Author Topic: Clutch Not Holding Under WOT: RECTIFIED  (Read 5446 times)

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High On Octane

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Reply #15 on: June 14, 2014, 04:47:47 am
Upon riding to work this morning, it seems like the Lucas (oil, not "smoke"  ;) ) Transmission Stop Slip is helping out the slipping issue.  It still slips a bit when cold but gets better as it warms up, and has progressively gotten better overall since I put it in the primary.  I also figured out why I've been having such a bitch of a time getting the cable adjusted correctly.  It turns out that I made the cable free play too long and the lever adjuster is quite literally on it's last thread of adjustment.  So I put it where it felt good and wrapped some electrical tape around the the threads of the adjuster to hold the nut in place and I didn't have any issues riding home.  In fact the only time it slipped was at pretty much WOT, but if I roll back off for a moment I can feel it grab and if I ease back into it it doesn't usually slip.  In fact, it almost acts like a torque converter, but it slips just a bit too much.  Who knows, maybe in another 100 miles or so it will finally re-seat itself.

gm - The slots in the basket were in fact a little enlarged, but not too bad.  But I completely rebuilt the basket and replaced every part that is replaceable.

Scottie J
2001 Harley Davidson Road King


ace.cafe

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Reply #16 on: June 15, 2014, 11:50:48 pm
We have also tried B&M Trick Shift for better clutch holding.
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High On Octane

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Reply #17 on: June 18, 2014, 01:08:13 am
I don't know what the hell is going on but the clutch was working fine the last couple of rides and now today the SOB is slipping again.  What gives?!  I guess I'll just have to pull the basket apart and sand all of the surfaces with some 36 grit, hose with brake cleaner again and find some kind of additive that makes oil sticky.    Maybe switch to Trick Shift, but that shit is expensive.   :-\

Scottie J
2001 Harley Davidson Road King


Mr.Mazza

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Reply #18 on: June 18, 2014, 01:17:45 am
I don't know what the hell is going on but the clutch was working fine the last couple of rides and now today the SOB is slipping again.  What gives?!  I guess I'll just have to pull the basket apart and sand all of the surfaces with some 36 grit, hose with brake cleaner again and find some kind of additive that makes oil sticky.    Maybe switch to Trick Shift, but that shit is expensive.   :-\

Scottie J

Might be time for a belt clutch ;)
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High On Octane

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Reply #19 on: June 18, 2014, 12:55:07 pm
Suck It Clutch Pack!!!     ;D

I can't have a slipping clutch that progressively gets worse every time I ride.  So last night before I went to bed I pulled the bike up on my front step and yanked the primary cover again.  Good news is, with the new rear set controls I don't have to remove anything extra to get the cover off because there is nothing in the way now.   ;)    Also discovered that when pulling the clutch pack apart that if I leave the center stud with the scissor adjuster on holding the 2 pressure plates together, they stay together making assembly and disassembly a lot faster and easier.  The friction plates didn't appear to be glazed so I just cleaned them up good.  The steel plates and pressure plate on the other hand?  Well, they got a real good work over.  I took a 50 grit 3" grinding disc attached to my drill to them.  At moderate speed and pressure, I quickly started going over all the contact surfaces of the steel plates.  I made 2 passes on each surface, and then went over the pressure plate as well.  Even with my oily latex gloves on I could feel my fingers grabbing roughly on the new surfaces.  I didn't use a lot of pressure when doing this because I wasn't actually trying to remove any metal, I was just trying to score the surface so that they would grab the friction plates when engaged. 





I also read on Hitchcocks clutch tech page that if the slots in the basket and/or the tabs on the friction plates have any burrs in them that it can cause the plates to not seat properly and to file them down.  The plates were fine but there were a few burrs in the basket so I took another grinding disc and folded it in half and used that to remove the bulk of the burrs and clean up the slots.  The results?  The first time I let the clutch out it started grabbing almost immediately with the lever about half way out and then engaged quite firmly.  I zig zagged thru the neighborhood and was ecstatic at how much faster the bike accelerates now.  I always thought that my bike was fast and I knew there was some slip before, but when I launched from the stoplight on the main drag before getting back home, I damn near red lined 3rd gear before I got to the next stoplight!    :o  It always sounded like a beast, but it is DEFINITELY accelerating much faster than it ever has before.  EVER.  Like mind boggling faster.  Now lets hope that it stays this way and doesn't start slipping again.  I have a feeling that it won't after what I did to it last night.  Also, Hitchcocks states on that tech page that the use of ANY type of ATF is the recommended fluid type.  So I filled it back up with the Castrol Import AFT which is a semi synthetic oil and what I seemed to have the best luck with before.


Scottie J
2001 Harley Davidson Road King


ace.cafe

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Reply #20 on: June 18, 2014, 02:35:43 pm
That's good!

We have used all kinds of ATF, and it has been good in Bullets'
When it still slipped, we had better results from Type F, and also Trick Shift. Just for the record, the Type F has higher levels of friction modifiers than GM type ATF. I know you had a problem with the Advanced Auto Type F, but I assure you that we have never had any problems with Type F, and it has solved some slipping for us. I think that what happened with your AA Type F was an anomaly. We have never seen that. I don't think you would see that happen again in your bike, either.
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High On Octane

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Reply #21 on: June 18, 2014, 02:50:21 pm
I think you're right Tom.  I clearly had some other underlying issue that was causing the slipping being that I tried several different types of fluid.  I know this much.  I'm pretty sure I just turned my scissor clutch into a race clutch.  It grabs harder than the dual friction centerforce clutch I had in my '75 firebird now.   ;D   I ripped on her pretty hard coming into work this morning and never even had the slightest sign of slipping, quite the opposite.  I actually stalled it once.   LOL   ;D

Scottie J
2001 Harley Davidson Road King


ace.cafe

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Reply #22 on: June 18, 2014, 02:59:54 pm
I think you're right Tom.  I clearly had some other underlying issue that was causing the slipping being that I tried several different types of fluid.  I know this much.  I'm pretty sure I just turned my scissor clutch into a race clutch.  It grabs harder than the dual friction centerforce clutch I had in my '75 firebird now.   ;D   I ripped on her pretty hard coming into work this morning and never even had the slightest sign of slipping, quite the opposite.  I actually stalled it once.   LOL   ;D

Scottie J

Eventually, that friction scoring on the steel plates will become less effective because it smoothes off the biting edges from wear.  We have seen that. You just have to pay attention to how it feels, and re-do it from time to time. I'd get some extra steel plates on hand.

Also, the fluid level should be such that the lower chain run should just partially dip into the fluid. This will fling it all around inside, but not create too much friction drag on the chain,  and that will help by reducing unwanted heat.
« Last Edit: June 18, 2014, 03:04:21 pm by ace.cafe »
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High On Octane

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Reply #23 on: June 21, 2014, 06:51:44 am
Once again it worked great for a couple of rides and started slipping again, but only on occasion.    Turns out the cable knuckle I made wasn't fitting the new clutch cable because the hole for the ferrel was too big.  So I put a small hose clamp around the ferrel on the knuckle to hold it in place and keep it from moving around.  I also picked up some Trick Shift and filled it with that.  Clutch is working perfect now, no slip, no drag and smooth shifts.   :D


Scottie J
2001 Harley Davidson Road King