Suspected Starter Clutch but maybe that's not the problem.

[AJBinVA]

So about a little over a month ago I went to start up the 89 and got the box of marbles sound while cranking it over. She fired up and at idle had a small crunch or two as well. Killed it and figured the starter clutch may be bad. The bike has pretty low miles <28k but the starter switch stuck once or twice on me and I figured that could be a contributer to the failure. I pushed her into the garage and just now got around to fixing it since I've been trying to finish a Vmax for my Dad.

Upon inspection it looks nice. No chipping or unusual wear. It possibly looks like a new replacement part. I've attached some pictures. Maybe some of you experts might have a better idea. Out of the 3 bolts one was loose enough I probably could've unscrewed it with a small screwdriver, another was a little tight but not much (Maybe 25 in/lb), the last i couldnt undo with a ratchet while holding the oily flywheel in my hand but loosened easily with a quick pop from my cordless impact driver.

All 3 volts had remnants of thread sealant and two were peened (staked) although not effectively.

Would the 2 bolts being somewhat loose cause a bad grind? Or do I possibly have worse issues. The springs, cups, and rollers are perfect looking. No scratching/scuffing/indentations.

Video of sound:

https://youtu.be/PjDHKJ4p6SU

 

[jdeitz1979]

How does the starter look? Sounds like the one way isn’t really doing its job, but then kind of sounds like the starter gives up for a second as well. You have given a good look at all of the wear parts, and look good?


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[AJBinVA]

I have not looked at the starter yet I'll have to pull that out tomorrow. I believe it's a 2-pole I may have a spare 4-pole in the parts bike. As far as wear parts go are you referring to the rollers that go in the clutch? They look perfect. Practically new. With everything assembled there was zero play or slop. The gears and shafts all look great and are a nice fit in the case and cover.

 

[one2dmax]

It does not take much looseness or play to have the starter clutch slip

 

[sdt354]

Loose bolts surely will cause the sound you herd. A slow turning starter is the biggest culprit. Bad battery, and hot start issues (common on an 89) contribute to this. De- grease all threads well and Lock-tite them back in place, then peen the ends. Some kits I've noticed come with bolts a little to short to peen properly. I've tack welded them before but it was a little messy. They didn't budge though. I like the 6 pin/roller units available now. Expert? Not.