clutch slave rebuild?

[suds]

200km into ownership of a 1990 VR and I believe I'm staring down the bad end of a clutch slave gone bad. It's like the clutch won't disengage so when I put it into gear with the brake on , it stalls. I did replaced the fluid/bled the master however the issue is still there.

 

Any feedback on how hard a job it is to do a rebuild or if that's even advisable. I've read opposing views on some threads here but I'm not sure what to do.

[Venturous Randy]

First thing, is the slave cylinder leaking? If not, that may not be your problem. How does your lever feel? Is the pressure normal? Sometimes it is difficult to get the fluid going on the master and you may have to loosen the bango bolt on the master. Another problem I encountered was the metal part of the clutch line that goes under the engine got stopped up.

One other thing, do not let ANY brake fluid get on the plastic or it will be ruined.

RandyA

[bongobobny]

They are rebuildable but you will need to hone the cylinder and for what a new one costs,you are better off with a new one. Several people have tried rebuilding with little success but that may be because they did not hone the cylinder as part of the process...

[ragtop69gs]

I ordered from http://www.RonAyers.com

 

1FK-16381-11-00 Slave Cyl. $67.31

 

90201-10118-00 Washer plate (copper sealing washer) NEED 2 $3.58

 

3JP-15461-01-00 Middle gear cover gasket $2.82

 

93102-14209-00 Shift shaft seal (may as well replace while in there) $4.44

 

90338-11152-00 Rubber plug for cylinder water jacket ( I bought 2 as spares) $9.50

 

2H9-18154-00-00 Shift rod dust cover (rubber boot)(Optional) $10.50 for 2

 

Total $98.11 with free shipping code "Shipfree13" at checkout.

[Prairiehammer]

Jay,

All those parts are good to replace when doing the slave cylinder on a Second Gen, but the OP has a First Gen and many of your stated parts, including the slave cylinder, are not compatible on the First Gen.

[Prairiehammer]

200km into ownership of a 1990 VR and I believe I'm staring down the bad end of a clutch slave gone bad. It's like the clutch won't disengage so when I put it into gear with the brake on , it stalls. I did replaced the fluid/bled the master however the issue is still there.

 

When I bought my '90, everything seemed to work OK until I got down the road about a hundred miles from the seller and I discovered the clutch would not disengage.

 

I bled it several times on the four hundred mile trip home, until it was working pretty good, as it should.

 

My point: while bleeding the clutch is usually much easier than bleeding the brakes, sometimes it just doesn't go as well as it should. Before condemning the slave cylinder (how many miles/kilometers on the bike?) continue to suspect the bleeding process and also don't discount the possibility of a faulty master cylinder. The master cylinder is easy to renew and inexpensive. The slave...not so much.

[suds]

No leaks that I've seen but the fluid level was very low and dark in colour. The bike sat for 2 days in my garage and there was no drips on the floor under the bike whatsoever.

 

The lever feels normal to me and was obviously pushing fluid through as I was.able to bleed the system.

 

Any suggestions as to what to do for diagnosis is welcomed.

 

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

[MiCarl]

If the slave is bad it will leak. Furthermore, even when leaking they generally work until you get air in the system.

 

Bleed it at the banjo bolt. The way you do it is compress the lever, loosen the bolt, tighten the bolt then release the lever. Do it several times. Lots of rags and towels around the bolt to keep the brake fluid off the plastic.

 

If you're sure all the air is out and it still doesn't work it'll likely be the master cylinder.

[suds]

The banjo bolt on the side of the master cylinder, correct?

 

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[MiCarl]

The banjo bolt on the side of the master cylinder, correct?

 

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Yes, the one that attaches the brake line. It's a high spot and tends to trap air that doesn't bleed out.

[ragtop69gs]

Jay,

All those parts are good to replace when doing the slave cylinder on a Second Gen, but the OP has a First Gen and many of your stated parts, including the slave cylinder, are not compatible on the First Gen.

 

My fault, I didn't look at his profile and assumed that since he asked me for part numbers his was a 2nd Gen.

 

Sorry, Suds, for leading you down the wrong path. Wouldn't be the first time I've been accused of that!

 

A nice 2nd gen will fix that

[suds]

No worries... I didn't pay attention to your profile to see what you were riding... thanks for responding. :thumbup:

 

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[baylensman]

I did it on the 86 and the 96 overall i'd the first gen was a bit easier but neither is HARD just time consuming. Like others have said the upside end is easier to fix and easier to diagnose. and an empty master cylinder will feel "FINE" but may not be pumping enough fluid.

[suds]

For SS lines.... am I just replacing the rubber sections that connect to the hard lines?

 

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[skydoc_17]

Hey Suds,

Welcome to the Forum! First off, the clutch slave will leak internally for quite a while before fluid starts to leak past the external boot and show up on the ground. The second thing is the slave usually leaks on the exhaust collector, which vaporizes the brake fluid, which means that NO fluid will make it to the ground. Because you will need to bleed the clutch system EVERY time you address any one of the items in the system, (Clutch Master Cylinder, Rubber Clutch Lines, "Hard" Clutch Line, or the Clutch Slave) I strongly suggest that you address ALL of these parts at one time, and get on with the riding of your motorcycle. Considering that the Clutch System has functioned properly for 24 years, Rebuilding, replacing, upgrading the Clutch System will be done ONCE, and never need to be addressed again for the life of the motorcycle. Not to mention you have already seen first hand how if one component is not functioning properly, the entire system doesn't function, PERIOD!

The lower rubber clutch line is no longer offered from Yamaha for the First Gens. but if you click on this link, you will see that I offer a S.S. replacement for that line.

 

http://www.venturerider.org/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=4834&title=first-genlower-s-sclutch-line&cat=22

 

If you just want to tackle the Clutch side of your bike, I offer the Upper Clutch Line separately as well.

 

http://www.venturerider.org/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=4833&title=first-genupper-s-sclutch-line&cat=22

 

If you would like to replace ALL of the rubber Brake and Clutch Lines on your 24 year old Motorcycle then I have a Kit for that as well.

 

 

http://www.venturerider.org/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=3878&title=first-gens-sbrake-line-delink-kit-now-with-s-sclutch-line-21&cat=22

 

Yamaha still offers a rebuild kit for the Clutch Master Cylinder, and I suggest that you replace the Clutch Slave with a new one. After personally rebuilding over 100 of the Clutch Slaves I am only averaging about a 50% success rate. With the Clutch Slave being the lowest point on that system, ANY moisture that collects in the system will migrate to the clutch slave housing. A few pits in the cylinder wall will render the slave housing useless and the price you paid for the slave rebuild kit will have been waisted. So, if you are feeling "Lucky", go the rebuild route. But if you are like me, I would want to install some quality parts, ONE TIME, and get on with the riding enjoyment part. Because of my shop here in South Central Pa. I order ALL of my OEM parts directly from Yamaha. I am happy to order you the correct parts in a timely manner. All of my kits come with written instructions, plus you get my personal email address and my cell phone number. Try calling your mechanic at your local Yamaha Dealership at home and see what kind of response you get! If you have questions about any of the kits listed above, need parts for this project, or just have questions in general about your bike, please feel free to contact me.

Earl

[Snaggletooth]

All i got to say is two things. Before making any decision on the clutch slave remove it and inspect the bore thoroughly. When i had to do my '84 i wanted to go the cheap way out. A kit was in mind. Almost went south at that point.

 

First thing i ran into was frozen and damaged Allen head mounting bolts. With much help, guidance and advice from Dingy i got past that and was able to remove the slave.

 

While dealing with Dingy he sent me a used slave he had honed out.

 

After inspecting my old unit i found so much corrosion and pitting from moisture there was no way it could be reconditioned. If Dingy hadn't sent me his used slave I'd have been scrambling for a new one.

 

I got Lucky. The new kit held. Got over 3,000 miles on it now. Like said, don't always work.

 

If I'd looked first i would have just ordered a new unit. For the money spent an a kit and time spent compared to new and being assured of a working slave I'd have gone that route for sure.

 

Just something to consider before digging in.

 

Rebuilds can be a gamble.

 

From my Droid wherever I may happen to be at any given moment.

[suds]

So, first off thank you to all the members that offered assistance and guidance. I left the clutch lever zip-tied to the grip with the the cap of the master cylinder loosened over night.

 

Secondly... and now the tough part for my ego... I believe that the problem after me bleeding the system may have been a simple as... drumroll.... I had the side stand down.

 

I just took the beast for a short ride out of town and back without incident.

 

I got a message from Neil86 who, I'm sure, was trying to save my ego by sending me a private message alerting me to the interlocks and I thank him for that consideration. I chose to post this to give the thread some closure and so that future "newbies" like me can avoid the same mistake of premature freak outs rather than just "abandoning" the thread.

 

I now know that I have nice clean fluid in the clutch system and a warm fuzzy feeling that I've joined a fantastic bunch of people on this forum.

 

Thanks again,

Suds

[Neil86]

I'm just glad you didn't tear out the slave cylinder for no reason.

I hope you enjoy your new to you ride!

[Snaggletooth]

Congrats on the easy fix. That's the one thing with these old bikes. Inspect everything twice before doing anything. As you see the trouble you had can have several causes. Ride safe.

 

From my Droid wherever I may happen to be at any given moment.