400 ex clutch problems, HELP!?

[r6xual]

Heres the deal. I have a 400 ex and I seem to be having some issues with the clutch. First off, it will not slip in to neutral while the quad is running at idle, however if you rev the engine up to a constant speed with the clutch pulled, or shut the quad off, it slips in to neutral just fine.

Another thing is that while the quad is in gear, and I have the clutch lever pulled in, it seems that it wants to creep forward by itself. Its so bad that when i have the clutch lever pulled in and the quad is in gear, i can hardly back the thing up using my feet becuase it is trying to move forward. This is starting to get very annoying.

I have tried adjusting the clutch cable every which way and that has not seemed to help the situation at all. I also took the case cover off and i am not an expert by any means, but i could not see anything wrong to the naked eye.

I thought that maybe it was the type of oil i was using but a friend of mine is using the same stuff, and his 400 ex has no issues at all. This is what leads me to beleive that it has something to do witht the clutch and/or clutch plates??

Thanks guys

Charlie

[cals400ex]

stock or aftermarket clutch?

is your oil clean?

how much play is in your clutch lever?

[mojoe2878]

take the cover back off and look to see if there are any grooves worn in the clutch basket fingers where the fiber plate fingers hit up against them. if there are some grooves on the basket fingers, then remove the clutch plates and file the basket fingers down just untill the grooves are gone and put the plates back in, if there are grooves on the fingers it will not let the clutch fully disengage. i had the exact same problem you are having and this is what it turned out to be.

[r6xual]

Originally posted by cals400ex
stock or aftermarket clutch?

is your oil clean?

how much play is in your clutch lever?

Stock Clutch

Oil is clean

Clutch play seems fine, I had adjusted it and right now there is about enough room to fit a quarter between the lever and the hinge part.

QUOTE]Originally posted by mojoe2878
take the cover back off and look to see if there are any grooves worn in the clutch basket fingers where the fiber plate fingers hit up against them. if there are some grooves on the basket fingers, then remove the clutch plates and file the basket fingers down just untill the grooves are gone and put the plates back in, if there are grooves on the fingers it will not let the clutch fully disengage. i had the exact same problem you are having and this is what it turned out to be. [/QUOTE]

I will try to see if that is it, sucks that i have to take that cover off again, buti guess if i was smart i would have asked this question while it was off :ermm: . Anyways Thanks for the help so far, anyone else have any ideas?

Thanks
Charlie

[cals400ex]

hmmm, i assume you mean a few millimeters when you say a quarter fits between the lever and hinge?

yep, i would look at the basket and the plates. if the plates are blue, they probably were over heated. make sure you have the clutch springs tightened down, but not too much. those don't go too tight. your cable isn't binding or hard to pull is it?

[r6xual]

Originally posted by cals400ex
hmmm, i assume you mean a few millimeters when you say a quarter fits between the lever and hinge?

yep, i would look at the basket and the plates. if the plates are blue, they probably were over heated. make sure you have the clutch springs tightened down, but not too much. those don't go too tight. your cable isn't binding or hard to pull is it?

Nope the cable isnt binding and its not extremely hard to pull or anything. As far as the clutch springs go, i have the bolts seated down and then just a tich tighter so they wont come loose. Can anyone recommend a good aftermarket clutch and basket? I may just go that way. Should i get it from C&D??

[maskale]

My 400ex did the same thing for a bit. I changed my oil and filter and went to Mobile 1 with the Red Cap. I don't know if oil was the problem, but shortly afterward everything was fine.

[cheatin mother]

Mine did the same thing. I had the basket comming apart. Grab the basket and see if there,s excessive play in it or pull the basket off and check for cracks that should be visible from the back!

[zlam27]

you can check the basket and the clutch plates because that is free. it really sounds like it could be your clutch cable also. it may still work decent, but as gets stretched and "sticky" from age, it will cause problems similar to what you listed. if its over a year or 2 old, i would probably order a new cable also - if its not the problem, at least it will be really easy to pull like when it was new:D

zach

[r6xual]

Originally posted by zlam27
you can check the basket and the clutch plates because that is free. it really sounds like it could be your clutch cable also. it may still work decent, but as gets stretched and "sticky" from age, it will cause problems similar to what you listed. if its over a year or 2 old, i would probably order a new cable also - if its not the problem, at least it will be really easy to pull like when it was new:D

zach

When you say its free to check the clutch and basket, wont i have to replace the case cover gasket when i rip it apart?

[Fast350ex]

I would go with a Hinson Racing clutch basket, or if Curtis Sparks has one, get that one & the Curtis Sparks clutch kit

[user101]

u could possibly have the wrong oil in it. my sis's 400ex did the same thing and i switched it over to mobil1 in the red cap and its fine now