Need Help with Clutch!!

[Guest]

So I have an issue with my clutch on my '82 850G. I went to start the bike and it was cranking slow. The battery has plenty of juice in it but it wouldn't turn the engine over enough to get it started. It was like there was resistance stopping the starter motor from turning. It would half turn over than die again.

Also I cannot get the bike to roll freely in gear with the clutch pulled in. Its tough to shift even when parked. The clutch will not disengage the motor.

I am not sure how to go about trying to fix it, I need help. The bike ran great last Wednesday and started up fine. When I filled up on gas then and re-started the bike was also slow to crank that day. Today it wouldn't crank at all to start.

Any advice is greatly needed. Thanks.

[Runningdog]

Start with a clutch adjustment. If the cable is already stretched too far to make a difference, put a new cable on.

If these dry maintenance tasks don't fix it, you'll have to go into the wet clutch case, check all connections in there, check clutch springs (relatively cheap fix).

Good luck, post what eventually fixed the problem, others may have same issue pop up

[Ross]

TimTom, A common thing in the colder times for for the clutch cable to get sticky. The first thing I would try is very simple. Leave the cable attached to the lever. Disconnect it at the clutch pull rod at the transmission. Pull the lever and see if it can be pulled away. most times, not always but the cable itself will get all bound up inside the cable housing. If that is what is happening, take the cable off and work the cable inside the housing back and forth. Lube it up real good while you continue to pull the cable back and forth in the housing..

[SqDancerLynn1]

FYI a shaft drive is harder to push when not running.
Sounds like a starter problem if the battery is OK. You are trying to start in neutral yes ? What kind / weight of oil are you using ?

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Test your battery, charging system, and starter. Make sure all the electrical connection are clean. It could be something as simple as a dirty starter button switch.

Make sure the starter is firmly seated in the starter cavity and bolted properly. Make sure the positive wire from the solenoid has clean connections and is securely connected.

Go through The Stator Papers to test your charging system. Make sure the connections between the stator and r/r unit are clean and tight. Run the ground wire from the r/r unit directly to the negative terminal of the battery. Clean all related electrical connections, including the fusebox.

You'll find lots of information gathered on my little website. Start with the READ ME page. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[BadBillyB]

The first thing that came to mind when I read your post is the possibility the petcock is bad and fuel ran into the cylinder that the vacuum hose is connected to. This causes that cylinder to "hydraulicly lock" .....Pull the plugs and see if it turns over freely with the starter (disable the ignition in case fuel shoots out the plug holes) . When you crank the bike in neutral, the clutch is not even a factor......Billy

[Tim Tom]

Start with a clutch adjustment. If the cable is already stretched too far to make a difference, put a new cable on.

If these dry maintenance tasks don't fix it, you'll have to go into the wet clutch case, check all connections in there, check clutch springs (relatively cheap fix).

Good luck, post what eventually fixed the problem, others may have same issue pop up

I tried adjusting the cable it didn't help.

TimTom, A common thing in the colder times for for the clutch cable to get sticky. The first thing I would try is very simple. Leave the cable attached to the lever. Disconnect it at the clutch pull rod at the transmission. Pull the lever and see if it can be pulled away. most times, not always but the cable itself will get all bound up inside the cable housing. If that is what is happening, take the cable off and work the cable inside the housing back and forth. Lube it up real good while you continue to pull the cable back and forth in the housing..

I disconnected it from the transmission but I didn't check if it moved freely on its own. One more thing to try.

FYI a shaft drive is harder to push when not running.
Sounds like a starter problem if the battery is OK. You are trying to start in neutral yes ? What kind / weight of oil are you using ?

The battery is fine. I'm using the Rotella Heavy duty oil.

Hi,

Test your battery, charging system, and starter. Make sure all the electrical connection are clean. It could be something as simple as a dirty starter button switch.

Go through The Stator Papers to test your charging system. Make sure the connections between the stator and r/r unit are clean and tight. Run the ground wire from the r/r unit directly to the negative terminal of the battery. Clean all related electrical connections, including the fusebox.

BassCliff

I was also thinking that it was time to pull out the contact cleaner and voltmeter. Can't hurt to do it.

The first thing that came to mind when I read your post is the possibility the petcock is bad and fuel ran into the cylinder that the vacuum hose is connected to. This causes that cylinder to "hydraulicly lock" .....Pull the plugs and see if it turns over freely with the starter (disable the ignition in case fuel shoots out the plug holes) . When you crank the bike in neutral, the clutch is not even a factor......Billy

This could also be. It turned over enough to sorta fire up when I tried push-starting (BTW don't ever want to do that again, it is one heavy beast) but then it died after just a burble of life. If there was hydraulic lock wouldn't it not turn over at all?

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. When I get some time coming up I'm gonna try some stuff and see what I can do. I will keep updating as I either fix it or become more stumped