Help - Clutch Problem

[williat]

Ok, I'm working on my 400EX, and I removed the right crankcase cover to deal with a different issue, and when I tried to put the cover back on, I can't get the clutch set up correctly. I have a manual and have followed the directions in terms of turning the clutch lifter arm clockwise to engage the lifter piece in the clutch, the lifter arm feels like it is engaging the lifter piece, and the cover does line up like it is supposed to, but the lifter arm is not pointed in the same direction that it was beforehand, and when I re-attach the clutch cable, there is no movement in it at all and I can't squeeze the clutch lever at all.

I didn't change anything on the clutch while I was in there at all, and the clutch was working fine before I opened the crankcase up, so the cable shouldn't need adjustment.

A couple of questions:

1) is the lifter piece in the clutch supposed to just move freely in and out about 1/2 inch?

2) if the answer to #1 is yes, how does the clutch ever disengage? In other words, if the lifter piece has loose movement, how does the clutch go from an engaged state to a disengaged state?

3) is it possible that the spring on the lifter arm is causing my problem? I'm putting the spring on correctly per the manual and everything looks like the pictures in the manual, but the spring still seems to be a little bit loose and easy to fall out of its groove?

4) any other suggestions?

[williat]

Nobody has any suggestions on this? I'll happily take the answers to any of these questions. I'm particularly interested at this stage as to the answer to whether or not the lifter piece is supposed to move in and out freely. If it is, I think that narrows the problem down to the lifter arm, spring, or maybe something about the way the cover is aligning. I'm trying to take the bike on a long trip this weekend that I've been planning for months, so any help is much appreciated.

[williat]

Nevermind, fixed it.