Sanitized for Your Protection: Clutch Disassembly

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Wheelman-111
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Sanitized for Your Protection: Clutch Disassembly

Post by Wheelman-111 »

Greetings:

If you have the strength of one hundred and eleven ordinary Wheelmen as I do, you just squeeze the pulley halves together with your left hand, then unscrew the nut with your right. Yeah, right! :)

For the rest of you, if you can't get your hands on the Official Honda-san-Approved Driven Face Pulley Compressor Tool, there's this:
Image
Note that I no longer use the Giant Adjustable Wrench, as I scored a Giant 39mm 3/4" drive socket that is much easier to use and less likely to round off those precious corners.

1: Unbolt clutch assembly from the shaft. The Chain Holder tool works great for this, too.
2: Remove the bell and encircle the clutch with the chain holder tool. ($8.99 at HF) Tighten by twisting the knob until you can twist no more. Do not use the clamp-lock function, as it can crush and damage things very easily.
3: Gently and carefully apply a c-clamp or that locking clamp as shown. Again, you only want it to rest firmly, not bend the pulleys! A carpenter's screw-type clamp works just as well. I often use both to prevent Decapitation by Pulley.
4: Lock the whole mess up as best you can in Trusty WorkMate as shown. Set it so that unscrewing (or tightening) forces are mainly borne by the Chain Holder tool. Wail away until the nut gives, then use the socket (or wrench) to spin the nut all the way off. Be careful not to knock your c-clamps off or, you know... SPROINNGGG!!! OUCH!!! Son of a *&|#(#*!!

That nut takes some serious twist to remove sometimes, so take your time with the setup.

Once it's loose, I can usually compress the spring enough by hand to allow me to spin the nut off, then gently release spring pressure.

Reassembly is trickier because you really need things to be stable long enough to permit finding that elusive thread to start the nut on. Making an indexing mark can help get it on before strength fails. Alternatively you can use the WorkMate to squeeze the spring/sheave assembly together close enough to install a couple of C-clamps, then use those to guide and engage the oval-shaped clutch disc cutout into the pulley body. Make sure the nut has at least a couple of turns on before setting the whole thing back into the WorkMate for final torque - something like 25-30ft-lbs. (You do not want this nut coming off while underway... trust me on that one! :oops: ) I've been known to use a tiny drop of red LocTite as extra insurance against this.
Wheelman-111
Most of my money is spent on scooterparts. The rest is just wasted.
"ISO": '03 Vespa ET4 Malossi187 74MPH
Flash 9: 2001 Elite SR Contesta 72 ZX Tran, 9:1 Gears, Stock Airbox/Carb/Pipe 58.8 MPH
Punkin: 2010 Vespa/Malossi S78, 61MPH
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