Clutch advice - Suzuki DRZ 400

[Dave DRZ]

As the title suggests, I'm looking for some advice...

I went out yesterday for a trip to the cat n fiddle - did Charity Lane and the Old Roman Road, then the return... Going up Charity Lane I think I've burned out the clutch, completely lost any forward drive... Plenty of smoke from burning oil. Adjusted the cable and got some forward drive, but lots of slip, made it home to Sale without managing to get above 40mph.

None of the shops / websites I've tried can get a set of plates to me before the new year... But in preparation I've removed the clutch plates to take a look... And to be honest they look ok to me??? Don't look burned and don't look particularly worn out. What do you think?

One thought I've had, when I drained the oil, there was hardly any in there - about half a pint. Could it be that my loss of drive was caused by a lack of oil? Or is the lack of oil down to the burning of the clutch and my journey home?

It would be great to learn that it could be fixed with a top up rather than a set of clutch plates

Any help would greatly appreciated.

Dave

[Dave DRZ]

ps - No idea why those pics are upside down, they look fine when I view them on my pc...

Dave

[special one]

Oil can defo have a big effect on drive, especially the wrong type.

Drz's will burn oil as many singles do, must check it very regular, I check mine after every run as oil is nicely warm so I get a consistent reading.

I can go through 300ml in 500 miles if I'm ragging it.

[bull]

now, i am no mechanic and i am not even close to being a mechanic, when i do a job i always seem to have alot of bits left over.

anyway, hears my two cent, it sounds to me like the clutch when it is slipping like that, if you adjusted the cable and it is still slipping, then it could be a number of things to do with the clutch, like weak clutch springs, or worn or warped friction plates etc,

anyway, their is a few mechanics on here that will tell you for sure

[Dave DRZ]

Thanks for the replies so far. Given that I have nothing to lose from just putting it all back together and filling it up with oil I will do that first. I'll let you know how I get on.

Dave

[V_King]

service manual + vernier calliper and measure everything. you don't need much wear for the plates, to have them worn, it's the width of the whole plate assembly, which counts. also the outer plates wear more, than the middle ones.

plus check the clutch basket fin edges, if there are any indentations from the plates

[andymac]

Fit some heavy duty springs,,, measure the old springs :whistle:
Also,,,the engine side covers r made of chocolate, check its not pressing the clutch,,,,hhave u dropped it on the clutch side???

[mancunian]

I have had the very same thing on the very same model, in my experience you will simply need new plates and steels, the steels don't warp until they get hot so may look ok when they are not, hope this helps

[Kerswellcrank]

Hi,If the clutch overheated due to lack of oil, the plates may be warped. You could try laying them on a piece of plate glass, or a similar dead flat surface, and checking around with feeler gauges.

I have a DRZ, and it hardly ever uses any oil, but there is a known problem with these, in that the seal behind the front sprocket can leak, which will lose all the oil from the engine. So it might be worth checking that isn't the cause of your low oil.

Cheers,
Steve.

[*Touring Ted*]

You drained the engine oil and there was only half a pint in there ?? As in 250ml ?? The bike takes 2000ml. I rode one to Capetown.

I think the clutch could be the least of your problems.....


As for the clutch.. Get a micrometre off ebay and measure the thickness of ALL the plates at about three places. What about the steal plates ? Blue at all ???

If I've understood you right and the bike has been running on half a pint of oil, you could of shagged your piston rings and/or top end..