' 81XJ750 - Clutch not engaging for tire to spin freely

Guys, I'm at the end of my rope changing my clutch. I've followed several articles here and videos on youtube, but I just can't seem to get my clutch to work properly.

What I know:
I can see the plates move when I pull the clutch. - see video
I can't move the lever by hand. Only with the clutch handle.
I tightened the 5 screws/springs as close to some pictures I found. I read it's supposed to be 7.2ftlbs which means it shouldn't be super tight.


I've used my haynes manual and the links found inside the .txt

I wasn't able to submit my post with the links embedded but I put them in a text file and uploaded them. They have a video of my clutch in action which I think is key to y'all understanding what I did wrong

I'm just looking for any guidance on what to try next.

 

when bike is on center stand bike in gear clutch pulled in rear tire will spin due to the oil in between the clutch plates. this is nornal

you also need to soak clutch plates in oil overnight before installing them not stright out of the package as shown in your vid link

 

Actually, it doesn't spin at all. Say I have it in 1st gear, if I pull in the clutch it still doesn't let the tire spin. The tire never spins freely.

 

what you are saying is with clutch pulled in you can not spin the tire by hand?

 

Yes, I pull in the clutch, spin the tire and it stops as if its in gear.

 

I know this will not fix the problem but the spring on the arm where the cable attached is not in the proper place.

 

if the plates didn't separate like they should when you pull the lever, you couldn't move the wheel with your hand.
go for a ride and see if it works

 

It won't spin free like a bicycle wheel; you have to keep moving it.
Try this:
Turn the wheel with the clutch engaged (lever out), then with the clutch disengaged (lever to the bar). Is the result same = same, or different?

 

It won't fix the current problem, but correcting that will prevent a future problem. Good catch.

 

And that ^^^ makes me wonder if the gear on the throwout arm is in correct contact with the gear sector on the throwout plunger. That would account for the wheel acting like the clutch never disengages.

 

Almost looks like the lever on top of the catch is too far forward....

Edit: I typed that yesterday, but never hit the send button.....DOH. Anyway, I agree with k-moe......try removing the c-clip, pull the arm off and index it back a couple teeth and see what happens.

 

There are aligning marks on case and lever. You may have to remove clip to see its location.

 

So compare your lever to the pics from Toomanybikes.......

See how 'far forward' yours is? You're not getting the clutch to disengage. Put yours back a couple teeth and see how it feels. You may need to go ack more to get the preload. Then you'll dial it in the rest of the way with the adjustments at the end of the cable, as well as on the left hand lever.

I'm not seeing anything wrong with the spring, though.....

Dave

 

The hooked end that engages the arm is just sitting under the arm, instead of the arm being inside of the hook.

 

This thread will hlep you understand how the throwout arm and cable should be adjusted.

Reassembly of Clutch Cover - '82 XJ750J Maxim

This thread is the usual go-to, and covers the entire process of replacing the clutch, but the photos are temporarially unavailable (unless you use chrome and the plugins for the Photobucket problem).
CLUTCHES 101-Part 1: the 400/550/600s with pics


On more thing: Did you align the dots on the inner and outer cluch basket when you put the new plates in?

 

Here is another pic of the lever and cover alignment marks:

 

Strange.… Maybe I don't have the right picture. But on my screens I don't see either ends of the springs at all. Oh well

 

I know I'm a little late to the party but another indicator to me that arm is in the wrong position is the way the cable is adjusted. Assuming you have the right cable then the level is definitely not clocked correctly on the shaft.

 

It was slightly different. Clutch pulled in had a little more travel.

 

I did end up doing that. I removed the C(?)clamp and adjust it until it had a tight pull. The clutch worked fantastically but no joke the clutch center (according to my haynes) section where there are 5 points for the spring to settle in and teh screws to go in sheared. 2 of them snapped. Looks to be aluminum. I'm going to have to order a new clutch center, but I still don't know why it snapped. I didn't over tighten the screws. You could unscrew with one finger and I was using a ratchet about 8 inches long.

Thanks for all the help though. I'm thinking it was just original clutch parts and weakened from wear and tear.

 

Thanks for the picture. You are right. I had to take off the arm and get the clutch cover on first. Once it was snug. I could put on the arm at the right angle for a correct pull. I managed to get it working once or twice before the clutch center screw holes snapped.

 

So I finally got it all working, y'all. It it turns out I had the clutch plate bolts too lose so when I'd spin the tire the bolt heads were hitting the clutch case cover. I basically tightened each bolt until it didn't feel loose and then tightened a little more. Now the clutch works perfectly and doesn't slip even in the higher gears. Thank you for all your help!

 

A torque wrench is a excellent investment. Good to see you got it fixed.

 

Got one you recommend? There's a 5-200lb one at harbor freight but most seem to be in the 50-200 range. The hayne's manual recommends 7lbs.

 

2 torque wrenches, one in foot pounds for the higher numbers, one in inch pounds for the small stuff. Just multiply ft/lbs by 12 to get in/lbs. Therefore, 7 ft/lbs is 84 in/lbs.
As for brands, you usually get what you pay for. I have my dad's old Snap On, it's older than me, still works like a charm. Which is cheaper, an expensive wrench, or having to repair whatever got screwed up when your cheap wrench failed? Plus after the failure, you have to buy the good wrench anyways!