It's always something, isn't it?

discussions specific to the 750 Paso

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fasterdammit
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It's always something, isn't it?

Post by fasterdammit »

Sometimes I wonder if my Old Blue is just being creative in finding odd things to go awry in her old age. You know, trying to keep the spark alive (wholly unnecessary).

I took a ride the other day, and the clutch felt like there was air in the line. It was working well enough, but it wasn't right - and I had the feeling if I ignored it, it would become a full-blown Not Right. So when I got back to the garage, I figured it's been a couple years, why not take 15 minutes and bleed the clutch.

I get it all set up, pump the lever a couple times, hold it, loosen the bleeder ... clutch fluid comes out, with a couple bubbles. I was right! Then I close the bleeder, and slowly release the lever as I'm watching the bleeder and ... fluid goes back in. :shock: Wait. What? The bleed screw is tight (check)? So I pump the lever and ... fluid comes out. :mad: Grr ... WTF?

So drain the clutch. Upon closer investigation of the bleeder, I see a little sliver of metal at the top. That can't be anything good. So I start take the bleed screw out by hand and ... out come the top four or five threads, in a single piece, wrapped around the bleeder. Are you kidding?! Really?

Ayup. The threads in the bleeder broke right out of the bore hole. There are a couple clutch covers on Ebay ($225-250USD), or I could drill & tap the bore to use an 11mm bleeder - but I worry about the contact point at the bottom of the bore. So I'm trying a bleeder repair kit:
Image
Basically you bore out the hole, bleeder 'cup' and all, tap & thread in a new (larger) bleed screw insert. I just worry whether there's enough material between the main clutch line inlet and the bleed channels for the insert to fit without compromising either one. We'll see, I guess. Stayed tuned.

If this isn't going to fit, has anyone seen a system that incorporates the bleeder into the banjo bolt that holds the line, or some other solution?
Just because you're not dead doesn't necessarily mean you're living, either.
1988 Paso 750 #753965
1997 Monster 750
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paso750
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Re: It's always something, isn't it?

Post by paso750 »

banjo bolts with bleeder nipple can easily be found.
https://www.google.de/search?q=banjo+bo ... 77&bih=798

Did you overtighten the bleeder bolt ?
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fasterdammit
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Re: It's always something, isn't it?

Post by fasterdammit »

paso750 wrote:Did you overtighten the bleeder bolt ?
I didn't think so, so that's why I'm stumped. Plus, the clutch felt fine since I bled it last (maybe 2 years ago), until this last ride. (And I put a bunch of miles on it last year, once I got it back on the road.) Even this year, it still worked ok, but it just started having had a late engagement and kind of springy feel - not its typical pull.

Glad I wasn't just daydreaming the bleeder/banjos. I think that'll be my second option, if this repair kit doesn't work. I don't know how I'd keep the air out of the bleed channel in the slave if I simply capped it with a bolt. There's always going to be a pocket there, unless I filled it with solder, JB weld or something ... ?
Just because you're not dead doesn't necessarily mean you're living, either.
1988 Paso 750 #753965
1997 Monster 750
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Re: It's always something, isn't it?

Post by Mc tool »

I tried to helicoil a bleed nipple thread on a F09, and made an unbelievable #uck-up of it and now there is a 6mm cap screw and copper washer blocking the hole . Works real good .... just messy to bleed :)
I wish I was young again............Id be heaps smarter than last time
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fasterdammit
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Re: It's always something, isn't it?

Post by fasterdammit »

I worried about the pressure w/ a helicoil. I've tapped new threads before, but haven't done a helicoil; I didn't want to screw it up, then have the fluid leak out around the new coil as soon as I squeezed the lever ...
Just because you're not dead doesn't necessarily mean you're living, either.
1988 Paso 750 #753965
1997 Monster 750
Mc tool
paso grand pooh-bah
Posts: 1875
Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2007 12:35 am
model: 906 Paso
year: 1990
Location: Newzealand

Re: It's always something, isn't it?

Post by Mc tool »

The real issue is getting the helicoil thread in line with and concentric to the nipple seat in the housing , so that the nipple seats correctly , however all aint lost if there is a wee bit of misalignment ..... file the tip of the nipple flat and sorta square and then drop a 3-4mm ball bearing down the hole before screwing in the ( flattened ) nipple ........self aligning
I wish I was young again............Id be heaps smarter than last time
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fasterdammit
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Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2005 12:00 am
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Re: It's always something, isn't it?

Post by fasterdammit »

That's a great idea w/ the ball bearing. I'll have to keep that in mind. For now though, I'm back on the road with the bleeder repair kit. Wound up taking the clutch cover to a local metal shop to let them drill & tap the new hole with a mill. Figured that'd be a lot more precise than me doing it by hand on my bench. And sure enough - it was! Reassembled it all and bled it back yesterday - works great. It was a good excuse to stick my nose into the clutch too. I've still got some life in those plates yet ...
Just because you're not dead doesn't necessarily mean you're living, either.
1988 Paso 750 #753965
1997 Monster 750
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