Topic: Another Clutch Adjuster Removal Question

[Dr. Frankenstein]

Back to work on the 500/4 today, but the dang clutch adjuster just Will Not come out! I've tried heat, carb cleaner, Kroil, harsh language and all of the above - what's the trick? Does that ring unscrew, thereby allowing it come out, or...?

[calj737]

See if this helps

[Oddjob]

Drive it out from the outside inwards, use something like a cut off piece of a brush handle, about 1” diameter wood so that it doesn’t damage the outside surface.

[BenelliSEI]

Heat the case in your oven.

[kerryb]

Drive it out from the outside inwards, use something like a cut off piece of a brush handle, about 1” diameter wood so that it doesn’t damage the outside surface.

Is it that easy?  If you remove the clutch, there is access to the other (inside) end?

[jonda500]

Drive it out from the outside inwards, use something like a cut off piece of a brush handle, about 1” diameter wood so that it doesn’t damage the outside surface.

Is it that easy?  If you remove the clutch, there is access to the other (inside) end?

This is a 500. It's the female quick thread part of the clutch actuation mechanism that he is trying to remove! It is corroded in place so it cannot currently be rotated to adjust the clutch freeplay...
John 

[kerryb]

Thanks.

[Dr. Frankenstein]

Oddjob, I will try that...(can I borrow your hat??) You know you're old when people won't get that reference...   But is that the case? From the outside in..?

[Oddjob]

It’s not threaded into the case, the fitting is completely smooth on the outside in order for it to be able to rotate inside the sprocket cover. As Jonda says it’s corroded itself in place and doesn’t want to move, you cannot force it to move via the slot even with the special tool Honda made to adjust the clutch mechanism, the slot just isn’t strong enough. You’ve tried heat and that didn’t work, as Benelli says you could try heating the case  in the oven but I’ve always been dubious of doing that with 2 metal pieces made of the same material as I suspect they’ll just expand at the same rate and nothing changes, I’d try heating the cover on the outside of the adjuster so the cover expands away from the adjuster and then try driving it out.

I’ve removed a few of these that were stuck in place and brute force is the only thing that seems to work. Don’t try doing it from the inside out, iirc it won’t go that way and yours looks still intact where the seal fits and that thin wall breaks quite easily. You need a piece of wood almost the same size as the adjuster head. If you had a press I’d use that but most people haven’t.

Check the grease nipple for a blockage, it corroded because it got no grease and that normally means the nipple is blocked, usually caused by people tapping it with a hammer when fitting it and jamming the ball bearing down inside the nipple.

[Oddjob]

A little tip when refitting. If you look at the pics you posted you’ll see a small cutout in the flange around the adjuster, it’s this flange which stops it from going too deep and is also why it can’t be removed from the inside to the outside. This cutout lines up with a small groove in the outside face of the adjuster, at the end of this groove is a small hole which allows grease to access the inside of the adjuster, where the pushrod and ball bearing fit. Yours appears to be facing the wrong way, it’s supposed to be facing exactly 180 degrees the other way so it lines up with the small bulge you can see in the cover just below the hole for the bolt. This is the bulge  for the grease nipple, when fitting it back inside the casing, first really grease the hole, align the cutout with the bulge and make sure it moves easily via the slot, that ensures the groove is on the right side of the nipple and thus the grease feed. You will move the adjuster a little when adjusting but having the groove directly opposite the grease nipple isn’t the ideal placement.

[Dr. Frankenstein]

Hmmm. Good to know...and I DO have a press...beats banging on it, I suppose...A similarly sized socket would do the same thing, yes...?

[RAFster122s]

Heat it with a torch and apply a crayon melting it into the seam of the two parts.  Do this all the way around the opening. Then see if you can get some movement.

[BenelliSEI]

Heat the case in your oven.

Heat the case and then drop an ice cube in the piece you want to remove (so it cools rapidly and shrinks).

[Dr. Frankenstein]

...couldn't I just press it out...?? Tap it out with a BFH..??  I have both Kroil and PB Blaster...

[bryanj]

Yes and yes just take care

[HondaMan]

I might suggest applying the penetrating oil and then some heat like MAPP gas on the whole area of the case around it - not on the lifter. Do it outside, it will probably ignite the oil, need water handy! Then when the case is still warm/hot (with gloves) use something like a 50-cent-piece, ground flat along one side, and some Visegrips on it as your "turner" tool (the coin is thicker than, say, a typical washer, fitting the groove tighter). Wiggle it back & forth as much as possible for several heat-cycle attempts, which will break down the nasty corrosion in between it and the case. They are different metals, so they tried to meld (zinc in the case is pretty active) while the engine sat unused too long.

Someone once told me that to loosen things like this where the corrosion was the cement, solvents got 'better' at penetrating if they were mixed with soap and water, in equal amounts. I've used it for delicate parts like stuck carb parts, but not something this big.

[Dr. Frankenstein]

I was able to simply press it out with no problems, so I cleaned it (no rust on it anywhere) and the nipple hole (looked like old earwax coming out) and ran some 1K grit sandpaper around it and the hole, greased it up and put it back in, but it does not want to turn - it should, yes?  It's an awfully tight clearance, and it will press back in no problem, but I figured since it was the clutch adjuster,
it should be able to turn easily with a screwdriver ..?  More sanding...?

[Oddjob]

Fraid so, do both, the outside of the adjuster and the inside of the casing hole. Glad to see it came out without breaking.

[Dr. Frankenstein]

Oh, no worries - I suspected that it did, since it is called an 'adjuster' after all...at least it's big enough to get my fingers into! I use my press rarely, but it's nice to have when you need it.

[Oddjob]

Do you have a Dremel or something like one?

[calj737]

It is my advice to not use a Dremel or other similar “hard” surface tool. Instead, use ScotchBrite pads. They are very good at polishing a surface which should be adequate clearance (you only a few thousandths for movement) if you do both the inside of the hole and the outside of the adjuster. A very light film of oil when assembling will also help lap the two surfaces for clearance (moving the parts to and fro to get the adjustment movement you need).

[Oddjob]

Bit premature Calj, you have no idea what I was about to suggest. It's about what you put in the end of a Dremel not the Dremel itself. I have tools that go down to 2000 grit, that's lighter than a pumice stone on your skin. It's not the grit, it's the pressure that matters. Plus these tools can get into gaps you cannot get pads into, like this piece done entirely (well 99%) with these tools.

[Dr. Frankenstein]

I'll get there; I'll use 1K grit, some elbow grease, PB, carb cleaner, regular grease, what have you, until I get it to where it wants to turn smoothly; a bore brush and all of the above, possibly. Pretty carb, btw...

[Oddjob]

Yeah, took me 1.5 hrs to do that, it’s only one side, I was just mucking about tbh to see if I could do it and also testing some new tools that I’d just bought, they did the other 1%. I may do a full bank one day, just to see how they look when in a rack, might be ott or might look awesome, only way to know for sure is to do it.

Keep plugging away, you’ll get it in the end. Calj suggestion was a good one btw, mine just takes the effort out of it 😁😁

[HondaMan]

Just thinkin' about how we 'dressed hurriedly' for a date in the Sixties: ironed the collar and cuffs on the shirt, threw on a sportcoat and pants, grabbed the keys to the awaiting V8 in the driveway...your 1/2 carb made me think about that.

[calj737]

Bit premature Calj, you have no idea what I was about to suggest. It's about what you put in the end of a Dremel not the Dremel itself. I have tools that go down to 2000 grit, that's lighter than a pumice stone on your skin. It's not the grit, it's the pressure that matters. Plus these tools can get into gaps you cannot get pads into, like this piece done entirely (well 99%) with these tools.

Different task for a different tool, Oddjob. Regardless of how much pressure you apply with a spinning tool, the amount of surface material you remove is not nearly as controllable as doing so by hand. For a carb body, sure, have at it with a Dremel; it’s a very good choice. To clearance a hole whose diameter is significantly larger than the bit, I’d rely on hand technique with a fine grit pad. A few rotations on each part and you’re likely to have all the clearance you need. As I said, you need only remove thousandths to have proper movement.