Subject: Re: grease?
Author: Patrick Hayes
Date: Mar 17, 2005, 6:17 PM
Post ID: 1718560007
Ted Ward wrote:
| before I did I put a small amount grease on the transmission input hub. Then I began to think about that thing spinning and slinging grease onto the clutch plates. Is this a problem or will I be okay? |
All depends on your definition of "small amount". I always used to
paint a film on. If you think it can "slung" then maybe you gobbed on a
lot. The newer 4mm spline clutches don't seem to have anywhere near the
grabbiness problems of the older 2mm version.
It is a long running dispute. The factory assembled them dry I believe.
Lubricant is usually a help in most metal contact environments. Here
you have the plates sliding on the input spline and the floater sliding
on the flywheel interior spline. Metal on metal in both locations.
In the case of the loop clutch, the metals develop a fine rust powder
over time and the friction plates deteriorate to dust over time. Some
would argue that lubrication captures this dust combo and forms an
abrasive paste which exacerbates component wear and stickiness. Others
argue that a film of lubricant helps to reduce or prevent the rust issue
in the first place. This may turn out like an oil or tire thread. Just
a bunch of opinions with no emprirical data.
Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA