Does brake cleaner actually work on clutch plate?

[Den]

Just replaced a leaking slave cylinder on the clutch.

Clutch fluid (not gearbox oil) has got onto plate.

Has anyone successfully tried the 'brake cleaner through the starter motor hole' trick, to clean-off the plate.

Is dot4 brake/clutch fluid as slippy as oil? Will it burn off before it burns the plate out?

Being a lazy b*stard, I dont want to pull the box out if I dont have to.

 

[(RIP) DitchWater]

I'd be giving it a good squirt ASAP to avoid absorbtion of hydraulic fluid to the friction plate and then repeat, and again, washing the the friction plate a couple of times. The residue should evaporate and leave you with something to work with.

Try a few burnouts to be sure.

 

[Ugly Cow]

Try a few burnouts to be sure

Pull the clutch in whilst spraying to try and get on both sides of the disc and try not to get it on the input splines, it may wash the Optimol grease off. You have lost nothing trying and the above sounds like fun anyway. Never tried this but sounds feasable.

 

[(RIP) Kaister]

it'll work perfectly.

i used petrol once - that worked too

 

[Steptoe]

Try a few burnouts to be sure

.

Don't try this. See below.




It works as a get you home - as a few on here will testify after i've been called and asked numerous times "what can do i do" from the russian border/germany/turkey/scotland.

Luck of the draw if it'll work long term, depends on how much contamination and how long the clutch was used while contaminated.

If it was used for any length of time while contaminated the friction plate would have absorbed any fluid as it heated up. Cleaning it off with brake cleaner will get rid of the surface residue, but as the clutch heats up any fluid soaked in the friction plate will reappear.

So it's worth a try cleaning it with brake fluid but don't then go out and try to purposely get the clutch hot hoping to burn off any other fluid. Did you remove the clutch pushrod while the slave was off and clean out the pushrod tunnel ?

Remove starter motor, strap the clutch lever back to the bars, remove spark plugs, put the bike in gear and turn the rear wheel while dumping clutch/brake fluid onto the plate.

If you can get some MEK that works even better.

 

[Packer]

If you can get some MEK that works even better.

Just don't inhale it, it can knock you out and it's carcinogenic.

Perhaps I'm being daft but as the fluid is hygroscopic it must be water miscible so why not just stick a hose pipe through the timing hole and wash out the fluid. It won't dissolve the spline lube and the first time you use the bike the heat will evaporate off the water residue. It gets wet in there anyway when you go puddle jumping or ride through deep flood water

 

[Den]

Thanks all for the info. Packer, loved your idea. A nice soapy solution churning around inside the bell housing. Daft, but I feel I might be compelled to try it to see if it works.
Fit starter motor temp, lay the bike on its rh side , pull the starter out whilst the bike is running, ( done that already, so that bit works) and pour in soapy water in the starter hole, which will be at the top. Brilliant. Just like working on top loader washing machines. Sparkly clean !!

However, in the real world. Ive managed to get a nice sharp feeler gauge between the plate and pressure plates. in gear, clutch lever tied to bar. Turn back wheel while spraying in cleaner fluid. Feeler should act as a scraper and give the gap to skoosh the cleaner in.

Neil, I never took the pushrod out to clean the hole ... silly billy.. I should have thought of that.
Bike was just ridden for a few hundred yards up the street to test the slave. Thats when I noticed it was slipping, so there shouldnt be too much on the plate.

We will see if it works at the weekend. I hate replacing clutches on these things.

Pics of wotivedid.

 

[Welshman]

Lay it on its side? saounds like a recipe for oil starvation of the LHS head?

 

[Den]

Lay it on its side? saounds like a recipe for oil starvation of the LHS head?

I would stick it on a 'quick wash' and 'no spin' setting. Should be ok for a minute or two.

 

[Pukmeister]

Just a thought......

It might be worth trying to get hold of a gallon can of panel wipe or cellulose thinners from a local motor paint factors eg Brown Brothers. It's an excellent degreaser, however it is also volatile and flammable so best not to pour it onto a hot or running engine. It would evaporate quite readily and probably wash the friction plate material clean.

It could be sprayed into the bellhousing area using a household plant feed sprayer.

 

[waterloo700]

All the time I was reading this thread I was thinking - hydraulically activated clutches are a good idea because..............??






1100 anyone?

 

[MattW]

1100 anyone?

Yes

 

[Ugly Cow]

Try a few burnouts to be sure. Ref Ditchwater

Sounds like fun. Tongue in cheek comment.

 

[Den]

It works.

Took it out for a severe thrashing to test le clutch and its back to its normal self.

I think it was just a little fatigued after Italy. A bit 'run down'. You cant blame it for relaxing its seals a little.
Gave it a wash and spoke tender words of encouragement to it.

 

[theoneandonly]

nice house !