Clutch keeps.. doing something.

Hajuu

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Jan 9, 2010
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Hey guys, it's me again :p

Just having a problem with my clutch.. took a look at it, took off the star nut and had a look in there, all looked ok, put it back together.. Everything was fine.. Put the cable back on and squeezed the handle, it disengaged the clutch and I could turn the wheel fine.

But like, when I squeezed it the next time, it kind of clicked, and then the clutch lever on the outside of the casing didnt return on its own anymore and was also impossible to get functioning with the cable on (couldnt pull it to the point where it seemed to click back in).

The bucking bar looks a little bit worn around the edges and is infact custom made by me from hardened steel (which I didnt um, anneal or the opposite thing where you restrengthen it) after cutting and finishing, but it doesn't really look.. smaller or anything. Just a bit worn/flattened around the edges.

Any ideas?
 
i Had that problem once with the clutch pin failing to return. i threaded that big cooling spring around the clutch wire. worked fine solved my problem. was a pain turning the spring round and round but it was worht it. hope this helps.
 
hmm, really? does it just give it a bit of extra springyness or something? I'll give it a try shortly and report back.
 
First, this needs to be moved to the frame mounted section, maybe more reply's....Isolate the problem. Remove the clutch cable, take a small pair of vice grips or the like and move clutch arm the same distance that the cable would. If when you relax pressure on the arm, and if it returns, then your problem is in the cable/housing/routing. If not its in the clutch linkage itself.
 
Sorry, as I said it kind of pops in and out when the cable is not attached.

So no, it does not return properly on its own when its at the extremes of its movement range without the cable attached. However, moving it with my hand back a small distance (as the spring is designed to do) it pops again and springs back as it should (still without the cable).

The cable *is* in pretty bad shape and I will replace it, but it works usually at first, and then after a few pulls it will usually end up stuck.
 
Also, just to give some details of how the problem occurred in the first place, I was riding along and pulled the clutch and felt a similar pop, and then the clutch was no longer working at all.

Now, when I pull it it usually works a few times after i've just put the cable back on, and then pops when using the cable one more time (as an example) and gets stuck.
 
bucking bar...who the **** came up with that stupid name?

pushrod really sounds much more precise and sensible. but maybe im stupid.

so.

is there any sort of groove worn into the bore of the sprocket shaft, causing this bar to catch occasionally? (and if it was hardened, you wouldnt have done anything other than grind it... annealing is softening fyi)

hows that ball bearing behind it looking?

is it the irght diameter even?

have you checked the sprocket cover where the clutch arm rotates? is it sitting completely in, and engaging fully with the bar, or merely lifting up and over it? or is this hole a very loose fit?
 
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and you didnt mention whether the clutch itself is staying engaged...
 
ok sorry it took me some time to get back to you guys, it was late last night before I got back to it, and did a whole bunch of stuff.

Tightened up the star nut a bit, made a new bucking bar that was a bit longer and made of much much tougher stuff, greased everything, tightened the mounting nut on the other side of the clutch (in the middle of the chain sprocket).

Now! Everything seems to be working, infact, as soon as I managed to get it working, it seemed to spark up right away, after like 6 months of sitting in a dank garage (the thing was filthy when I got it back)! Success. Or was it.

Rode around for a bit, engine was running beautifully. Also the clutch arm had a much more normal range of movement (previously with the last bucking bar I had, it seemed as though the clutch arm ended up literally touching the fuel bowl of the carb with the handle fully held in, now its much further back in the arc.

However! as I said there's a problem. Comming from inside the erm, crank case (the one with the chain sprocket in it) is a loud kind of popping and grinding noise. I'm sure this is to do with my new bucking bar but unsure as to what exactly to change. The popping is mostly what alarms me, as the grinding is pretty low key, but the popping sounds like 'im going to break'.

If there's any details about the sound I can provide which may help diagnose just ask (cant provide a recording sorry).

To me it seems like:
1. The bucking bar is too long (popping)
2. because it was threaded, it may be too rough currently (grinding)
3. the end may be slightly too uneven or have a slight lip/ridge (pop/grind?) (which end?)
4. any/all of the above.

Any other things I can check?
 
Ok so update!

I just:
1. ground down both ends of the new bar reducing its length slightly and smoothly beveling the corners.
2. smoothed the thread of the bolt down. I figured it would improve friction to have less contact points but the grind is now definately better.
3. Cleaned and regreased the entire lot thoroughly

The grind now is a lot better, but the pop almost seems worse. The only thing else thats changed is due to the bucking bar being shorter now, there's a slight bit more slack on the clutch (mostly I took it up with the in-cable expander thing but there's still a bit more.. it's fine).

yarr so close xD.

Going to go see if I can adjust my wheel a little bit, but if anyone has any ideas, hit me back asap! :)

Cheers!
Mike.
 
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