Bleeding the Clutch

[Motorpig]

After changing out my clutch with the Barnett Pressure Plate and Barnett Carbon Fiber Friction Discs, I also found my clutch release point was very close to the handgrip. As soon as I bled the system, all was back to normal. I decided to post the 2nd Generation Clutch Bleed to help anyone who needed it.

 

First off, I put a brick under the kickstand to get my bike near level...then i gathered the tools needed. 5mm Alan Head (Hex) Bit, 8mm wrench, phillips head screwdriver, and a vacuum pump (not necessary but very helpful if you're doing it solo.

 

[ATTACH]51703[/ATTACH]

 

Next step is to remove the left rear cylinder side cover. three 5mm bolts hold this in place.

 

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Unscrew and remove the resevoir cap and diaphram carefully. Cover your paint with a towel (I was probably a little overdue for a fluid bleed...)

 

Suck out the old fluid from the resevoir using the pump (or a turkey baster) and refill with new DOT 4 brake Fluid (or DOT 3 or DOT 5.1)

 

[ATTACH]51706[/ATTACH][ATTACH]51707[/ATTACH]

 

Attach a plastic tube to the clutch bleeder valve, set up your vacuum pump, and loosen the valve using an 8mm wrench.

 

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Now, get to pumping...watching the level in the resevoir as to not let it suck any air. When the fluid coming out of the valve is clear, the system is flushed.

 

(NOTE: if you are doing this by hand, (1) loosen the bleeder valve, (2) squeeze and hold the clutch lever, (3) tighten the valve, (4) release the lever...then repeat 1 through 4 about 50 more times being sure to watch the fluid level in the resevoir)

 

Once you are done, close the valve to 4.3 ft/lbs and refill the resevoir. Then replace the diaphram and resevoir cap.

 

[ATTACH]51709[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]51710[/ATTACH][ATTACH]51712[/ATTACH]

 

Put the rubber cover on the bleeder valve and re-install the left rear cylinder cover. Check the fluid is at the appropriate level...

 

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...Then fire her up and go for a test ride! Hope this Helps!

 

-Motorpig-

[Seaking]

Sir, a photo is worth 1,000 words and in this several photos certainly well explains how this task is to be done..

 

OK NOW I understand how to do this job and now have the confidence to proceed on my own.. Gosh.. no joke, it doesn't look that hard at all now that I've seen the pics..

 

One of the other threads, it was mentioned about cleaning out a little port hole with a wire twist tie as this might help with some other little problems.. Where exactly is this port they referred to, do you know?

 

Once again, myself and I am sure others, thank you very much for taking the time to show us how to do the job!

 

Cheers

[Motorpig]

to be honest, I can't think of any little porthole unless they are talking about the bleeder valve itself (where the old fluid comes out). As long as you have the little rubber piece still on your bike you shouldnt need to do that.

 

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Let me know how the bleed goes...watch your paint..brake fluid will destroy the finish.

[Seaking]

Thanks M8.. I'll be popping in to pick up that vacuum pump today, looks like the thing to use..

 

Cheers!

[Condor]

to be honest, I can't think of any little porthole unless they are talking about the bleeder valve itself (where the old fluid comes out). As long as you have the little rubber piece still on your bike you shouldnt need to do that.

 

[ATTACH]51717[/ATTACH]

 

Let me know how the bleed goes...watch your paint..brake fluid will destroy the finish.

 

There is a small microscopic relief hole in the floor of the reserve. It can get plugged with crystals formed by old DOT 3 causing the clutch to slip when engine gets hot due to expanding fluid.

[Seaking]

There is a small microscopic relief hole in the floor of the reserve. It can get plugged with crystals formed by old DOT 3 causing the clutch to slip when engine gets hot due to expanding fluid.

 

And ya know, I think THAT might one of the reasons why I keep burning out the clutch on those Advanced courses.. I'll have to look at it..

 

Thanks all for the WEALTH of information!!

 

I'll let you know how it works out.. I still need to get that pump though.. hard to find in this city.. $80 for a kit at Crappy Tire..

 

Cheers

[LilBeaver]

Nice write up. I would add though that in my experience the only way to actually bleed the clutch (without a pump) involves the pumping of the clutch handle a few (4-6) times in between the opening of the bleeder valve to help get the fluid down the lines. I will certainly not argue though that for the clutch, a pump is a good way to go!

[Motorpig]

Thanks for the info as well. I saw that little hole in the resevoir and didnt think anything of it. I actually found with my fluid that as soon as I opened the bleeder valve, gravity was taking care of the problem. Fluid was coming out even before i could get the tube seated over the valve.

[Seaking]

Well with all the photos, advice, comments and support, I finally managed to get mine done and wow, I guess it was well needed!

 

Points of interest: I picked up the Vacuum Pump and Brake Bleeder Kit by Powerfist from Princess Auto store here in Halifax NS for $48 + tax.. and it's covered for life by the store. One other responder had mentioned his broke and they wouldn't replace or repair it, the store here assured me this would not be the case.. even if discontinued, they would replace it with a comparable item etc.. We'll see when the time comes but in the past, they have been golden with their satisfaction guarantee here..

 

The fluid in the reservoir was on the greyish side of colour, I suctioned it out with the pump and it required dabbing the bottom corners out with the corner of a lint free cloth to get the last of it out and some 'slime or sludge' like stuff from the back corner.. (always keeping mindful of not contaminating the reservoir with foreign material. Compare the colour of that old fluid to what is in the new brake fluid can and wow, grey.. I emptied that bowl out.. not sure how much the system held so best to start with a lot of room in the pump's collection bowl..

 

Connecting the pump to the bleed valve was a little difficult and I could not get the clear hose onto the valve, but there is a 90 degree adapter that fit well.. but allowed air to be sucked in as well as the fluid when operating the pump. Since this was all suction and not pushing any air into the system, I let it air leak as I was pumping fluid down and out through the system.

 

I filled the reservoir with new fluid and started to operate the pump, sucking the fresh fluid down through the system and out of the bottom.. being mindful not to let air get sucked into the system from an empty reservoir... I put a lot of fluid through the system, basically a whole small can of brake fluid to give it a good flush.. seeing what was coming out of the bottom into the collector bowl, I think it really needed it.. "eww"..

 

Once happy that the fluid was running through clear and bright, I closed the valve at the bottom and unhooked the pump lines etc..

 

Looking up into the reservoir it occurred to me then that I forgot to check for that little relief outlet hole which was mentioned as often being blocked, and I had suspected mine being blocked.. But dang, the system is bled and topped up and I didn't want to risk contaminating the system with a pin, ya know? So a very light and gentle pull of the clutch lever showed the fluid flowing out of the little hole into the reservoir..

 

(Someone mentioned to be VERY careful when doing this as it WILL squirt out.. my shirt is in the laundry right now).. But it went to prove that this hole isn't blocked at all.. well it isn't now.. lol

 

NOTE: I'm not sure how to best set the fluid level in the reservoir.. I put the kick stand on a 2x4 block to hold the bike upright, and turned the bars hard over to the right to bring the reservoir to the top most position.. but when I closed up everything, putting the cover back on, putting the bike down and taking it out for a test ride, the fluid level, while holding the bike upright with the bars straight ahead, the level sits half way up the glass.. is this correct?

 

The test ride.. Though my clutch has been operating every so well since the last clutch change out and Barnette spring installation, the fluid was getting dark prematurely and well.. everything seemed fine except for that.. However, once I flushed the fluid out properly and refilled it, I no sooner started to let the clutch lever out that the clutch plates caught purchase and wanted to start hauling on the bike.. wow.. now THAT's the clutch I remember!! I didn't realize how soft the clutch feel was previous to this. What a huge notable difference this clutch bleed made! YES!

 

Though I feel confident I've done it properly and have no air in the system, I'd someday love to hook up with someone who's done it umpteen times before and see how they do it so that I can see for myself.. Next June perhaps..

 

but in the meantime, I just have to wait for the rain and snow to subside long enough to go out and put the clutch through it's paces..

 

I'd ask Dan but he's sitting next to the fire in his old man shawl trying to keep warm hehe

 

Again, to all who posted and jumped in, THANKS!!!

[N3FOL]

to be honest, I can't think of any little porthole unless they are talking about the bleeder valve itself (where the old fluid comes out). As long as you have the little rubber piece still on your bike you shouldnt need to do that.

 

[ATTACH]51717[/ATTACH]

 

Let me know how the bleed goes...watch your paint..brake fluid will destroy the finish.

 

As far as your clutch is concerned, I am curious as to what mileage did it start acting on you and prompted a replacement.

 

My bike is 300 miles shy of 20K with no bad clutch symptoms yet (knocking on wood).

[hipshot]

And ya know, I think THAT might one of the reasons why I keep burning out the clutch on those Advanced courses.. I'll have to look at it..

 

Thanks all for the WEALTH of information!!

 

I'll let you know how it works out.. I still need to get that pump though.. hard to find in this city.. $80 for a kit at Crappy Tire..

 

Cheers

 

 

seaking. i believe the "microscopic hole" that Jack is talking about is actually a" FLUID RETURN " orifice,which allows fluid BACK into the reservoir when the clutch handle is released.

just jt

[Motorpig]

As far as your clutch is concerned, I am curious as to what mileage did it start acting on you and prompted a replacement.

 

My bike is 300 miles shy of 20K with no bad clutch symptoms yet (knocking on wood).

 

I have 27,000 miles on her right now. I started feeling a little slipping around 25,500. NOW...with that said, I messed up and put "Energy Conserving" oil in the bike during the last oil change. I made a boo boo and didnt check. So that probable had a lot to do with the clutch going early on me. If you have 20k and have no issues, I would suggest upgrading your spring (either the upgraded Yamaha one or the Barnett one) before you start to have issues.

[N3FOL]

You are right. A lot of members will say not to use Energy Conserving oil on our bike or else clutch slippage is bound to happen. Why didn't you just change back to regular moto oil and hopefully clutch slippage will go away? Did you try that rout before changing out your clutch with negative results?

 

Anyway, I am slowly educating myself and reading a lot about clutch replacement in this forum. Still undecided what type of clutch I am going to get, when it is time to replace. Ride safe.

[Seaking]

Owner manuals across the board will tell you to stay away from EC type oils mainly for just that reason.. Its a bit of a juggling act with additives for a bike, isn't it? Got to provide some friction reduction yet allow enough for the clutch to work properly without burning out the engine etc etc.. hence why using some brands of friction reduction engine oil additives are not recommended for most bikes..

[Motorpig]

Owner manuals across the board will tell you to stay away from EC type oils mainly for just that reason.. Its a bit of a juggling act with additives for a bike, isn't it? Got to provide some friction reduction yet allow enough for the clutch to work properly without burning out the engine etc etc.. hence why using some brands of friction reduction engine oil additives are not recommended for most bikes..

 

I know that it does, i just got careless...I usually run mobil 1 Synthetic...but apparently when i grabbed the jug last time i wasnt paying close enough attention and grabbed an "EC" one...oops...only cost me $350 and a couple hours of my time

[LilBeaver]

I know that it does, i just got careless...I usually run mobil 1 Synthetic...but apparently when i grabbed the jug last time i wasnt paying close enough attention and grabbed an "EC" one...oops...only cost me $350 and a couple hours of my time

 

This is very easy to do; especially with the way mobil 1 keeps changing their labels. Sometimes it is energy conserving and sometimes it isn't. The doofus stocking the shelves doesn't help either - when they play mix and match.

 

I've returned a few quarts for that reason - not noticing until I walk out of the store. Now I look at every jug before it goes in the cart, then I double check again at time of the check out.

[Motorpig]

This is very easy to do; especially with the way mobil 1 keeps changing their labels. Sometimes it is energy conserving and sometimes it isn't. The doofus stocking the shelves doesn't help either - when they play mix and match.

 

I've returned a few quarts for that reason - not noticing until I walk out of the store. Now I look at every jug before it goes in the cart, then I double check again at time of the check out.

 

That'll be me from now on too

[Seaking]

I know that it does, i just got careless...I usually run mobil 1 Synthetic...but apparently when i grabbed the jug last time i wasnt paying close enough attention and grabbed an "EC" one...oops...only cost me $350 and a couple hours of my time

 

Didn't you know its always best to learn from OTHER people's mistakes and not your own? Less expensive that way.. erk!!

[LilBeaver]

That'll be me from now on too

 

After reading this post and thinking about mine - I bet I look like a neurotic squirrel hiding his 'essentials' for the winter, when I start rummaging through the oil containers looking for the non-energy conserving jugs.

 

Glad I'm not the only one that is 'nuts'.