Clutch Not Releasing? PLEASE HELP!

Lately when i ride my bike my throttle has been acting werid. When i pull back hard on it, the RPM's soar but there is no output in the speed. I changed the oil just today because it needed to be done and wanted to make sure it had motorcycle oil in it. (idk if the previous owner had put regular car oil in it)

Hoping that this would solve my issue, it didn't. I think the gears might be slipping but i'm not for sure, because it even happens in the low gears. and when it is slow to take off, even in first and i give it a lot of gas.

A buddy recommended opening up the crankcase cover and tightening or loosening the pressure screws. The only problem is idk if this is the right thing to do, and i don't have the manual. (ordered, just hasn't came in yet).

FYI, the clutch lever and cable it's self has always been very stiff for some reason and it makes it hard to pull back on the clutch.

Please, any help will be greatly appreciated!

 

Exactly which oil did you put in there? It doesn't like anything synthetic.

It wouldn't hurt to do a clutch rebuild, even if it's to take the plates out, inspect them, and put them back in. Certainly worth investigating. It's a very easy procedure.

Makes me wonder what else is going on in there since you said the clutch is hard to pull.

Also, how many miles are on the bike?

 

I put in 10W-40. I believe the manual calls for 20W-40 but they don't make it any more.

The bike has about 24k on it.

I just rode it, and i feel like it's gotten worse after i changed the oil.

 

And sorry i forgot, i put Castrol 4T Motorcycle Oil in it.

 

Don't keep slipping that Clutch; you'll Burn your Drive Plates and NEED a whole complete Clutch.

24K, ... huh? You might need a set of Friction Plates. Especially, if the Bike's been "Pushed" or rode hard during that 24 thousand.

First, ... Check the adjustment.
There's an "Adjustment Procedure" in my signature.

Make sure the Adjustment isnt over-tight and do some Test Runs.
If it still slips, ... don't panic.

Replacing a Clutch in a Motorcycle you own is a Certified, Advanced, "Rite of Passage."

You save a lot of money if the Driver Plates don't get scored, burnt or warped.

The FIRST thing to do, ...
Is, ...

Get a Workshop Manual and read it!

 

run 20w50 in the heat...

 

I would also recommend 20W50 if you can't find 20W40 but it's not the cause of your clutch issues.

Your buddy was wrong; the bolts holding the clutch screws are simply tightened (to the proper torque) and are NOT an "adjustment point."

Clutches in these old bikes slip because they're worn out OR because the friction "pads" have turned to little hunks of linoleum after 30 years and won't grip anything any more.

CLUTCHES 101: Most of this applies directly to your bike; although yours may be simpler (no tabs?) http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=29541.html although I see you've found the article already.

READ the whole article; look closely at the pics and how it works. There are no "pressure pins" and there is no internal adjustment.

You probably only need friction plates and new springs; however if you keep slipping it you'll "burn" a plain plate or two and then need a set of those as well.

Time to pop the cover and have a look.

 

Simplest things first... Check the routing on your clutch cable. PO's do some pretty funky things and if the cable's routed weirdly and kinked it could explain the heavy pull and also reduce the travel.

Next, I'd definitely make sure it's adjusted properly. Is there any free-play at the lever, or is it always tense? If there's no play, it could be that the adjustment is too tight, not allowing the clutch to release.

If those are okay, then yeah... You're gonna be popping the cover off.

 

Good news today. Got the service manual that i ordered almost 2 weeks ago!

I opened it up this morning and took out the plates and everything. i followed your post and it helped a lot!

The plates look fine, but i don't know wether or not to get new springs, or what new to get other than the gasket.

The clutch housing and clutch boss look fine and don't have any major wear on them. i am going to look at the plates in more detail this afternoon. On the plates, do you use scotchbrite on everything to polish them, or just the clutch plates, what about the friction plates and how to clean them.

FYI, the springs in look off color, almost like a white-ish color.

Any more help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for the help so far!

 

So, here are so pictures of the Clutch plates, etc.

The Friction plates look kinda thin, and the clutch plates look, well i don't know. Any help will be very helpful! Thanks, Also notice the color of the springs please. i will post more pictures after i clean the plates tonight. Do i clean the friction plates with the scoch-brite too?

notice the wear on the "teeth"

before polishing

the color on the springs?

 

Do i clean the whole friction plate with the scotch - brite pad? or just the "teeth"?

 

Don't use Scotchbrite on the friction plates, just the plain plates.

MEASURE the thickness of the friction plates (at the pads) and compare to wear specs. Dig at the edges of the little pads with your fingernail, see if they're crumbly at all. If worn close to minimum thinckness or starting to crumble, replace them.

It's normal for the springs to have white paint faintly sprayed on them, it's some sort of "coding" but you want to replace the springs anyway.

Take a close look at the wear "marks" the plates have left on the ears of the basket and particularly in the hub. They should only be MARKS, polished areas where the plates were riding. If they're DIVOTS that can't be smoothed out with a few passes from a stone, then it's time to replace the hub or basket.

The cool part is that your clutch contains many of the same components as the XJ550's so finding low-mileage replacement parts like a hub or basket on eBay is easy. Just be sure to double-check part numbers in the fiche.

 

The white paint on the springs is a Code Fritzs. There is a different color for different compressions. Red, Blue, Black, White and yellow I believe. Its to make sure you have the right springs for the right amount of pressure.

 

I have this problem as well. Someone told me that the lever is just stiff because it's an older bike ('82 550). Is there a shred of truth in that statement? I've checked the cable for kinks, etc., as someone mentioned before, but the stiffness doesn't seem to be in the cable. There doesn't seem to be a response from the clutch until I have the lever almost 60% of the way pulled.
Also, should this be jacking a thread, I'll gladly start my own.

 

http://www.xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=33287.html

Sounds similar to my problem. But my problem is quite predictable yet... Hopefully its not a bent shift fork..
I'm probably gonna have to replace friction pads and springs again, and replace the discs... Which is fine really. I just hope its REALLY not a shift fork.. or a tranny prob..

 

Replacing perfectly good plates and springs won't solve anything if the problem is a worn hub or basket.

A bent shift fork won't make your clutch slip; it will allow the bike to "jump" out of gear. That's a completely different situation.

"Divots" worn in the hub or basket will cause the plates to hang up and not release properly; if the hub or basket isn't smooth and just "polished" in the areas where the plates were riding then the clutch will be "balky." This can contribute to lever stiffness and poor release.

In regard to stiffness in a 550 clutch, you might want to pop the cover and ensure the throwout shaft rotates freely and the cover isn't cracked where it supports the shaft. (The 550's cover/throwout shaft are slightly different from the bigger bikes' parts.)

 

Is there any way you can clean the hub or basket, without getting a new one?

 

Yes. As long as the "wear marks" aren't super deep, they can be smoothed out with a stone, like you use for sharpening knives. You can also use a sharp, FINE file, but you can't go removing a bunch of material or changing the shape of the splines on the hub, which is why I recommend using a stone.

 

Easy to do without messing anything else up?

 

Alright. We got some problems...

I put everything back on. First i didn't line the dots up, and i put it in first gear, but died. Then i went back and lined the dots up. when i did this, the throwout shaft was very "loose". it went way further than it did before i took the cable off. Also when i put the cable back on, there seemed to be extra cable wire, like 3 cm of it. so i couldn't use the lever. so i started the bike up, pushed the throwout shaft until it stopped, and tried to put it in gear. it stalled. put it back in neutral.

I have no idea what i did wrong here. I put everything back on the way it came off, except the throwout shaft was very "loose". i really don't know.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!