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Clutch cable noise and rough action

1

174713

New member
After installing a new clutch cable 2 months ago my new cable pulls like the cable is dry. I can hear noise from the cable and it does not feel as smooth during operation. It does this after 10-15 minutes of running, nothing like this when it is cold.

Any thoughts and ideas? Always appreciative of any feedback!
Charlie
 
What kind of noise?.....Where is that noise coming from????...................Can you put your finger on where the noise is coming from and feel anything binding or whatever?........Good luck.....God bless.......Dennis
 
I would lube the barrel end where it goes into the clutch lever. And lube the lower pivot point and the lower barrel.
And you might want to carry another new one, because if it is making noise and feeling rough I bet it is going to fail on you.
You might try when it gets rough; turn the bike off and use a hose as a stethoscope and have a friend actuate the clutch and try and hear where the rough spot is..
 
So you're saying this is repeatable, that every time you go from hot to cold to hot, this situation pops up? You changed the cable, I would think that rules the cable out, unless the routing of the cable is not stock. What if it's not the cable? The idea of the mechanics stethoscope could be used to listen the back of the transmission where the actuation arm is and the internal elements which move the pushrod forward to actuate the clutch. Some model years, I forgot which, were prone to the internals swelling, thus creating drag on the tunnel inside the transmission.
 
I have heard that the new cable fitting is not shaped correctly and will cause binding and break. If I recall correctly the fitting has a hex shape to it and must be filed to make it round so it will rotate and not bind.
From Snowbums site, " BMW has sometimes shipped POOR QUALITY cable ends, you may have to file the barrels round or otherwise fix the ends."
 
I'll take a look at the cable ends and will lube the cable again. The cold to hot transition leads me to the clutch, maybe the seal where the lever enters the housing. My biggest concern is something happening with the clutch internals so the stethoscope idea is next! Thanks for the ideas.
 
I once saw where a person had put a muffler-style clamp on the right, front downtube to install a frame fairing, forgetting that there was a clutch cable going down on the in-side of that tube. Squeezed the cable enough to cause trouble, but not so much so that it didn't work somewhat. Had to replace cable!

Check for binding locations and bends where cable might have been run incorrectly, too.

Also, dirt and crud build-up inside the cable can do what you describe. I would disconnect both ends and see how freely it moves. Then, try to clean it out using a high detergent, very light oil - like Marvel Mystery.
 
Love that MMO, Mr. Jimmy...........One never runs out of uses for it..........God bless.......Dennis
 
My best guess is that the clutch lever (back of transmission) is binding in its pivot as soon as the transmission case warms up. I would remove, thoroughly clean, lubricate, and reinstall the lever. And while I was in there I would remove, inspect, and replace if needed - the throwout bearing assembly which also might be binding in the case.
 
So far I've checked the cable ends (round as expected so ok) and lubed the cable, noise still exists. Now on to the arm pivot point, case heating up makes sense since the noise is running temp related. Also don't want to overlook the obvious like the binding issue posted. I will post results of investigation and thanks for the ideas!
 
As suggested, check out item #2 piston. Some are plastic and swell from the heat. It can be lightly sanded to a smaller diameter to fix the problem.
clutchpartsfor81_zps4778f4bf.png
 
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