frustrating !986 spree problem

[mnstreetrod]

i have a 1986 honda spree and i recently put a new drive belt on it and ever since then it has no power and sometimes the belt slips and it takes forever to get to top speed. i have tried taking apart and cleaning the clutch and even put a used one on with a new belt and still no change. any help would be appreciated. if it makes a difference i also put a new plug and air filter on at the same time. thanks for the help.

[motormike]

Sure sounds like you put on the wrong belt...

[mnstreetrod]

are there different part numbers for the belts? would it help if i brought the vin number in with me? i double checked the belt number online and it was the same. any idea where i could get the right belt?

[breaze]

I agree with Mike - a new belt should improve slippage unless you got oil/grease on the belt or one of the pulleys (drive or driven).

Have you taken the variator (under the drive pulley) off and checked it out - grease should be removed and rollers checked for flat spots?

What made you change the belt - did you just see that it was worn or were there symptoms?

Did you remove the drive pulley when you changed the belt - on Sprees it is very easy to tighten that back down when re-installing and strip the splines on the crankshaft?

Assuming you have the right belt, I would double check for any grease/oil on belt, clutch pads, pulleys, or clutch bell - brake cleaner works great to clean the inside of the pulleys and the inside of the clutch bell. Some like to "rough up" the clutch pads with a little sand paper. There is also a minimum thickness to check (see service manual) for the clutch pads.

What made you change the belt - did you just see that it was worn or were there symptoms?

[yamahauler660r]

Have you taken the variator (under the drive pulley) off and checked it out - grease should be removed and rollers checked for flat spots?

the spree engine has no variator

[breaze]

Thanks - wasn't thinking - as usual

I believe the rest still applies.

[mnstreetrod]

no symptoms the service history of the scooter was unknown so i thought i would change it. i took apart and cleaned the clutch and still same thing and i found a used clutch and it tried that with another new belt and nothing changed. i am pretty sure the crank pulley is fine cause i turn that by hand and i can feel the compression in the motor when it rotate it. is there a wrong way of installing the belt? all i did was removed the crank pulley and the clutch and installed the belt around the crank pulley and compressed the clutch with my hands and installed the belt and clutch onto the scooter and rotated the engine around to tighten the belt up.

[spreeinkc]

You should be able to look at the splines on the crank for the drive pulley and see if they're damaged. (sounds like you installed it correctly though) Can you tell if its the actual belt that's slipping? Does it seem loose or have excessive play? There would be signs like excessive belt debris, black marks on the pulley's from the belt melting, would smell like burnt rubber, ect... If you have the old belt still you could always throw it back on there and see what happens. Will it pull it's self at all or is it just kind of slipping a little? As far as other suspects it could be the clutch, gears, or stripped splines. I've never had to replace a clutch on one unless it got oil or grease on it. (only swapped it b/c I have a stack of them on the shelf, it could be cleaned if dirty) If the oil seal is leaking on the shaft to the gears it will make the clutch slip so make sure it's dry. Check for excessive play on the shaft for the gears while you're there. I've also seen a couple that had stripped splines but that will only happen if not installed correct. (not seated properly on splines when tightened down) Doubt it's the gears b/c it'd probably be making noise.

[mnstreetrod]

as far as i can tell, the splines are ok. this is my first scooter and to me i think the belt may be a little loose but i am not sure how loose or tight its supposed to be. it doesn't smell like burnt rubber or no signs of melting either. its almost like the scooter is bogging down. full throttle on the kickstand it accelerates good but when i get on it it doesn't want to go anywhere. it kind of feels like its stuck in high gear or something. i am so mad at my self cause i accidently threw the old belt away but i do remember that the old and the new belt were the same number.

[martynkim]

I might be reading between the lines here but, Please check that the airbox lid is tight and that the tube between the box and carb are on correctly.
When you say it isn't accelerating on the ground but it is on the stand it makes me think airleak.

When you remove the side cover (when you changed the belt) there is a bolt that goes to the airbox maybe something got disturbed?

Worth a check. Or I am totally off and misunderstood what you meant.

[spreeinkc]

Well if the engine isn't reving up like it does on the kick stand then it's bogging down not slipping. Rev it up on the kick stand and then grab the rear brake while still holding throttle wide open. Do the rpms drop? Or actually try holding the rear brake then give it WOT (wide open throttle). Do the rpms race like when not holding the brake or does the engine just kind of get louder like its working harder but nothings happening?

[mnstreetrod]

ok i worked on it a little this morning but its sleeting and cold so i gave up lol. i checked the air box and its in place and secured. the tube going to the carb is on and no signs of tearing. the only obvious thing i found was the screw on top of the air box lid was missing so i put one in and tried it again and still the same problem. i hold the brake and turn the throttle to wot while on the kickstand and the engine gets louder and you can tell its trying to move the tire and the belt never slipped. so i am at a dead end again so any help would be appreciated.

[martynkim]

Kind of a low brrrr or grrrr? sounds like it laboring? If it is like I say likely something in the fuel or exhaust not a belt that is slipping or a clutch. Id say clean the carb burn the pipe yada yada...

[otto-man]

i have a 1986 honda spree and i recently put a new drive belt on it and ever since then it has no power and sometimes the belt slips and it takes forever to get to top speed. i have tried taking apart and cleaning the clutch and even put a used one on with a new belt and still no change. any help would be appreciated. if it makes a difference i also put a new plug and air filter on at the same time. thanks for the help.

If your problem started after putting on a new belt, then you probably need a new clutch. I just had one that was slipping so I replaced the belt. It got worse. I put in a new clutch weight set and the problem went away. Be careful if you decide to take clutch apart!!

[noiseguy]

What did you clean the clutch with, and why?

If you get *any* grease or oil on the clutch pads, they will not work. It will do exactly what you describe. Requires new pads... Oil cannot be cleaned off once embedded in pads.