Clutch Conundrum & Questions

[Anonymous]

Thanks, Jojo.

Re: friction/fiber plates. I will replace them. I thought I would put them back in for the time being to see if the rattle stops when I tighten the clutch hub nut to specified torque. If the rattle still remains, I shall then buy a new hub from Ron Ayers at the same time as I order the plates. I shall also put in new pressure plate springs since these are very cheap. Probably my main motivation for showing the friction plates to my local experts is to find out if they know what could have caused the scratches on the faces of the perimeter tabs.

BTW, Jojo, for smoothest clutch action, should I soak the friction/fiber plates overnight in engine oil or in Amstel?

[Anonymous]

for smoothest clutch action, should I soak the friction/fiber plates overnight in engine oil or in Amstel?

Simon,

Be VERY CAREFUL soaking the plates in Amstel. If they get used to it, they will not accept common engine oil in the future.
Also, Amstel only works for a limited period. You will have to refresh it daily, to keep the clutch acting smoothly; it's a wet clutch, you know :roll:

[1100ED]

OOOH poor Dineke and Anouk

[Anonymous]

This is just an update after checking out my rattling clutch.

The primary cause of the rattle appears to have been a loose clutch hub nut. I found that the nut was just "finger tight" as opposed to the 36 ? 50.5 lb.ft of tightening torque as specified in the manual, despite the lock washer being appropriately locked in place. Since the rattle problem appeared "overnight" when the dealer changed the engine drive chain sprocket 2 years ago, I have to wonder if it could have been jarred loose somehow when the mechanic used an air wrench to remove the sprocket nut. Regardless of the cause, replacing the OE nut with an APE nut from Murdoch Racing (thanks, Hap ) and tightening to maximum torque appears to have solved the majority of the rattle. Some rattle still remains but at about 1/3 to ? the former level. The remaining rattle appears due to worn parts, and I anticipate replacing certain components (basket, fiber plates, springs and, perhaps, hub) in the next 5,000 to 10,000 miles (34,000 miles on bike now), and this should eliminate the remaining rattle.

Just a couple of tips when working on the '83 GS750ES's clutch (perhaps some of the clutch experts here will have better ideas):

a) After removing all the clutch cover bolts (and placing them through holes in an outline drawing on a pizza box), I found that the cover wouldn't just tap off with a rubber mallet. However, I noticed the cover had a couple of small areas where it extended out beyond the engine casing, so I fed a ? inch wooden dowel "rod" from the other side of the motorcycle to butt up against these areas and gave the rod a few taps with a hammer. Off came the cover fairly easily. I then noticed that the reason that the cover didn't just tap off before is that there are a couple of metal pins that insert into the cover to locate it correctly, and these prevented an oblique rap with the rubber mallet shifting the cover.

b) The bike's clutch cover had never been removed before and the original paper/cardboard gasket clung to the metal surfaces tenaciously. Cleaning up both mating surfaces for an oil-tight fit for the new gasket was a pain. I had to use spray-on gasket remover, a razor blade and a wooden popsicle stick repeatedly before the surfaces were clean. Spray-on gasket remover is supposed to be bad for painted and non-metal surfaces, so I just sprayed it into a small metal container and used a small paint brush to apply it.

c) I was concerned with dust, grit and small pieces of old gasket entering the engine while I was working, so I used plastic grocery bags to block off and/or cover exposed entry points within the clutch housing.

d) The factory service manual calls for a gasket compound to be applied to 2 small 2" strips on the engine mating surface over the joint where the 2 crankcase halves join. I used Yamabond 4, applied sparingly with a modeler's paint brush.

e) Following advice found on the internet (see "Of Gaskets and Goo" thread in the Tips & Tricks forum), I put a thin film of wheel bearing grease on both sides of the new gasket before replacing it. So far no oil leaks, despite a 70-mile run yesterday.

f) While I had the clutch cover off, I cleaned the accumulated, opaque film off the oil-level sight glass. I tried WD-40 and Gunk but what worked best was water with dishwashing liquid and a little rubbing with Q-tips. It now looks like new.

g) This point is important: when replacing the clutch basket, make sure that it slides on fully, so that the little drive gear on the back of the basket fully engages the oil pump gear. This is easy to miss as the difference in position is only about 1/8 to ?" and there is no way to see the 2 gears while doing this (hidden behind the basket). It took me several attempts, rotating the basket slightly between tries, to get this done properly. When correctly in place, the outer edge of the basket should be exactly flush with the edge of the spacer and bearing it is mounted on, provided that these 2 parts are pushed back fully into position. With a flashlight, you should also see the teeth on the basket's perimeter fully meshed with the engine's drive gear.

I hope these little tips are useful to other clutch "newbies", such as myself. Also, perhaps the biggest tip is to have a service manual at hand while you work.

Finally, very many thanks to our members who posted advice and encouragement. Your help is invaluable.