Snapped clutch spring bolts

[Anonymous]

Again, many thanks to the replies to "Noisy Tranny", the clutch hub nut was lose, re-torqued and did the lock washer tab. In the process of re-installing the 4 springs / bolts for the basket cover, I managed to snap 3 of the bolts, two of these were not immediately apparent, they broke off when I disassembled to drill out the 1st snapped screw.

These bolts have a 7 stamped on them, aside from the torque spec in the manual for bolts with a 7, what else does this signify?

The local dealer gave me bolts with an 8.8 on them, will these work?

Also, I'm using a torque wrench 10-100 lbs, too big for this, the local auto store has a ft in wrench, 120-960 ft, in., does this convert to ft lbs? The spec on these bolts is 8-10 ft lbs.

What is the proper torque?, most spec's list a range, i.e. the hub nut, 36-50 ft lbs, I torqued it to 40 ft lbs. Is this enough?


Thanks

Mister T
83 GS750ED

[Dink]

The number on the heads of bolt tell you how strong they are bigger number stronger bolt!!! 8-10 ft-lbs. is just fractionally tighter than finger tight, so do the bolts up with a short spanner and just tweak them lighly after they bottom out.
Dink

[saaz]

If the bolt is in the range it is ok. The main problem most people have is overtightening!

I invested in a good torque wrench reading from 0 to 100 foot/lb. Amazing how little torque is actually needed for most bolts.

[Anonymous]

Mister T, I think that Hap Call is one of our helpful experts on this subject. As I recall, he has experienced the "snapped bolt" syndrome during some of the many times he has worked on his GS1100's clutch during the last 250,000 miles. You might want to send him a PM.

As for torque wrenches, I would definitely recommend using a small torque wrench calibrated in inch.lbs. as the large foot.lbs. wrenches are a little heavy-handed for the clutch spring bolts. I followed someone's advice here on the site and bought an inexpensive one from Harbor Freight (www.HarborFreight.com). I don't anticipate using the wrench very often and the quality and accuracy are apparently quite reasonable.

I had the problem with a noisy clutch earlier this year. Although some of the cause is probably wear, like you, I found the major source of the clutch rattle was due to a loose hub nut. Interestingly, the lock washer was still properly in place. Following Hap's advice, I replaced the stock nut with an APE nut from ordered from Murdoch Racing. While I still have some clutch rattle, the amplitude was cut substantially by retorquing the hub nut. I will probably have to replace worn parts (after 36,000 miles usage) to eliminate the rattle entirely.

Simon Waters

[Philly_Chris]

I snapped one of those myself. From what I understand, Suzuki recommends using the OEM bolts because they are hardened to deal with the high temperatures they encounter. I'm too paranoid to chance anything in the transmission so I bought a few at a dealer. You can look up the part# on Bike Bandit

[Anonymous]

Re: Snapped clutch spring bolts

These bolts have a 7 stamped on them, aside from the torque spec in the manual for bolts with a 7, what else does this signify?

The local dealer gave me bolts with an 8.8 on them, will these work?

Table of bolt grades: http://www.bodgesoc.freeserve.co.uk/strengths.html

Also, I'm using a torque wrench 10-100 lbs, too big for this, the local auto store has a ft in wrench, 120-960 ft, in., does this convert to ft lbs?

Yes, foot pounds converts to inch pounds 1:12, just like feet and inches.

[Anonymous]

Thanks to all, for the replies. I found Hap Call's posting on this problem, he hit the nail on the head, and these bolts must have been stressed. I agree about the OEM bolts, that area of the bike is no place to experiment. The bolts I bought from the Suzuki dealer are stamped 8.8, other than that they are gold colored, not normal steel color. Bike Bandit has the originals. To play it safe, I picked up a smaller torque wrench at Sears. Thanks for the bolt chart; I'm sure others will appreciate this as well.

Thanks again

Mister T

83 GS 750ED