robertbarnstijn Posted July 16 Report Share Posted July 16 Hi everyone, I own my 2014 tri280 over 7 years. I use it only a few hours a year in my backjard. No oil changed or repairs were needed. Untill now. The clutch is starting to give problems: When "clutched" ( i mean brake connection between crank and gears) it starts to drags al little. I have to brake otherwise it will slowly drive away. The point of engagement (? if this is the correct term, im not sure) hasnt changed. When "not clutched" there is no slip at all. (sorry about bad english, i try) So before taking everything apart I read as much as possible. Found ossa-efi.com. Thanks a lot Konrad for your work. I found stuff regarding slipping clutches, but not about my "dragging" problem. I thought maybe too low oil (jes there is some smoke), but the level is at the top of the sight glass. What do you guys think of? Swollen clutch plates thus simply change oil? ATFdexronIII as i read? regards, robairo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemur Posted July 16 Report Share Posted July 16 (edited) Point of engagement to full engagement is called the 'friction zone' and the position it starts should be adjusted at the brake lever adjusters. The thing that makes cork or paper clutch plates swell, stick and make noises is water in the transmission oil from leaking seals or condensation (transmissions are vented to the atmosphere), cork swells more in the presence of water. Water in the transmission oil can be seen as opaque or milky colour to the oil instead of clear oil. Yes lots of people use ATF for the transmission but I swear by hydraulic oil same as used in tractors and excavators because it has greater lubricity compared to ATF. Transmission oil in a 2-stroke engine never ends up being burnt in the engine, smoke from the exhaust has no relationship to the transmission oil. (or you have a big end seal or gasket leaking) If the clutch action is mushy that is generally caused by air in the hydraulics of the clutch actuator and your hydraulics need fluid changing and bleeding. Clutch hydraulics use either DOT brake fluid which is hygroscopic and requires changing more than once in 7 years, or they use thin mineral oil. It will be marked on the clutch. master cylinder cover which fluid you should use. When DOT fluid contains too much water there is a risk of boiling the water in the hydraulics and that will cause the brakes to drag when hot and it can introduce air into the hydraulics because when water boils it makes steam which is O2 being released from the H2O. aka worlds smallest steam engine. Too much oil (oil level too high) or dirty oil is more likely to make a clutch slip because oil gets trapped between the clutch plates and causes a hydraulic pressure that works against the clutch springs which are trying to push the friction plates together. Edited July 16 by lemur Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
konrad Posted July 16 Report Share Posted July 16 (edited) Your clutch is not disengaging. Possibly a problem with the clutch master cylinder (handlebar lever). Is it leaking? You may need to install a new "clutch pump piston". At the very least, give it fresh mineral oil and bleed any air out of the clutch hydraulic system. I added part numbers for the clutch pump rebuild kits here: https://www.ossa-efi.com/home/engine/clutch#h.sf023em3dqtp Definitely change the gearbox fluid as well. Use any ATF that's available where you live. I would ride the bike for 1 hour and then change the gearbox fluid again. 7 years is a long time, regardless of hours. Inspect the drain plug magnet for metal particles. Edited July 16 by konrad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
konrad Posted July 16 Report Share Posted July 16 What's the best lube for a gearbox? Gear oil. What's the best lube for clutch plates? ATF. Pick what you want to optimize. Electric Motion got it right with the FACTOR-e, They used two different lubricants in two different systems. The gearbox lube is separate from the clutch lube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertbarnstijn Posted July 16 Author Report Share Posted July 16 Thanks guys for answer. im convinced now that i have to change both oils. The mc cap says mineral oil. thats clear. The oil in the gear is clean, clear reddish. i will change anyhowe. I was not suspecting master cil problems or air, because the friction zone position hasnt changed. I must say that i have no play between de clutch handle and mc plunger. i read this could give problems. My hands are small.. The clutch is disengaging, but for 95%. after the disengage position i have much more travel in the clutch handle left. In the friction zone it becomes more difficult to control the drive pressure. Lets do the oil change first and see further. I let you guys know 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
konrad Posted July 16 Report Share Posted July 16 33 minutes ago, robertbarnstijn said: I must say that i have no play between de clutch handle and mc plunger. There must always (when hot and cold) be a small amount of free play there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertbarnstijn Posted July 16 Author Report Share Posted July 16 Yes konrad, i will check of the little hole in the master cilinder is free. i understand the importance of that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.