Is my Clutch Toast - or normal wear?

sburns

sburns

Well-known member
So onto the next issue. Will update my other brake capiler thread later, I believe it is resolved.

My clutch over the past couple of months has been losing it's adjustment. Every few weeks it is ok, then goes out. Readjust rinse repeat.
The other day on a test ride it did something different. Was fine, then wasn't, started chattering and some other noise, then stopped doing that, and was completely out of adjustment.

I pulled it apart to look. Some of the friction plates are black some are not so much. The steel plates seem ok, with some groves.
I am not sure if this is normal or part of the issue. I believe the issue is the part where the adjustment screw connects.
Anyhow here is what the plates look like.

IMG_4333.JPG
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IMG_4335.JPG


What do you all think, thoughts suggestions.
 
Check 3 things:
1) The splines on your clutch basket, see if there is any wear in the teeth or wobble when it's on the shaft. If yes, you'll have to rbuild the basket.
2) Lay the plates on a flat surface, they should be flat, and there should be no bluing (blue tinge to the steel). If warped or blued, replace them all.
3) Mic the plate thickness, min is 0.143", if any are at or below, replace them.

A set of plate should be under $150, if you have 100K on the bike and you have the clutch apart, might be worth changing them. That said, if they are not your problem, you'll need to make sure the actuator is working correctly, I'm not a HD expert, there are so many designs and little parts for this I'd look to your service manual.
 
And check the condition of primary chain and adjuster while you're there - no sense having to pull the clutch cover off twice.
 
Mad Mike said:
Check 3 things:
1) The splines on your clutch basket, see if there is any wear in the teeth or wobble when it's on the shaft. If yes, you'll have to rbuild the basket.
2) Lay the plates on a flat surface, they should be flat, and there should be no bluing (blue tinge to the steel). If warped or blued, replace them all.
3) Mic the plate thickness, min is 0.143", if any are at or below, replace them.

A set of plate should be under $150, if you have 100K on the bike and you have the clutch apart, might be worth changing them. That said, if they are not your problem, you'll need to make sure the actuator is working correctly, I'm not a HD expert, there are so many designs and little parts for this I'd look to your service manual.
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I'll check those.

I am thinking about replacing the steel plates and friction plates anyway. I suspect there was always a problem with the clutch slipping a bit in the middle of the friction zone. And ya have 100 k on it.
I do believe it is that part (the actuator) where the adjustment screw taps into. But HD doesn't have them in stock, but F9 does. It will be replaced.
 
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sburns said:
I think this is your default answer! :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO:
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If its like most HDs I've helped work on, just getting all the stuff out of the way (footrest, shifter, linkage, etc.) is such a PITA I'd hate to have to do anything twice !
 
F9 order placed for new steel plates, friction plates, and adjuster release plate. (y)
Now wait while I am dying inside looking at all this sun....:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
 
Doctor doctor I smell burnt toast!

For the steels to be that black, they must have gotten very hot, I think you will find that black residue came from charred oil and clutch plate material.
Any water at all in your clutch bath oil can make the clutch groan and make very strange noises.
Water or gasoline swells cork, water separates from the oil and settles to the bottom where it affects only that part of the plates, now your clutch will chatter and make even more burnt toast.

Your friction plates should have a minimum thickness tolerance stated in the service manual, the other thing you have to watch for is missing, displaced or folded corks.
 
What oil were you using? Some oils and wet clutches dont get along. I had an issue with semi-syntetic with friction modifiers many moons ago. The clutch just wouldnt hold. Drained, refilled with different oil and it was much better but still slipped. Drain and refill again and it was back to good. Lesson learned, dont be an idiot and buy oil because it is on sale.
 
Harleys have a separate casing for the clutch and primary drive only, so there is no reason to use synthetic multi-grade engine oil with friction modifiers in there. In that casing I'd be using the same hydraulic oil I would normally put in my excavator or farm tractor.
& change it more frequently because it's not outrageous expensive like multi-grade synthetic engine oil with friction modifiers.

How does your primary chain tensioner look? H-D never could figure out how to build one of those good enough.
 
GreyGhost said:
What oil were you using? Some oils and wet clutches dont get along. I had an issue with semi-syntetic with friction modifiers many moons ago. The clutch just wouldnt hold. Drained, refilled with different oil and it was much better but still slipped. Drain and refill again and it was back to good. Lesson learned, dont be an idiot and buy oil because it is on sale.
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H-D uses a hypoid gear oil in the primary chaincase, not motor oil.
 
Trials said:
Harleys have a separate casing for the clutch and primary drive only, so there is no reason to use synthetic multi-grade engine oil with friction modifiers in there. In that casing I'd be using the same hydraulic oil I would normally put in my excavator or farm tractor.
& change it more frequently because it's not outrageous expensive like multi-grade synthetic engine oil with friction modifiers.
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I wasnt sure which oil the clutch was stealing from. Same hiccup could still happen if you put oil with extra slippery junk in the trans thinking you were doing a good thing.
 
GreyGhost said:
I wasnt sure which oil the clutch was stealing from. Same hiccup could still happen if you put oil with extra slippery junk in the trans thinking you were doing a good thing.
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Transmission is separate as well - it uses a 85/90 wt hypoid oil.
 
GreyGhost said:
I wasnt sure which oil the clutch was stealing from. Same hiccup could still happen if you put oil with extra slippery junk in the trans thinking you were doing a good thing.
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I think you will find he has 3 separate oil reservoirs, engine, transmission and clutch/primary are all independent. He should be changing the clutch/primary oil way more frequently then the transmission oil.
 
J_F said:
ummm
riding season is not over yet?

why you doing all this winter sh1t now?
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Oh I know, like @GreyGhost said, I didn't have a choice. Clutch had it's own plans. I hardly made it back home othe other day on the bike. Almost got stuck in third as it didn't want to release, luckily I managed to make it work and I wasn't far.

If the parts get here this week I should be back on the road shortly after that, it's not much to put it back together.

Past 2 years I have been able to ride until December anyhow. If I can this year I will have ridden every month, which would be a first.
 
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GreyGhost said:
What oil were you using? Some oils and wet clutches dont get along. I had an issue with semi-syntetic with friction modifiers many moons ago. The clutch just wouldnt hold. Drained, refilled with different oil and it was much better but still slipped. Drain and refill again and it was back to good. Lesson learned, dont be an idiot and buy oil because it is on sale.
Click to expand...
I am using HD's syn3. Can be used in all 3 holes no issues. Just enough to touch the clutch in the primary.
 
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