Crankcase Heat

[sportandroad]

Hi Guys

I am new to the club as per the intro thread.

One for the techos - I would like to throw open an issue I have with my 08 Ltd Hayabusa and see what your thoughts are. Sorry about the length of the story.

I purchased this machine at 4,800 K's in March 2010. In the first couple of days the clutch gave in. It was returned to the original selling dealer in Perth and he diagnosed a possible master cylinder issue. No work was undertaken as I had to return to Karratha the next day. There was also a lot of heat coming from the RH side case only. As a bit of background, I was at the time service manager for a Suzuki car dealership and had access to Suzuki technical advice (Altona).

It turns out the pivot pin in the clutch lever was partially seized and we believed (at the time) it was causing the clutch to remain open, slipping, burning the plates and overheating the oil. I carried out the repair sublet for the dealer in Perth, the clutch pack was replaced, fresh engine oil, new pivot pin and clutch lever. Clutch fixed and to date on re inpection at nearly 10K is perfect - but, the generated heat in the clutch side casing is still an issue.

This bike generates enough heat from the RH side case to burn your leg through jeans and it has also cindered the top of my boot. Engine coolant temp is fine and the LH case normal. I have not measured the actual case temp or the difference between both sides. I have though checked the oil pump ouput and the cooler for flow - all OK.

I have spoken to Suzuki and they basically don't want to know (even when I was in the network). I have spoken to several dealers and the old "we don't have a problem" response gets a regular run. I also collared a Suzuki tech down at the Island and he said he has never heard of it.

Firstly, has anybody had a similar issue or got a clue? Could it be primary drive clearances causing friction? With the initial clutch failure we thought it was the clutch causing the oil to overheat and then burning the plates. I now believe it is the other way around, something is heating the oil (when riding only - at idle on the stand no issue) to a point where it damages the clutch.

Over to you guys if anyone has an idea.


Bruce

[BLACKZOOK]

Bump

[Fineline22]

I now believe it is the other way around, something is heating the oil (when riding only - at idle on the stand no issue) to a point where it damages the clutch.

Definately not an expert by any means but a possible idea
Could it be the clutch isnt getting enough oil therfore causing your heat issue

I had a engine with a burnt a clutch
The burnt fibers had blocked the oil galley that feeds the clutch pack

[Axe]

Hay,

I've just had this same issue on a bike I was fixing up.
The clutch pack and push rods all check out ok, and turns out the clutch master was holding preasure in the system.
I changed out the hole master, and that fixed it.


Everything was fine then.

Maybe put it on a stand, start it in gear, and disconnect the oil line to the slave.

run it for 10 min and see if the clutch cover temp is any better.
this way you will isolate the hydraulics as a possible problem or not!


Let me know how it goes.
I'm in Perth if you need any help.

Axe.

[Maj]

Are you sure you have more than the usuall heat in that area, any problem with friction involved would become very obvious in the last 5000+ kms since replacing the clutch ,
Tried a IR temp gun , i would think ~120 deg in normal use

[Camel]

Is the bike still in Perth. I've repaired two 08 clutches this week. Both overheating to buggery because of the back torque limiter. One continued due to the inner hub not being cleaned and the accumulated crap blocking the oil ports.

[sportandroad]

Is the bike still in Perth. I've repaired two 08 clutches this week. Both overheating to buggery because of the back torque limiter. One continued due to the inner hub not being cleaned and the accumulated crap blocking the oil ports.

Hi Camel

Thank you.

Not it's no longer in Perth unfortunately, I am now in Melbourne. When you say "because of the back torque limiter" can you expand a bit more on that for me?

Bruce

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Are you sure you have more than the usuall heat in that area, any problem with friction involved would become very obvious in the last 5000+ kms since replacing the clutch ,
Tried a IR temp gun , i would think ~120 deg in normal use

Thanks for the reply. The heat is extraordinary, almost to the point where you can only ride the thing with your leg hanging out in the breeze. I rode it once in Karratha for 5 minutes with shorts on and ended up with a burnt right leg. I have not yet mesured the difference with a temp gun.

Sounds like Camel may be onto it.

Bruce

---

I now believe it is the other way around, something is heating the oil (when riding only - at idle on the stand no issue) to a point where it damages the clutch.

Definately not an expert by any means but a possible idea
Could it be the clutch isnt getting enough oil therfore causing your heat issue

I had a engine with a burnt a clutch
The burnt fibers had blocked the oil galley that feeds the clutch pack

Thanks for the effort, this may be what Camel is talking about in his reply aslo

[Camel]

[Shifu]

The wrong oil can also be a factor. Some called "Energy Conserving" are for cars only as they cause a clutch slip in motor bikes.

[Camel]

The wrong oil can also be a factor. Some called "Energy Conserving" are for cars only as nthey cause a clutch slip in motor bikes.

Absolutely correct. That's so fundamental that I forgot to mention it!

[sportandroad]

The wrong oil can also be a factor. Some called "Energy Conserving" are for cars only as nthey cause a clutch slip in motor bikes.

Absolutely correct. That's so fundamental that I forgot to mention it!

Hi Guys

Thanks Camel. I understand the slipper clutch and how it works, just unsure on what you thought it may be causing relevant to the heat.

Firstly this bike definitely has now and has always had the correct oil spec. I also replaced the oil and filter when I replaced the clutch assy under warranty (steels, fibres and springs). The clutch is NOT slipping now and hasn't since the replacement. I have babied this thing for the last 5K due to the heat in the cases, fully expecting it to pull another clutch at the drop of a hat. The original fibres were not destroyed just burnt and the plates hotspotted. I still have them if you want to see them. I would not expect fibre debris to be the cause in this case.

It has not been ridden since it was stripped again and inspected by an ex Mick Hone Suzuki tech. I explained the problem and asked them to ride the bike (no one ever listens), instead they stripped and inspected the clutch without riding the bike. The result was nothing was wrong with the clutch and they do not want to pursue it. They still haven't ridden the bike. I have to pick it up this week. Sometimes you feel like you speak a different language.[/u]

A slipping clutch will definitely heat the oil. This bike shows no signs of slipping even when loaded up but still generates enormous heat on that side.

I think I will drop it down to Hones and let them have a look. My belief is that this bike has had an issue ever since new delivery.

I will let you know if I ever get an answer.

Bruce

[Camel]

Thanks Bruce, please do.

Camel

[GRUNTMAX]

If your bike was running that hot, surely the cooling water n radiator would spit the dummy ? Although your oil presure indicator light goes out, maybe only just enough pressure ?
check the integrity of your oil pressure relief & O ring, maybe it's only holding just enough pressure to make the oil indicator dash light switch off ? Maybe it's the oil intake sump screen filter ?