follow the manufacturer’s directions for applying loctite (red preferred). Use loctite and Torque the bolts to specification. Poorly installed bolts will back out damaging the crankcase half. This has happened to several membership owned engines, where the loose bolts literally cut the case seal out of the case. This damage, while it looks bad, is repairable.

3. Clutch Installation
a. To properly fit the clutch to the crankshaft, for strength, alignment and balance, it is recommended to match the clutch/crankshaft tapers by lapping. Remove the half moon key from the crank and apply fine grinding compound (available at auto supply stores) to the surfaces. Fit the parts together and rotate back and forth with light pressure mating the tapers. Periodically lift and rotate the clutch 90 deg. and continue the back and forth process. (the same as lapping a four cycle engine valve). Check the fit by cleaning off the compound and observing the surfaces. You might be amazed the first time you do this and see the high and low spots left after machining. Properly matched tapers will have a consistent dull color across all surfaces. When satisfied with the fit, thoroughly clean away the compound and install the key. Do not get grinding compound in the seal area.
b. The crank and clutch tapers must be absolutely clean. Wash with acetone and do not touch the surfaces. (no skin oil) Place the clutch on the crankshaft and install the washer (it is directional, convex side out). Apply loctite (blue) to the threads and install the nut. Torque the nut to 70-75 ftlbs. The Leopard manual torque specification is not correct and the clutch will come loose, if the manual specification is used. Put a witness mark on the washer and clutch, reassemble everything else and head for the track. The witness mark is your check that nothing has moved and can be looked at each time the clutch is serviced.

It is highly recommended not to use an impact wrench to install the clutch nut. Impact wrenches are suspected to change the alignment and balance of two part crankshafts used in the Leopard.

Bryan

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