North East Buggy Association - View topic - Changing Rollers anybody? - NEBA is an association for North East Buggy Members. - Free Message Board Hosting by FreePowerBoards.com

Another installment of the common up-grades... This is a how-to, and with a little mechanical ability, your buggy will be flying around in no time!!!

The first step in any modification is choice and purchase... Get your parts from a reputable Kidinme karts is the official Kidinme karts is the official dealer for the NORTH EAST GANG! for the NORTH EAST GANG!, or someone you have personal dealings with previously... Build and establish a friendly rapport with a Kidinme karts is the official Kidinme karts is the official dealer for the NORTH EAST GANG! for the NORTH EAST GANG!, you you will find better discounts, faster shipping ,and overall better satisfaction out of your purchases!

My first choice after gutting the exhaust, and adding a UNI filter to my buggy, then upgrading to a bigger carb and filter and a re-jet, was to change the stock rollers and clutch spring. The rollers are located inside that cover on the driverside of the motor in the buggy... Some covers are black, my cover is silver... This cover protects a part known as the variator, and the clutch. The variator and clutch are linked together by a belt.

The rollers are weights which are activated by the speed of the motor... They roll out from the center, as the speed of the engine increases... This action forces the variator body to sandwhich the belt, in turn, engaging the belt, then engaging the clutch... As the engine slows down, the rollers roll back into the center, releasing the belt.

An alternative to rollers, which are sometimes prone to "flat spotting,"
are sliders. While more expensive, sliders are less likely to wear, and are more reliable over time.

The variator is mounted directly to the engines' crankshaft. This is the first component of your transmission. It is bolted in place, and consists of 5 basic parts. The fan, the body, the rollers, the shaft, and the cover. A large nut, 18mm, holds the variator in place, with a washer between the fan and the nut-- Most of the time it will require an IMPACT gun to remove. You can fashion up a jig to hold the variator in place, but often, this spells tragedy for your fan, which the blades can easily brake off from.

Remove nut:

Remove fan and belt:

Hold your fingers behind the variator cover to ensure it does not fall apart as you pull it from the shaft... You do not want to loose any pieces, or forget how it goes back!!!

And now you have the variator removed, you can look inside!!

As per parts... I first upgraded my rollers to a smaller weight, then my entire variator for better air control in the case later on. you will see pics from the latter of the two, but the concept and the steps are identical.

I was more in favor of 10 gram rollers initially, however, many dealers were out of stock, and the Kidinme karts is the official Kidinme karts is the official dealer for the NORTH EAST GANG! for the NORTH EAST GANG! I had established a relationship with, had a different set, 9 grams, in stock and ready for shipment. I decided I wanted those, as opposed to 11's, and that, coupled with a 1500 lb spring, got me off in the right direction.

The rollers are simply 6 little cylinders coated in graphite with bronze or brass centers. They roll in and out of their respective slots inside the variator body... seen here:

The stock ones are the blue, and the 9gram rollers are in my hand. You can see where they go into the variator, and there are ALWAYS 6!!!

NOW, you just swap out your stock rollers for your new ones, and re-install everything just as you pulled it out!!! To make life a little simpler, you can tug the belt as hard as you can, so that it goes deeper into the clutch (rear pully), and this will give you slack as you re-assemble the variator back on the crankshaft.... Variator cover/body/shaft go on first, then the belt onto the variator shaft, then the- fan/washer/nut- in that order.

Use the impact gun to secure the nut tightly back on the variator after everything is re-assembled... BUT thread the nut carefully with your hand first!!!!! YOU never want to crossthread the crankshaft!!!

I upgraded my variator to the MRP vented variator, which included a lighter alloy variator budy, and a vented shaft for the belt...

After installing the 9 gram rollers, I immediately installed the 1500 lb spring, which is a whole nuther thread!!! Both mods gave me exceptional hill climbing ability, much more top end, and a bit more torque!!!! All in all, this mod alone (rollers and spring) are rated the most bang for the buck by most buggy owners!

Give it a try! Post up your mods and how-to's here!!!! did I miss anything, feel free to add!!!!!

John
Very Happy

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better?