I just read that SeaDoo's supercharged engines have centrifugals that are gear-driven instead of belt, and there is a clutch in the drive mechanism. The one explanation for having a clutch that I found on seadooforum.com doesn't seem likely. Do the centrifugals on cars and trucks have 'em?

 

No clutches in the auto blowers.. Displacing air all the time

John

 

Well no, I should have stated that it doesn't disengage the blower, it is a safety mechanism.

 

Maybe its a safety for water injestion?

 

The only clutched blower I ever heard of was the Famed Mad Max blower, and it was faked.

 

Not sure how it actually works, but here you go:

98-03 Mercedes SLK Supercharger w/ Electronic Clutch M62

 

WOW, MAD MAX here we come!!

 

No, no, no, no, no. t thall is probably right about the Seadoos, but it's not an air conditioner clutch, it's just some washers that will slip if their preloaded torque value is exceeded. One guy's explanation was that because the rpm of the blower is in the 45,000 range, it can't change speed as fast as the engine can, and there is no belt to slip. I thought that might be possible, but it doesn't seem likely, especially on a jetski. The way you work the throttle, the sc's clutch would be slipping 3/4 of the time.

 

well i would not go as far to say fake.
the bypass valve is a little larger then what we have.
also the electric clutch is actavated when you start to close the valve.
their is a video of a mad max replaca falcon xb gt where they turn the blower on and off on you tube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4ejbUHlLtg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7F6_s_zn34
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnaQNfkzSpo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVM88RyjcI4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rpGmbCIBqs

i love that car, the aussies have some cool **** to play with.
it is a crying shame we don't have it here as well.

 

I actually just read about this in Hugh MacInnes "turbochargers" book, he said that without a slip clutch or some sort of cushion a direct gear drive cannot work with a centrifical type blower because of the speed it must turn and how fast an engine changes speed when shifting, etc. Maybe seadoo found this solution cause a belt doesn't work well when wet?