Bloody clutch

[GaryB]

Hi all

 

I've just fitted a new set of clutch plates and intermediate plate to my 00 v11 sport, no problems there, plates where from Stein Dinse. Put the engine back in, clutch is solid at the lever. Engine out check everything is as it should be, top hat in clutch centre is present, push-rod is free, pulled slave cyl of, no apparent problems there. Piston is free, pushes out hydraulically and back by hand. Engine back in, still the same.

 

It feels like the piston is reaching the end of the travel in the housing, before the push-rod can exert pressure on the clutch centre. If I wasn't using the original push-rod I would say it was too short. Has anyone else come across this problem, and if so how did they cure it?

 

Cheers Gary 

[fotoguzzi]

the friction plates could be installed bckwards?

[GaryB]

Don't think so they seem to only fit one way in order not to hold themselves off the intermediate plate.

[GaryB]

I experimented by using a couple of different sized spacers(a plain nut and a nylock one-about 2.5 and 4.5 mm respectively) this allowed the clutch to operate normally, although the thinner one seemed to drag more. This seemed to confirm my suspicion that the new plates are thicker than the originals.

so I've added 4mm to the push-rod, by welding hard stainless and turning the addition back to the correct diameter, this seems to have cured the problem, We will see for sure once everything is up and running.

[thumper]

If you forgot to put the little button on the end of the rod it will be to short.

[GaryB]

Hi Thumper, what little button? When I took mine out there was only the cup that sits in the clutch centre for the push-rod to push on and the push rod. My parts book doesn't show anything else.

[fotoguzzi]

welding 4mm to the push rod? that sounds way out of line to me.. smething else must be wrong.

[Steve S]

I was going to suggest that the new plates were too thick, that would give you the problem, but I've never heard of it before, just done one myself with plates from Gutsibits

[GaryB]

Steve, that's what I thought, the plates where thicker than the originals. I have come across this on the web while looking for an answer,

[thumper]

The cup is what I called a button so you got that part in.

I did my clutch a few years back, took a good bit of bleeding to get all the air out of the line.

[GaryB]

The problem was the piston from the slave cylinder was bottoming out in the casing at the back of the gearbox before the pushrod could free the plates. This gave an absolutely solid lever, but the addition of the test spacers returned the clutch to normal. So either Luigi isn't that accurate when he machines the rods-the clutch end was not well finished, the rod has somehow worn, or the plates are thicker. Out of curiosity if anyone has measured their push-rods it would be interesting to compare lengths-mine as 203mm and is now 207mm.