why did my friction plates disintegrate?!?!

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Feb 18, 2013
Messages
42
hey guys - so i assumed i was getting gear oil (80-90w) migrating through the pushrod and over-lubricating the plates in the clutch causing a bit of pull while in gear with the lever pulled in....so i ordered dyno daves seal....


was just about to put it in when i opened up the case and pulled the plates only to find that the friction plates had actually disintegrated into a fine powder....

wtf?!

there was no oil at all in the basket or on the plates, and am scratching my head to figure why this would have happened...its a new build and i had pulled and cleaned and then lightly ;lubed the plates prior to the re-install...figured i had done everything properly...but im thinking i must have left something key out....figuring i will order a set of barnett plates as opposed to factory...good plan? ...just dont want this to happen again... the clutch is supposed to be dry right? so what could have caused this? i had only put about 50km on it since repacking it.....

why did my friction plates disintegrate?!?!


why did my friction plates disintegrate?!?!
 
O.M.G. ,you poor thing you. Try getting drunk and passing out behind a bar in a bush . That's how my Triumph buddy dealt with 2 burnt holes into piston crowns on our long rally trip. Just thinking about it , how about incorrect assembly where all the plates are slightly crooked ,not seated home on the back plate or clutch basket back perfectly flat ? I've had this occur a couple times in the past ,to pick out the plates and start all over again. Happened when on the sidestand in my younger days before the Lift. My condolances.
 
Clutch basket bearing inspects OK? Hub not NOT torqued to (erroneously) published 70 ft. lb.?
 
ianfotheringham said:
its a new build and i had pulled and cleaned and then lightly lubed the plates prior to the re-install.

Did you clean the friction plates with some kind of solvent?
 
no - just wiped them clean with a rag and re-oiled with some fresh engine oil....but it had appeared someone else (PO) had cleaned them, installed them, and not run them - and that was the state i had gotten them in.............
 
Steels are scored from metal to metal contact, assuming it came after the failure. No slim chance you got in a rush and had steels together? Steel against basket bottom? Steel on pressure plate? :?:
 
nope. looks as tho the friction plates that were in there are aluminum with a fiber type material adhered to them....i thought the only two options were sintered bronze or the barnetts tho? anyone heard of these?
 
ianfotheringham said:
looks as tho the friction plates that were in there are aluminum with a fiber type material adhered to them....i thought the only two options were sintered bronze or the barnetts tho?

Well, they are probably not original factory plates. Surflex and (I think) Emgo also make Commando friction plates.
 
ianfotheringham said:
could this just be a case of crap plates?

That's not easy to say, I don't think this is something we've seen before, so it is perhaps a rare occurrence and you were simply unlucky?

The PO may have immersed the plates in a solvent that attacked the adhesive causing the friction material to separate from the plate?
 
One forensic thought I had, if a DPO had left the clutch apart, out in the weather, corrosion can creep on the aluminum, under the adhesive. I've seen it in industrial settings. Long shot, I know.

Get some new plates, press onward :mrgreen:
 
concours said:
Clutch basket bearing inspects OK? Hub not NOT torqued to published 70 ft. lb.?

Thought we covered that 70ft lb torque specified in the manual is in error. That's too much and will crush the circlip on the back side of the clutch basket. :)
 
illf8ed said:
concours said:
Clutch basket bearing inspects OK? Hub not NOT torqued to published 70 ft. lb.?

Thought we covered that 70ft lb torque specified in the manual is in error. That's too much and will crush the circlip on the back side of the clutch basket. :)


My meaning (by use of CAPS) was to be sure he DIDN'T use the 70 value. Upon re-reading, it is clear as mud,lol. :oops:
Fixed it. :idea:
 
.figuring i will order a set of barnett plates as opposed to factory...good plan?

yep, good plan, get some new barnetts, lube them a little, and while you are at it get some new steel plates
as yours are likely pretty glazed over, I think a complete set of new plates is nicely under $100 so not bad

how is your clutch hub looking? are the splines notched badly with the plates rattling around in there?

if so, it is time for a new hub
 
it looks like a bonded plate to a center core. most of the glues that is in use is water soluble and as such if thy get ANY water in to the friction materiel than they will delaminate and show what you have.
 
the original surflex were solid fiber but the new ones are a bonded fiber to a core plate similar to the Barnett plates with the exception that the spline is also covered with the friction material. I have also seen the material break up at the spline and cause release issues on the new surflex plates. I have no info as to emgo plates.
L.A.B. said:
Well, they are probably not original factory plates. Surflex and (I think) Emgo also make Commando friction plates.
 
Amen to automatic friction bands letting go with a wee bit of water, though it may take a few months, its a gonner after a time. Didn't know that might also apply to our clutch plates ugh. How could we test for this w/o the ugly side effects?
 
The factory bronze plates are looking pretty good at the moment. They seem to be hard to destroy.
Waiting now for photos of destroyed bronze plates. :mrgreen:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top