yukonerdave
Well-Known Member
A common starting problem with the Vmax is a loose or cracked starter clutch. You know this is the problem when you hear a God-awful noise like a bag of gravel spinning around when trying to start (particularly when it is cold). This guide will show you how to remove and inspect the starter clutch to hopefully solve this problem.
First, put down something to absorb oil drips ? I just used some old newspaper. You?ll probably want to drain the oil (though Morley says that it can be done without this so long as you have it leaned over far enough). We?re going to remove both the left side engine side covers, so begin by removing the foot peg (two bolts) and shift lever (small clamp bolt and a circlip (in red)):
Now we can remove all the cover bolts. You should probably keep track of them to make sure they make it back into the same hole (some are longer than others). NOTE that the one I?ve marked in Red is an oil drain screw and that you will get oil leaking from it. It also has a small copper washer than should be replaced when you reinstall ( Part # 90430-06014-00).
Pull the middle gear cover (on the right) first, and lay it aside. Also remove as much of the black gasket as you can. You will need a new one to reassemble:
The flywheel cover is held on magnetically, so you will need a little more force to pull it off. The stator is attached to the cover so it will be attached by wires and won?t be entirely removable. I opened the little clamp holding the wires in place (in Green) and set the cover aside on a little box. There are three small gears with two rods (marked in Red) that may either come with the cover or stay in the block. We will worry about them later, but for now make sure they are all accounted for. Also, expect some more oil leakage. Remove the black gasket as well:
Next we remove the flywheel bolt. I believe it is 19mm, and you will need an adjustable wrench or something suitable to hold the shaft while you turn it.
The bolt should come out with a thick washer and a pin ? clean them up and set them aside:
Now for the TOUGH part. The flywheel needs to be pulled off the shaft and they can require a ****-ton of force. I was able to get mine with a large crows-foot puller (borrowed from AutoZone), but it took a couple hours of fooling around.
Alternately, you can use an internal puller using the three bolt holes marked in green:
Apparently Jedi (on this forum) has made a puller that works really well:
http://www.vmaxforum.net/showthread.php?t=15907
I had to use a torch to heat the inner flywheel to about 250 degrees, I cranked the puller bolt as hard as I could get it with a pipe extension on my ratchet, and then I smacked the end with a 3-pound hammer. Eventually it popped off. Also see Morley?s reference video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePW96hG2Ojw&feature=player_embedded
A couple of things to expect: 1.) Likely the flywheel will pop off and scare the **** out of you. Have some pads or blankets down in case it falls on the ground; 2.) the ring gear immediately behind the flywheel will probably come with it. If you can, use some zap straps (zip-ties) to attach it before removing; 3.) (VERY IMPORTANT) there is a very tiny half-crescent Woodruff Key in the shaft that you will need to reassemble ? make sure you locate it and put it in a safe place. The starter clutch pins, springs, and rollers may pop out as well. Skip ahead a little for pics of all these parts and make sure you have everything.
If the ring gear is attached you can now remove it. What we?re looking at now are the three bolts holding the starter clutch onto the flywheel.
If you were having the symptoms, likely these bolts are loose, or the clutch itself is cracked. Mine were loose so I removed everything to refasten it with new bolts. With everything apart it looks like this (notice that I am missing one of the three cylindrical rollers on the bottom right of the picture ? I later found it in, of all places, the washing machine):
Inspect the clutch body REALLY closely for cracks or damage and replace it if you find anything. The last time I did this I had a barely noticeable hairline-crack at the spot I marked here:
When you are satisfied that the clutch is good, we can re-assemble everything. Get new high-grade bolts (PART # 91317-08014-00). Put the flat washer on the flywheel first, then place the clutch on. The bolts need to be fastened REALLY securely, or they will loosen again and you?ll have to redo this job. A the very least, use blue loctite and peen the ends of the bolts after they are tight. I used a dab of red loctite as well, and others have gone as far as tack-welding the ends in place (I will do that next time, if there is a next time). You can kinda see the peened end here:
Also, look at Morley?s video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbOCIYl2pCA&feature=player_embedded
Once you are satisfied that those fuckers aren?t moving again, you can wiggle the springs, pins, and rollers back into place. Some small needle-nose pliers are your friend for this part:
With them all in place you can put the ring gear back in. When it?s done right, the gear will turn in one direction but not the other.
Putting the ring gear/starter clutch/flywheel assembly back onto the shaft can be a little tricky. First place the small Woodruff key back in the slot
When you slide the assembly onto the shaft, there is a groove that needs to line up with the key. Just be careful to line it up right and not to displace the key. With it on, you can reattach it with the flywheel bolt (and its thick washer and pin)
Attach the small gears like the picture. Note that the smallest gear has a lip on one side. That lip faces out:
Before putting your new gaskets on, be sure that all traces of the old ones are removed. You want bare metal on both the cover and the block where the gasket is going (otherwise be ready for an oil leak).
Replace the covers, make sure the stator wiring is secure in the clamp, and tighten the bolts to spec with blue loctite. Make sure the drain screw on the middle gear cover gets a new gasket:
Replace the shift lever and footpeg. Grab a beer, dude: you?re done!
First, put down something to absorb oil drips ? I just used some old newspaper. You?ll probably want to drain the oil (though Morley says that it can be done without this so long as you have it leaned over far enough). We?re going to remove both the left side engine side covers, so begin by removing the foot peg (two bolts) and shift lever (small clamp bolt and a circlip (in red)):
Now we can remove all the cover bolts. You should probably keep track of them to make sure they make it back into the same hole (some are longer than others). NOTE that the one I?ve marked in Red is an oil drain screw and that you will get oil leaking from it. It also has a small copper washer than should be replaced when you reinstall ( Part # 90430-06014-00).
Pull the middle gear cover (on the right) first, and lay it aside. Also remove as much of the black gasket as you can. You will need a new one to reassemble:
The flywheel cover is held on magnetically, so you will need a little more force to pull it off. The stator is attached to the cover so it will be attached by wires and won?t be entirely removable. I opened the little clamp holding the wires in place (in Green) and set the cover aside on a little box. There are three small gears with two rods (marked in Red) that may either come with the cover or stay in the block. We will worry about them later, but for now make sure they are all accounted for. Also, expect some more oil leakage. Remove the black gasket as well:
Next we remove the flywheel bolt. I believe it is 19mm, and you will need an adjustable wrench or something suitable to hold the shaft while you turn it.
The bolt should come out with a thick washer and a pin ? clean them up and set them aside:
Now for the TOUGH part. The flywheel needs to be pulled off the shaft and they can require a ****-ton of force. I was able to get mine with a large crows-foot puller (borrowed from AutoZone), but it took a couple hours of fooling around.
Alternately, you can use an internal puller using the three bolt holes marked in green:
Apparently Jedi (on this forum) has made a puller that works really well:
http://www.vmaxforum.net/showthread.php?t=15907
I had to use a torch to heat the inner flywheel to about 250 degrees, I cranked the puller bolt as hard as I could get it with a pipe extension on my ratchet, and then I smacked the end with a 3-pound hammer. Eventually it popped off. Also see Morley?s reference video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePW96hG2Ojw&feature=player_embedded
A couple of things to expect: 1.) Likely the flywheel will pop off and scare the **** out of you. Have some pads or blankets down in case it falls on the ground; 2.) the ring gear immediately behind the flywheel will probably come with it. If you can, use some zap straps (zip-ties) to attach it before removing; 3.) (VERY IMPORTANT) there is a very tiny half-crescent Woodruff Key in the shaft that you will need to reassemble ? make sure you locate it and put it in a safe place. The starter clutch pins, springs, and rollers may pop out as well. Skip ahead a little for pics of all these parts and make sure you have everything.
If the ring gear is attached you can now remove it. What we?re looking at now are the three bolts holding the starter clutch onto the flywheel.
If you were having the symptoms, likely these bolts are loose, or the clutch itself is cracked. Mine were loose so I removed everything to refasten it with new bolts. With everything apart it looks like this (notice that I am missing one of the three cylindrical rollers on the bottom right of the picture ? I later found it in, of all places, the washing machine):
Inspect the clutch body REALLY closely for cracks or damage and replace it if you find anything. The last time I did this I had a barely noticeable hairline-crack at the spot I marked here:
When you are satisfied that the clutch is good, we can re-assemble everything. Get new high-grade bolts (PART # 91317-08014-00). Put the flat washer on the flywheel first, then place the clutch on. The bolts need to be fastened REALLY securely, or they will loosen again and you?ll have to redo this job. A the very least, use blue loctite and peen the ends of the bolts after they are tight. I used a dab of red loctite as well, and others have gone as far as tack-welding the ends in place (I will do that next time, if there is a next time). You can kinda see the peened end here:
Also, look at Morley?s video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbOCIYl2pCA&feature=player_embedded
Once you are satisfied that those fuckers aren?t moving again, you can wiggle the springs, pins, and rollers back into place. Some small needle-nose pliers are your friend for this part:
With them all in place you can put the ring gear back in. When it?s done right, the gear will turn in one direction but not the other.
Putting the ring gear/starter clutch/flywheel assembly back onto the shaft can be a little tricky. First place the small Woodruff key back in the slot
When you slide the assembly onto the shaft, there is a groove that needs to line up with the key. Just be careful to line it up right and not to displace the key. With it on, you can reattach it with the flywheel bolt (and its thick washer and pin)
Attach the small gears like the picture. Note that the smallest gear has a lip on one side. That lip faces out:
Before putting your new gaskets on, be sure that all traces of the old ones are removed. You want bare metal on both the cover and the block where the gasket is going (otherwise be ready for an oil leak).
Replace the covers, make sure the stator wiring is secure in the clamp, and tighten the bolts to spec with blue loctite. Make sure the drain screw on the middle gear cover gets a new gasket:
Replace the shift lever and footpeg. Grab a beer, dude: you?re done!
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