Thanks NV - never really worked on the belt systems or clutches other than changing a belt once so there a little new to me. Any advise on what to look for when i open it up? Is changing them out a hard process? So far everything on it seems rather simple! I don't mind throwing a little money at the Mule if needed as my wife has been running it all over the place and getting a ton of use out of it.
THANKS
If you're gonna keep your Mule for a while, I usually suggest getting the factory service manual for it. They're usually not too bad price wise. And they have all the service procedures for this kind of stuff....
I've never worked on the 500 before, but it's probably similar to what I have worked on. The cover should come off pretty easy, but you might have to remove other stuff first. Maybe the exhaust or something.
Once the cover is off, there will be a center bolt for each clutch. They have special tools for holding the clutches, but you can usually get them out using an impact, or using a strap wrench to hold them. Normally you take both clutches off to remove the belt, but you can usually 'walk' the belt off of them.
Once the center bolts are out, you might need the clutch puller to get the drive clutch off the crankshaft. The driven clutch (on the tranny)
usually comes off with some wiggling or light tapping with a soft faced mallet. The drive clutch is usually on pretty good, but I have had them come off easily as well. The 4010's have a tapered shaft on the crankshaft and a straight shaft on the transmission input shaft.
Looking at this page:
OEM Parts : Babbitts Kawasaki Parts House
It looks like the 500 has a a straight shaft with a woodruff key for the tranny input shaft and the crankshaft is tapered and also uses a key, so getting them off might be more difficult....
Once you get them off, inspect the driven clutch. Some play may be present rotationally on the sheaves, but usually not too much. I usually see wear on the the shoes (black arrow), the ramp (red arrow) or on the ramps on the movable sheave (green arrow).
Some wear is normal (the service manual has wear limits for each part), but a lot of times I see the shoes and ramp worn way down, sometimes allowing metal to metal contact. If these parts are worn badly, the movable sheave doesn't push out all the way towards the fixed sheave. This lets the belt drop down between them and allows the belt to ride up in the drive clutch, effectively putting you in a higher gear. A weak spring will also allow this. If the ramp or movable sheave is damaged or worn too badly, I'd recommend replacing the clutch because of the price of the individual parts. If it's just the spring or shoes, then replace them. Taking the clutch apart looks to be pretty easy, but again, I've never worked on a 500 before.
For the drive clutch.... I've never taken one apart. They have special tools for this.... I've only ever just replaced them. Because of logistics here, we just order both and replace instead of trying to repair....but then I'm not paying for parts here.... :laughing:
The drive clutch has fly weights that swing out as RPM goes up, and springs in the spider assembly to force the clutches apart at lower RPM's or higher load requirements. If the springs are weak, they'll let the sheave faces come together sooner, again raising the gearing when you really need it to be lower.
I normally recommend replacing the belt along with the clutches, but if you do reuse it, be sure to look it over carefully. Typical belt inspection includes making sure it isn't glazed, ripped, torn, missing pieces, cracked, etc. Remember, the belt on these things transfers power using the sloped sides of the belt, not the inside face. Also, if there's any trace of oil on the belt, replace it. You'll never get a belt to be oil free again....
If everything looks good and you just reuse everything, I'll take some emery cloth and break any glazing on the faces of the sheaves and the sides of the belt. Be sure to clean them afterwards with something oil-free.... brake cleaner, or just alcohol.....the sheaves I mean, don't use anything except a clean rag on the belt.
When reinstalling the clutches, don't over do the torque. The 4010's use medium locktite and are only 60 ft/lbs each. If you don't get a service manual for it, you might call a dealer and see if they can give you the spec for this. These are bolts you definitely don't want to break off.... so I wouldn't use an impact on them....
It very well could be that everything is fine and working correctly, and the 500 just isn't a powerhouse. :laughing: I know my 610 isn't one either, but I've climbed some pretty good hills with it... it slows way down with full power, but I've never had to back down anything yet....
Oh ya, if/when you order parts, be sure to give them the correct model number for your Mule.... I just pick the KAF300-B2 at random for the parts diagrams...
NV
