1. Remove The Engine From The Chassis

The first step is to clean the back of the engine. You will see a ton of dirt and grease behind the radiator covering the engine and the clutch drum. The best way to get rid of this is to spray it down with the degreaser first and wiping it with the cloth. If there is some residual grease on the engine, use the brake cleaner and also wipe that clean with the cloth.

2. Put The Crank Locking Tool In Place

Once the engine is clean, you can start removing the clutch drum. The first step here is to place the Rotax crank locking tool. You will notice that it fits perfectly into the top right section of the ring gear. This tool will lock the crankshaft in place while you’re working on it.

3. Use A Spanner To Remove The Retaining Nut

Next, you will need your 17-millimetre ratchet spanner in order to loosen the nut that holds the clutch in place. It shouldn’t be too tight, and one turn of the wrench will loosen it enough for you to take it off with your fingers.

4. Remove The Retaining Washer And The Clutch Drum

When removing these parts, it is crucial to remember the order. The best way to do this is to place them down in a line as you take them out. The retaining nut is first, then the outside washer (there are two of these, and they are different).

Then, remove the clutch drum. There will be some dirt and grease inside the clutch drum which you need to clean out with your cloth. Wipe the inside the drum clean so that you can inspectit properly. At this point you can check for any cracks in the drum. They tend to form on the outside edges first.

5. Replace The Clutch Drum (If Needed)

This step is relevant if you are replacing your clutch drum. You will be removing the sprocket in this step and transferring it over to a new drum. You need to remove the nut on the inside of the drum. For this step you need the sprocket plates.

The sprocket locks into one of the cut-outs on the plate depending on the size of your sprocket. This holds the clutch drum in place while you undo the nut. You can use the impact wrench with the 38-millimetre socket to undo it, as this is the easiest way to undo the nut.

However, if you don’t have one of those, you can use a torque wrench. It will be more difficult though and you may need to use a vice grip or locking pliers to hold the plate. The sprocket may still be stuck inside the clutch drum, and if so you can use a small hammer to knock it out of the drum.

Reassemble the front sprocket to the new clutch drum and always ensure that you use some Loctite on the nut before you tighten it again. This one needs to stay in place under an immense amount of pressure.

You can retighten the sprocket nut with the impact wrench or torque wrench, and then it will be ready to go.

6. Remove The O-Ring And Washer That Holds The Clutch Shoe In Place

Next we will work on removing the clutch shoes. It’s held in place by another washer and an O-ring which you can simply pull off the bushing. Once again, remember the order that they are placed in. From the outside, it’s O-ring first and then the washer.

7. Undo The Bolts That Hold The Clutch Shoe In Place

You will notice three screws that hold the clutch shoe in place. You will need a 5-millimetre Allen Key to remove these. Undo each of them bit by bit before completely removing them, as you would with a wheel. The clutch shoe is essentially just a circular piece of steel with some cut-outs in it.

8. Remove The Clutch Shoe

To get the clutch shoe off the engine you can use a flat screwdriver to separate them by leveraging it behind the shoe. The shoe should come off easily and it most likely will not require a lot of force to remove from the engine.

9. Replace Clutch Shoe If Necessary

Once you remove the clutch shoe from the engine you need to clean it, once again using your brake cleaner and cloth to wipe all the grease and oil off. You can then begin to inspect the shoe for damage.

The general high-pressure areas are where the cut-outs are, and this is where cracks and chips will begin to form first. The cracks also tend to begin to form at the back of the shoe.

10. Reassemble In Reverse Order

Before you begin to put everything back together make sure that you give everything a good clean. From the clutch shoe to the engine cluster that holds the shoe. It’s best to use brake cleaner on all of these areas just to be safe.

Using oil can generate extra heat within the clutch unit itself and trap the hot air being generated. This will put more stress on the clutch and cause it to break or even melt while in operation.

Make sure you put Loctite on the Allen key screws before you bolt the clutch shoe back onto the engine. You can use the torque wrench to put these back and tighten them to 15 Nm. It’s best to use the torque wrench to ensure that you get equal tension on all three bolts.

Next up is the internal thrust washer and the O-ring, and then the clutch drum with your sprocket fitted. After that it’s the retaining washer and finally the retaining nut. Before putting the nut on, put a little bit of Loctite on the bushing. Once you do that, you’ve finished replacing your clutch.

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