Clutch not working upon reassembly

[punkassjim]

Heyyyyy. So I had my bike all apart to crack open the transmission, to fix a shifter issue. All went swimmingly. Problem is, I failed to check the clutch action before complete reassembly, and now the clutch lever has no backpressure to speak of. Pump it a bunch of times, and the fluid level in the reservoir isn’t going down, so I assume it’s not a leaky slave. For reference: I never opened the hydraulic line, and I never touched the clutch/flywheel assembly. Only removed/reinstalled the trans, the slave cylinder, and actuator rod.

So, hey! I know the odds are that my slave cylinder failed, and i need to take the whole rear end off again. BUT. What else can I check before I do that?

[brentw1]

you really dont need to take the rear end off again just the slave to inspect
you should be able to push it in with a clamp and socket.
look for leaks, etc
but you could have gotten air in the line, when the slave is out it will fully extend
and if the fluid is low it might get in the top of the line.

[punkassjim]

Oh, I thought I had to get the air box out of the way to get at the slave cylinder. Thanks, I’ll check it out to see how to reach it. Plus, good point about the extending of the cylinder while it’s out. I’ll bleed the line first, I’m sure it needs it anyway.

[tjs]

By chance. Did you leave the clutch actuating rod out when you bolted the transmission to the engine?

[brentw1]

and if the rod is missing the slave will just pump to the end if there is enough fluid
and the clutch lever will be hard and not move.
unless it has air in it.

[punkassjim]

Originally Posted by tjs

By chance. Did you leave the clutch actuating rod out when you bolted the transmission to the engine?

Nope, it’s in there. I distinctly remember having to gently press the piston back into the slave housing as I was reinstalling it against the actuator rod.

I pumped the lever a dozen times last night, and pressure built up enough to disengage the clutch, so I’m guessing it’s air in the line, as Brent said. Will report back.

[punkassjim]

Thanks Brent, you were totally right. Bled the line, and the clutch works fine now. On further thought, it makes all the sense: I had removed the fork as well, and the clip-ons were zip-tied dangling from the front subframe. So, the reservoir was basically upside down at the time I removed the slave cylinder. Hence, air in the lines!

Now, if only I could get the damn thing to start!

[brentw1]

listen to make certain the fuel pump is turning on and running for a few seconds when you turn it on .

[punkassjim]

It does. The fuel lines are correctly connected, the injectors are spraying, the plugs are sparking, there’s adequate compression in both cylinders, battery is charged, and the starter is working. No clue why it won’t start. Seems about time to rig up a blinker to check the codes.

[Dana in Philly]

Gonna make quite a din when it does start, with that tailpipe off.

[brentw1]

all the sensors plugged in?
o2 and temp sensor, tps etc

[punkassjim]

Yep, O2, oil temp, air temp, TPS, HES, injectors are all re-connected. Never did disconnect the oil pressure switch. Re-seated the motronic connector and did the reset procedure, just in case. Noticed the ground wire to the LH throttle body wasn’t connected, but that didn’t resolve the issue.

I do have one broken wire to my fuel pump plug, but a) it’s just the level/sender wire, and b) the pump is absolutely working/pressurizing the system. Figure I’ll repair that later, can’t imagine it’s the reason for my no-start.

[BikerMiker]

Is the battery old or undervolting?

[BadToTheBown]

Since you probalby disconnected the battery, your Motronic might need to be retrained on your TPS...it's been a while so double check me here, I seem to recall turning the bike on after reconnecting the battery and turning the trottle through it's full motion twice before starting...

[brentw1]

water in the tank?

[punkassjim]

Gel battery is pushing 7 yrs old, but the voltage is good, and it still cranks strong. Compression is good, plugs are sparking, injectors are spraying.

I did the motronic reset procedure today, resetting the TPS sync. No dice.

Tank was drained (mostly) when I disassembled the bike, and I put fresh gas in it when I reconnected the lines.

I really need to figure out how to read the trouble codes, on a budget of roughly nothing.

[brentw1]

do you have a fault light
try squirting some fuel in the the throttle bodys see if you can get it to fire.

[brentw1]

are your throttle cables in position, both throttle butterflys against the stops

[terrym]

Checked sidestand or clutch/neutral switches?

[punkassjim]

Brent: when you say “fault light,” how do you mean? Like a check-engine light in a car? There isn’t one on this bike. Throttle cables/butterflies are in proper place, I never disconnected any of that.

Side-stand interlock is installed and working. Put side stand up, fuel pump primes itself. Clutch safety switch is clicking properly, and was working before I did the transmission work. Neutral indicator is also working properly. Recall, I’ve got spark and fuel and air. Spark and fuel would be pulled if either of the interlocks were malfunctioning.