Clutch disengaged after changing clutch plates

[hsjosh]

Thanks for taking the time on the write-up there! For this go-round I'm going to just try and get it working reliably so I can ride before the rains come - I'll use your more thorough technique this winter when I go through the whole thing. Who knows what else has gone soft while it's been sitting. I do seem to have another problem though, the master clutch cylinder doesn't seem to draw fluid into it when I pull the lever, even without the cable attached to it. It should right?

 

[hsjosh]

I'm thinking I may have destroyed the rubber parts (If there are any) inside the master cylinder when I hit it with carb cleaner....dangit! Maybe should have used alcohol like desert_max said....that's what you get for being in a hurry....

 

[Fire-medic]

Where are you located? Add that below your screen name.

The viscosity of the liquid you showed, you could have a plug of residue in the clutch line. The master cylinder has a hydraulic hose to a rigid tube, to the slave cylinder.

Remove the master cylinder. Remove the snap ring, remove the piston & seals, remove the slave cylinder tubing so the rigid line is open. Use a compressor to blow-out the line, just ensure that the opposite open end is secured so that the brake fluid doesn't shoot all-over.

The master cylinder, ensure that the big and the tiny holes in the floor of the reservoir are clear. Next time, use a brake cleaner aerosol. With time, and wear, the rubber parts may swell-up and stop working in the master cylinder. A rebuild kit or replacement of the master cylinder is needed.

 

[Screwloose]

I had to remove the slave cylinder to get the gunge out, it was worth the extra time as my clutch feels smooth and new now.

 

[hsjosh]

Ok so I got a new master and slave clutch put on (That took forever to get the parts in) but now it will not fill up with brake fluid. If I open the drain bolt all the way and blow into it by mouth, it will not blow through at all; it's like blowing into a straw but you pinch the other end closed. If the slave cylinder is off you can blow through the hose all the way to the master cylinder. I'm stumped....any ideas? I may have to take in to the shop to get it fixed but thought I'd revive this post first and see if any suggestions come through.

 

[Fire-medic]

R-E-V-E-R-S-E B-L-E-E-D.

FILL THE SLAVE CYLINDER FIRST. Before you mount it, though you can also mount it, and leave-off the bleeder valve, and then fill the slave cylinder until you have fluid at the threaded port for the bleeder valve. Leave the master cylinder empty. Make a syringe like I described. Fill the syringe, use a hose clamp to attach it to the slave cylinder bleeder, push the syringe plunger, if you need more fluid, close the slave cylinder bleeder. Re-fill the syringe. Re-attach it to the closed bleeder valve. Open the bleeder valve. Push the syringe plunger until you get brake fluid in the master cylinder. Repeat until with the handlebars straight-ahead, the master cylinder is just-over half-full, you should see the level in the sight glass. When the air is entirely-purged from the line, you should see a solid column of brake fluid in the master cylinder reservoir from pushing on the syringe plunger. There should be no tiny bubbles streaming-out of the small hole closest-to the master cylinder banjo bolt. Close the slave cylinder bleeder fully. Replace the master cylinder cap. Fan the clutch lever repeatedly, and you should quickly feel it firm-up, and to give you resistance with very-little hand lever movement. Make sure that you immediately wipe-up any brake fluid spills. It removes paint.

 

[hsjosh]

That's what I don't get though; if I can't blow any air through from the slave cylinder when it's completely empty, how will fluid get up into the master if I reverse bleed...? I tried it that way and the pressure just built up on my bleed tool (No fluid flow)...and just for the sake of saying it, the bleeder valve was indeed open......instead of a syringe, I have one of those bleed tools with a reservoir that either will pull or push fluid. It's this one https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01JRRIEBI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It says "vacuum", but it also pushes fluid as well.

I did the push method from the slave.

 

[Fire-medic]

Perhaps the hose from the master cylinder has a rupture/obstruction. About the only other thing I can think of is that the seal on the end of the piston came-off and is blocking flow into the master cylinder.

 

[hsjosh]

Perhaps the hose from the master cylinder has a rupture/obstruction. About the only other thing I can think of is that the seal on the end of the piston came-off and is blocking flow into the master cylinder.

So just for the heck of it, I just disassembled the whole thing again and blew through each piece separately while still mounted to the bike. The master cylinder is where the blockage is. I'll recheck my work on that and see if that will fix it.

 

[Fire-medic]

So just for the heck of it, I just disassembled the whole thing again and blew through each piece separately while still mounted to the bike. The master cylinder is where the blockage is. I'll recheck my work on that and see if that will fix it.

If the tiny hole closest-to the banjo bolt is plugged with debris, it will-not bleed.

 

[hsjosh]

If the tiny hole closest-to the banjo bolt is plugged with debris, it will-not bleed.

There's two holes and one is blocked. When I stick a wire in the blocked one though, it hits metal like it's not supposed to be drilled out all the way. Looking at the inside barrel, it's also shiny metal smooth like it's not drilled out all the way. Are there supposed to be two holes on this bike's clutch?

 

[one2dmax]

Hard to see in this pic but there are two holes. The one is all the way through with the full size bit. The other is only part way through with the fullsize but and then a very tiny hole in the center of that the rest of the way through.

 

[hsjosh]

Hard to see in this pic but there are two holes. The one is all the way through with the full size bit. The other is only part way through with the fullsize but and then a very tiny hole in the center of that the rest of the way through.

Ahhhhhh...ok. I do see it in the picture actually. Mine is certainly clogged - I will stick it in alcohol overnight and pull a wire from one of my wire brushes and see if I can clean it out tomorrow - thanks guys! I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

[hsjosh]

It's allllliiiiiiiiiiiivvvvvvveeeeeeee!!!!!! Reverse bled it after I got the debris out of the little second hole and we have a winner! It filled right up like it was meant to happen and we have a working clutch again! Thanks for all the help everyone!!!! Now we get to have the same kind of fun with the brakes.

 

[Screwloose]

I read the guys online posts and it worked for me also. I reversed bled to FM instructions. I’ve been doing this method all my life without knowing what the term meant. Reverse bleeding is the simplest way to get hydraulic pressure up in this system. But remembering the “hygroscopic” statement “FM” is very relevant also, lack of maintenance is the damage.

 

[hsjosh]

I read the guys online posts and it worked for me also. I reversed bled to FM instructions. I’ve been doing this method all my life without knowing what the term meant. Reverse bleeding is the simplest way to get hydraulic pressure up in this system. But remembering the “hygroscopic” statement “FM” is very relevant also, lack of maintenance is the damage.

Lack of maintenance is for sure the cause....my buddy had this thing in his garage for quite a few years so even though it only has 17k miles on it, all the fluids just sat there.