Hey gleno, I have to apologize. I didn't remember see the line "Bleeding the old fluid through after the corrosion and seal damage has started won't fix the problem."
The only part that stuck in my head was:
"1) Is the fluid level correct. If not correct.
2) Bleed the lines to eliminate the possibility that you have air in the brake lines. I doubt that this will cause slipping but it will cause hard gear changes.
3) If you do have air in the lines how did it get in there? Check brake line fittings for correct tightness and for signs of leaks or cracks. Air can enter the lines via the master cylinder when fluid levels are to low"
I'm going to get a new slave cylinder ordered, along with the proper gaskets and whatnot. I can't wait to get it changed.
unk: No need to apologize. I just want to help.
I get frustrated with clutch threads because people of have an inclination to assume that 'slipping clutch = worn plates' and that just isn't the case most of the time particularly with you guys who have to winter your bikes for half the year.
Over time, the rubber seals , gaskets and O-rings will almost always perish and fail under those conditions.
I've had a lot of high mileage bikes and I have never had to replace the friction plates in a wet clutch but I've lost count of the number of slave and master cylinders I've re-conditioned.
My V-max has 70,000kms on it now. The clutch started to slip at around 54,000kms. I bought a master cylinder kit and a slave kit and a set of pressure plates to do the fix.
When I pulled the clutch lines and cylinders apart the rot was in the slave cylinder piston and seals and the hydraulic chamber was full of rust, rubber scum, moisture and what looked like a bacterial growth!!!!! - even after bleeding the lines.
The wear was in the bucket and seals in the master. The chamber walls and piston polished up with a fine white polish I use on billet to keep the shine i.e. no pitting in the metal parts.
THE clutch plates were fine.
Good luck with the swap and if you do the slave cylinder be careful not to lose the little ball bearing on the end of the push rod that goes from the slave piston into the engine cases (see manual) or just don't pull it out of the crankcase. The ball bearing will sometimes drop out unnoticed.
unk:
