Four Wheel Forum

I have a 63 Benly 150 and the clutch is extremely hard to engage. I've tried all three adjustment points but it's either too loose or too tight. I installed a new clutch cable but it didn't help. I noticed there's a grease point on the side cover which I haven't tried to grease up yet. I'm hoping to have time to do that tonight.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks!

Take the left side cover off and you will discover quite the contraption inside. The cable actuates a barrel mechanism that pushes a rod (that goes through the cases to the clutch basket) when it turns. If this is dry you will have one heck of a time pulling the clutch. There are pictures on here somewhere.. let me find them. Take this apart to clean and lubricate and you will be able to pull the clutch with one finger.

Here are a couple must read links:
http://www.fourwheelforum.com/showthrea ... tch+barrel

http://www.fourwheelforum.com/showthread.php?t=103

Awesome! Thanks for the quick response. I'll give it a try.

It looks like someone used a small screwdriver to try and adjust the wide actuator screw as some point and it's pretty boogered up. What are my chances of finding a decent replacement?

Heh that is common. That's some bad news. You could scan over Ebay or post a "wanted" ad on the forum here.

This happens all the time when people don't bother to use the proper tool or anything close to a proper tool. I replaced the inspection hole plugs on my modern dirtbike with plugs that have a much more useful Allen wrench slot in them. Why would the factory even use such a plug with the weird slot in it? It's not right.

Here is the oil fill plug on my 2005 Suzuki... what the heck! I share your frustration.

CHECK THIS OUT. I would suggest you JUMP on this one immediately. This is a deal for this cover with all the included clutch adjuster and drum hardware.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-CA95-Benl ... 2a&vxp=mtr

The barrel adjuster should be an easy repair . Remove it from the side cover , clean the old grease and relube . The adjuster slot can be cleaned up and it you don't have a wide blade screwdriver ,you can easily make a tool to fit the slot .
When you remove the side cover ,you'll see the bolt through the side cover tightens a cast iron horseshoe clamp , When you put the adjuster back in the side cover make sure the horseshoe clamp is seated around the adjuster correctly . If it's not seated correctly you will break one of the clamping surfaces when you tighten the bolt .
For me , when I first put a bike together , I set the clutch adjustment with the clutch cable disconnected from the adjuster . You can feel the adjuster when it takes up the gap to the pushrod and clutch , backoff the adjuster a little and clamp it down . You should be able to move the lever and feel some freeplay . At that point I'll hook the cable to the adjuster arm and make the lever engagement adjustments .

Maybe Craftsman should start making a coin shaped screwdriver?! My wife and I just got into offroad riding last year and we love it! I have a CRF 250X and she rides a CRF 230F.

Thanks for the eBay link! That is an awesome deal.

So I took the side cover off last night and disassembled and re-greased the adjuster mechanism. (BTW my seal doesn't have a dent like you pointed out in your other post.) However it still didn't fix my problem. :'(

So I'm back wondering if it's a problem with the cable. The new one I installed didn't look new as described. So if the the cable is stretched or too long could it cause it to be so hard to pull the clutch?

If not, should I start breaking down the clutch itself?

The cable should be an easy check . It either slides smoothly in the outer sheath or it doesn't . If it's binding you could try lubing the cable .
If that's not the case ,then pulling the right side cover and inspecting the clutch assembly should be the next step . The clutch plates should fit into the fingers of the clutch basket smoothly . Check for any binding as well as wear ( notching ) of the clutch basket .
Finally check to see if the push rod is bent and binding . Good luck !

Thanks! You guys are awesome.

The clutch cable slides smoothy and I've sprayed silicone spray down the sheath so I guess it's fine.

Clutch assemblies scare me because I've never taken one apart before. But there's a first time for everything!

One more newbie question. Do I need to drain the oil before I take the clutch apart?

Yes , drain the crankcase oil , it's common to the right side . Oil pump , oil bath clutch . You'll also have to remove the foot peg assembly ,kick starter lever, the right exhaust, you can take it off in one piece , muffler and pipe or just the pipe . There is a gasket it the exhaust port and also a rubber gasket at the pipe to muffler joint . Also the oil filter should be removed from the rightside case .
Be carefull as the filter assembly has 2 o-rings that go around the filter body and a thrust washer at the case end of the filter . The filter can be disassembled for cleaning but be carefull not to strip the japan phillips heads ! Just like the case screws .
Oil filter o-rings are still available if yours are in bad condition as well as the rightside cover gasket . If you reuse your cover gasket put a very small amount of 3-Bond or equilaviant RTV on the gasket to insure a good seal .
If your not familiar with 3-Bond , Yamabond , Suzuki ,it's a very thin RTV sealant, use sparingly . Good luck with your project .

When you get into the clutch basket check the order of the metal plates and that the chubby one is in first...I had them mixed up ended up bending the thinner plates making it incredibly hard to release the clutch..

What is the proper tool for that gigantic clutch adjuster screw anyhow? If I'm remembering correctly it's scalloped in the center. I don't think I have a screwdriver that would fit.

I think many adjusters were bugered up by trying to tighten them up too far. You need only to adjust the actuator to meet the clutch push rod and adjust at the cable ends.

I polished my actuator. It relieved some of the stiffness.