Topic: Clutch Not Working, missing peice but dontknow what it is.

[AntiRiceCRX]

OK, when i first started working on my 72 500 i noticed the clutch wasn't working, i couldn't get the side cover off(without stripping the screws) but i took out this one little bolt that was near that big round thing with the slot in it(like for a big flat head screw driver) , i took this little 10mm bolt(i think) out and i herd something fall behind the cover. I was pissed and just forgot about it.

So now that its running, i was driving it around the block and the clutch just slowly stopped working, there cable isn't broken, but theres no resistance at the lever like there is when its working. I took off the cover and could see where the bolt that i took out had been, it was holding something in there and I'm thinking whatever that little bolt holds is what i need and missing that piece is why my clutch isn't working.

Help me out(maybe just some pics of the inside of the cover on a working clutch)

[Bill Vaughan]

The  "big round thing" is the clutch adjuter and is used to properly tension the clutch mechanisim.  The 10mm bolt holds the clutch adjuster fixing piece in place, which in turn, holds the clutch adjuster at the proper adjustment.  The fixing piece most likely became road debris when you ran the bike without the 10mm bolt in place and you will not be able to properly adjust the clutch without it.

The fixing piece is "V" shaped, 2" or so in length, with a hole at the bottom. 

[AntiRiceCRX]

any clue on a part number or where i could find one? I have tried using partsfish.com but it doesnt show up on there diagrams, would it be the same as the CB550?

[Noel]

Didn't buy the manual I linked, didja?

Dude, trust me: if you're going to be unscrewing stuff that you don't know what is, you need the manual.

I mean, I know you know how nice that bike is, and how lucky you were to get it.

If you #$%* it up people might just come after you.

[AntiRiceCRX]

lol, i got the manual but it didnt help.i got some old hardback manual for 350-550cc fours, with a pic of a guy in a black suit racing A cb with black 4-1 header going through a turn, cant remember the brand tho. has performance stuff in it too, its pretty cool, the clymer manual is better? anyone wanna look in theirs?

btw, i need to post some new pics, i got a mac black/chrome header, new tires, front fender, and made a custom fiberglass seat(still gotta cover it tho). My dyna elect ignition, 3 ohm coils , plug wires, and chrome pod filters should be here soon too. then i need to do some jetting. she runs awesome tho, sounds bad assssss and i just registered and insured it before it broke WHICH SUCKS!

[Noel]

It didn't break. You broke it. There's a difference. 

The Clymer manual is decent, especially for a first manual. Some folks around here hate it because it does contain a few *ahem* factual inaccuracies, but I still think it's a good place to start.

You can also download a copy of the shop manual from http://www.honda4fun.com/man_officina/man_officina.html. Scroll down to the dark blue manual for the 500 (It's the fourth one down) and download and print the whole damn thing. Mine lives in a three ring binder.

The only downsides to that one are that the pics are a bit low resolution and that the whole thing is on the technical side. But between the Clymer book and the shop manual you should have most of your bases covered.

[turtle]

You should be able to find the part you need here.
http://www.davidsilverspares.co.uk/cgi-bin/dss2-cgi/Catalogue.pl

[seaweb11]

Man, go on Ebay and at least make an effort to sort yourself a bit with a proper manual before ranting on and on about pods and chrome bits.  

YOU LOST A PIECE OF YOUR BIKE!
 I'm fairly confident you will need the clutch in a somewhat working condition to RIDE.
I would put that a smidgen higher on the what the fu%$ hierarchy of what to do next.

Can't wait for the photos:

[oldbiker]

The part No. is  22844-323-000.  about $4 from Service Honda

[AntiRiceCRX]

thanks for Yes, i have a manual, i just forgot i lent it to my friend,my uncle gave it to me with the bike, its a Clymer and its a hardback and very old, says Yoshimura Racing Service on it too(is this rare/hard to get) the back is full of performance tuning tips and parts you can get(which are no longer available for the most part). On the cover is a fixed up CB750 with yoshi 4-1, and a massive oil cooler on the front.

that part number!

Im not retarded or anything, i was trying to take off the cover and the next day my dad got it running so i totally forgot to put the side cover back together in my excitment of riding it haha. So take it easy.

[Bodi]

You should take the cover off and see what's still there and if any parts are sitting in the bottom of the case or in the oilpan.
I'm not sure what parts can actually fall off onto the road, anything inside the engine case won't though.
That Clymer manual may not still be available new but it isn't rare. They come up on ebay regularly. The bike on the cover is a 400F.

[AntiRiceCRX]

Yea, the cover is off, i dont really understand how that big peice could have come out, or how i have been driving the bike with no problems for so long with that peice not even bolted in, but its obviously missing. I just got back from the junkyard and just my luck, the junk yard office burnt down, they sold the land, and some out-of-state salvage company bought all the bikes. and the honda shop tells me the part i need is "no longer available"

[malcolmgb]

Bettencourts & Western Hills both show that part as available approx $5, also at CMSNL

[AntiRiceCRX]

I have ordered the part, for now i cut out a little peice of aluminum to hold it untill it comes in the mail. still having problems adjusting the clutch, it seems like its not fully dissengaging,clicking into first while running and sitting still makes a loud bang and the bike nugges foward, and its not fully engaging either, when i shift at full throttle and high rpm its letting the clutch slip, could the clutch be bad in a bike with 4,205 miles on it? I think im just not adjusting it right. What affect does the adjusting nut about the side cover have?

[78 k550]

You looking for the fork that holds the actuater in?

[AntiRiceCRX]

I was*

[number13]

Heed these words of wisdom, from the Tech archives:

http://sohc4.us/node/44

Some great general advice there, I followed these
instructions for my 73 500 and
it made a world of difference.

LOL, mate.

[AntiRiceCRX]

that helps alot, thanks bossman

[TwoTired]

clicking into first while running and sitting still makes a loud bang and the bike nugges foward, and its not fully engaging either, when i shift at full throttle and high rpm its letting the clutch slip, could the clutch be bad in a bike with 4,205 miles on it? I think im just not adjusting it right. What affect does the adjusting nut about the side cover have?

Probably all of the above.
 It is a wet clutch and spring pressure keeps it engaged.   A long time of sitting may have squeezed out the oil that normally swells the friction plates.  There are many friction plates and when they lose their thickness, the clutch slips as the springs run out of travel and pressure on the clutch pack.
If you haven't glazed them by slipping too much. A good soak in oil might help them recover.
Something, you might try is letting it sit over night with the clutch pulled in (cable tie, rope, etc).  This might allow the oil to soak back into the friction disks and allow them to swell up again.  It would be helpfull to spin the clutch in the oil bath, too.  By turning the rear wheel in gear occasionally, so a different section of the clutch disks are coated with oil.  The alternative is to take them out and soak them or replace them with new disks that were soaked over night.

 Wet clutches are sensitive to the oil used, too.  "Energy conserving" oils are a no no.  If you used that, then your clutch is ruined.  What oil do you have in the bike?

I will warn you that a dragging clutch will bend shift forks and damage gear dogs inside the trans.  Jerking into gear, as you describe, will soon destroy the trans.

If you can't get the clutch adjusted so it will not drag, you may have a grooved or worn clutch actuating rod.  Better take that out and examine it.  If I recall, there is a ball at the clutch side that can wear out.  May have to take the clutch off to get to it, but the end of the actuating rod will look funny if that's a problem.  Post a pic if you're not sure.

The adjust nut on the side cover (actually a screw slot) determines how close the actuator is to the actuator rod.  And thus, where the clutch lever engages.  The lock down claw or fork you lost and bolt lock that adjuster in place after you have removed the slack from the lever.
There is another cable adjustment at the lever, too, which should be adjusted for minimal showing threads, before making adjustments at the  cover slot and cable end at the engine unit.

Cheers,

[AntiRiceCRX]

I think i put sythetic in it, thats probably whats making it slip so bad, but once my fork comes in, i can properly adjust everything. probably best to not drive it till i get the new fork in, i got it rigged with a bolt and a big washer so i cant really adjust it from the outside.

[TwoTired]

Synthetic oil is okay.  But, the brand, or more importantly, the additive package it is blended with, is what to look out for.  What did the label say it was intended to be used in?

[mbrock307]

Well, brother....  if it's completely f*cked, i have two decent complete clutch assemblies that should work on it, let me know if u need one

[AntiRiceCRX]

i just put some castrol sytec in it, the same stuff i put in my Honda CRX



Acura Integra Fuel Injected D16A1(.1 liter,1 cam, and 50hp better than the stock Carbureted D15A2)


Custom made CF hood and hood mounted PIAA lamps


My clean 93 Civic $300 project car, engine after rebuild(by me  )

[78 k550]

Anti,
Just pay for shipping and its yours. This is for the fork that holds down the  clutch acuator in the pic I posted?

[TwoTired]

i just put some castrol sytec in it, the same stuff i put in my Honda CRX

Your CRX doesn't have a wet clutch bathed in engine oil.
Castrol Syntec is labeled as energy conserving.  And, the oil manufacturing weasels have allowed this oil, derived from much cheaper petroleum base stock, to be labeled as a synthetic.  Yet they still charge you synthetic prices to pad their wallets.

Anyway, the additives in this oil have likely destroyed the friction disks in your clutch and it will probably slip until you flush out every bit of the additives now coating the insides of your engine first, and then replace all the clutch disks.

What a pity...