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216 Posts
Sounds like your clutch is going -- in fact, I just replaced mine as my 05 with about 16,000 miles was doing the exact same thing as yours was doing. yes, at 16,000 miles. Fortunately, I had some local LT owners who stepped up and helped me do the work.
Here is where things all started...
To begin with, I thought my clutch was slipping due to contaminated oil. That said, I only wanted to drill the weep hole for the clutch slave. But when I got there, everything around my clutch slave was nice and dry.
So all things being what they were, the other LT owners in my garage said, "let's take out the tranny as we are pretty much right there -- we can then see what was causing your clutch to slip." They were right (thank you bob, rob and mike).
Bottom line: We got the tranny off and found that the friction plate was just worn out. I guess the PO slipped the clutch a lot when riding. Kinda relieved actually that it was only a worn out clutch.
I replaced my clutch (w/ all the misc. parts) for less than $700 and decided that using the siebenrock friction plate was a better investment (this was probably another $120 more than the OEM friction plate). I did change the seal for the clutch plate cylinder as it was pretty easy to do (we did not change the rear engine seal).
To make the job easier, I do suggest some things:
1. Get 1 or 2 local LT owners who are handy to help you out. So much easier than just by yourself.
2. Watch the weep hole drilling video. Great resource.
3. Do some research on the clutch replacement -- there are some great documents on this website.
4. The tools you need are pretty basic EXCEPT you need the socket cut out for your allen wrench. I also made a clutch alignment tool by buying two wooden dowels from home depot -- for less than $7.
5. I bought a motorcycle table (harbor freight) which made the job a lot easier. Best $300 spent as it made the work get done faster and easier. You also need a floor jack to lift the tranny up and down and two stationery jacks to support a 4x4 (under the side cases there is a frame to use).
6. When you take out the drive shaft, notice how the phasing was done (see how the yokes get lined up).
7. Write down all the torque specs before reassembly. This will give you a quick reference -- oh yeah, have a manual handy.
Hope this helps. It is a lot of labor but I gained tons of experience in doing this. Plus, John Z was invaluable too.
Here is where things all started...
To begin with, I thought my clutch was slipping due to contaminated oil. That said, I only wanted to drill the weep hole for the clutch slave. But when I got there, everything around my clutch slave was nice and dry.
So all things being what they were, the other LT owners in my garage said, "let's take out the tranny as we are pretty much right there -- we can then see what was causing your clutch to slip." They were right (thank you bob, rob and mike).
Bottom line: We got the tranny off and found that the friction plate was just worn out. I guess the PO slipped the clutch a lot when riding. Kinda relieved actually that it was only a worn out clutch.
I replaced my clutch (w/ all the misc. parts) for less than $700 and decided that using the siebenrock friction plate was a better investment (this was probably another $120 more than the OEM friction plate). I did change the seal for the clutch plate cylinder as it was pretty easy to do (we did not change the rear engine seal).
To make the job easier, I do suggest some things:
1. Get 1 or 2 local LT owners who are handy to help you out. So much easier than just by yourself.
2. Watch the weep hole drilling video. Great resource.
3. Do some research on the clutch replacement -- there are some great documents on this website.
4. The tools you need are pretty basic EXCEPT you need the socket cut out for your allen wrench. I also made a clutch alignment tool by buying two wooden dowels from home depot -- for less than $7.
5. I bought a motorcycle table (harbor freight) which made the job a lot easier. Best $300 spent as it made the work get done faster and easier. You also need a floor jack to lift the tranny up and down and two stationery jacks to support a 4x4 (under the side cases there is a frame to use).
6. When you take out the drive shaft, notice how the phasing was done (see how the yokes get lined up).
7. Write down all the torque specs before reassembly. This will give you a quick reference -- oh yeah, have a manual handy.
Hope this helps. It is a lot of labor but I gained tons of experience in doing this. Plus, John Z was invaluable too.
