Clutch Replacement " How Do You Know"

[moparkid]

My local Kymco dealer has offered to sell me a NOS clutch replacement assy part # 2301A which is the full assembly minus the bell housing that has been sitting on his parts shelf for about 7 years and he's begging me to PLEASE buy it off his shelf..asking price, $275 out the door, seems like a fair deal to me.

My question is this: If the springs are broken inside the clutch housing will there be a rattling sound when you remove it and shake it? I have not received my new rollers yet from my buddy Jingyu in Taiwan but expect them any day now and was wondering since it's all apart, should I go ahead and invest the $275 and replace clutch assy while I have it all apart?

At the moment the clutch "looks" fine, it's tight, there are no noises when shaking it and I am not in tune with replacing a part that might never need it for the life of the bike. On the other hand, much like insurance and a good lawyer, sometimes it's better to have it and not need it rather than need it and not have it.

I guess I won't know clutch condition until I get it all re-assembled with the new belt and rollers and give it a whirl.

[Ruffus]

Attached pic shows a clutch assy of a LIKE  200 and there is not such a big difference (except size) to an 300 clutch.

Counterpressure spring could weaken by time, but at the clutch itself it's easy to see whether a spring is broken or not.
$ 275,- is a little bit pricey.

As long your clutch works and clutchpads are not under one (1) mm, I would keep it. Most of the time pads are worn out and cost ready to fit a third of your dealers offer.
A clutch change is an half an hour work at most.

[moparkid]

The job for replacing clutch only and not whole assy looks like an easy do but I am hesitant due to the fact that I have no spring compressor to keep that spring from shooting off and putting me in a coma...But until I reassemble unit after roller replacement ( I actually had 2 rollers that had the plastic surround ring break apart) I am going to hold off on any clutch replacement parts until needed as I am sure if it sat there for 7 years, a few more days isn't going to make a difference...but Murphy's law?

[CROSSBOLT]

My local Kymco dealer has offered to sell me a NOS clutch replacement assy part # 2301A which is the full assembly minus the bell housing that has been sitting on his parts shelf for about 7 years and he's begging me to PLEASE buy it off his shelf..asking price, $275 out the door, seems like a fair deal to me.

My question is this: If the springs are broken inside the clutch housing will there be a rattling sound when you remove it and shake it? I have not received my new rollers yet from my buddy Jingyu in Taiwan but expect them any day now and was wondering since it's all apart, should I go ahead and invest the $275 and replace clutch assy while I have it all apart?

At the moment the clutch "looks" fine, it's tight, there are no noises when shaking it and I am not in tune with replacing a part that might never need it for the life of the bike. On the other hand, much like insurance and a good lawyer, sometimes it's better to have it and not need it rather than need it and not have it.

I guess I won't know clutch condition until I get it all re-assembled with the new belt and rollers and give it a whirl.

The dealer has to pay tax on inventory in the US so sitting on the shelf eats profit. You buy it and the drain stops for him. You become the cltch guru for several models and brands. You would be the goto guy if everyone knew you had NOS just waiting....

The fact it sat there for seven years tells you 1. There is little demand 2. These things last forever!

Your call.....

[mousejunks]

My previous DT300 had 80,000km and was still on the original clutch. The pulleys were smooth, the torque spring had plenty of clamping force and the clutch shoes had a good amount of friction material left. These things don't fail often.

However, if the pulleys or clutch shoes are worn down etc then it's actually easier to just buy the entire clutch assembly rather than tear down the whole thing to simply replace the parts.

You can visually inspect the clutch shoe springs by looking at if from the side, just under the plate that covers it. Photo attached for reference.

[Iahawk]

The job for replacing clutch only and not whole assy looks like an easy do but I am hesitant due to the fact that I have no spring compressor to keep that spring from shooting off and putting me in a coma..

if you ever do the job, a spring compressor is not necessary. Put both feet on the clutch unit with it on the floor. Put pressure on it with your feet as you're removing the large clutch nut then slowly lift your feet as the spring extends. Installation is the reverse.

Same technique is used if you ever need to clean and regrease the pulleys.

[monkeybongos]

Could you use 3 or 4 c-clamps?

[Ruffus]

Could you use 3 or 4 c-clamps?

Yes, I usually do it with two c- clamps on  the workshop bench.

[moparkid]

Thanks to all for your inputs, the forum members never fail! I have another question....

If all of the guts are removed from the transmission housing (variator assy, clutch assy) will the bike not start? I have all the stuffings out and went to start it and it wont start? It was running fine, with the exception of rollers and belt going bad. Does it need to be reassembled with all moving parts before it will start?

Thank you all again for your wisdom and insight. This forum has made owning my DT300i well worth it!

[Stig / Major Tom]

Thanks to all for your inputs, the forum members never fail! I have another question....

If all of the guts are removed from the transmission housing (variator assy, clutch assy) will the bike not start? I have all the stuffings out and went to start it and it wont start? It was running fine, with the exception of rollers and belt going bad. Does it need to be reassembled with all moving parts before it will start?

Thank you all again for your wisdom and insight. This forum has made owning my DT300i well worth it!

I do not think it is recommended to run a scooter's engine without the belt in place.

Is there a ground wire disconnected during belt cover removal?

Stig

[moparkid]

To be honest Stig I have never disconnected any ground wire from anywhere on the bike except the battery ground cable. If it cranks but doesnt turn over is it possible that the engine is locked up..I know its a wild speculation but when those two rollers exploded I wonder what other damage could have happened??? Guess I'll need to wait until complete reassembly before making any other diagnosis. Thank Stig.

[moparkid]

Yes, I usually do it with two c- clamps on  the workshop bench.

I will do that if and when the clutch needs replacing. Good idea!

[Iahawk]

No problem with starting and running the scoot without variation or belt..I did that to try to isolate a vibration I had and to rule out the cvt

[CROSSBOLT]

To be honest Stig I have never disconnected any ground wire from anywhere on the bike except the battery ground cable. If it cranks but doesnt turn over is it possible that the engine is locked up..I know its a wild speculation but when those two rollers exploded I wonder what other damage could have happened??? Guess I'll need to wait until complete reassembly before making any other diagnosis. Thank Stig.

I am having trouble with "it cranks but doesn't turn over" statement. I am easily confused living in the deep south since these people use "it won't crank" means among 1. The engine won't start but the starter spins the engine 2. The starter WON'T spin the engine and  3. The thing just "clicks" when starting is attempted. There are variations and permutations of these three descriptions that are all covered by "it won't crank."

Which one of the three covers your situation?

[mousejunks]

Hopefully it's just the spark plug connector.

The DT300 will run with the CVT cover off and all CVT parts removed.