OutKast Posted September 9, 2008 #1 Posted September 9, 2008 In Gallup, NM. Headed to Grand Canyon tomorrow, then on to Los Angelos. Clutch started acting low on pressure. It is NOT slipping. But clutch lever is barely activating clutch. Catching just as soon as it leaves the grip. Fluid is full. I emptied the master cylinder and refilled with fresh DOT. Where is Slave and how do I get to it. What tools will I need, as I may have enough, but want to know before I open it up? Can I easily rebuild both cylinders myself if it comes down to it? Doubt I can find a dealer in LA who can do a 1 day turnaround. Any suggestions?
Rocket Posted September 9, 2008 #2 Posted September 9, 2008 Doubt I can find a dealer in LA who can do a 1 day turnaround. Any suggestions? Call one up close to your location & ask. Tell them you are travelling & from out of the local area. You may get it in right away. Also this may be done under warranty, depending on when the bike was first bought, by you or a previous owner (if any).
Tom Posted September 9, 2008 #3 Posted September 9, 2008 Mine did that a few weeks ago..All I had to do was flush the fluid and put new in..works better than ever now..Just get someone to bleed it.
Squidley Posted September 9, 2008 #4 Posted September 9, 2008 Look in the VR assistance page for folks in that area, they would be able to help you and know of some repair places. BTW the slave is on the left side of the bike, behind the oval cover at the back of the engine. There is a rubber top over the bleeder (but you already know that as you bled the system) I have a feeling that you just need to do some more bleeding if you have replaced all the fluid. Let us know how it turns out and we'll help get you rolling
Guest tessa c2 Posted September 9, 2008 #5 Posted September 9, 2008 i' going to ask you at what elevation you are at, mine will some times do that once i hit the mountains and drive through them all day, but as soon as it cools down or i get to lower elevation it worksw just fine, but just make sure you don't drop a drop of that oil on any plastic, it's worse than battry acid on metal:hurts:
utadventure Posted September 9, 2008 #6 Posted September 9, 2008 Bubba - this is the same problem Bob Myers had while visiting SLC last month. Even though you've put fresh fluid in the master cylinder the fluid in the line is probably old and has degraded. Bleeding the line is simple but having an extra pair of hands is nice. I think the bleeder valve is a 10mm. We took an 18" long piece of clear tubing and hooked it to the valve, I would compress the clutch handle, Bob released the valve releasing a bit of fluid and then tightened it back up, I would release the handle and then repeated the process again. We caught the fluid in a mason jar so we could see its condition. Once we got to were we thought the line had new fluid throughout, we emptied the jar and bleed a little more just to make sure the fluid was clean. Didn't take long and the clutch worked great as we enjoyed a nice little test ride. FYI - the tubing I had was something for a swamp cooler I had held on to and really helped keep the bike clean. Dave
SaltyDawg Posted September 9, 2008 #7 Posted September 9, 2008 Ok you have air in the system. Same exact indicators that I had in Asheville. My suggestion is to go to an auto parts store and get a vacuum brake bleeder pump. They run about $30.00. Believe me this is the way you want to go. The second gen takes forever to bleed the clutch, just ask me I'll tell ya. If there is any air in the line it won't build up enough pressure to pump the brake fluid out at any significant pressure and the air will just bubble up the line. We spent about 2 hours bleeding my clutch in Asheville one night without the vaccum brake bleeder. You won't regret getting the pump and it's nice to have for doing the brakes too. If you have to do it by the old method then once you get the air out you still haven't gotten it all out, you will want to tie the clutch lever to the grip and crack the seal on the clutch resevoir cover and leave over night to allow any air that might still be in the line to bleed out the top. Do this over 2 or 3 nights.
Condor Posted September 9, 2008 #8 Posted September 9, 2008 If you're in the Nor-Cal area stop on by and we'll bleed it out for ya'.... The pic below shows the rubber plug that covers the slave bleeder valve. It's a first gen, but the 2-gens are in the same place.
OutKast Posted September 9, 2008 Author #9 Posted September 9, 2008 ALL IS GOOD FOR NOW. Found the 8mm bleeder plug. Did not have wrench that small but after taking off fins could use a socket. Bleeder full of air. I believe the high altitude allowed moisture in the fluid to boil off. 7000 ft and high temps. Refilled with fresh DOT4. Seems good. Heading for Grand Canyon.!!!!!!
utadventure Posted September 9, 2008 #10 Posted September 9, 2008 Glad you got it working!! 8mm - isn't that what I said? Ride safe! Dave
Bob Myers Posted September 9, 2008 #11 Posted September 9, 2008 ALL IS GOOD FOR NOW. Found the 8mm bleeder plug. Did not have wrench that small but after taking off fins could use a socket. Bleeder full of air. I believe the high altitude allowed moisture in the fluid to boil off. 7000 ft and high temps. Refilled with fresh DOT4. Seems good. Heading for Grand Canyon.!!!!!! That altitude thing is exactly what utadventure surmised was my problem. I had thought it was an altitude boil off thing too. He and I bled it down just like he stated above and it works as good now as it did when the bike had 8k miles on it. Actually better than I remember it working for several years. THis propably is in the list of things you are supposed to read for things to do every year but I'd rather ride than read. Right Dave?
Condor Posted September 9, 2008 #12 Posted September 9, 2008 Most of us never give the brake and clutch systems in our cars and trucks any thought for many years and never have a problem, but the clutch and braking systems on our Ventures need to have the fluid changed every 2 years. Now we know why....
jburrell Posted September 9, 2008 #13 Posted September 9, 2008 Glad you got yours going. this can be quite frustrating. I lost all my clutch one day and gunboat and I worked for hours trying to bleed it out. When we rebuilt the slave due to continuing issues, we bought a vacuum bleeder kit from Harbor Freight tools ($18)to handle the bleeding. With the tool you can bleed in minutes versus hours on the 2 gen ( or letting it sit overnight with clutch handle taped in).There was tons of air in my line and that is why it takes so long to bleed the line as you can't get the handle to push enough of the air out of the line down to the bleeder. Teh quick tools take the frustration out of the job and get you going quicker. by the way if you need to rebuild the slave all you need is the 2 rubber pieces and the 2 copper washers and 1 gasket for the drive cover. Wish I could go to the Grand Canyon on mine but Hosuton is just too far from there for me. Heck its almost 900 miles to El-Paso.
Tom Posted September 9, 2008 #14 Posted September 9, 2008 Most of us never give the brake and clutch systems in our cars and trucks any thought for many years and never have a problem, but the clutch and braking systems on our Ventures need to have the fluid changed every 2 years. Now we know why.... Condor,You took the words out of my mouth,I was gonna write a post on the importance of changing these fluids. Trust me folks do it or you will wind up as I away from home thinking How stupid can I be! Its simple if you have the speedbleeders or if I knew the Proper way I like Conders way of Reverse Bleeding. Tom
DRAGIN TAIL Posted September 10, 2008 #15 Posted September 10, 2008 I was having all kinds of trouble getting the brake bled on my Sidecar I just installed. I wanted a completely seperate system so I can easily detach it without having to bleed it everytime. I also wanted brakes in case the ones on the bike failed. I used an old shovelhead master cylinder and proceeded to fill and bleed it. I was pulling alot of air with the Mity Vac and couldn't get it to bleed properly. I removed my bleeder and wrapped some Telfon Tape around the threads and put a wire tire around the hose on the bleeder. I then opened it slightly while using mininal vacumn. I got most of the air out but the brake pedal still wouldn't push fluid on it's own. I left the hose on with some brake fluid in the hose and let it slowly drain into the bleeder. After doing this several times I refilled it again and put the end in a jar with fresh fluid. I open the bleeder and let it sit all night. The next morning I repeated the process and went to work. When I can home that afternoon I closed the bleeder, pumped the brake pedal and had brakes. Sometimes it takes a long time to get all the air out. The pistons are so small and air compress so easily. Hope this helps someone in the future.
hipshot Posted September 10, 2008 #16 Posted September 10, 2008 If you're in the Nor-Cal area stop on by and we'll bleed it out for ya'.... The pic below shows the rubber plug that covers the slave bleeder valve. It's a first gen, but the 2-gens are in the same place. Jack. when do you find time to ride your bikes? looks to me , like someone spends a LOT of time cleaning and polishing on ALL of your bikes. by the way, how about a picture of your "remuda", all lined up, and posing for a group pic. that would be way cool! just jt:banana:
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