Gavin drive assembly problems

iainmsmith · September 4th, 2006, 10:16 AM

Finally got my Gavin in the water, having 1) replaced the wiring after it got a little wet earlier this year, 2) fixed the clutch so that it actually slips (had to reduced the number of clutch washers from seven to six) and 3) added some Loctite to the tip of the clutch bolt thread so that the propellor assembly doesn't unscrew itself when the clutch is slipped.

So, inevitably, I found another issue...

At full thrust, there is a horrible grating noise, with rather less power than I was expecting. This appears to be the clutch slipping under load, as if it's now a little too loose and can't handle the torque. If I turn the blades down a little, the noise goes away and the scooter runs as I would expect it to.

At the other extreme, with the pitch dialed all the way back, the scooter goes markedly into reverse, rather than neutral!

So the questions are these:

1) How can I tighten the clutch enough to transmit full power without slipping, without making it sufficiently tight that it doesn't slip when it needs to? (The clutch bolt is already done all the way up)

2) How do I alter the pitch range of the blades so that they go from neutral to full forward?

3) Is this something I need to be talking to George about?

Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to make the DIR-X meet at Stoney, as I'm on the night shift at work, with little prospect of being able to rearrange this.

Thanks in advance,

Iain

Andrew Bryson · September 4th, 2006, 01:33 PM

Hi Iain

I'm new to scooters so can't offer any direct advice. You could take a look over the SS prop assembly page, though it may be of no use to you.

andy

*Rich Walker* · September 4th, 2006, 01:36 PM

Iain,

You could try the UK Gavin dealer

If you give me a call this evening, I'll try and help you out.

Rich

Rick · September 4th, 2006, 02:17 PM

Quote: (Originally Posted by Rich Walker)

You could try the UK Gavin dealer

Rich

Ssssssssssssssss****!

For what it's worth; my scoot also goes in reverse when pitched down...George says it's supposed to?!?!?

*Rich Walker* · September 4th, 2006, 02:32 PM

Quote: (Originally Posted by Rick)

Ssssssssssssssss****!

For what it's worth; my scoot also goes in reverse when pitched down...George says it's supposed to?!?!?

It's a feature

jerry.mobbs · September 4th, 2006, 09:42 PM

Quote: (Originally Posted by Andrew Bryson)

Hi Iain

I'm new to scooters so can't offer any direct advice. You could take a look over the SS prop assembly page, though it may be of no use to you.

andy

Andy

If you really wanted to, you can grind off the little notch on the prop assembly. You can then put the ss into 'reverse'

Not sure why you'd want to do that.

You can also wind it past 9 to get more thrust, and less burn time. This puts stress on the hub assembly and I would not recommend it.

Gavins dont have this notch.

Iain,

Check the clutch plate. If its worn, then it will slip. I had the same issue with mine. You hit the trigger, take a deep breath as the plate slips, then catches and off you go.

Tried it with a new plate and it was fine.

Jerry

Rick · September 4th, 2006, 10:09 PM

I followed the link Andy has posted a wee while back as I was a bit concerned that my scooter had a "reverse gear", meaning that it was "possible" to go faster in order to keep up with young Bryson's SS in shallow, rec bimbles.

I followed the instructions on setting it up as I thought it may be set up wrongly!

Still, no joy...the scoot still had a reverse gear!

I emailed Trey who told me in one line.....It's supposed to be like that!

Proof will be in the pudding when I too can kit up with a stage, 2 deco bottles and a bag of muffins and leave the young whipper snapper to his loop the loops!

Andrew Bryson · September 5th, 2006, 12:44 AM

Quote: (Originally Posted by Rick)

Proof will be in the pudding when I too can kit up with a stage, 2 deco bottles and a bag of muffins and leave the young whipper snapper to his loop the loops!

And those barrel are coming along nicely, you should have seen me at Loch Fyne last week! Thanks to Master Jerry for the tuition

andy

graham_hk · September 5th, 2006, 01:22 AM

I strongly suggest that you don't email George with this because you will get a very rude reply

.

It will go backwards if you wind the pitch down.

It will not work properly if you take one of the washers out. Put it back (as the woodpecker said). If the clutch doesn't slip underwater with all the washers in you have a screwed up clutch.

Graham

***Bob Cooper*** · September 8th, 2006, 10:56 PM

Quote: (Originally Posted by iainmsmith)

Finally got my Gavin in the water, having 1) replaced the wiring after it got a little wet earlier this year, 2) fixed the clutch so that it actually slips (had to reduced the number of clutch washers from seven to six) and 3) added some Loctite to the tip of the clutch bolt thread so that the propellor assembly doesn't unscrew itself when the clutch is slipped.

So, inevitably, I found another issue...

At full thrust, there is a horrible grating noise, with rather less power than I was expecting. This appears to be the clutch slipping under load, as if it's now a little too loose and can't handle the torque. If I turn the blades down a little, the noise goes away and the scooter runs as I would expect it to.

At the other extreme, with the pitch dialed all the way back, the scooter goes markedly into reverse, rather than neutral!

So the questions are these:

1) How can I tighten the clutch enough to transmit full power without slipping, without making it sufficiently tight that it doesn't slip when it needs to? (The clutch bolt is already done all the way up)

2) How do I alter the pitch range of the blades so that they go from neutral to full forward?

3) Is this something I need to be talking to George about?

Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to make the DIR-X meet at Stoney, as I'm on the night shift at work, with little prospect of being able to rearrange this.

Thanks in advance,

Iain

Iain

You need to read the manual and then read it again! The reason the clutch is slipping is because you have removed a washer. You need 7 washers as per the manual. If you have a Mako clutch, slipping it will knacker it. If you have an AJ clutch (metal) it will be OK.

Take up Rich's offer and discuss it with him.

How are you "testing" the clutch? Make sure you do it the way mentioned in the manual. Otherwise you will weld the relay shut.

Bob

September 4th, 2006, 10:16 AM	#1 (permalink)
iainmsmith(Offline) Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Glasgow Posts: 153	Gavin drive assembly problems Finally got my Gavin in the water, having 1) replaced the wiring after it got a little wet earlier this year, 2) fixed the clutch so that it actually slips (had to reduced the number of clutch washers from seven to six) and 3) added some Loctite to the tip of the clutch bolt thread so that the propellor assembly doesn't unscrew itself when the clutch is slipped. So, inevitably, I found another issue... At full thrust, there is a horrible grating noise, with rather less power than I was expecting. This appears to be the clutch slipping under load, as if it's now a little too loose and can't handle the torque. If I turn the blades down a little, the noise goes away and the scooter runs as I would expect it to. At the other extreme, with the pitch dialed all the way back, the scooter goes markedly into reverse, rather than neutral! So the questions are these: 1) How can I tighten the clutch enough to transmit full power without slipping, without making it sufficiently tight that it doesn't slip when it needs to? (The clutch bolt is already done all the way up) 2) How do I alter the pitch range of the blades so that they go from neutral to full forward? 3) Is this something I need to be talking to George about? Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to make the DIR-X meet at Stoney, as I'm on the night shift at work, with little prospect of being able to rearrange this. Thanks in advance, Iain Last edited by iainmsmith; September 4th, 2006 at 10:19 AM.

September 4th, 2006, 01:36 PM	#3 (permalink)
Rich Walker(Offline) GUE Instructor Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Sheffield Posts: 300	Iain, You could try the UK Gavin dealer If you give me a call this evening, I'll try and help you out. Rich __________________ Education, Equipment, Experience GUE training with Rich Walker

September 4th, 2006, 02:17 PM	#4 (permalink)
Rick(Offline) Jock Exley Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Falkirk/Stratford UK Posts: 730	Quote: (Originally Posted by Rich Walker) You could try the UK Gavin dealer Rich Ssssssssssssssss***! For what it's worth; my scoot also goes in reverse when pitched down...George says it's supposed to?!?!? __________________ Forget Everything And Remember http://phreaticzone.thedeepstop.com/* http://www.dublinbaydiving.com/

September 4th, 2006, 02:32 PM	#5 (permalink)
Rich Walker(Offline) GUE Instructor Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Sheffield Posts: 300	Quote: (Originally Posted by Rick) Ssssssssssssssss**! For what it's worth; my scoot also goes in reverse when pitched down...George says it's supposed to?!?!? It's a feature __________________ Education, Equipment, Experience GUE training with Rich Walker**

September 4th, 2006, 09:42 PM	#6 (permalink)
jerry.mobbs(Offline) New Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: asia Posts: 288	Quote: (Originally Posted by Andrew Bryson) Hi Iain I'm new to scooters so can't offer any direct advice. You could take a look over the SS prop assembly page, though it may be of no use to you. andy Andy If you really wanted to, you can grind off the little notch on the prop assembly. You can then put the ss into 'reverse' Not sure why you'd want to do that. You can also wind it past 9 to get more thrust, and less burn time. This puts stress on the hub assembly and I would not recommend it. Gavins dont have this notch. Iain, Check the clutch plate. If its worn, then it will slip. I had the same issue with mine. You hit the trigger, take a deep breath as the plate slips, then catches and off you go. Tried it with a new plate and it was fine. Jerry __________________ -------------------- www.crossfit.com The DIR of Fitness

September 4th, 2006, 01:33 PM	#2 (permalink)
Andrew Bryson(Offline) New Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Abingdon Posts: 315	Hi Iain I'm new to scooters so can't offer any direct advice. You could take a look over the SS prop assembly page, though it may be of no use to you. andy

September 4th, 2006, 10:09 PM	#7 (permalink)
Rick(Offline) Jock Exley Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Falkirk/Stratford UK Posts: 730	I followed the link Andy has posted a wee while back as I was a bit concerned that my scooter had a "reverse gear", meaning that it was "possible" to go faster in order to keep up with young Bryson's SS in shallow, rec bimbles. I followed the instructions on setting it up as I thought it may be set up wrongly! Still, no joy...the scoot still had a reverse gear! I emailed Trey who told me in one line.....It's supposed to be like that! Proof will be in the pudding when I too can kit up with a stage, 2 deco bottles and a bag of muffins and leave the young whipper snapper to his loop the loops! __________________ Forget Everything And Remember http://phreaticzone.thedeepstop.com/ http://www.dublinbaydiving.com/

September 5th, 2006, 12:44 AM	#8 (permalink)
Andrew Bryson(Offline) New Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Abingdon Posts: 315	Quote: (Originally Posted by Rick) Proof will be in the pudding when I too can kit up with a stage, 2 deco bottles and a bag of muffins and leave the young whipper snapper to his loop the loops! And those barrel are coming along nicely, you should have seen me at Loch Fyne last week! Thanks to Master Jerry for the tuition andy

September 5th, 2006, 01:22 AM	#9 (permalink)
graham_hk(Offline) GUE instructor Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: here, there and everywhere Posts: 780	I strongly suggest that you don't email George with this because you will get a very rude reply . It will go backwards if you wind the pitch down. It will not work properly if you take one of the washers out. Put it back (as the woodpecker said). If the clutch doesn't slip underwater with all the washers in you have a screwed up clutch. Graham

September 8th, 2006, 10:56 PM	#10 (permalink)
*Bob Cooper*(Offline) Moderator - "Don't stop me now!" Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: South East London, UK Posts: 685	Quote: (Originally Posted by iainmsmith) Finally got my Gavin in the water, having 1) replaced the wiring after it got a little wet earlier this year, 2) fixed the clutch so that it actually slips (had to reduced the number of clutch washers from seven to six) and 3) added some Loctite to the tip of the clutch bolt thread so that the propellor assembly doesn't unscrew itself when the clutch is slipped. So, inevitably, I found another issue... At full thrust, there is a horrible grating noise, with rather less power than I was expecting. This appears to be the clutch slipping under load, as if it's now a little too loose and can't handle the torque. If I turn the blades down a little, the noise goes away and the scooter runs as I would expect it to. At the other extreme, with the pitch dialed all the way back, the scooter goes markedly into reverse, rather than neutral! So the questions are these: 1) How can I tighten the clutch enough to transmit full power without slipping, without making it sufficiently tight that it doesn't slip when it needs to? (The clutch bolt is already done all the way up) 2) How do I alter the pitch range of the blades so that they go from neutral to full forward? 3) Is this something I need to be talking to George about? Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to make the DIR-X meet at Stoney, as I'm on the night shift at work, with little prospect of being able to rearrange this. Thanks in advance, Iain Iain You need to read the manual and then read it again! The reason the clutch is slipping is because you have removed a washer. You need 7 washers as per the manual. If you have a Mako clutch, slipping it will knacker it. If you have an AJ clutch (metal) it will be OK. Take up Rich's offer and discuss it with him. How are you "testing" the clutch? Make sure you do it the way mentioned in the manual. Otherwise you will weld the relay shut. Bob