Clutch blew up today

[Pabst_Powered]

pressure plate n inner clutch shattered, snapped the bolts, springs, and @#it all over:grr:

[honda400ex2003]

we gotta have some pics of this to see carnage :devil: steve

[Pabst_Powered]

Steve I think this is the first time you answered one of my posts, ill post some pics wed. or thurs., Its a mess, hopefully nothing got into the motor

[honda400ex2003]

possibly, i thought i did a while back lol. steve

[jcs003]

never heard of this happening. got to see pics. how(specificly) did this happen?

[sc400ex_rider]

I have heard to watch the clutch basket on heavily modded motors. they can crack and explode. If there are metal shaving in the oil you might want to disassemble to clean it all out. Take the cover off and take some pics.

[honda400ex2003]

still waiting for pics :( steve

[Pabst_Powered]

I changed my clutch in may, worked fine till this...

[Pabst_Powered]

2nd

[Pabst_Powered]

3rd

[Pabst_Powered]

I do have the parts on the way...isnt ebay just the greatest

[jcs003]

thats something. i seen trannys go but never seen a clutch do anything like that.

do you remember how it happened?

[Pabst_Powered]

Originally posted by jcs003
thats something. i seen trannys go but never seen a clutch do anything like that.

do you remember how it happened? I changed my oil just like always, went to go for a ride and as soon as I put it in 2nd it made a horrible grinding sound, pulled the clutch in and there was nothing, I already had a extra case cover and the other parts are on their way, hopefully tomorrow ill get her back together again, how should I go about checking the motor for debris

[DnB_racing]

Originally posted by Pabst_Powered
I do have the parts on the way...isnt ebay just the greatest not always!!!!!!! use ebay with caution and with research

[honda400ex2003]

AWESOME THANKS FOR THE PICS FINALLY that is some major trouble there. there must have been some pretty heavy load on it lol steve

[CJM]

geez, i aint ever seen stuff like that shear apart..wonder if something had a burr on it and caught or something cause its all tore up bad.

[jcs003]

do you have pics of the plates?

[sc400ex_rider]

Wow thats crazy, its hard to tell what went first. But it looks like the inner hub. Its a 99, about how many hours are on the bike? thx

[TRXRacer1]

Are you doing a complete tear down to clean it out? All it takes is a sliver in the wrong spot to turn the whole motor into scrap metal.

[jdog75]

same thing happened to me a couple of months ago

[Pabst_Powered]

Originally posted by jcs003
do you have pics of the plates? the plates are fine, not a scratch

[Pabst_Powered]

Originally posted by sc400ex_rider
Wow thats crazy, its hard to tell what went first. But it looks like the inner hub. Its a 99, about how many hours are on the bike? thx when I bought this it had maybe 40hrs. on it, now my guess would be around 150hrs., I think that maybe when I changed the clutch(which didnt have any problems, just figured it was time) something in the center clutch cracked. I went to the sand dunes for the weekend right after I changed it, you would think it would of went then, who knows:confused:

[TRXRacer1]

Were you running stock springs? Stiffer aftermarket springs can contribute to such failure.

[Pabst_Powered]

Originally posted by TRXRacer1
Were you running stock springs? Stiffer aftermarket springs can contribute to such failure. Tusk clutch kit w/ heavy duty springs, stock springs will be going back on

[Pabst_Powered]

how should I go about cleaning the motor? thanx

[TRXRacer1]

I've been turning for a LONG time and have seen to many bad things in these cases. If it were mine I'd tear the entire motor down and make sure every inch was clean.

[jcs003]

well the only conclusion i can make, is the clutch springs were over-torqued. combine this with a heavy load on the clutch and this(i hypothesize) is the result. what i know about this clutch configuration and my education in mechanical engineering is enough to draw this conclusion.

correct me if im wrong...

[TRXRacer1]

Originally posted by jcs003
what i know about this clutch configuration and my education in mechanical engineering is enough to draw this conclusion.

correct me if im wrong... You can torque those bolts till you strip the threads out and you still won't add any more pressure on the areas that broke then if you were at stock specs. The design relationship of those bolts have zero effect on the broken areas. Take another look, dust off a t-square and I'm sure you'll see it.;)

[jcs003]

Originally posted by TRXRacer1
You can torque those bolts till you strip the threads out and you still won't add any more pressure on the areas that broke then if you were at stock specs. The design relationship of those bolts have zero effect on the broken areas. Take another look, dust off a t-square and I'm sure you'll see it.;)

no. my point is that aluminum is fragile under compression while centrifugal force is applied. you over tighten those spring bolts and you will have problems. you can overtighten it slightly and it will effect the structure of the metal.

trxracer: im positive you are knowledgeable. i read your posts, you know a thing or two. but your problem is. you are reluctant to look beyond your experience.

dont you think; prior to the threads being stripped you are putting excessive strain on that metal. do you realize when steel and aluminum interact its basically chaos at a molecular level...

not saying this is the issue. but i made an educated guess. lets keep this friendly.

[TRXRacer1]

Thought I was being friendly. :ermm:

We have the same degree so we can call it even there but you're missing how that torque is applied. The base of those cones don't care what the tips are feeling. The bolts only apply pressure to the very end. The base only feels you torquing when you have a wrench on the bolts, otherwise the radial load is neutral. Spring compression is unaffected also. A+ for guessing but it's just not the right guess.

[Pabst_Powered]

Got her fixed all up today, works great, now shes ready for the dunes labor day weekend

[clemsonteg]

what would be the benefit of HD springs? Hate that it grenaded on you but glad you got it all back together again.

[sc400ex_rider]

Originally posted by clemsonteg
what would be the benefit of HD springs? Hate that it grenaded on you but glad you got it all back together again.

Just more pressure on the plate, so there less prone to slipping.