[black1200lt]

Quote:
Originally Posted by dshealey
I am really disappointed in the way BMW fails to address known problems! The failing clutch slave cylinders have been an Achilles heel on the bike since introduced in '99! You would think they would have jumped on a re-design as soon as warranty replacements started hitting the books. I don't think Honda would have suffered with replacements that long without doing something.

AND, a failing cylinder STILL takes out the clutch! BMW, you are STUPID to let something that well known continue to be a big problem.

ADDED: If I were to get a new LT, I would drill the drain hole in the tranny right away! My first clutch replacement on the 2000 LTwas at 400 miles! The second at 4,000 miles, the third at 8500 miles. You can see why I am so adamant about BMW's failure to address this rather simple device. At least they should add a drain so the cylinder failure does not automatically require a much more expensive clutch replacement.


David,

I'm with you 100% on what you said. In fact I am going to host a NW tech session *JUST* for the clutch drilling to take place. We'll call it "Driller Thriller!":sun:

The way I see it is-all I need is a good drill/bits and someone who KNOWS *where* to drill them puppies.

David I sure wish you lived near. If you feel the need for a little LT time, let me know. I just happen to have a spare LT around so we could go for a ride! (BRIBE-BRIBE!!)

Anyone who lives up in the Seattle-Bellevue, Great Northwest Area that knows how to do this operation...let me know and I will set it up.

I am real sick of buying new clutches.

 

[meese]

Coni,

I'm planning on being in Portland for around two weeks in the middle of January. I'll be glad to come up and help out. I'll let you know as soon as the dates are set, but I'm sure I can swing a weekend visit up your way. Just don't be surprised if I show up in a rental car with too many wheels.

In the mean time, check out the pics in this thread.

(Also posted in the North West forum, so that we can coordinate dates.)

 

[black1200lt]

Coni,

I'm planning on being in Portland for around two weeks in the middle of January. I'll be glad to come up and help out. I'll let you know as soon as the dates are set, but I'm sure I can swing a weekend visit up your way. Just don't be surprised if I show up in a rental car with too many wheels.

In the mean time, check out the pics in this thread.

(Also posted in the North West forum, so that we can coordinate dates.)

Ken,
I saw one pix posted, that did not look like it was drilled low enough. Since you went with David and saw it straight from "The Man" I believe we have a tech session in the making.
We will move this to the NW board and get everyone's calendars synchronized and get it moving.
Thanks Ken!

 

[dshealey]

Ken,
I saw one pix posted, that did not look like it was drilled low enough. Since you went with David and saw it straight from "The Man" I believe we have a tech session in the making.
We will move this to the NW board and get everyone's calendars synchronized and get it moving.
Thanks Ken!

The hole I drilled is plenty low enough Coni. Only about 1/32" of fluid could pool before draining out, only about to the bottom of the black seal pictured. It would have to get all the way up to the hole in the center of the mainshaft to traverse through to the clutch.

The reason it is a little off center is that we did Ken's bike with the crossmember still in. That required angling the drill up from the left side, and off center. You can see how I went between the catalytic converter and the jog in the crossmember. Also, there is a step in the tranny housing below the boss that the cylinder mounts to, that sticks out some and is offset to the right side, we drilled to the left of the step. When I did mine, it was with the cross member removed, and more centered, but behind the step, so I had to angle the drill toward the front of the bike. When drilling with the cross member in place, you have to drill straight up, to the left of the step in the casting, which places the drill as you see it in the pictures. That is just as good as the one I drilled that was more centered.

Wish I could make your "Driller-Chiller" tech session! If Ken makes it up, he now knows how to do it. I have that long drill I could loan him to bring up, or mail it to you. Not readily available from your local hardware store.

 

[sanjaun2]

Coni,
If you let me know what size drill bit, I will attend your tech session armed with several drill bits.(I have access to drill bits of all sizes and materials) Are we drilling aluminum or something harder?

 

[AlaskaFish]

Count me in as well Coni! Just need to know when and where. I guess that will be up to Ken's schedule. I also think this is a very worthwhile thing to do for preventative purposes.

John

 

[meese]

David, I meant to ask you how long yours is? Um, er, well you get the idea.

Also, what do you think is the minimum we'd have to remove to get to this area? I'm trying to remember if it's blocked by the swing arm, which means tearing down as far as we did, or if we could reach up there with a long drill and the swing arm in place.

I'm guessing a full tear down, as we had to remove the swing arm to get the slave cylinder out, and I don't think I'd like to drill that with it still in place. So maybe we can get a decent drill bit, but I might want to borrow your open socket, or at least make one up ahead of time.

Also, if anyone up in the PNW has 50K miles or more on their bike, you may want to plan on replacing the slave anyway. Assuming we have a decent workshop, I'm not against doing several LTs at once, or doing one as a demonstration and letting y'all work out the rest according to your schedule. The parts weren't that expensive, and I can give you exact part numbers so the parts can be bought ahead of time.

 

[meese]

OK, how do things look for the 14th and/or 15th of January? That seems to be my best option.

I haven't booked flights yet, and the times are totally up to me. Much sooner and the flights get expensive. Much later and it'll interfere with plans I have in L.A. on the 20th, and possibly drag my work project later than I'd like to.

I'm even willing to do one day up near Seattle (assuming we have garage space available) and possibly one day somewhere in Portland (how's that lift, Ernie?).

Another option is to shoot for the 28th and/or 29th of January, which gives us all more time to plan.

 

[ErnieA]

OK, how do things look for the 14th and/or 15th of January? That seems to be my best option.

I haven't booked flights yet, and the times are totally up to me. Much sooner and the flights get expensive. Much later and it'll interfere with plans I have in L.A. on the 20th, and possibly drag my work project later than I'd like to.

I'm even willing to do one day up near Seattle (assuming we have garage space available) and possibly one day somewhere in Portland (how's that lift, Ernie?).

Another option is to shoot for the 28th and/or 29th of January, which gives us all more time to plan.

I have quite a few things to do to my bike as well. I could use some help when I'm recovering from this up-and-coming surgery on my shoulder. I need to replace my throttle cables and cruise control cables. I might as well do the '05 conversion. I have a dash light out, so I might as well do the speedo correction while I'm that close. Also I have to aim that darn HID! I want to do the coolant and brake fluid change,so I might as well do the clutch slave and change that fluid too. Wow! It will feel like a new machine.

R U up for any of that?

E

 

[dshealey]

The drill I used is a number 21 (not important, about 5/32") and is 6" long. A standard "jobber's length" drill (as in sets) is not long enough to do the job with the crossmember in place.

I would not try to do that with the clutch slave still in the bike! could damage the slave. So the swing arm would have to be removed anyway. If one wanted to take the chance on not damaging the slave cylinder, it could be done though.

I will gladly loan the drill, socket, and allen wrench. Let me know if you want to pick it up, or I could mail it to Coni so it will be there when you arrive.

 

[black1200lt]

OK, how do things look for the 14th and/or 15th of January? That seems to be my best option.

I haven't booked flights yet, and the times are totally up to me. Much sooner and the flights get expensive. Much later and it'll interfere with plans I have in L.A. on the 20th, and possibly drag my work project later than I'd like to.

I'm even willing to do one day up near Seattle (assuming we have garage space available) and possibly one day somewhere in Portland (how's that lift, Ernie?).

Another option is to shoot for the 28th and/or 29th of January, which gives us all more time to plan.

Ken,

We will be out of town on the 14th/15th.

Since the weather is so bad in Seattle now, I'm pretty sure that no one will mind if we put it off a bit.

The first two weeks of February would work for me, how is your calendar looking on those dates?

 

[meese]

This may work out. I still need to head up in January, so maybe a session at Ernie's on the 14th/15th. I will need to head back up in February, so we can probably schedule another session in Seattle then. I won't know those dates for another couple of weeks, but again I'll have some flexibility. And if that fails, I'll be back up towards the end of February and into March, so we'll have more chances then.

 

[sanjaun2]

I do not know about the wrench or allen needed, but I should have no problem getting a few #21 drills 6 inches or longer

 

[black1200lt]

This may work out. I still need to head up in January, so maybe a session at Ernie's on the 14th/15th. I will need to head back up in February, so we can probably schedule another session in Seattle then. I won't know those dates for another couple of weeks, but again I'll have some flexibility. And if that fails, I'll be back up towards the end of February and into March, so we'll have more chances then.

Ken,
Sounds like Ernie could use your help right now as well, so that works out quite well for everyone.
Ernie, I'm sorry to hear about your shoulder. I hope everything goes well and your recovery is a snap.
Check your schedule Ken and we will get this on the books.
Best,
Coni

 

[meese]

I do not know about the wrench or allen needed, but I should have no problem getting a few #21 drills 6 inches or longer

Cool. Like David said, the exact length isn't critical, just so long as you can get the drill up under the bike. The exact size is open too, as it' s just a small weep hole.

The allen wrench isn't anything special, and the socket just had a window cut out so that you can hold the inner allen bolt still while torquing the outer lock nut down. I'd like to get a few extra sockets, then have them modified to match David's. That way, we could leave one in the PNW, and have another here in SoCal, and maybe even send one to Neblett, or Rehder, or the Texas crew.

I have a friend with a garage workshop well stocked with normal power tools, but if someone has access to a simple mill we could churn out several modified sockets easily. Add a drill bit, an allen wrench, and maybe even a few pics and you'd have a pretty decent kit for this job.

 

[motorhead]

Would like to do this "Hole" mod myself. Photo gives the @ where ... but the casting shows output shaft recessed from end of casting where clutch assm go's onto.

While looking under bike and viewing the area of casting too be drilled, How Far from outer edge do you drill hole ?

Any photos looking at that from under bike ?

Thank you.
Scott

 

[meese]

I don't have any more photos than those already posted. But if we do this in a couple of weeks at Ernie's, we'll be sure to take a few more pics.

 

[ErnieA]

Cool. Like David said, the exact length isn't critical, just so long as you can get the drill up under the bike. The exact size is open too, as it' s just a small weep hole.

The allen wrench isn't anything special, and the socket just had a window cut out so that you can hold the inner allen bolt still while torquing the outer lock nut down. I'd like to get a few extra sockets, then have them modified to match David's. That way, we could leave one in the PNW, and have another here in SoCal, and maybe even send one to Neblett, or Rehder, or the Texas crew.

I have a friend with a garage workshop well stocked with normal power tools, but if someone has access to a simple mill we could churn out several modified sockets easily. Add a drill bit, an allen wrench, and maybe even a few pics and you'd have a pretty decent kit for this job.

Ken,

Do you have details on this socket? I can machine a couple up here.

Ernie

 

[ErnieA]

Cool. Like David said, the exact length isn't critical, just so long as you can get the drill up under the bike. The exact size is open too, as it' s just a small weep hole.

The allen wrench isn't anything special, and the socket just had a window cut out so that you can hold the inner allen bolt still while torquing the outer lock nut down. I'd like to get a few extra sockets, then have them modified to match David's. That way, we could leave one in the PNW, and have another here in SoCal, and maybe even send one to Neblett, or Rehder, or the Texas crew.

I have a friend with a garage workshop well stocked with normal power tools, but if someone has access to a simple mill we could churn out several modified sockets easily. Add a drill bit, an allen wrench, and maybe even a few pics and you'd have a pretty decent kit for this job.

I've got the mill if you have the details.
Ernie

 

[ErnieA]

Ken,
Sounds like Ernie could use your help right now as well, so that works out quite well for everyone.
Ernie, I'm sorry to hear about your shoulder. I hope everything goes well and your recovery is a snap.
Check your schedule Ken and we will get this on the books.
Best,
Coni

Thanks Coni. I might sound a little pitiful, but I'll bounce back and hope to put down another year of serious miles. This year our LT provided over 22k wonderful miles this year. Happy New Year to you and yours and many miles of fun riding.