Help! - gearbox removal

jpod

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Morning all, I elbow deep in grease and oil trying to replace the clutch on my 2011 R1150GS. I'm following the Haynes manual and I've got practically all the bits off.

I have just removed the clutch slave cylinder and now it says to remove the pushrod... how in feck do you do this?

I've been pulling and wiggling it like hell for 10 minutes and it's going nowhere... :blast

Is it necessary to remove it? For the 1100 they say not.

Side note, there was some seriously gunky brown thick oil/grease in the space behind the slave cylinder: is that gearbox oil leaking back, a shot slave cylinder spitting grease or what?

Please, any help greatly appreciated. BTW I HAVE tried to search for this.
 
jpod said:
Morning all, I elbow deep in grease and oil trying to replace the clutch on my 2011 R1150GS. I'm following the Haynes manual and I've got practically all the bits off.

I have just removed the clutch slave cylinder and now it says to remove the pushrod... how in feck do you do this?

I've been pulling and wiggling it like hell for 10 minutes and it's going nowhere... :blast

Is it necessary to remove it? For the 1100 they say not.

Side note, there was some seriously gunky brown thick oil/grease in the space behind the slave cylinder: is that gearbox oil leaking back, a shot slave cylinder spitting grease or what?

Please, any help greatly appreciated. BTW I HAVE tried to search for this.
Click to expand...

Your problem is using a Haynes manual! Search on here for the download of the BMW one. The box comes out complete with slave cylinder and pushrod. Best to have someone to help you to avoid bending the rod. Buy yourself some long bolts to aid refitting ( cut the heads off, file smooth and you have your own " special tools") Replace the small gearbox oil seal under the slave cylinder as well as the cylinder itself. The crap under it sounds like the result of a fluid leak-don't take a chance as fluid getting through here will end up on your new clutch and you will have to do the whole job again.

John

PS sorry if this is too brief-am watching the Moto 3 race!
 
They do get stuck in the front and can be a nightmare "but" you can slide the gearbox over it
As long as you don't bend it !!!!

NOTE Once the box is loose there is is an earth wire which curls around the rear left battery box rubber mount they are always stiff and cause hassle sliding the gearbox back
 
The Grey One said:
Your problem is using a Haynes manual! Search on here for the download of the BMW one. The box comes out complete with slave cylinder and pushrod.
Click to expand...

The slave cylinder has to be removed from the rear of the box, it doesn't come off attached to the box.

But don't worry about the pushrod. Leave that in place and just pull the gearbox swingarm and final drive off in one piece (don't tell me you've seperated them all as per the haynes manual :blast).
Then pull the pushrod from out of the front of the gearbox.
 
Thanks Grey One. That's a relief, I was wondering how it would come out.

Are you referring to the felt seal or the proper oil seal in the slave cylinder cavity?
If the latter, any advice on getting it out? Drill screws in and pull?

DrFarkoff, thanks for the tip, I'll look out for the ground wire
 
Thanks Steptoe. I did leave the gearbox and swingarm/final drive together. Though I pulled few other bits off to make life easier, including the shock and troughbolt sleave.


After seeing the sludge behind the slave cylinder, I checked the master cylinder and sure enough the dot4 is very brown... from everything I've read, that means I need a new slave cylinder. Is it a very bad idea to look for a second hand one... hard to tell if it's in good condition?
 
Steptoe said:
The slave cylinder has to be removed from the rear of the box, it doesn't come off attached to the box.

.
Click to expand...

Mine obviously did not read that part of the manual! I disconnected the hoses but left the cylinder in place You can just see it in this picture. Much clearer on the original full fat version.
 

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The Grey One said:
Mine obviously did not read that part of the manual! I disconnected the hoses but left the cylinder in place .
Click to expand...

That's an excercise in futility :blast.
Three bolts and the slave comes away from the rear of the gearbox, no mess and no need to bleed the clutch.

Doing it that way also makes it far far easier to replace the gearbox, especially if all the swingarm and final drive is all still attached and you're working by yourself..
You slide it all into place with only the input and clutch splines to align, and then slide the pushrod home from the back of the gearbox. Which you can't do with the slave in place.
 
Steptoe said:
That's an excercise in futility :blast.
Three bolts and the slave comes away from the rear of the gearbox, no mess and no need to bleed the clutch.

Doing it that way also makes it far far easier to replace the gearbox, especially if all the swingarm and final drive is all still attached and you're working by yourself..
You slide it all into place with only the input and clutch splines to align, and then slide the pushrod home from the back of the gearbox. Which you can't do with the slave in place.
Click to expand...

I understand that, I took the bike apart last October and left it in pieces over the winter so leaving as much as possible attached made sense to me. Taking it out in one section was no problem but then I used to replace clutches on Citroen GSs ( front bodywork off and engine out) in just over 3 hours the BMW GS is simple by comparison. I knew I would be fitting a new cylinder so no saving on the bleeding time-and would you not want to change the fluid anyway? Leaving the slave cylinder in place removed and risk of dirt/moisture ingress during the time the bike was laid up.

Glad I took lots of photos though, 6 mouths is a long time to remember where it all goes.

John
 
Could I persuade anyone of you gentlemen to have a look at the questions above? Particularly, in relation to which oil seal The Grey One was referring to and how to remove and replace...

Any advice appreciated :thumb
 
jpod said:
Thanks Grey One. That's a relief, I was wondering how it would come out.

Are you referring to the felt seal or the proper oil seal in the slave cylinder cavity?
If the latter, any advice on getting it out? Drill screws in and pull?

DrFarkoff, thanks for the tip, I'll look out for the ground wire
Click to expand...

It a proper oil seal. Not a good idea to drill it, swarf in the gearbox is not a good thing. I made up a puller from an old bolt. Ground it down to leave a hook and then used a good pair of grips to pull it out. Measure the depth of the recess first though and make sure you fit the new seal to the same measurement. Replace the felt seal too. Good luck.

John
 
jpod said:
Could I persuade anyone of you gentlemen to have a look at the questions above? Particularly, in relation to which oil seal The Grey One was referring to and how to remove and replace...

Any advice appreciated :thumb
Click to expand...

Sorry having to fit all this in with running a hotel and watching Moto GP

John
 
If oil ran out when you removed the slave cylinder (another reason to remove it) then the oil seal in the gearbox will need replacing.

If it's just a brown sludge/paste then it's not leaking. But the description you give does sound like the slave cylinder is on the way out.

Don't fit a used/secondhand one.

I posted this last week in a similar thread....

Why buy a used slave cylinder just to save a few pounds for all the grief it can cause when they go wrong, and the potential to ruin an expensive clutch. .

Fit a new one and don't worry about it for another ten years _ works out at £8.50 a year, 17pence a week, 2.35pence a day.
 
Grey One, Thanks for the tip :beerjug:

I will try to find a suitable hook/pick to pull the seal out... tight in there.
 
Steptoe, when you put it like that... new slave on the way. Unfortunately a bit of oil did run out. I hope the seal won't be too much of a pain to remove/reinstall.

Was wondering why my gear shift were so clunky (even by gs standards), hopefully this will cure the problem.
 
jpod said:
Steptoe, when you put it like that... new slave on the way. Unfortunately a bit of oil did run out. I hope the seal won't be too much of a pain to remove/reinstall.

Was wondering why my gear shift were so clunky (even by gs standards), hopefully this will cure the problem.
Click to expand...

While apart take the gearchange lever and linkage off completely clean lube and refit, clunky bad changes often are from there.

If I had a St Eptoe here I would have got mine done with him, but I don't so I got enough help from his and others posts to do a clutch, then a gearbox wasnt so intimidating etc,,,, he is the man:beer:
 
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