clutch problem??

[andrew]

Had a terrific ride yesterday, but for one niggling clutch problem. As I was riding at about 80 km/h the clutch suddenly became very stiff and wouldn't disengage. When I finally stopped I had to stall the motor. After some time cooling down the clutch became workable once more. I don't know if it would have remained so as it was at the end of a long hard day of mud-slogging (we were returning along a good road when it happened).

The oil looked a little grey through the window, but not milky or foamy. I haven't had time to drain it yet, or have a close inspection of the clutch, but I was wondering if this sort of thing has happened to anyone else and if so what was the cause??

I'm hoping it is a combination of heat and broken down oil (although the oil isn't that old!). If not, can anyone give me an idea of what I may find when I strip it down?

Cheers,
Andrew
'96 KDX200

 

[canyncarvr]

Meaning the clutch wouldn't 'engage'? You pulled the lever and it stayed in gear (well, of course it doesn't go OUT of gear when you pull the clutch lever....but you get my drift)?

Take off the clutch cover, take a look at the clutch basket (disassy not required). See any notches in the basket where the friction plates contact it?

Those fingers on the basket are supposed to be smooth. Those notches prevent the plates from moving when the spring pressure is released, resulting in essentially no clutch at all.

You can disassy the clutch, draw file the fingers (don't leave a ridge on the inside!). The oem basket is commonly good for maybe a couple of 'filings', depending on the damage.

There are some pics of some pretty hosed baskets on this forum. If the fingers are really bad.....you need a new basket.

Take note of input on this board re: hinson baskets....the installation of the bushings and such.

 

[andrew]

OK, thanks mate, I'll check that. I have filed them down once before, a couple of years ago. At that time the clutch was just a little grabby, not anything like this time. Also, would it be common for it to be so bad you couldn't disengage the clutch at all, only to later feel normal again??

I'll tell you what I find; I'm hoping it's only an oil problem (serve me right for using a cheap ****ty oil!)

Cheers, and thanks for the advice!

Andrew

 

[kaosroolz]

I've had this problem before, turned out to be the nut that held the clutch basket on( the big 1) came undone and wouldn't let the clutch mechanism slide in, locktited it and everything still came undone till i got a bar on the end of the socket and did it up good and proper, it didnt have enuff room to come completely off just enuff to not let the mechanism move.

 

[andrew]

Kaosrulz, YOU THE MAN !
I just pulled it all apart, and that is exectly what was wrong! I had it locktite'd but sure enough it had come loose and was up against the actuating mechanism preventing it from disengaging.

Ill have to try something a bit stronger than loctite blue.

BTW CC, I have checked the clutch basket and it is notched again as you said it might, so I will file it flat before it goes back together - might improve that clutch action somewhat!

Thanks everyone,

Andrew.

 

[canyncarvr]

I doubt loctite blue is the problem. Check your manual, but I recall no specification for a thread locking agent on that fastener?

Much more likely it wasn't torqued correctly in the first place. The assy is a bit hard to lock up. As the manual says, a flywheel holder is the way to go. Putting the bike in gear and standing on the brake isn't quite the same thing.

 

[tedkxkdx]

I had to retorque my nut three times before it held.
I increased the torque by 5nm each time I retorqued, which seemed to make the difference.

 

[andrew]

Too late, it's back together! Haven't got a flywheel holder, but I put a metal bar through the back sprocket and locked it against the swingarm... I did it up as tight as I could get it, and I used a spring washer in there as well, so hopefully that will do the trick. The spring washer is a fairly thick, heavy duty type and brings the nut all the way out to the end of the thread, but it's on good and tight, and there's enough clearance for the clutch to work.

If it happens again at least I'll know that it won't do any damage, and I'll just have to do a better job next time...

Has anyone else tried a spring washer? The manual showed some sort of conical washer, but the exploded diagram at the start of the clutch section didn't show one and my bike certainly didn't have one.

fingers crossed...

Andrew

 

[canyncarvr]

The 'H' style kdx (maybe others too, but at least the 'H') does have a conical spring but that fits on the outside of the plate pack, not on the main shaft. It fits with a flat spring washer to ensure disengagement of the outside plate..the one that is inserted one segment off from the main pack.

There are two washers on the main shaft (main in this case meaning the shaft with the large nut that came loose). One is 'under' the basket, one is IN the basket.

It's not uncommon to have one of these washers get misplaced on reassy. The one under the basket will stick tothe basket on disassy, and then it drops of and doesn't get noticed until later.

 

[andrew]

Yes, I've got all those, and in the correct place.

In the manual, where it describes disassembly and reassembly, it appears to show some sort of conical washer that goes onto the shaft under the nut, but that part doesn't appear in the exploded parts diagram.

On my earlier KDX the clutch hub nut had a locking washer that fitted into the splines on the shaft, and which you had to bend out to prevent the nut coming loose - it was a great idea even if it was a bit of a pain...

what do you think of the idea of using a spring washer for this nut. Obviously, the fact that it comes loose is a bit of a problem for quite a lot of riders....

Andrew

 

[canyncarvr]

Sounds like a good place for one, as long as (as you say) you have enough thread left over to fully engage the nut.

My '00 has no such tension retaining 'device'.