NEED HELP! clutch not disengaging

[mrmako777]

so i just finished up doing my 520 conversion yesterday with jerm and brennan. i mentioned to them that i noticed when i pull the clutch in and try and spin the rear wheel, it will not move. so we take it off the stand and i put it in nuetral; all is good, bike rolls around like normal. so i put the bike in 1st, pull the clutch in and the bike barely moves. there was always some drag whenever i pulled the clutch in and tried to move the bike but this is much worse, like the clutch is not disengaging. im at my wits end with this and cant figure it out. anyone else have an issue like this?

[exSRAaron]

have you tried adjusting the lever and adjustment nut by the clutch arm?

[Disclaimer]

Clutch cable/hydraulic line adjustment? That's the quick check, after that you might have to dig into the case.

[mrmako777]

yeah everything is good as far as the cable is concerned. the bike has been sitting for about 2 months now without being turned on at all

[mrmako777]

i forgot to add a few things that may be of use:

i winterized the bike according to suzukis manual and filled it with 2 gal of oil (bike has not been turned on tho). i have sinced drained the oil and refilled it with the proper amount.

i did the sprocket change with the bike in gear and the rear tire off. sprocket nut was torqued down in gear

bike has been sitting for 2 months

lower sprocket case bolt is missing (all others torqued down to spec)

[wolfman]

The plates are probably just stuck together. Have you tried rolling it on the ground to see if they unstick?

[natedogg624]

i forgot to add a few things that may be of use:

i winterized the bike according to suzukis manual and filled it with 2 gal of oil (bike has not been turned on tho). i have sinced drained the oil and refilled it with the proper amount.

i did the sprocket change with the bike in gear and the rear tire off. sprocket nut was torqued down in gear

bike has been sitting for 2 months

lower sprocket case bolt is missing (all others torqued down to spec)

surely you dont mean two whole gallons do you!?

do the basics first like jrmii said, check the adjustment down by the clutch cover first. if that doesn't work its probably plates that are stuck, you might need new springs.

[Mellogsxr]

What is the sprocket nut's torque spec.? I didn't know so just made it tight. The only thing with your problem I can think of would be the cables... no, wait, maybe when you didn't put the little clamp for your shift rod back in the right position. I remember I used a sharpie and drew an x to align for when I put it back...

[ReconRat]

Was the shift rod exposed when you took the sprocket cover off? Was there a ball bearing at the end of the shift rod? Without that ball bearing, the clutch won't move much. I've no idea if this is the design on the GSX, it's just something I've seen happen before.

[Mellogsxr]

[Mellogsxr]

maybe the one attached to the cable above the x one is the one you got alittle off too...if you took it off...

[mrmako777]

The plates are probably just stuck together. Have you tried rolling it on the ground to see if they unstick?

yeah i moved it around and still the same. this is what i am leaning towards as the culprit (hoping at least)

[mrmako777]

surely you dont mean two whole gallons do you!?

do the basics first like jrmii said, check the adjustment down by the clutch cover first. if that doesn't work its probably plates that are stuck, you might need new springs.

yeah the suzuki manual recommends filling the bike to the filler hole. i used 2 gal and it still didnt reach the filler hole

[mrmako777]

maybe the one attached to the cable above the x one is the one you got alittle off too...if you took it off...

yeah bro i made sure that when it was reconnected it was exactly the same as before i took it off. the cable has good pull and the right slack at the hand lever

[Kip Drordy]

What is the sprocket nut's torque spec.? I didn't know so just made it tight. The only thing with your problem I can think of would be the cables... no, wait, maybe when you didn't put the little clamp for your shift rod back in the right position. I remember I used a sharpie and drew an x to align for when I put it back...

There should be a little dot on the rod that aligns with the gap in the clamp.

Again, double check everything, and make sure the cable is installed correctly back in the sprocket cover.

[mrmako777]

Was the shift rod exposed when you took the sprocket cover off? Was there a ball bearing at the end of the shift rod? Without that ball bearing, the clutch won't move much. I've no idea if this is the design on the GSX, it's just something I've seen happen before.

the clutch push rod was never taken out

[Kip Drordy]

This would have nothing to do with clutch engagement only gear selection.

[Mellogsxr]

right, i meant to take a picture of the top one.

[ReconRat]

http://rapidshare.com/files/12145854/GSX-R600-750K6.pdf

The shop manual, if you don't have one already.

[Kip Drordy]

word.

I dunno if it would cause this kind of problem but torquing down the sprocket in gear wasn't the best idea

[wolfman]

yeah i moved it around and still the same. this is what i am leaning towards as the culprit (hoping at least)

I say start it up and let it get to temperature and work the clutch a few times. Then pop it in gear and see if all is good.

[Kip Drordy]

I say start it up and let it get to temperature and work the clutch a few times. Then pop it in gear and see if all is good.

Don't do this with 2 gallons of oil in it!!!

[mrmako777]

Don't do this with 2 gallons of oil in it!!!

haha nah bro the oil is drained and filled back to its recommended level. id never start it with that much in there.

ok i talked to a couple people, mello maybe you would know something about this since you have a gsxr. i am told that the plates do not usually sit in oil they are only lubricated when the bike is running. so the thought is that maybe the plate fibers are saturated with oil causing them to stick. i was advised by one person to drain the oil completely and let it sit for 2-3 days. if i do this then the fibers should have drained any oil theyre holding. if i do not do this then when i pop it into 1st that will free the plates but i have read that this may cause the fibers to tear although i am told this is not likely. any thoughts on this?

[phugitive]

Hi, The only thing that could have caused your clutch to stick is tightening the sprocket nut in gear causing burres on the basket not allowing clutch plates to move smoothly, highly unlikely. Putting the shifter rod in a different position will not affect your clutch at all but you may not be able to get your boots under the shifter. I don't think anything is wrong with your bike, that wasn't wrong before the conversion, other than sticky clutch plates from sitting. Start it up, let it warm up to thin the oil, put up the kick stand pull in the clutch and put it in gear. If you are worried about the bike taking off rest the front tire against the wall of your garage before starting. Good luck and let us know how it turned out

Edited January 4, 2009 by phugitive

[ReconRat]

Looking at the service manual and the parts diagrams...

Ok, the clutch rod is exposed when you remove the sprocket cover. It is pushed by the clutch camshaft that is part of the sprocket cover assembly. It's attached and moved by the cable. You should be able to see the part of the linkage exposed on the outside of the sprocket cover move when you pull the clutch lever.

There isn't a ball bearing, but there is a "CAP, CLUTCH PUSH ROD" $4.87 that is shown in the parts diagrams for the clutch assembly, but it's not mentioned in the assembly and disassembly instructions of the service manual. It fits over the end of the clutch push rod, and rides against the clutch camshaft in the cover assembly that turns and pushes on the clutch rod. Actually, the service manual looks like it skips the sprocket cover assembly completely.

If it were missing, the clutch could very well act the way it is now. Even if it isn't missing, this is probably where the problem is located. Something about this linkage isn't working correctly. My best guess.

Like I said, you should be able to see the little lever exposed on the outside of the sprocket cover move when you pull the clutch. If it does move, the problem is under the cover. I hope this helps. Problems with the clutch are common after removing the sprocket cover.

Note; the little lever on the sprocket cover where the clutch cable attaches, is shown backwards in at least one diagram in the service manual.