Replacing Friction Plates and Compression Springs

Mkay. So I've ordered my new plates and springs and have no real idea how to perform the functions necessary to this operation properly.
I have a general idea, but no real direction. Remove the shifter, not sure how but ok. Remove the cover. 6 allen bolts. and the plates and springs are above where the shifter pedal is correct?
Just lookin for anyone thats done this so I can get a basic idea and some help
Thanks guys! Always appreciated
-D Dog

 

I've done this operation but don't remeber the exact details. There should be a pinch bolt on the shifter. It needs to be removed completely in order to pull the shft lever off the shaft. On my bike anyway. You probably need a gasket in addition to the parts you have listed.

Get yourself a service/repair manual. A picture is worth a thousand words. You'll need to know the correct tightening torques as well.

 

I don't know for sure if your bike is like mine but on mine the clutch is located on the right side on the engine under the nice big cover by the oil cap :wink: . It's not too bad of a job though it helps if you have the right tools, (torque wrench is essential). Bascially here are the steps as I remember them:

-Remove the clutch cover.
-Remove the six? bolts on the compression springs.
-Slide out the main plate thingy (I forget what its called) it is good to make a note of the fact that there is a dot on the main plate thingy that lines up with a dot on the big back thingy.
-Slide out the friction plates noting the sequence.
-Install new plates.
Now "Assembly is the reverse of dissassembly". Don't forget to torque all the bolts down to the correct torque.

 

Anyone know correct torques?? I dont ahve a torque wrench but I can borow one. I've been looking for a manual for less than 60-70 buck on ebay. Would love one, but for $70 I can buy a new tire!

 

xj CD...it has all the service and owners manual....plus a plethora of other information. Best $10 I ever spent.

 

You should have a Manual There are Haynes manuals for free download on the Net Find one it will make sense of it all. Don't really need a TQ wrench Just spark plug tight is "dine" (small screws into soft aluminum.) IF you must have one a simple cheap Craftsman Beam Type is a very good choice as Clicker types are V finicky, needing constant calibration and expensive as mid priced ones are often Junk quality. Actual TQ accuracy is not as important as similar TQ on all the screws.
G'luck.

 

The clutch spring screws only go to 5.8ft/lb which is NOT super tight at all BE CAREFUL.

Check the plain plates for signs of being burnt (blueing) and to be sure they're not warped. If the bike sat for any period of time you will see the marks left on the plates from the friction pads. You can very effectively clean up the plain plates with Scotchbrite (NOT steel wool.)

If you put the bike on the sidestand, you probably won't lose any oil, or maybe just a bit (if you run "overfilled" by a few CC's.) Just remember any residue, crud, debris that falls in the housing will go directly into the sump.
I usually fold up a couple of clean shop rags and shove in under the basket to catch anything that might want to fall in.

Be sure to fit a new cover gasket.

 

So putting it on the sidestand, not the centerstand, will keep me from loosing oil?? Neat! I picked up scotchbright pads months ago for the job. So I'ma clean up all the drive plates and replace all friction plates and get my clutch back to awesome status. Not, i'ma revv my engine 5 times to pass you status.
I've also got this non setting gasket maker that works pretty well on everything else I've used it on. Blue sticky stuff.
I've been lookin on the net for a manual but cant seem to find one. I'll keep searchin. XJCD sounds like a great deal
-Diesel D.

 

Hey SLKid, they didn't make a Haynes or Clymers manual for the XJ700N. I bought the Yamaha XJ 650 750 Service Manual 1980 - 1984. The engines are virtually the same as the XJ700N. The only real manual for your bike is the Yamaha Service manual and, you're right they're expensive. I own the PDF version & the paper one. It's kinda nice to be able to flip between the two paper manuals while researching a maintenance issue, one or the other will have better pictures or clearer techniques for the "how to" stuff.

Hope this helps
Ken

 

I will respectfully disagree amigo. Tightening a steel fastener into aluminum is not a place for the inexperienced to risk stripping the basket out. And given the torque spec is 5.8 ft/lbs, it is very doubtful that anyone has a calibrated wrist. Spark plugs are torqued to 14 ft/lbs so the spark plug gauge is too much.

Again I will disagree. I've owned both beam and click types. Beam types are ok for lug nuts and cast iron heads, not aluminum heads and castings. Beams tend to be more difficult to get a repeatable torque out of as the user must ensure that they see the gradients at perpendicular angles each time to ensure accuracy. Not so with the clickers. I've had my clickers calibrated several times over the last 20 years and have not had to adjust a one. Not ONE. And this goes for my cheapie Harbor Freight clickers too. So I'm gonna throw up the flag on this one. As for finicky, if you store them correctly (they should be in a case or drawer, not bouncing around in the box with your wrenches) and don't drop them, they will last years and provide reliable service.

This is just not so. If you torque all of your head nuts the same but at less than their required torque, you will blow the head gasket wouldn't you? Accuracy is VERY important. Now to give you your kudos, consistency does matter as well so I will agree with you on that. If you torque accurately, you should see consistent results. Any anomalies should be suspect and investigated straight away. Stretched or stripped fasteners are trouble looking for a place to happen.

On this we will both agree.
SLKid, don't forget to soak the new friction disks in fresh oil for about half an hour before installation. A new gasket isn't a bad idea either. Be sure to check for burrs on the basket fingers and smooth any that you find. If the basket is too badly chunked, replace it.

 

hey SLKid,
After this clutch job is done HOLD ON TIGHT I did mine last winter and that first 1st to 2nd gear 9k shift almost left me sitting in the middle of the road. lol
James

 

"Wipe" the empty Basket with Panty Hose.
Any place the Nylons snag ... Dress with Finishing Paper glued to a Paint Stir Stick or a Knife Sharpening "Wet Stone"

 

Thats very interesting! The basket, that would be the housing for the plates??

Fantastic! Didnt know this. I absolutely love the info i find on here. Thanks guys. On monday night I'll be able to work on this so dont be suprised if I come back with more questions. I cant wait to get this fixed. Thank you so much
-Golds

 

Need to be very carfull of how the disks go back in. One is marked and must be put in the same way as it came out. It is a realatively easy task. The first friction plate, I believe that you see when you remove all the covers and such should have a notch in it, mark it on the basket as that is the same place the new one has to go. I should have some pics in my gallery of when I did mine.Oh, do the oil change also.drain it, install and add fresh oil.

 

Capy that gallery is incredible. Waaaay better than the manuals description. I was even looking in the wrong place for my clutch! I thought it was on the other side under the starter. Duuuhh... Lol ya'll always make me feel so dumb sometimes.
So I'll find that notch ooonn.. Monday I think. I get my parts in tomorrow or mon so I'ma go ahead and do this. Stoked. Sounds rather easy to me. Much easier than the carbs. Like most things on our bikes.
-Chris

 

Glad I could have been some help. I think all said, it took me about an hour from start to finish. I also would recomend being easy on it for about the first 100 miles or so. It will take a little time for the new clutch to seat. If you have anymore question, feel free to ask, were here to help.

 

Ran across this from a very reliable source.

Clutch Friction Discs:

NOTE: XJ700 and XJ900RK models also use the primary friction discs listed below as the secondary friction disc. Originally, the secondary friction disc was a unique (different) part, featuring a v-cut in one of the tab ears, that was aligned into a particular slot in the clutch basket. The superseded OEM and standard aftermarket discs have no such v-cut tab, and install the same as all the other primary friction discs (meaning, no particular orientation is necessary).


I'm not really sure why the original disc had a v-cut in it, I can see absolutely nothing unique about it, and we've never had a problem with anyone not running it. So go ahead and install the discs and ignore that issue!


As soon as my exs sister has time I'ma start this project. She works on trucks and wants to see how a motorcycle clutch system works.
-Chris

 

When i did mine, I recieved a set with one with the v so I just followed recomendations. If you get a set without, I would stick with your findings.

As for your sister, It is pretty much the same as a muti disc clutch in a truck only these are wet (oil soaked) instead of dry systems.

Hope all goes well.

 

After you remove the Clutch Case Cover ... lay-out some Newspapers on the floor ... right where you are working.

As you Remove a piece ... lay it down on the paper.
Keep it organized.
Let the newspaper soak-up the oil.

Get the new Parts and exchange them with the old ones.
In order.
If the Drivers are scratched. Take them to an AutoBody Shop and "Dress" them while they lay flat on the Bench.
320 - 400 - 600 - 800 and 1000.
Apply a new finish using a Dual-Action (D/A) Sander.

 

If i could afford an auto body shop i would Mr Massey.
I've got scotch bright pads and a very fine file to clean up the dogs and the plates.
My only concern is gettin those bolts out without breakin em!
-Chris

 

You can use a thck piece of glass and some honing grit and sandpaper to keep it on the cheap side for yor steels.

 

Friction Plates and Compression Springs (Install Prob)

So i got my new springs and plates and a new gasket in and was putting the cover on.
I cracked the cover in half......
The crack is small enough to fill with JB weld after I get it installed back on, but heres my problem
That stud in the center of the clutch basket is supposed to seat in the hole of the cover right? And fit in with the gear thats in the cover? I put on the cover and started tightening down the bolts and "CRRRAAACK" bam cracked it... The stud didnt seat properly
Is there a trick to getting that stud into that hole? I tried numerous times to get it in, like an hour, and I run out of daylight with no sucess... Am I dumb??
-Chris

 

To get it to seat you have to line up the teeth of the 'stud' with the teeth of the gear on the cover. I find that sometimes the teeth can hang up on each other so you have to turn the external portion of the shaft connected to the gear on the clutch cover. Hopefully with a little playing around and jiggling it will all slip together with no force require. Just make sure to line up the teeth of the stud and the internal gear. Also don't tighten anything down if you can't get it to seat prefectly by hand.

 

Just found that one out.. the hard way.. JB weld can take care of the crack though.. Its not.. Busted.. The centerpiece still is completely intact..
I just cant seem to get the teeth lined up!! I've been trying to get it to seat for 3 hours total now and I wanna throw something!
I've got it at a 45 degree angle to the rear and even tweaking it a little to get it to work but its just so... RAR. Gonna go back out and try it again. Something so easy has become so complicated for no reason.. so annoying...
-Chris

 

Ok. Got it back on!!! It was like angels singing in a choir when I finally got it in place! Awwwwhaaahaaaahhhawwwwh!!!<---Choir music
Anyway.
Now that its on I'm wotking on gettting my clutch cable back to where it needs to be.. Getting all the lash out is hard! any suggestions?
-Chris

 

Sure. Take the arm off the spindle. Rotate the spindle clockwise (viewed from above) until it stops. At this point the gears have lifted the "hat" aginst the inside of the pressure plate. Put the arm back on, in a position just to the rear of the little cast-in rectangular "mark" on the cover. Adjust cable at handlebars so adjuster is screwed in about halfway. Adjust at clutch housing to remove most of the freeplay. Fine-tune from the handlebar end.

 

I jsut test drove her and she shifted hard and wont find neutral at a stop. But Fitz, that second step with rotating the spindle is what I didnt do. Didnt say it in the manual! Not the replacing springs and plates section. I'ma go out and try it now.

 

That's because the manual has you reinstalling the cover with the lever still on, at a certain "starting position" that allows it to get it correctly positioned.

The trouble with that, as you discovered, is that it's too easy to get it engaged "a tooth out" one way or the other. The best way to get it right is to reinstall the lever in the correct orientation once the mechanism is back together. The manual has you do it the hard way.

 

Lol, hooray Yamaha Techs.
I had to take the cover back off to sand down a little bit of gasket thats making it leak. But I'm going to put it back on in a min.
What do you mean by postiitoning the arm to the rear of the rectangle? I see the little raised box right by the spindle on the outside of the cover. Is that the Rectangle? How shall I postion the arm, which is the thing that slides over the spindle correct?
-Chris

 

You got it. The "little raised box" is supposed to be a "range of motion" indicator for the clutch. You will get the best results if the tip of the arm is positioned just to the rear of the little box. I believe the book will tell you it's supposed to point right at it, but that will shortchange you on range of pull. You can also go "back" an extra notch on the splines if you want, but if you go too far the geometry gets crossed up and causes an increase in effort.

 

Click on the LINK in My Signature Section.

To really be able to "Fine Tune" your Clutch ... do what they didn't do when the Japs put the Clutch Cable on the Bike.

Undo the Lower-end.
Loosen the 10mm Hex Nuts and remove the Cable from the Holding Bracket.
Remove the Holding Bracket
Drill 2 Small Holes in the Bracket 1/2 Inch from either end as close to the bent-around holding channel as possible. Just big enough for Safety Wire or a Plastic Tie Wrap
Stick the Rubber Dust Cap in hot water for a minute
Remove the Rubber Dust Cap ... (It's a fight)
Remove the Lower 10mm Hex Nut
Place 2 Flat Washers on the Threaded Cable End
(Nylon Washers are the Cats Meow here)
Replace the Nut
Replace the Rubber Cap

Replace the Bracket
Adjustment Nut and WASHER on each end
Secure the Threaded Barrel with Wire or Plastic Tie

Now, the Threaded Barrel won't "Slip-out" as you make Micro-Adjustments to the Hex Nuts.

Reconnect the Cable adjusting it for MAX Throw-out with the Perch Mounted Thumb Adjustment half-way.

Once everything is connected ...
Move the Hex Nuts on the Bracket to adjust-out ALL the Lash.
Guitar String Tight
All further Adjustments can be made at the Perch Knurl.

Zero Lash
No clunking into gear
No Neutral Fight
No Red-Light Creep
A Perfectly adjusted Clutch.