Topica Loopframe_Guzzi Archive


Subject: RE: SW Missouri campout

Author: Greg Bender

Date: May 11, 2005, 5:33 PM

Post ID: 1718850328



Hi Ted,

Glad you had a good trip...aren't the loops great fun!

Sorry to hear of the mechanical trouble. Here's my armchair advice:

First, after the bike has parked and the oil has dripped out, feel it
with your fingers...you ought to be able to tell whether it's engine oil
or gear oil. Either way, you'll have to separate the engine from the
transmission to get at it. Here are the potential sources of the leak:

Transmission:
1. Input shaft seal
2. push rod o-rings/cones
3. o-ring behind the clutch input hub
4. porous casting

Engine:
1. Rear main seal
2. Gasket for the rear main bearing flange
3. gasket under the large tube that runs up to the breather
4. alluminum crush washers under the banjo bolt at the bottom of the
bell-housing (this is the oil return line from the breather)
5. cam shaft plug leakage (I believe the repair for this is a coating of
JB Weld all around the seam
6. porous casting

There probably another spot or two that I'm missing, but I think these
are the big ones.

As for the clutch staying disengaged when you release the handle, here
are the things I would check:

1. Be sure that the cable can move freely in it's housing and isn't
binding on anything or being pinched.
2. Check all of the shift linkage to be sure they are able to move
freely.
3. Did you replace the clutch input hub when you did your recent clutch
work? I suppose, if it was notched badly enough, that it could get
caught up.

Hmmm...I'm sure there are other possibilities, but that's all I can
think of right now. I just finished moving umpteen gillion wheel-barrows
full of dirt for my landscaping wife. Say what you want about Florida,
but it does have nice diggin' dirt :>

Ted Ward wrote:
 
Went last weekend to Anderson MO. Only one other loop (Luap McGeevers)
but I
never met the owner. Fun trip, there are a unlimited number of awesome
roads
in that part of the country. Right where Oklahoma, Arakansas and
Missouri
meet. We tried every highway we saw (no maps) and it would twist and
turn
for 10 or 15 miles and come out within about 5 miles of where we
started.
Rode back in moderately heavy rain on Sunday morning, still better than
setting on the couch.
The Eldo was great, probably its first real ride in 20 years.

A weird thing happened. After riding all day I pulled up to a stop sign
and
the clutch was slack. I killed it and looked at things. The clutch cable
was
still in place and both levers moved, with no resistance. First thing I
thought of was somebody describing the clutch rod as a "very dull drill
bit"
but I had my buddy push me to get going in first and suddenly it was
working
again. Apparently the clutch had simple failed to pop back out after I
had
engaged it. Happened about 5 more times in 15 minutes, then never again.
I have NO idea what was going on. I had the clutch apart not too long
ago,
so it couldn't have too much crud built up in it.

The only other problem is I am now losing lots of oil through the drain
hole
under the clutch. I am guessing this is due to a bad seal for the motor
and/or the tranny. Does replacement of the seals entail much other than
separating the engine and transmission and replacing the seals?

Ted



Regards,

Greg Bender
1971 Ambassador
2000 Quota
http://www.thisoldtractor.com/gtbender

Florida MGNOC website
http://www.thisoldtractor.com/fl_mgnoc

Minnesota MGNOC website
http://www.thisoldtractor.com/mn_mgnoc

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