Clutch question?

[Tinman]

I just recently took on a 64' CA77 project and one of the problems was the clutch wouldn't engage/disengage when the lever is pulled in while in gear.

After reading many posts here on the forum, I thought I had it figured out and disassembled the clutch, cleaned the friction discs and steel plates, re-assembled and adjusted the clutch the "Loud Mouse" method. Prior to putting the l/case back on, I pulled the clutch lever and you can see the discs move. Only to have the same problem as in the beginning.

My question being, is there something in the r/side case that maybe causing the clutch not to release or what else maybe the cause?

The clutch is of the 5 disc type and the friction discs are 4mm with plety of wear left.
The steel discs were not rusty and they have the relief cut in them.
I put in new clutch springs.
But what was missing were the 2 wires. Not sure if they're needed.

Any help or advice would be appreciated.

Tinman

[Snakeoil]

Did you lay the steel plates on a plate of glass to see if they are perhaps warped?

You said you adjusted the clutch per LM's instructions. Did you make sure that the spiral release was in the correct position so that the arm moves thru the longest arc to give you the max amount of release? Just checking to be sure.

regards,
Rob

[Tinman]

Rob,
In answer to your question, no I did not. I just eyeballed it for any warpness. The plates looked brand new so I'm assusming that they were true. (And we all know what that means!).

To answer your next question, I didn't check to see if the arm moves through the longest arc. However that was an afterthought when the r/case went back on. Looks like it's going to have to come off :(

I'm not sure how far the the clutch plates are supposed to move when the clutch lever is pulled in, but they appear to move somewhere between an 1/8th - 3/16th of an inch. I figured that would be enough so I pressed on.

So I know when I pull the r/case off, what should the proper position be for the spiral release?

Thanks,
Tinman

[Snakeoil]

LM will probably jump in here. I don't remember exactly, but if you think about it, you want it to start somewhere before 90 deg to vertical and end somewhere after 90 deg.

Having it at close to 90 deg gives you the most leverage. Probably the most movement as well since the cable moves as close to a straight line as possible.

But 3/16" of movement sounds like it should be more than enough.

Is the clutch basket notched so that the plates are held in place?

Is the problem there with the engine not running? By that I mean, can you pull in the clutch and roll the bike with it in gear? Or does the problem persist with engine on or off?

regards.
Rob

[Tinman]

Rob,
Looks like whatever the problem was it sorted itself out. I ended up putting it up on the center stand with the rear wheel off of the ground and put the front wheel against a wall and started it in gear.

I took this on knowing that it had been sitting for an extended period of time. I'm gussing that something internal had some crud built up and by running it, getting it warm and going through the gears freed it up.

I adjusted the clutch per the LM method and went for a quick spin

In answer to your question, it only happened when it wasn't running. I would put it in gear, pull in the clutch and it wouldn't free wheel. And yes the clutch basket is notched. I pulled the r/case and the thread was at a 90* angle.

Thanks for helping me think through this.
Dennis

[Snakeoil]

Dennis,

Maybe the clutch just sat for long enough after you assembled it that the plates stuck together. This is not an uncommon problem and Brit Bike manuals tell you to free the clutch before you start the bike each time.

So, when you go to start the bike pull in the clutch and kick it to see if the clutch plates are stuck. If they tend to stick, you want to free them before you start the bike or it beats the tar out of first gear because it slams the dogs into engagement.

Glad it sorted itself out, but it would be good for you to know what was going on because it might return and you'll need to know how to deal with it.

regards,
Rob

[Tinman]

Rob,
Again, thanks for the help and the advice. It's an evolutionary process of learning the little quirks about these older bikes. But with your help and others on this forum that are knowlegable, it certainly makes life a little easier!

Dennis