Clutch damper springs rattling?

[Guest]

Hi guys,

I hope I'm not wearing out my welcome here. My '81 GS850G still has an intermittent rattling/clanging sound that I'm fairly certain are the clutch damper springs (on the backside of the clutch hub) rattling around. I've already replaced the ones that go in from the outside of the clutch with a set of new, OEM springs, but that didn't fix the noise. I've seen a few videos on Youtube that demonstrate the sound, as well as a few others that show the springs being moved around in their slots with a screwdriver quite a bit, but what I haven't seen is anything that tells me what to do to tighten them up. I did see (and download) a tutorial by TKent02 that basically says to spread the springs back apart by twisting a large screwdriver between the coils, but is there a better way? Can these springs be bought new? I looked at the fiche on the Babbitts Suzuki Partshouse website, and it doesn't show these springs.

As always, thanks a heap.....

Scott

 

[Nessism]

http://www.theflyingbanana.com/clutchhub.htm

 

[Guest]

See...... that's why I love this forum so much. There's very little about these bikes that isn't known by somebody on here. Thanks Ed!

So is there such a thing as buying NEW springs? It seems that they tend to collapse over time. I saw a Youtube video that showed a guy spreading them back apart so they don't rattle any more, and I may try that, but that seems like a temporary fix at best.

 

[Nessism]

You can shim the springs with a thick washer. I did that on a 1000 hub and it quieted down the rattle noise. Rebuilding the hub with a HD back plate and springs is a popular option although I'm not aware of a 850 kit. Maybe the 1100E kit will fit? Not sure. I had another 1000 with a hub rebuild with HD springs and back plate and the clutch action on that bike was superior. The stiffer springs work nicely to cush the takeoff lash.

 

[bobgroger]

The big nut that holds the hub on has been known to loosen up as well....

 

[Guest]

Yup, my big nut is nice and tight. I checked that already. Rebuilding the hub with a HD backing plate is probably overkill for the kind of riding I do.

So if I go the washer-as-shim route, how do I fit them in? Can they go in from the "face" side, or do I have to grind off the heads of the rivets so I can put them in from the back?

 

[bwringer]

My preferred method...

Rattling clutch hub springs on a GS850 sit on the line between "character" and "actual problem". Ignoring or even learning to love the added wee tiny bit of noise is a viable option.

 

[Guest]

My preferred method...

Rattling clutch hub springs on a GS850 sit on the line between "character" and "actual problem". Ignoring or even learning to love the added wee tiny bit of noise is a viable option.

With my personality, it will never be "character", it will only be something that isn't perfect and must be fixed.

So what in the world are those two pink and yellow blobs?

 

[rustybronco]

They're called ear plugs.

 

[Guest]

They're called ear plugs.

DOH! Silly me.

 

[londonboards]

In actual fact the deep rumbling sound is not that which is produced by lose springs. They rattle. The rumble of often the issue that the hub moves laterally on the shaft and ends up (due to the helicoil gearing on the primary drive) moving from side to side. In later GS1150 models this play was shimmed and you could get various shim sizes according to need. Also the very little rubber bung (about 2mm in length) that sits behind the hub and rests on the oil pump gear, is almost always missing. New ones are still available and they do drop the level of clatter.

Here's a link to all my clutch rattle vids. One of them will give you an answer: Clutch Rattle Vids

Greetings