Clutch Failure

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Styler

Styler

Supporting Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2012
Messages
1,088
Location
NW Arkansas, USA
1,700 miles on the clock and my clutch failed yesterday. :(

I have been noticing the colure going off of my fluid in the clutch and the rear brake reservoir of late, and I suppose yesterday was the day the clutch gave up the ghost. I think if I replace the fluids, it should work again and so that is what I will do.

The real question is, why are the fluids being contaminated so quickly?

Funny (not really), this is the same problem my friends have been having with their 916 and 1198.

I won't get around to doing the fluids until next weekend; but I'll keep you posted to let you know if it works and for how long.

I'd like to know if anyone else has had this issue. If so, let us know.
 
I'm guessing the heat is degrading the clutch fluid, but 1700 miles is kinda crazy. But the clutch should still work even if the clutch fluid is dark
 
My 916 has always fouled its clutch fluid rapidly. It has been hypothesized that it has to do with the seal materials, but I'm doubtful. While it has fouled it rapidly it has never caused a problem. OTOH, the slave cylinder and seal has always been a weak point in the 916 clutch system and is commonly replaced. I did this years ago, and it still fouls the clutch fluid rapidly.

I've also noticed the fouling of the rear brake fluid on the 1199 and experienced a less than smooth clutch actuation on occasion. I have no proof, but I get the sense that both are due to the amount of heat which gets thrown off by the engine and exhaust. I'm at 1600 mi., but have seen very little high heat or stop and go riding.
 
Ray916MN said:
I'm at 1600 mi., but have seen very little high heat or stop and go riding.
Click to expand...

Thanks; you are probably right about the heat. I have almost no stop and go traffic; however, when passing through a small town I do and the weather since I've had the bike has been in the high 80s and the bike regularly is around 200 F.
 
I just did my 600 mile service and noticed a very weird clutch engagement/popping feel in the lever. Adjusted everything and now notice a pull when starting the bike when its totally cooled off even if the lever is fully closed...

Any thoughts before I take it in for service? Did NOT do this prior to servicing bike :S
 
2,600 miles and my clutch went AGAIN; that's 900 miles since the last failure.
:(
Changing the fluid fixed it last time; however, something has got to be wrong other than just frying the fluid. This time, I had the high-temp Motul 660 fluid in as an extra precaution. Nothing.
I'll change it one more time and see if I can make it work until I can get to the dealer.
 
When you say your clutch failed, did it fail to engage/drive or disengage/release or the lever became difficult to manipulate. I have seen some posts regarding the piston on the master needing to be removed and essentially polished. I guess I can expect this failure too as my clutch fluids are substantially different than the brake. I will proactively change it tomorrow after I acquire the correct fluid. God will this crap ever stop with this bike!!
 
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Is the actual clutch pack failing?? There was a post earlier regarding the slave cylinder piston sticking. The fix was to gently hone the piston while some suggested an aftermarket solution. Sorry to hear about the trouble.
 
Styler said:
1,700 miles on the clock and my clutch failed yesterday. :(

I have been noticing the colure going off of my fluid in the clutch and the rear brake reservoir of late, and I suppose yesterday was the day the clutch gave up the ghost. I think if I replace the fluids, it should work again and so that is what I will do.

The real question is, why are the fluids being contaminated so quickly?

Funny (not really), this is the same problem my friends have been having with their 916 and 1198.

I won't get around to doing the fluids until next weekend; but I'll keep you posted to let you know if it works and for how long.

I'd like to know if anyone else has had this issue. If so, let us know.
Click to expand...

Did you have your dealer drain the fluid and bleed the system? I noticed mine was being a pain in the ass. It seemed like I couldnt roll off the clutch smoothly, the shifter was getting tough to shift, etc. You might just have air in the line, or you might be burning a lot of oil like I did. I burned about 1 whole quart of oil. Not trying to insult your intelligence if I am pointing out the obvious. I just had them bleed the line and I topped up the oil and everything worked perfectly.
 
It begins by becoming very difficult to change from first or second into neutral and gets progressively worse until the point that even if the clutch is engaged and the bike is in first gear, you feel some pull through the transmission.

I'll send my mechanic an email at the Dealer; he noted that if it kept happening they might try to replace the master cylinder under warranty. I'll post what ever advice they give me.

One thing is for sure, it will be weeks before I can get to the dealer and so I will likely just keep replacing the fluid when this happens until I can get around to getting the bike up to St.Louis.

I'll likely replace all of rear brake fluid at the same time since the rear reservoir is also full of black fluid now. I'm glad I bought that vacuum pump.
 
Styler said:
It begins by becoming very difficult to change from first or second into neutral and gets progressively worse until the point that even if the clutch is engaged and the bike is in first gear, you feel some pull through the transmission.

I'll send my mechanic an email at the Dealer; he noted that if it kept happening they might try to replace the master cylinder under warranty. I'll post what ever advice they give me.

One thing is for sure, it will be weeks before I can get to the dealer and so I will likely just keep replacing the fluid when this happens until I can get around to getting the bike up to St.Louis.

I'll likely replace all of rear brake fluid at the same time since the rear reservoir is also full of black fluid now. I'm glad I bought that vacuum pump.
Click to expand...

I am almost 100% sure that there is air in your lines. Clutch isn't smooth, hard to shift, keep having problems moving into neutral... You're having the same problems I had, but it won't do you any good replacing the clutch fluid unless you bleed the line. Tellin yah, if you bleed it, you shouldnt have any more problems. You know what I mean? I can tell you how to do it if you don't know how. It's fairly simple.
 
elitesoldier357 said:
I am almost 100% sure that there is air in your lines. Clutch isn't smooth, hard to shift, keep having problems moving into neutral... You're having the same problems I had, but it won't do you any good replacing the clutch fluid unless you bleed the line. Tellin yah, if you bleed it, you shouldnt have any more problems. You know what I mean? I can tell you how to do it if you don't know how. It's fairly simple.
Click to expand...

Yes; I think you are right. Last time I used the vacuum pump to pull all of the air and fluid out of the lines and replaced it with spanking new juice (and no air). That worked just fine and then when I went to have my Termi system installed a week later the mechanic at the dealer replaced it again with the high-temp Motul 660 fluid just for the hell of it (no charge) to see if the high-temp stuff would make a difference. This time, the fluid is not black; it is discoloured, however. I am sure as soon as I bleed the system again I'll see those nasty little air bubbles.

Anyway, the real question is how the hell is air getting in there so quickly? Appears to be a faulty seal or something.
 
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Sorry about the problems. Dark fluid is unlikely to affect operation. I get confused when you say your clutch is failing. I think of a failed clutch as something that needs to be replaced.

There are other posts as mentioned about the master cylinder issues.

Bleed the air. Ensure you clutch fluid level is correct. Also verify your oil level is correct.

Expect the color of the clutch and rear brake fluids to turn dark. It won't freak me out. I'll change per the recommendations.

Chris
 
To anyone with their first Ducati and new to them in general. Dark clutch / brake fluid has been a notorious and common thing for these bikes as far back as the first sportbike era. There is nothing to get freaked out about or think that it needs replacement asap, or is the cause of other issues. Their infamous dry clutch will always have this issue and its nothing to get worried over. Just change it out on your next oil change or service.

Like many said here, when I hear failure I think of something catastrophic which caused a crash or serious breakage to occur. Thankfully I have not had one single issue with my Tri since the day I got it. I feel for those who have suffered such issues and hope they get rectified for you all.
 
I promise you. If you have air in your clutch fluid line it WILL do exactly as you have described. Here is a link on how to bleed it. Its on an 848 or 1198, but should be in the same areas as the others. If you can't do it yourself, any shop near you can do it easily. Not something that is easy to F*** up. Any bike shop can do it. It'll save you the long trip to the dealer. If this doesn't work, take it to your dealer. Cause it's probably something else. Here's the vid:
Ducati Clutch Fluid Flush 848 1098 1198 - YouTube
 
I have had very poor results using my vacuum pump. It bleeds ok, and you see lots of air but it does not do a good job. Get a friend and bleed it the old fashion way. Its the only way I get a good feel out of my race bikes. I think the high pressure of pumping the system then a rapid release forces those stubborn air bubble's out completely.
 
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SSDriver said:
I have had very poor results using my vacuum pump. It bleeds ok, and you see lots of air but it does not do a good job. Get a friend and bleed it the old fashion way. Its the only way I get a good feel out of my race bikes. I think the high pressure of pumping the system then a rapid release forces those stubborn air bubble's out completely.
Click to expand...

+1.
De-gassing the fluid before hand does wonders as well.
 
Gunny Fitz said:
To anyone with their first Ducati and new to them in general. Dark clutch / brake fluid has been a notorious and common thing for these bikes as far back as the first sportbike era. There is nothing to get freaked out about or think that it needs replacement asap, or is the cause of other issues.
Click to expand...

Yep! +1
 

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