Procedure to remove and inspect the starter clutch.

[Jackson]

I've read quite a bit on this site about starter clutch problems but not exactly what I need to find out. I have a 1981 GS1000L and a lot of noise coming from the left side case and therefore presumably the starter clutch assembly. I called a local mechanic and he said not to pull the cover off or it would "fly apart". I gather from this site that that is not the case. He also said it would take a "special tool". Therefore I decided to find out what I could prior to really causing a problem. Anyway, can one or more of you gurus provide a short "how to do" and "what to expect" on the procedure? I'm really happy to find this site. A great resource for do it yourselfers from what I see so far. Thanks!

[Suzuki mad]

Rough idea of what to do....

I've read quite a bit on this site about starter clutch problems but not exactly what I need to find out. I have a 1981 GS1000L and a lot of noise coming from the left side case and therefore presumably the starter clutch assembly. I called a local mechanic and he said not to pull the cover off or it would "fly apart". I gather from this site that that is not the case. He also said it would take a "special tool". Therefore I decided to find out what I could prior to really causing a problem. Anyway, can one or more of you gurus provide a short "how to do" and "what to expect" on the procedure? I'm really happy to find this site. A great resource for do it yourselfers from what I see so far. Thanks!

Hi and welcome, Basscliff will be along with a mamouth introduction with lots of usefull clicky links.

The local mechanic was partly right and partly wrong. It won't fly apart as you take it apart. You will need a special puller to remove the rotor and starter clutch unit off the crank.

Left hand side cover (the large one with the domed centre) is the one thats got to come off. Inside is a large magnet and on the outer case is a set of windings. Remove the retaining bolts and pull the cover off. There may be some oil that comes out when the casing comes apart. You will need a new gasket.

You will see the starter motor cog (top left) in the centre is the drive gear which will have a washer either side of the cog which joins the starter ring gear.

Using the special puller attach it to the central boss that hold a large magntic circular dish (which is your rotor) and attached to the back of that is the starter clutch. Once the the puller has done it job there should be three allen bolts that hold the strter clutch to the rotor which may have sheared. (these will need replacing.) The other option is that the three pins have punched there way through the starter clutch casing. If that is the case then you will need a new starter clutch.

Re-assemble with new parts and a new gasket. (remember to refit the drive cog and 2 washers.)

Suzuki mad.

[TheCafeKid]

There are certain definitive symptoms to a starter clutch giving out. One is the nasty CLACK that may happen on push of the start button, especially when cold. This is kickback from the motor against the primary gear/starter clutch assembly. Im not exactly sure of the specifics of what causes it, but my theory is that the clutch is not fully engaging, and when it doesnt, back pressure from a cold loaded cylinder causes the primary to either skip teeth or kick back. Not sure, as ive never SEEN it happen yanno? At any rate, eventually this will cause damage to the primary gear, let alone the clutch itself, which by this point is on its way out. Inside the starter clutch assembly there are three "throwouts" i guess you would call them, pushed by springloaded pushers. Now, im not exactly possitive of how this works, but i have been talking with a couple of guys, and the theory is, as the starter motor spins, it spins the secondary gear, the secondary gear spins the primary, as SOON as the primary starts to spin, the throwouts, well, get thrownout. They wedge to the crank, and spin the crank. As soon as the crank speed overwhelms the clutch, the throwouts pass the wedge, and the primary either stops spinning, or isnt effected by the clutch anymore. Eventually, after the repeated beating, the clutch will start to revolt, and spit things out, as i have found. Such as springs, which make thier way from your stator area thru your lower oiling system and into your sump (Ask me how i know) At any rate, another symptom, besides that rattle, is a whine. At certain speeds/RPMs this will become VERY audiable. Moreso as it gets worse. If you have these symptoms, I would definately consider a replacement asap.

[rapidray]

You forgot to tell him about needing a 1/2 inch air impact to remove the BOLT holding it all on the left end of the crank! Also, if you are going to do it yourself, go to a dealer & buy the Suzuki puller, NOT the aftermarket ones because the steel is softer in the non Suzuki ones! Ray.

[TheCafeKid]

You forgot to tell him about needing a 1/2 inch air impact to remove the BOLT holding it all on the left end of the crank! Also, if you are going to do it yourself, go to a dealer & buy the Suzuki puller, NOT the aftermarket ones because the steel is softer in the non Suzuki ones! Ray.

Good point Ray. I think Z1 sells the OEM Zook puller however. Maybe im wrong. And some of the models are different and DONT require the air ratchet. However, I have yet to pull this one, so I will know in short order...lol

[Jackson]

Thanks a lot for the info. I'll get on with it and let you guys know how it comes out.

[JayH]

Hopefully some of the bolts just backed out a little bit and all you will have to do it torque em back down. Be sure to use some thread locker before you torque down the bolts.

[Shaughn]

Once the the puller has done it job there should be three allen bolts that hold the strter clutch to the rotor which may have sheared. (these will need replacing.)

Aw, hell. The GS's have problems shearing the starter clutch bolts as well?
I thought that was a problem limited to the KZs.

As far as the mechanism, here's a link to a forum post (Kawa Twins) that shows a blow-ed up one.
My understanding is that most bikes of the era had similar/identical mechanisms, where inertia from the starter overrides a spring, causing a cylindrical bearing/boss to compress the spring, slide up a cam ramp and interfere with the crankshaft, transferring power from starter to crank.
When the crank kicks over, and overspeeds the starter, the cylinders roll back down the ramps and are held in place by the springs.
Works great on two machined surfaces, but turns to **** quick if weak retaining springs allow the cylinders to intermittently contact the crack, scuffing/scratching the surface.

http://www.armbell.com/kz400/viewtopic.php?t=4431&highlight=750+starter+clutch&mforum=kz400

[TheCafeKid]

Aw, hell. The GS's have problems shearing the starter clutch bolts as well?
I thought that was a problem limited to the KZs.

As far as the mechanism, here's a link to a forum post (Kawa Twins) that shows a blow-ed up one.
My understanding is that most bikes of the era had similar/identical mechanisms, where inertia overrides a spring, causing a cylindrical bearing/boss to compress the spring, slide up a cam ramp and interfere with the crankshaft, transferring power from starter to crank.
When the crank kicks over, and overspeeds the starter, the cylinders roll back down the ramps and are held in place by the springs.
Works great on two machined surfaces, but turns to **** quick if weak retaining springs allow the cylinders to intermittently contact the crack, scuffing/scratching the surface.

http://www.armbell.com/kz400/viewtop...h&mforum=kz400

You hit the nail on the head. Wait till you find a spring in your oil or on your magnetic drain plug. I dont want to think about where that little sucker has been It seems to only be a problem on the larger cc GSs however. I have one on the way to replace mine.

[Jackson]

Update on what I presumed was a Starter Clutch problem. I got up the nerve to pull the cover off and to my surprise and delight I discovered that the 3 Generator screws were all loose. One was almost a 1/2 inch and another about a 1/4 inch. Tightened those babies up and put it back together. The starter clutch appeared to be OK from what little I could see. I'll try to put a photo in here of what it looked like when I first got in.

Naturally I'm very pleased it worked out to be pretty simple and cheap. It sounds much better now I want to thank all of you most knowledgeable responders to the presumed problem. Gave me the info I need to dive in. The bike has 75K on it so I expect I will be asking for help again at some future time. This is a great web site!

Thanks
Jackson

[Suzuki mad]

Your welcome.

Glad it was such an easy fix.

Suzuki mad