[ShadowNWPA]

I went to jump on the bike to ride to work this morning, and found my clutch lever nearly worthless. It's got just enough resistance to return to position.
Then when pulled, it seems only about the last 3/4" of pull is having any effect.

I started it up, put it in first and it stalls after a fairly stiff shift. I started it back up, let it warm up a bit, and the shift still wasn't normal, but it didn't stall. I probably shouldn't have ridden it the 20 miles to the shop, but I was already in no mood to unhitch the boat and run my truck today.

The clutch reservoir is full and the oil is clean as new. I played with the adjuster wheel on the lever thinking maybe somebody's kid jacked with it over the weekend, but that affected no real change.

What would cause your clutch lever to not fully release the clutch, and how big of a tool kit do I need to fix it?

I don't believe it to be a leak, as the reservoir is still full and there's no puddle.

 

[henerythe8th]

Full?

You state that the reservoir is full. I see that.
How did you determine that the reservoir is full?
Did you remove the lid and bellows?

Have you had the sidecover off recently?







.

 

[ShadowNWPA]

I looked at the sight glass, as I don't see why that would be full but the resevoir wouldn't. I've never had the side case off.

 

[EC90T]

Somewhere you are not building up sufficient line pressure (master cylinder or slave cylinder needs rebuilt) to get the job done. You won't necessarily see any puddleing if one of the orings is cut and the dust seals are intact.

I would bleed the system (install 1' of clear 1/4" tubing over bleeder nipple. Crack the bleeder open and allow gravity to do the work. Catch fluid in a clear bottle to examine for contamination) and keep the reservoir full. Check and see if line pressure is restored. If not then force bleed the slave and check for volume. If the amount of fluid is small and pressure is weak then it is probably the master cylinder. If the flow is strong then it is more than likely the slave.

Also check your pushrod for significant accumulation of build-up. Sometimes they will get enough crud on them as to not allow proper movement.

 

[ShadowNWPA]

:headbang:

Looks like I'm gonna have to limp back to the motel, load it up, and take it to the 'zuki shop in tomorrow. I figured she'd throw a fit when I brought home a new toy.

 

[henerythe8th]

Take off the cover of the clutch reservoir and ensure that you have fluid.


The only way to see a 'level' through the window is if there is a line of fluid across the window, otherwise you won't be able to tell whether it is above the window or below the window...

My guess is that your fluid level is...

...MT...


Check it out, then check back in...

 

[ShadowNWPA]

I can see the fluid level. It's full.

 

[danketchpel]

It definitely sounds like you have air in the line for whatever reason, maybe the slave, hose, or a fitting has a leak?

You didn't mention how old the bike is.

Can you get more travel by pumping the lever quickly, the same as you pump brakes? If so, this kinda answers the question.

 

[Bugzy]

When i pulled my side cover off on Sunday to check my front sprocket, the pushrod had a thick layer of chain crap wrapped around it. I can imagine if it gets too thick it may prevent that rod from moving all the way in/out.

That would be the first thing I would check. Not that i know much about this, but if you have never had that cover off, this would be a good time. Maybe you just need to clean that area out.

 

[ShadowNWPA]

Thanks for all the suggestions, It's going to the shop after work.

 

[larolco]

Take off the cover of the clutch reservoir and ensure that you have fluid.


The only way to see a 'level' through the window is if there is a line of fluid across the window, otherwise you won't be able to tell whether it is above the window or below the window...

My guess is that your fluid level is...

...MT...


Check it out, then check back in...

Like he says, take the lid off. You cannot tell if the reservoir is full just by looking at the sight window. When the diaphram collapses it can fool you into thinking there's more fluid than there really is.

If it's near empty, your slave cylinder seal is likely the culprit. That's an easy fix.

 

[OydnaR]

I had similar problem last winter, turned out to be moisture in the slave that froze due to temps

makes me wonder if you have debris in the slave making it stick

 

[ShadowNWPA]

Well aparently there's no shop within an hours drive that can do it within 2 weeks... so I'm gonna have to. I'll be back for more detailed information after I tear into it.

 

[henerythe8th]

My last bit of advice...

...take the f'ing cap off and check your fluid level!







.

 

[ShadowNWPA]

...take the f'ing cap off and check your fluid level!

.

My apologies, it's empty. I had assumed the engineers would design a sight glass that actually showed the fluid level, my bad.

So the fluid is empty... that means the master cylinder must have functioned well enough to pump it somewhere else. Would it be foolish to buy a new slave at this point? (for some reason that sounds... politically unacceptable)

 

[Merfman]

Most likely, all you need to do is to replace the seal on the slave.
Complete instructions can be found here:
The sprocket area thread - leak fixes & rebuilds!

Skip down to Clutch Slave Cylinder Rebuild:

 

[ShadowNWPA]

So I took it apart, cleaned everything up, filled the resevoir, bled the air out. It seems to be holding pressure, I ran to through the gears up and down the road pretty well with none lost. I don't have much experience with hydraulic clutches, do they normally lose that much fluid through use that it would run dry?

I had been mistaking the light spot in the sight glass lense, the one that happened to be at the top for an air bubble, so I hadn't paid much attention.

 

[realshelby]

Sometimes cleaning out the system and a fresh fill of fluid followed by a proper bleed job will make the seals work ok. At least for a while. Tends to clean the grunge out so they can seal better. Now that you know to check the fluid properly I would try it for a while and see how it does. Keep a small bottle of brake fluid in your tail section or luggage in case it is needed.

 

[ShadowNWPA]

Sounds good. I figured something had failed and it would require a major tear down... a pretty big problem being assigned by my employer to work a several month long project 800 miles from home.

 

[swingset]

The clutch slave shouldn't leak, but it happens when grit and grime erode the seal or score the body of the slave cylinder. Time to take it apart, rebuild it and make sure it's in proper operational condition (See link above).

Cheap, easy, do it.