Clutch woes.......

The tab washer does no good whatsoever. The tab washer is soft and just guarantees that whatever torque is applied will soon go away. I have never seen one yet prevent the nut from loosening. You are better off to replace it with a hardened washer. Blue locktight will probably hold but red locktite will definitely hold. If you plan to take it apart very often blue will be easier to deal with. I have red on mine. Jim

comnoz said:

debby said:

Ha! I was right and RonL was wrong! (I don't get to say that very often)




Of course Debbie, If the snapring went away the clutch play would not increase, at least not until the nut backed off because the snap ring gave way. Jim

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Oh well, nice try debby. Don't give up.

It's always something. :roll: Some good info in this thread though.

But now we need to hear back from surfdog if the circlip was in fact sheared...

Bet it's not. Jim

Hmmmm.... If the nut just backed off, what made the "pop" noise? Also, I agree that a tab washer won't hold the torque, but in my experience, I've never seen one allow the nut to unscrew. Granted, the tab washer will only survive one or two removals before fracturing.

Jim, I had to think about your comment for a minute, but of course, you are correct. If the clip let go, the spring would no longer exert pressure on the plates and the clutch would slip severely. However, the cable would still be in tension. Right?

Debby, I've been wrong on this list many times. But it makes a great place to learn!

Ron, usually the clip lets go when you are attempting to torque the nut. If the clip let go in use nothing much would happen except the nut would no longer be torqued against the hub so it will unscrew and then there will be lots of free play in the cable and the clutch would no longer dissengage.

I have seen many times when the nut unscrewed even though the tab washer was still pretty much intact. I have been on rides with people a couple times and had to wait while they pulled their clutch apart and tightened the nut because the clutch would not dissengage.

I quit using the tab washers years ago after I found the clutch hub was loose even though the nut was retained with red locktight and had not moved and the circlip was intact. When you take off the tab washer, look at how much it has been squashed. I have seen them that were nearly squashed to nothing. I have found they stay a lot tighter using a hard washer. I like to use a hardened spring washer because it takes up any wear in the snap ring.

Use this washer and you could probably get by with no locktight : http://www.mcmaster.com/#disc-springs/=9g9s4r

The "pop" noise I have no clue. Jim

While I'm thinking about it. Use this washer on the stator nut instead of the serrated washer. Then the nut and stator doesn't get all torn up and you don't have to worry about them coming loose. Jim

http://www.mcmaster.com/#disc-springs/=9ga6c5

Wow,
The answers and postulations sure came fast and furious, I need to check the forum more than once a day!
The circlip was NOT sheared. I definately heard or felt a slight pop, so that may be what mislead the few who went with that choice. However it could have been the clutch lever in my hand all of a sudden not having any tension in kind of a sudden way thet led me to say it was a muffled pop. I did not delve into the repair/remedy myself. A competent M/C Mechanic friend of mine handles the heavy lifting like the clutch area for me. He said the Clutch Hub Nut had come loose and was suspect of the deformed washer that may have led to the eventual loosening of said CHN. The suspect washer he replaced that he showed me was well worn and sort of cupped? We both suspected that this is not the normal look for this piece. He replaced it with a similar washer he had that matched what he thought the original had looked like in its prime. He said he used Blue Locktite to further secure the HubNut. Blue was used because he suspected with my 38 year old bike, he may be going in that way again some day and didn't want to make it any more difficult than necessary.
Now with the bike back together I only got the chance to ride her home, and it started to rain on the short 6 mile ride. Damn. Me and my ride got soaked and road dirted. But the clutch felt better than ever! Easy pull on the lever, smooth release and grab. He also replaced both the large banjo washers that were wrong on the oil feed/return lines to the oil tank, I had ordered the correct soft ones from Old Britts, along with an oil change and new filter. So its possible that constant/intermittant drip will become more rare or a thing of the past.
I want to thank everyone who chimed in, for their efforts in providing clarified views of possible causes/remedies on this.
Thats what this place is all about. You guys/gals are great!
Joe Doggggg

I had that nut back off on me too - probably the first failure I ever had - during the first summer I had my combat. The pop may have been the clutch sprocket suddenly moving outward on the mainshaft when the lever was pulled. I was on a trip (with no clutch spring tool on hand) and rode it like that with no clutch from the Pocono Mtns up to Ithaca NY, about 100 miles. The primary chain held it in place but the threads on the clutch adjustment screw-in cover were partially ground away by the clutch adjusting screw and nut. (That same primary chain lasted another 37 years and 35000 miles up until this past Spring.)

Russ - blue loctite, 40 ft-lbs, no tab washer

comnoz said:

Use this washer and you could probably get by with no locktight : http://www.mcmaster.com/#disc-springs/=9g9s4r

The "pop" noise I have no clue. Jim

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Jim,
I am following this discussion. Can you specify which washers you are recommending. The link you provided shows two styles; disc springs in two varieties, and washers in three styles.
Thanks, Gary

Gary, The washer to use for the clutch is a part number 9713K83
and for the stator use a 9713K88 .
Wonder why they didn't show in the last post. Jim