Grabby Clutch help..

Discussion in 'Mechanics Garage' started by Dennis McGraw, Nov 20, 2020.

  1. Dennis McGraw

    Dennis McGraw New Member

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    I have a new to me 2000 VFR 800. 41K miles.
    About 50 percent of the time on take off from a stand still the clutch is very grabby.
    Shifts fine, no slippage.
    I've changed fluid, adjusted the lever and rebuilt the slave cylinder no change.
    Any suggestions? Am I looking at a new clutch?
     
  2. RllwJoe

    RllwJoe Insider

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    Does "grabby" mean that the clutch engages too soon? Like it is not fully dis-engaged when the lever is pulled?

    By the way welcome to the best group of helpful people on the planet! When you get a chance post a photo and introduce yourself in the "Introductions" forum.
     
  3. Dennis McGraw

    Dennis McGraw New Member

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    Hi. Thanks for the reply.
    The clutch work perfectly until you let out the lever from a stand still.
    You can hear the clutch plates squeek and they grab suddenly. There is no smoothness to the engagement.
     
  4. Dennis McGraw

    Dennis McGraw New Member

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    Decided to just pull it and inspect. Very noticeable notching in the basket (I think that's what it's called). Metal plates look fine. Pressure plates look ok but I noticed some are bone dry.
    Recommendation???
     

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  5. Dennis McGraw

    Dennis McGraw New Member

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  6. RllwJoe

    RllwJoe Insider

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    I think that your description of grabbing would make sense if some of the friction plates are not coated with oil. I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around why some of them would be “dry”. They are all dipped in the engine oil as the basket spins around. The first thought is that the oil level is too low for the plates to dip into it. Is that possible?
    As far as the notches in the basket, mine also has these and does not grab as you have explained. However, I have had some clutch slip when in 5th or 6th gear while giving it full throttle. It begins to slip at about 6K rpm, at which point the rpm's rise quickly while the ground speed is relatively unchanged.
    I removed the clutch plates and measured each along with the spring length only to find that all was within recommended specification. In my case I wondered if the notches in the basket are keeping the plates from being pressed together sufficiently..... Or I need to rebuild the slave cylinder. Probably the latter.
    Back to your situation, the plates need to be coated with oil in order to work properly. If you put them back in or replace them with new, be sure to soak them in oil before installation.
     
    Last edited: Nov 21, 2020
  7. squirrelman

    squirrelman Member

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    if you're careful with the dust, you're allowed to file the grooved areas flat.
     
  8. RllwJoe

    RllwJoe Insider

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    Is that true squirrelman? That would be a simple repair. More importantly it would relieve the pressure to find a good replacement basket since they are NLA from Honda.

    Also, as I contunue to think think this through, the plates do not reach the static oil level. The oil must "splash" or be sprayed on the basket.

    The fact that some of the OP's friction plates came out dry is in my mind the place to focus. Why would they be dry?
     
  9. raYzerman

    raYzerman Member

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    One would have to find the lubrication path diagram, but clutches are fed oil from the inside out, and more than likely, only to the inner few plates. So, yeah, a clutch soak wouldn't hurt.
    As for those grooves, that can inhibit smooth clutch plate travel... hard to tell how deep, but if really deep, look for a clutch basket in better shape. File away if not too deep, but of course, there is a point where one needs a newer part..... nothing to lose at this point, go for it.
     
  10. Dennis McGraw

    Dennis McGraw New Member

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    Thank for the replies and recommendations.
    Update.
    Spent this morning carefully removing the old gasket and very carefully filing the ridged flat. Work very hard to maintain a flat surface and to remyas little material as possible.
    Going to order new friction plates and springs.
    Anyone used Caltric plates. I see alot of mixed reviews on them. Either love or hate.
     
  11. squirrelman

    squirrelman Member

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    good sign u should stick to using OEM
     
  12. Dennis McGraw

    Dennis McGraw New Member

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    Filed down the groves. Replaced the friction plates and springs with EBC. Works perfectly now.
     
    Colddevil and RllwJoe like this.
  13. comradeQuestion

    comradeQuestion New Member

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    I think I had very similar symptoms to you. Clutch engagement point was very far out on the lever and was hard to modulate. The clutch was also slipping, so I replaced the frictions and steels with a Barnett kit (because it was much cheaper than OEM). Clutch is quite smooth now.

    My basket looked like it had notches just like yours, but I could barely feel them when running my fingers over them so I didn't bother doing anything about it. My plates also measured within spec, but were obviously glazed and the steels were blued pretty bad. I can't check flatness of the plates, but they stick together really well, so I assume they are fairly close to flat. Springs also measured in spec, though the Barnett springs were a lot more stout. 58k miles on the bike and it was obviously the original clutch, so it was definitely time.
     
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