'83 Magna 750 CC Hydrolic Clutch kicking my butt!

bestpi · 10-14-2008, 4:23 PM

We bought this bike in a box. Put it together and it runs like a raped ape. No complaints. Except I can not get the clutch to bleed!

Before you go there, A brand new Master AND a brand new slave later, I have tried power bleeders manually for hours! Yes I bled the master cylinder too. Can not get it to bleed. I have completely flushed the system. I have tried everything short of dynamite and my frustration level it at the top. I can not see any leaks in the lines or hoses anywhere. All those little washer seal are even new at $2.10 each. Ya ouch. Bikebandit.com is putting me on their Christmas card list. Serious! The hoses and the steel line are the only thing I haven't replaced but no leaks or seepage!

Someone please throw me a lifeline. Please. Know any tricks? Any oldtimers out there?

John

Svrider · 04-27-2009, 9:09 PM

Hey there! My name is Eric. I have an 83 magna with the same problem. Ive bled till im blue, replaced parts etc.... and still no clutch. If you find an answer, let me know. And ill do the same.

Jetpilot07 · 04-27-2009, 9:29 PM

first, is the clutch engaged holding the bike in gear or is it stuck open and not grabbing at all

here you go.....your answer, just for you guys

back in the day, motorcycles used corrosive fluid in the clutch and brake systems. this would eventually eat away at the seals and linings in the master cylinder and clutch slave cylinder and brake calipers. people would replace those components only not being aware that the interal parts of the hoses are being eaten away also.

this will block the lines not allowing pressure to pass to and from the cylinder.

try disconnecting the hose at the handle bar end and at the slave cylinder end and blowing through it with your mouth, it should blow easily.......try that

denzee · 04-27-2009, 10:09 PM

Couple questions.

When you try to bleed, does fluid pump out at the bleeder valve or any trapped air come out?

Do you have any clutch pressure or clutch operation when squeezing the lever even a small amount?

You say you bled the new master, how did you do it?

How are you certain that the mechanics of the clutch itself are good? Not the hydraulics but the clutch and release mechanism.

Svrider · 04-27-2009, 11:03 PM

This is what ive tried, with no results yet. dissasembled the master and cleaned it, (worked last year). Replaced the master with a used one from a working system. replaced the slave from a working system. Bled 8 different times with no results. rebuilt the master cyclinder with a rebuild kit. with the slave off the motor, but hooked to the master, it has "some" movement. I have yet to try to bleed it from the bottom up, and i want to pull the clutch side cover off just to confirm that everything having to do with the clutch is good. no leaks of any kind from the hoses or slave. The hose trick as mentioned above does sound like a good idea to try too. Thanks guys for any help......

Svrider · 04-30-2009, 10:34 PM

For those of you that read my other post about the clutch, I bled it backwards tonight (from the bottom up). Got no air at all, but i did get some really fine debris. Still no clutch action. so i pulled the right side cover off to check the actual clutch components. Found nothing out of the ordinary. The clutch rod that pushes out on the clutch, looks good. Cant beleive how much it takes to push the clutch rod out without using hydro pressure. So my theory is, (big deep breath) that the rubber lines and maybe the slave are just worn out. But i just cant bring myself to spend the almost 500 on new parts.

Any thoughts would be great, maybe itll come to someone in a dream!! LOL
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fish4trout · 05-19-2009, 9:22 AM

I was having the same problem with my hydraulic clutch. What needs to happen is you put a wrench on the bleed valve on top of the slave cylinder. Also put a hose from the top of the bleed valve to a cup with brake fluid in it so when you bleed off the slave you do not get air back in. What you do is pump the clutch lever and after a few, 5-7, pumps of the handle, hold the lever in and open the bleed valve a little and let the air and fluid out. Do that over and over even after there are no bubbles coming out. The air gets trapped in there so there will be times when you bleed it and no bubble will come out. Keep going! You will have to refill the master cylinder resevoir about 5 times. The slave cylinder needs to be installed in the bike, when it is installed the resistance from the push rod and clutch will keep the slave piston in allowing the bubbles to escape and not stay in the slave cylinder. You will feel the pressure build, when you pull the lever in you can feel the pressure building.