JoeWannaB
Husqvarna
A Class
I have mentioned this problem in another thread but it was suggested that I start a new thread just to address this issue.
Click here if you would like to see the other thread. http://www.cafehusky.com/threads/new-to-me-2005-te450.82911/
To recap, I bought this bike knowing that it had an issue with the slave cylinder. The slave was replaced with a new one. Here is a picture of the old slave. Notice the damaged metal. I have no idea what caused such a catastrophic failure.
The previous owner said that the clutch failed suddenly with fluid coming out of the slave.
After the new slave was installed, the clutch worked perfectly for the 5 minutes I rode the bike before loading it up to bring it home. The next day, I took the bike for a ride around my neighborhood. After about 20 minutes of easy riding, I noticed that the clutch lever was getting soft and eventually it completely went away. I managed to limp it home by pumping the lever several times to build up pressure. I figured that there was just air in the system so I bled the system and went out again. Same results. (it is worth pointing out that the master cylinder reservoir had plenty of fluid both times.) I did find a small pin hole leak in the high pressure line about 3" above the banjo bolt. I replaced the line and back bled the system. I compressed the lever about 100 times and didn't notice any fluid leaking anywhere and the lever was nice and firm. The bike sat for a couple days before I could ride it and I didn't notice any telltale signs of oil drops under the bike. I was feeling pretty confident that my clutch woes were over but alas, after the same 20 minutes of neighborhood riding, the clutch started to fade and I barely made it home again. I got pretty good at pumping the clutch lever several times as I approached stop signs.
This time, I noticed that there was a smidge of mineral oil weeping from around the rubber boot on the master cylinder piston. I was also working out some issues with the carb so after I got home, I kept the bike running. I pumped up he clutch but after a really hard blip of the throttle, I discovered by accident that the clutch was immediately limp. This has me wondering if there a correlation between the crankcase pressure and my clutch problems. I have posted several photos below hoping they will help clarify what I am trying to describe here.
I have a new master cylinder piston kit on its way and so in anticipation, I have prepped the master cylinder for the new piston. I don't know if you can tell from the picture but the inside bore is smooth and shiny.
The lines visible in the 2nd picture are not visible with the naked eye. I think they are actually a reflection of the trees in the background. The cylinder bore looks mirror smooth to my eyes.
Finally, Here are some more pictures I took in case it may be helpful in diagnosing exactly what my problem is.
The clutch disengage push rod. There is a lot of lateral play so there is definitely access from the crankcase to the backside of the slave cylinder which means the piston O-ring is the only thing between the crankcase and the closed clutch hydraulic system. This might explain why the magura blood (red) was coming out tinted brown when I bled the system.
Bushing without push rod.
Brown Magura Blood (after 20 minutes of easy riding)
Old Piston Rubber gasket.
Old Master Cylinder Piston
I had read in another thread that some of the pushrods were too short. I wouldn't know how to check this but just in case someone knows something, here is mine.
Push rod measures 18.2cm
To recap....
Clutch fades after 20 minutes of riding. Faster if I flog her. Magura Blood is turning brownish. Old slave cylinder had a catastrophic failure. I had slight leakage from around the master cylinder piston and there was a pin hole in the high pressure line 3" above the banjo bolt at the slave. I currently have a new high pressure line, I have installed a new slave cylinder with the "7602 X-ring gasket" I will shortly be installing a new master cylinder piston.
My thoughts...
I think my problems are being caused by high crankcase pressure or too much oil pressure. What do you all think?
Something else... I have not changed the motor oil so it is whatever the PO had in there. I opened up the weep hole on the right crank case (clutch cover side) and oil gushed out. Manual says it should just weep out with the bike level and upright. I have it on a lift right now so definitely upright and level. I'm new to Husky and have never used this method for checking oil levels before so maybe I did it wrong. The motor was stone cold when I did this and I noticed that manual says to check it warm. Could the motor oil level be too high? Could that explain the red mineral oil turning brown? Changing the oil is at the top of my to do list as soon as I get it together enough to run.
Also... I checked the crankcase vent and it is all clear through to the airbox and the airbox is clear with a clean and freshly oiled filter.
Sorry for such a long post but I wanted to be thorough to save time on the back and forth. I would appreciate any light any of you can shed on this predicament. Joe
Click here if you would like to see the other thread. http://www.cafehusky.com/threads/new-to-me-2005-te450.82911/
To recap, I bought this bike knowing that it had an issue with the slave cylinder. The slave was replaced with a new one. Here is a picture of the old slave. Notice the damaged metal. I have no idea what caused such a catastrophic failure.
The previous owner said that the clutch failed suddenly with fluid coming out of the slave.
After the new slave was installed, the clutch worked perfectly for the 5 minutes I rode the bike before loading it up to bring it home. The next day, I took the bike for a ride around my neighborhood. After about 20 minutes of easy riding, I noticed that the clutch lever was getting soft and eventually it completely went away. I managed to limp it home by pumping the lever several times to build up pressure. I figured that there was just air in the system so I bled the system and went out again. Same results. (it is worth pointing out that the master cylinder reservoir had plenty of fluid both times.) I did find a small pin hole leak in the high pressure line about 3" above the banjo bolt. I replaced the line and back bled the system. I compressed the lever about 100 times and didn't notice any fluid leaking anywhere and the lever was nice and firm. The bike sat for a couple days before I could ride it and I didn't notice any telltale signs of oil drops under the bike. I was feeling pretty confident that my clutch woes were over but alas, after the same 20 minutes of neighborhood riding, the clutch started to fade and I barely made it home again. I got pretty good at pumping the clutch lever several times as I approached stop signs.
This time, I noticed that there was a smidge of mineral oil weeping from around the rubber boot on the master cylinder piston. I was also working out some issues with the carb so after I got home, I kept the bike running. I pumped up he clutch but after a really hard blip of the throttle, I discovered by accident that the clutch was immediately limp. This has me wondering if there a correlation between the crankcase pressure and my clutch problems. I have posted several photos below hoping they will help clarify what I am trying to describe here.
I have a new master cylinder piston kit on its way and so in anticipation, I have prepped the master cylinder for the new piston. I don't know if you can tell from the picture but the inside bore is smooth and shiny.
The lines visible in the 2nd picture are not visible with the naked eye. I think they are actually a reflection of the trees in the background. The cylinder bore looks mirror smooth to my eyes.
Finally, Here are some more pictures I took in case it may be helpful in diagnosing exactly what my problem is.
The clutch disengage push rod. There is a lot of lateral play so there is definitely access from the crankcase to the backside of the slave cylinder which means the piston O-ring is the only thing between the crankcase and the closed clutch hydraulic system. This might explain why the magura blood (red) was coming out tinted brown when I bled the system.
Bushing without push rod.
Brown Magura Blood (after 20 minutes of easy riding)
Old Piston Rubber gasket.
Old Master Cylinder Piston
I had read in another thread that some of the pushrods were too short. I wouldn't know how to check this but just in case someone knows something, here is mine.
Push rod measures 18.2cm
To recap....
Clutch fades after 20 minutes of riding. Faster if I flog her. Magura Blood is turning brownish. Old slave cylinder had a catastrophic failure. I had slight leakage from around the master cylinder piston and there was a pin hole in the high pressure line 3" above the banjo bolt at the slave. I currently have a new high pressure line, I have installed a new slave cylinder with the "7602 X-ring gasket" I will shortly be installing a new master cylinder piston.
My thoughts...
I think my problems are being caused by high crankcase pressure or too much oil pressure. What do you all think?
Something else... I have not changed the motor oil so it is whatever the PO had in there. I opened up the weep hole on the right crank case (clutch cover side) and oil gushed out. Manual says it should just weep out with the bike level and upright. I have it on a lift right now so definitely upright and level. I'm new to Husky and have never used this method for checking oil levels before so maybe I did it wrong. The motor was stone cold when I did this and I noticed that manual says to check it warm. Could the motor oil level be too high? Could that explain the red mineral oil turning brown? Changing the oil is at the top of my to do list as soon as I get it together enough to run.
Also... I checked the crankcase vent and it is all clear through to the airbox and the airbox is clear with a clean and freshly oiled filter.
Sorry for such a long post but I wanted to be thorough to save time on the back and forth. I would appreciate any light any of you can shed on this predicament. Joe