# How low of oil is too low, clutch or engine noise



## carver88 (Nov 15, 2012)

I have a 08 brute force 750 with 500 miles on it.had a buddy help me change the oil and unfortunately he ran the bike with oil in it but only showing just about 1/4 the way up on the dip stick. He thought he had filled it. He only ran it for about 35 minutes on the stand. But now after starting it and reversing off the trailer it had a noticeable clanking noise that seemed consistent with the idle, almost as if it was coming from the exterior of the motor. Much like a loose shifter mechanism knocking against the block. I checked the oil and saw that it was low on the stick and filled it to the full line probably about .7 or just over half of a quart low. The noise has subsided and now it seems to be noisier than before. I ran the bike around and it seems to be making power and running fine but I cant decide if the clutch or motor is making more noise at idle. I had felt like I had slightly spun the belt the last time I was out as well. Is there a easy test to see if there is internal engine damage vs belt or clutch noise. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks


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## browland (Apr 4, 2009)

You can pull the belt and primary off ...
Start it up and let it idle . If noise is gone its play in the primary . Still making noise ,, it's engine


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## carver88 (Nov 15, 2012)

My bike seems to run fine with the clutches off so I guess its clutch noise. The noise seems to go away once the bike is warm it definitely is there when it is cold like a small hammer tapping inside the clutch area. The belt was loose and I took out a shim and added a VFJ #1 primary and secondary spring. Still has more clutch noise when cold than it did before and I only have about 500 miles on the machine. Through this process I some how got grease or oil on the primary clutch shaft and then had the clutch run into the clutch plate on my first run. I immediately shut it down when I heard the bad scarping noise. I took it apart and cleaned the clutch and output shaft and it went back on properly and still takes a tool to release it again. My question is for those who have had the clutch go on too far how many have had the primary clutch last without problems after they cleaned it and put it back on? I have been on a 2 hour ride with quite a bit of weight on the bike and all seems fine but I don't want to be 5 hours into a ride and have it fail. Thanks


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## NMKawierider (Apr 11, 2009)

carver88 said:


> My bike seems to run fine with the clutches off so I guess its clutch noise. The noise seems to go away once the bike is warm it definitely is there when it is cold like a small hammer tapping inside the clutch area. The belt was loose and I took out a shim and added a VFJ #1 primary and secondary spring. Still has more clutch noise when cold than it did before and I only have about 500 miles on the machine. Through this process I some how got grease or oil on the primary clutch shaft and then had the clutch run into the clutch plate on my first run. I immediately shut it down when I heard the bad scarping noise. I took it apart and cleaned the clutch and output shaft and it went back on properly and still takes a tool to release it again. My question is for those who have had the clutch go on too far how many have had the primary clutch last without problems after they cleaned it and put it back on? I have been on a 2 hour ride with quite a bit of weight on the bike and all seems fine but I don't want to be 5 hours into a ride and have it fail. Thanks


The crank shaft end and the clutch hub MUST be cleaned with acetone prior to installation. There can be NO film of any kind on it and it must be torqued to exactly what the manual says..either 68 or 69 ftlbs. If the clutch spins on the shaft enough to loose any material, you better hope its all come from the clutch hub and not the crank cause it will have to be replaced. If the hub get stretched or cracks from going on too far, its also shot. I would say if you install it properly and it torques correctly without hitting the deflector plate, you are probably OK. If not...well..hard lesson learned. The noise you hear are just loose/warn shoes. If the clutch is OK, then just have a shop replace them and it will be quiet again.


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## kdixer (Apr 14, 2010)

The thing people need to realize is that there are so many moving parts in the clutch, a little noise here and there is not a huge issue. All the little ticks and rattles are exagerated in cold temps as well. The spider shoes are made of a low friction composite material. In cold temps they are harder than at operating temps so the engine pulses result in a slight knocking or rapping noise. As the shoes warm up, they soften a bit and do a better job of absorbing the engine pulses. That is why the noise goes away in most cases at operating temp.

Max clearance between the spider shoes and the fixed sheave post is .008". Anything less than that is acceptable, even though it is completley feasable that it may exhibit a slight clutch knock. If you take all of the clearance out, the clutch will be much more likely to bind up and not function properly.

Also, as long as the oil level was on the dipstick, it should not have been low enough to cause any engine damage.


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## carver88 (Nov 15, 2012)

Thanks for the Help. I feel better about the oil, it was on the dipstick about a 1/4 to a third of the way up. The clutch did not spin on the shaft I am sure of this just rubbed the back case with the fins. It only was for about 10 seconds and I shut it down. After cleaning it well it went together tight and takes the clutch removal tool to release it. I think I may order the sleeved part of the primary clutch and replace it just in case it stretched, cheaper than taking apart the entire engine if it ends up spinning on the shaft.


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## kdixer (Apr 14, 2010)

It takes a few special tools to disassemble the primary. It will not be an easy "replace the sleeved part" procedure.


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## carver88 (Nov 15, 2012)

I was considering sending the primary clutch to VFJ to have the work done. I don't think I would tackle it myself , hopefully VFJ can do his other mods to improve my clutch as well.


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