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Post by keef666 on May 12, 2020 8:27:03 GMT
Hi guys, hope everyone is staying safe and washing their hands?
Right, over the last few months i have noticed my clutch sticking every so often, and this is riding down a road of whatever, pulling up to lights and trying to get it in to first gear etc, so i have been using the adjuster on the handlebar, screwing it in or out. Then around two weeks ago i noticed every time i was doing this i was having to unscrew it more and more, to the point it was sitting in the lever holder on the bars, i thought on closer inspection the thread had worn due to being screwed in and out and the vibration from the bike when riding, so i ordered a new adjuster from Cradley Heath Kawasaki, £23 few days later went to fit it, and looked at the one on mine and said ******* Hell, totally different, looks like the adjuster that was on my bike was off an ER5 ,
I had to change the lever holder for the new adjuster to fit on, then new levers as they wouldn't fit new holder, the guy who had the bike before me had changed things around, anyway spent around £150 on new parts and got it back to standard, but when i warm the bike up and stick it in first gear to move off, the tolerance of screwing the adjuster in or out, only needs a mm or two, is crazy, its in gear, clutch lever in, let lever out slowly the bike feels strange [ also the lever is really hard to hold, tension high] as if the clutch is slipping and the bike wants to lunge forward. sorry guys trying to describe it in words is hard the bikes not right
Wind in the adjuster to soften the release [ lever has lower tension now] pull lever in and stick in gear, the bike wants to move, before I've even let the lever out, good job holding in the front brake, its driving me mad, really don't know what the problem is, new clutch plates and springs around 6 months ago, new cable, new lever etc etc Don't know why the last owner changed the parts, and why i didn't spot it sooner
Anyone had the same problem? and if so how did you fix it!
cheers
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Post by trebor4460 on May 12, 2020 8:36:57 GMT
the clutch can be adjusted at the clutch end on the caseing to so a balance between that adjuster and the top adjuster is a good start.. check the cable has not worn or frayed, take it off and lube or replace with a new one, Adjustment should be around 3mm free play at the lever, once this is set it should be smooth and progressive and not alter..
after that time to strip cluth and checkthe plate thickness and also signs of blueing on the steel plates, a sight of overheating,
and a change of oil if it aint been done in a while.. good luck
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Post by keef666 on May 13, 2020 6:07:37 GMT
Thanks, done all that adjustment at the casing, even got a new cable, put new clutch plates in few months back but not the metal ones, but i was thinking yesterday, as i walked to work, could it be the clutch switch? I checked the little plunger as i pulled the lever in and the lung on the lever is no where near the rubber plunger, i bought aftermarket levers! could the this switch be trying to send a signal to cut the engine off? i am going to swap it all over again this morning and see if its the same, while i wait for a new clutch switch to arrive
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Post by keef666 on May 24, 2020 12:33:56 GMT
So i ordered new clutch plates, cork and metal ones, together with new stronger springs, new oil and gasket, Its taken a while for some of the parts to come, still waiting on a clutch switch [ still don't know if this has been by-passed] Today when the wind died down a bit, into yard and stripped the old clutch plates out, the metal ones were brown and marked, replaced with all new stuff and started the bike up, after it was warmed up pulled in the clutch lever and stuck her into first, let clutch lever out, no change, the back wheel is spinning away, i have adjusted the cable that much its so hard to pull the lever back, and still the back wheel keeps spinning, it won't disengage the clutch, so far i have spent around £300 on new parts and no luck,
Don't want to put it in the shop for the extra money its going to cost and also having to walk to work each day is killing me, anyone got any thoughts what it could be or what i am doing wrong? cheers keith
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Post by trebor4460 on May 24, 2020 14:11:58 GMT
Did you lubricate the plares as you put them back and are they in the right way and sequence? the clutchs drag slightly anyways and wheel will spin when off the ground but it shouldnt creep... new clutch gonna need a few miles to wear in, and you need around 3 mm of play at the lever end, cable new? check against this diagram that all the plates and washers are fitted correctly clutch diagram
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Post by keef666 on May 24, 2020 15:26:41 GMT
After an hour of farting around in the backyard, taking up and slack on cable, backing it off, i thought what if i push the bike in gear and see if they frees it up, so off the stand and pushed, back into neutral back up and clutch lever in, first gear push, did this a few times and it got easier as i pushed, back up on to the stand and started bike up into gear clutch lever in, wheel still spinning. stripped the clutch down again, everything in place, the dot on the pressure plate is lined up to the mark on the clutch basket, oh and i soaked the plates in new oil over night, Puts it all back and started bike up, still turning the back wheel, took her off the stand and into first you can feel the bike wanting to move forward, i know you have to bed the plates in for a hundred mile or so, and stay off the gas so not to burn them out, but its driving me bonkers, I can see me going into the shop on Tuesday, don't know when they will be able to look her over and then how much to fix!
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Post by comfysofa on May 24, 2020 18:44:17 GMT
Just seen this Keef.....if everytime you re-assemble you get the same result....gonna go out on a limb now...is it back together right...not missing any bits...sometimes some washers have to go back in a certain way round...also....anyone close by with the same bike (strip theirs apart to check yours)??
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Post by keef666 on May 24, 2020 20:53:22 GMT
When i put new clutch plates in around August last year, i just put the friction plates all back in the same slot, there are two with a V cut into them, lined all them up, and ran the bike, seem to be ok for months, but then it was harder to get into first changing down at road junctions etc i had to keep adjusting the handlebar adjuster, and in the end i thought its knacked replace it, and then on it became a major pain in the you know where! So thinking the problem had become more serious, i checked the clutch plates, then as i rebuilt it, read the Haynes manual which stated the last friction plate should be one notch away, so instead of them all lined all in a row.
I think i will take the casing off tomorrow and move this last plate so it lines up with rest, and see what happens!
Watched a few You Tube videos over the last week and most show the last plate off set to the rest, but no one explains why!
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Post by trebor4460 on May 25, 2020 20:11:25 GMT
the plate should be offset so doubt that is your problem.. standard springs in< check the plate stack height when they are all together and see if it is in tolerance, too high and it will bind...
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Post by keef666 on May 25, 2020 21:09:36 GMT
Took it out and rebuilt it twice today still no change, never thought about measuring the stack height. Even cleaned out the needle roller bearings which the clutch cable release is attached to, [ wondering if it could be that! £35 plus the rubber seal £5 ] the push rod was new around 8 or 9 months ago, But i have found that the clutch release is chattering, when clutch lever not pulled in, never did this before!
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Post by comfysofa on May 25, 2020 21:45:14 GMT
Stack height is a biggie but, you said youve bought a whole new set of plates yes?
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Post by keef666 on May 26, 2020 8:44:29 GMT
Replaced the plates and springs, new cable new lever etc, just come back from my mates, he said with the virus he is back logged with bikes to finish, so looking at a couple of weeks, but i will pop round on my way home to have a look, but sounds like the bearing has gone, taking it to be the bearing holding the clutch basket on! Anyway will have to wait till tomorrow, i will let everyone know what the diagnosis is!
There's only one good thing about this walking to and from work, with less traffic on the roads i can hear the birds singing away all day long!
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Post by keef666 on Jun 6, 2020 5:54:03 GMT
No update so far, mate didn't turn up as promised, and still waiting on the post for some parts i need, going to check the needle bearing holding the hub, when i can get the nut holding the damn thing off
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Post by keef666 on Jun 7, 2020 14:46:57 GMT
Do some searching to see how other managed to get the nut holding the clutch hub off, some on you tube, where else! using a clutch holding tool, these come in two types, one looks like someone welded a clutch plate to a handle and it goes in between the basket and hub splines, the other i ordered from Kawasaki is like a set of mole grips [ still waiting guys!]
But on the Z14 R forum there was a video of some guy with an engine up on the bench, told us he never used a clutch holding tool in thirty years, left the clutch plates in to stop the basket turning and then air wrenched the nut off in around three seconds, Right i thought, as the rain went away for the time being i got the bike out up on the Abba stand , put her into first gear , placed a couple of blocks of wood on the rear brake lever, wedged under the foot rest, and with my new 2 foot breaker bar with my new deep 30 mm socket started to undo this nut, first off even with the clutch plates still in, the center basket was still turning as was the back wheel, so i wedged a brick under the back wheel had another go, no still the same, just going to have to wait for this clutch holding tool!
I managed to buy a second hand part from Latvia the other week back, paid for it had it a week later, ordered parts from London takes for ever to come, ok i know there's a virus going around but is the Royal Mail saving the post up and you get a bumper crop all at once?
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Post by invitro on Jun 7, 2020 21:22:01 GMT
Got mine off with a proper electric impact wrench, blocked the rear wheel with a piece of wood. Just a Breakerbar or normal wrench will hardly work without the clutch tool, because the hub/basket will have too much play, wgen you try to loosen it.
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Post by keef666 on Jun 14, 2020 7:35:25 GMT
Well Cradley Heath are waiting for clutch holding tools to come from where ever they get the stuff from, so i ordered another one, ring type from another supplier, fitted it on the bike and tied with the breaker bar first and then used the compressor with the air wrench still won't move, think need a bigger compressor, going to see if i can push the bike down to mates garage and ask him to do it, just getting to the point of defeat and giving up all together.
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Post by invitro on Jun 14, 2020 20:05:02 GMT
My mate compressor wasnt strong enoguh either... so we switched to an electric one we had to borrow
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Post by keef666 on Jun 18, 2020 4:46:42 GMT
Pushed the bike down to mates bike shop, on his own for now what with the Covid, but he managed to undo the clutch nut for me with his powerful compressor, bit later the postman delivered the parts i had been waiting three weeks for, [ royal mail had a back log hence the delay ] and to cap the day off, they sent the wrong part, somehow they got the last two part numbers mixed up and sent a small needle bearing for what ever bike its suppose to go with, looks like a swinging arm bearing, now got to wait again!
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Post by invitro on Jun 20, 2020 11:11:26 GMT
Thats a bummer m8, got to wait again for nee parts😑
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Post by keef666 on Jun 20, 2020 11:28:52 GMT
Kawasaki have been great, emailed then with regard the wrong part sent, told me a moron worked in the parts dept but he's left now, and i ordered a new needle bearing they sent it out special delivery and gave me a refund. So this morning armed with my new parts, got to work on the bike took the clutch nut off, then threaded two 4 mm bolts in to the bush, pulled this out, then the whole clutch housing just dropped out, had to catch it quick! so much for the manual saying you have to pull it to the right and lift out Checked the bush and needle bearing nothing wrong with them, so that was money and time wasted, but checked the clutch hub, there's two springs out of the six which are all lose, rattling about, nipped down to mates bike shop and found him closed for the day, i thought today would be his busiest day? So stuck now knowing what to do, would these lose springs cause the clutch to drag? if i buy a new clutch hub £400 and fit it and the clutch still won't disengage then i have another major problem?
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