05 950 Adv- lost my clutch while riding-need some help

Beautiful day in Florida, and unseasonably cold this morning. Fully suited up, new helmet this week for my birthday(unfortunately a street helmet but still too much wind noise). Riding and enjoying the scenery and I noticed that the clutch engagement point was really close to the grip and the lever seemed spongy. I was headed toward home and realized it was getting worse and worse. Last 10 miles I had no clutch and was in town. If I could find neutral at the light fine, otherwise it just cut off. What a PITA.

So, does this sound like the clutch slave? How can I check and what is the preferred replacement?


I have 16K miles on it and i guess its getting to that age; far as I know its original and believe it has the original water pump and fuel pump too. scary to think about those going out.

Open the clutch master cylinder lid and look for fluid..

No fluid, most likely the slave has gone leaky.. You can fill it if you want and watch the slave for leaks as you pump the lever.

If you have fluid, then it may be internal clutch problem. Less likely .

Exact same thing happened to me. Very likely the slave. If the master leaks, it tends to get all over your leg. The slave typically leaks on the ground, so you'll probably find it wet below the slave. If so, the best solution is an aftermarket slave.

If it is wet means your m/c failed. Most common failure happens to the slave cyl. Filling up will not get you far (10min max)
Cheers.

Likely the problem is just nasty black fluid with gritty goo. Or it least it probly started that way......Gotta replace that Mineral oil once a year or it'll do that. Then the gritty goo fails the seal on the M/C and/or Slave.

If you get to it in time, you should be OK.
Flush it all, pull the slave and take it apart to clean it all. Clean out the M/C also.....Then refill and bleed.
Many here will say ATF lasts longer than Mineral Oil.

Sounds like something to try, yes the slave is wet. regarding bleeding I have one of those syringe so you push the fluid up from the bottom, guess I need to make sure all the brake fluid is out. I have fork oil I am positive so maybe give it a whirl. You are also saying pull the slave and clean it up so I will see what gives. I see we are down to only a few replacements now that Evo is out. My clutch has been working fine, any reason to pull the push rod?

I would not pull the rod. You have a slave problem. Fix the slave.

The slave would be me- you know clean up, do the yard, maintain the toys and the house

Yea, looks like it pee'd out all the fluid, however i can verify for sure because I have a screw in the master cover that doesnt want to budge :eek1

I pulled the slave off and there is what looks like rust behind it, chunky, rusty, oily, nasty. Still havent been able to get the cover off the master. Need to get a impact driver to loosen the screw. wonder what it will look like inside. The pin was very loose inside the push rod and the rod seems easy to pull out which I am hoping is normal?

as it's an '05 you've gotten more life (in yrs) out of your clutch slave cylinder than a lot of Inmates have.

Oberon makes the best slave cylinder for the LC8 engine. Superior seal (not an o-ring or stack of o-rings) and the bleed valve is built into the banjo bolt so it always catches & holds the air bubble for easy bleeding

I use 10w fork oil, CJRacer likes Mobil 1 syntho ATF.

DON'T go back to the mineral oil...

I'd order a clutch master cylinder rebuild kit 50302032000 & do it all at the same time- the mineral oil tends to pick up & hold the aluminium alloy debris and the seal lips get worn. Just flush your line & wash out your master cylinder reservoir to get rid of all the nasty junk. You'll have better feel as well once you're done.

Also, when you replace the clutch slave, pack grease around the back of it inside the black plastic spacer; this will stop water/chain lube/dirt from getting in there and causing this problem in the future

As for the master cover, it is better to get a Phillips bit that will fit your screw well; then put it in an adaptor & use a ratchet/breaker bar to twist on the screw. Using an impact works but can also damage/break the master cylinder/mount. New screws with a touch of moly grease to stop them getting stuck again. Don't overtighten! I also loosen/retighten the screws on all master cylinder covers from time to time to keep them free

Geometrician thank you for the info. I did get the cover off without damage thankfully. What little fluid is in there is pretty black. Is there a how to on rebuilding the master cylinder; didnt see it first pass in the HOW. Not sure I understand what parts to replace in there. Am sure its a good idea.

Clean all the parts up with any good product,, the rubber bits all need replaced while your in there,,, then put it back together and go. should be o-rings and maybe a dust seal at the plunger connection to the lever.

They are a pretty simple gadget. Just look at the bore and piston for any bad scratchies or gouges..

Dave

http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=756603&page=4

So replacing the seals is not lasting long. You should start looking for fixing solutions.
Cheers.

Now the question is which one??>>
http://www.oberon-performance.com/c...e_Cylinders_KCSC.html#aCLU_2d0121#aCLU_2d0121

OR Sigutech

http://www.ktmtwins.com/ktm-sigutech-billet-slave-cylinder

Cheers.

I did not have a leak at the master cylinder but bought the MC rebuild kit, now need to know which slave I should go with from the two choices?

Am guessing when I get it all I should go with the ATF fluid? Live in Florida if that helps at all, high humidity and a very hot garage (which is why in the summer I am having such a hard time with the ethanol gas, even with the additive )

I would get the cheaper one.
Cheers.

the seals are equal then it sounds like. If thats the case and I assume either is better than stock so sounds good to me.

Low viscosity means less hand work. In traffic it can get too much work. Cheers.

Gefr, thanks, any weight in particular or whatever handy? I know have a full bottle of maybe 7 or 10.