How do I know....

[Guest]

If its my starter clutch that has gone bad?

The starter motor sounds like it is spinning when I hit the start button, but the engine is not turning over. Kind of a loud screechy noise.

I've yet to pull the starter motor cover off to see (or feel, rather) if it is indeed spinning or pull the stator cover off (no spare gaskets on hand at the moment....).

This just happened this morning before I went to work.

Maybe I'll try turning the crank over by hand first, eh?

[Agemax]

sounds like your problem or it could be the rotor spinning on the crank.
either way you need to pull that cover off and check it out before it does any damage

[Smokinapankake]

So this afternoon I went out and drained the oil in preparation for pulling the stator cover. The oil drain plug was kind enough to bring a little aluminum spring out with it so I guess now that that's stripped I'll be helicoiling it while I'm at it. Fun!

[niclpnut]

Bummer.

You don't necessarily need to drain the oil when you remove the stator cover.

Put the bike on the center stand, use a piece of cinder block or 2/4 about 2" thick and stick it under the left foot of the stand. It will lean slightly to the right and you shouldn't have but a couple drops of oil come out.

Just don't bump it or she might tumble over



Picture ala Steve.

Nic

[Smokinapankake]

So I went out and pulled the stator cover off to look see what was going on fully expecting to find a bad starter clutch.

Instead I found a rotor that had broken free of the pressed on taper. The nut was still on, reasonably tight. The starter motor would spin when I pressed the start button and it was heartbreaking to watch the rotor spin. I could even spin it relatively easily with my hands.

So I pulled the nut off and pulled the rotor off to find a heavily gouged tapered end.....

What are my options now?
1- Tear it all down and have the crank/rotor machined (don't know if this is possible)
2 - Tear it all down and replace crank.
3 - Replace engine entirely.
4 - Part the whole mutha out.
5 - Sell it off as a parts bike.
6 - Pull the engine and sell it as a roller.

Prolly the end of my big Kat days.....

[beamer12]

If it were me i would lap the taper with medium grinding paste to rub off the worst high spot`s. Then clean properly with thinners or contact spray cleaner, allow to dry. Then get the best grade of Loctite you can find, apply as directed and tighten nut very!! TIGHT. Use a rattle gun. It`s worked for me.
Beamer12

[argonsagas]

There is no photo so the extent of damage is not seen, but while a badly damaged crank may need replacement, you might be able to get away without that.

Beamer 12 gave a good option that should be tried, if it is at all feasible.

You would need to clean and smooth out all rough metal on the crank AND on the rotor before re-assembly.

While I have never done this, if there are a couple of gouges, you could try filling them with JB Weld, wet sand it carefully to match the taper, then pour on the RED LOCTITE and tighten it up.

[Smokinapankake]

Pictures of the damage

Hopefully they will load ok:









The pictures show both sides of the crank. The two big gouges are approx. 180 degrees from each other. The scale is there to help the pros (you guys) judge size and extent of the damage.

I wondered about the feasibility of using JB to fill the holes. Sorry the photos aren't that great; they were taken with my wife's I-phone 4 then emailed and uploaded into photobucket.

Hopefully this should give you guys enough info to help me make an informed decision....

Thanks!

[bonanzadave]

Mine was that bad and I used a method described by Bob with lapping compound and loctite. Been running like a champ all summer....

I also changed the oil 3 times in a month. Found quite a few metal flakes in the first filter. Only 1 or 2 very small flakes in the 3rd one.

[Joe Nardy]

My '83 did the same thing many years ago. I smoothed out the taper and re-installed but the rotor would push right past the high point of the taper and spin. I took some measurements and wrapped a piece of feeler gauge stock around the taper and tightened to spec. I've never had an issue since.

Thanks,
Joe

[blowerbike]

last resort is tack welding the nut to the crank and the nut to the alt. rotor.
last one i did like that lasted a while till the guy snapped the crank off at the main bearing.
down shifting hard and running RPM's up and snapping the throttle closed kills them.
these small left sides are just evil for more than daily transportation.

[bonanzadave]

down shifting hard and running RPM's up and snapping the throttle closed kills them.

Oh Oh . Now ya tell me....