Clutch TOO Wet?

I'm doing a clutch job on the '99 I picked up a couple weeks ago. The clutch slipped badly at anything above 1/2 throttle at 6k+ RPM. The bike has just under 19k miles on it. I got bought a used 6k mile clutch from another member (Thanks Steven113!) as a replacement.

I just drained the oil to get started. Guess what? It had almost 6 quarts in it!!! I pulled the clutch plates out and they all look fine. The fiber plates look exactly the same as my replacements. Could having DOUBLE the oil in the crankcase cause the clutch to slip?? It was probably just about submerged!

I'm still going to throw the new clutch in to be sure but I honestly was expecting the original to be toast so now I'm a little confused.

Any thoughts?

 

I would doubt it as the pressure should force the oil out between the plates even if it is fully submerged. But I'm not really an expert on this so someone else might want to chime in with their opinion.

What I would be more concerned at when finding this out is what KIND of oil was being used. If said person was stupid enough to use almost twice the oil required, then said person would also be stupid enough to use regualr engine oil with moly and other friction reducing additives in the oil. This is what I would say is more likely to have caused the slipping of your clutch.

 

That makes sense. Who knows what kind of oil he used. Well, I installed the new plates I have and also bled the old fluid out of the hydraulic system so hopefully the clutch will be working perfectly when I get the rest of the bike back together. I did some cosmetic repairs to my engine side cover too that I'm pretty happy with.

 

Ooooh... that looks good in black. I hadn't thought about it but never have cared about the bronze-ish color my cover is from the factory. I might just have to add that to my "to do" list.

 

Yeah sand blasted it and removed a lot of material with a file to try to smooth the scratches a little. Sprayed it with "Low Gloss Black" engine paint. It's not perfect, but better than it was. It will be interesting to see how the paint holds up.

 

The paint will be fine I did the same to mine. Good chance meat is right about your clutch, puting automotive oil in there would glaze over the disks and plates causing slipage. No prob on the parts bro!

 

Never having done it myself so I do not know for sure with the VFR or any other bike. I do see on a regular basis transmissions that are filled to the top and the only complaint is an oil leak and not slipping. I would not think the oil is an issue as much as spring tension loss at those miles. If it helps I run stock clutch's and after market springs in all my bikes for twenty years with no issues. Not a fan of aftermarket discs do to basket wear, but stock clutch's last much longer with good springs......just a bitch at red lights.

 

You might want to check your airbox/filter for oil contamination. Bet your bike will run better with the proper amount of oil.

You can measure the plates to determine wear, I've found the factory specs to be pretty accurate on other models. If they measure within specs and it slipped that bad, then you might suspect TYPE of oil or additive wrecked the fiber material. I kinda doubt too much would make your clutch slip but it could cause other problems.

 

Yeah I already had the airbox and throttle bodies off before I drained the oil. There was a little oil inside the airbox and the OEM filter is going to be changed to a K&N before it goes back together. I'm glad I have an explanation for the oil now.