Clutch plate torque

[xxtremexs]

I am reinstalling my clutch after the "dremel fix" and have read that your supposed to torque to 7 ft. lbs.....i seated the screw all the way by hand first like instructed...just seems that i am chasing the star pattern and their not holding the 7 but keeps going in...i don't want to brake anything...any idea how many turns past initial seating of screws is needed??..are the springs supposed to be super tight so you cant see through them or space in the spring coils...???..hope im making some sort of sense..thanks again guys

[xxtremexs]

oh yeah i am using a torque wrench..first line starts at 10

[crazy steve]

The springs compress quite a bit, but you should be able to see some space between coils.

You really need an in-lb torque wrench for these bikes; you won't find a ft-lb version that goes low enough for many of the bolts. One that goes to at least 200 in-lbs is needed, 250 is better. To convert, just multiply the ft-lbs by 12.....

[DGXSER]

The seated position should have the star plate seated against the stantions of the clutch basket. So it will not have room to move any further. The reason for tightening the bolts in a circular pattern a little at a time it to keep even pressure across the plate, and to ensure the tabs on the bottom of the contact flange of the star plate properly connect to the spring and stantion on the clutch basket. Hope that helps.

[jetmechmarty]

If you are trying to torque bolts to 7 ft lbs with a wrench calibrated 10 to 150 ft lbs, that wrench is of no more use to you than your calibrated elbow. Put it away. At the lowest setting you're way over torqued.

I think Steve may have been going too easy on you.

[xxtremexs]

all the springs are lined up just worried about setting proper pressure...is there any other way than with the "right tool"..i know stupid ?..but its a tight budget...what will happen if i go too tight?

[jetmechmarty]

It has been a while since I messed with this. I believe that if all of the prerequisites are met, you can't completely collapse the springs. So, if they are, go back and find the error. Once that's done, snug up the bolts with your calibrated elbow. 7 ft lbs is snug, but it doesn't take a gorilla to get there. The amount of torque applied should not mash the springs excessively. I believe the torque is just to hold the assembly together. That being said, you may need to start over.

Once those bolts bottom, there won't be turns in the tq setting. Just snug them.

[crazy steve]

Too loose or uneven, one or more bolts can back out which will make a mess inside your motor. Too tight, you risk breaking a bolt, and these have been known to break....

No torque wrench, I'd at least put some blue locktite on 'em. You need clean bolts/holes for that to work properly, try cleaning with some brake cleaner.

[DGXSER]

The cheap version is a beam type torque wrench. which perhaps you have from the way you described it. I have a craftsman that reads from 0 up to 75 ft-lbs. CLICKETY .

If that is still outside your budget, use the one you have. Just do not let it go past the ten mark. I doubt your going to snap any with less than ten ft-lbs, even if that is really 12 or even 14. Depending on the length of the ratchet your using 3/8" or 1/4", 7 ft-lbs can feel like nothing or nice and snug.

[natemoen]

Don't know how close to a harbor freight (or you can order online) but if you can swing $10 you can get 1/4" inch pound torque wrench from them. It isnt high quality but it is adaquate for our needs. There is a printable coupon good till the 30th in this thread, as well as much discussion of quality...

http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread.php?t=38241

[xxtremexs]

Wow..u guys are awesome!! and thanks for the harbor coupon..ill uodate everyone tom..

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Extreme,

DGxser is very knowledgeable and skilled, but I believe that you COULD strip the threads in the pressure plate with much more than 7 lbs of torque. What scares/worries me is that you said you had alread SEATED the bolts by hand like I described in the the clutch tech tip.....you did see and read the tech tips didn't you? While you're slowly turning the bolts by hand, you are compressing the springs as you pull the star plate up against the inner pressure plate. Once the bolts stop turning by hand easily, they have now set the star plate and the pressure plate posts against each other, and the last step is the 7 lbs to keep the bolts from vibrating loose. You have been turning/tightening the bolts several times while trying to attain the torque level and IF the bolts WERE truly seated with the pressure/star plates together, then you could be stripping the pressure plate posts?

I just RE-READ your post, what you are calling seating the bolts I believe is just that you threaded them all the way into the pressure plate and star plate so that the heads were flush with the star plate surface. But you had not really seated them all the way home....by hand. So...you have just been tightening the bolts a little and compressing the springs a little with the torque wrench, but the pressure plate and star plate have NOT yet MET...the pressure plate towers that the star plate bolts are screwing into.

SO....take the ratchet extension and socket off of the ratchet handle, and use it like a screwdriver, and turn each bolt 1/2 turn BY HAND ONLY without the use of the Ratchet and you will eventually get all of the springs compressed and the pressure plates to come together. Once you "FEEL" the tension of the bolt where you won't be able to turn/tighten it by hand screwdriver style....THEN you'll be ready for the INCH POUND torque wrench.

If you haven't seen/read it, please review the Extra Clutch Plate tech tip so see the photos and better understand what's happening when you HAND TIGHTEN the bolts on the star plate.

T.C.

[Rasputin]

Hey Extreme,

DGxser is very knowledgeable and skilled, but I believe that you COULD strip the threads in the pressure plate with much more than 7 lbs of torque. What scares/worries me is that you said you had alread SEATED the bolts by hand like I described in the the clutch tech tip.....you did see and read the tech tips didn't you? While you're slowly turning the bolts by hand, you are compressing the springs as you pull the star plate up against the inner pressure plate. Once the bolts stop turning by hand easily, they have now set the star plate and the pressure plate posts against each other, and the last step is the 7 lbs to keep the bolts from vibrating loose. You have been turning/tightening the bolts several times while trying to attain the torque level and IF the bolts WERE truly seated with the pressure/star plates together, then you could be stripping the pressure plate posts?

I just RE-READ your post, what you are calling seating the bolts I believe is just that you threaded them all the way into the pressure plate and star plate so that the heads were flush with the star plate surface. But you had not really seated them all the way home....by hand. So...you have just been tightening the bolts a little and compressing the springs a little with the torque wrench, but the pressure plate and star plate have NOT yet MET...the pressure plate towers that the star plate bolts are screwing into.

SO....take the ratchet extension and socket off of the ratchet handle, and use it like a screwdriver, and turn each bolt 1/2 turn BY HAND ONLY without the use of the Ratchet and you will eventually get all of the springs compressed and the pressure plates to come together. Once you "FEEL" the tension of the bolt where you won't be able to turn/tighten it by hand screwdriver style....THEN you'll be ready for the INCH POUND torque wrench.

If you haven't seen/read it, please review the Extra Clutch Plate tech tip so see the photos and better understand what's happening when you HAND TIGHTEN the bolts on the star plate.

T.C.

TC is absolutely right on this. I would not suggest Blue Loctite myself but whatever floats your boat.
If you happen to overtighten them it will show as a stretched bolt, which you can not see without removing it. That is of course is, if you did not happen to break it by overdoing it. If you do that the bolts are made of a mild metal which is easy to drill out, then use an easy out. I have done this twice so far due to a wrongly calibrated torque wrench.
If the threads in the clutch basket get screwed up a bit, Yamaha has longer ones available which will go in further and catch threads you did not know you had.
Biggest by far problem is if you snap the clutch star plate by doing the procedure wrong. I happen to have a few extra's if that happens.
If you follow the procedure TC has mentioned then you should have no issues as long as you use a proper torque wrench.

[xxtremexs]

All torquing is complete...im cleaning and repainting the oil pan tonight..already have done others...also have to replace my speedometer cable....other than that..this should be good to go!!!...i hope to test this weekend...let you guys know..thanks again!!

[DGXSER]

Glad you go it all buttoned up.

My intention was not that you should go to 14 ft-lbs, but that you going roughly 7 on your gage that reads 10 as the first notch, would have you pulling to 10 bfore you knew it which then someone would have undoubtedly pointed out could be as high as 14 due to the inaccuracy of the tool.