Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[JDHOG]

2004 SE Electra glide, 4 trips to mountains form the plains of ND and all 4 times lost clutch.  After repeated repairs, (adding fluid, bleeding of lines) at many dealerships finally contacted Harley and was told to switch to Dot 4 fluid as Dot 5 disapates with altitude changes.  Just got it changed and seems to be working.  Anyone else having similar problem??

I am a newbie to this site so hope this isn't redundant.

Thanks

[Twolanerider]

Did they explain what they meant by "dissipate?"  It's a sealed system so it's not like the fluid can really disperse anyplace else?  Only thing that comes to mind is perhaps a combination of factors.  It's a common place of working with DOT5 that the stuff is very bad about entraining air.  That's why it can't be used in an ABS system.  The agitation from the ABS pump will "stir it up" and give you a soft pedal.  

So the only thing that comes to mind to match the facts detailed would that at extreme altitude the generally lower barometric pressure would allow the otherwise entrained air always in the fluid to more readily escape within the confines of the system.  If that's going on it would give you a soft pedal.  If it was really bad it could leave you with no pedal at all.  I just find it tough to believe that the minimal difference in just a few thousands of feet of altitude would be enough to make that difference.  After all, were that the case the same thing would be happening in the brake system also filled with DOT5 in the same bike at the same altitude.  

I've had bikes over the mountains in passes up over 10k feet a few times and never noticed anything like you're describing (happening in the brakes that is).  Have also had a 56 Tbird and a 57 vette up over the mountains that both have DOT5 and never noticed any kind of a problem at altitude.

When this has happened previously what precisely ended up "fixing" it after each episode?  Sure sounds like a weird problem and sure hope something as simple as a fluid change actually solves it for you.  Just wish it made more sense to a mind as feeble as mine is once a weekend starts ??   Good luck!

[JCZ]

Twolane, JD is talking about the hydraulic clutch, not the brakes.

[Twolanerider]

Yeah JC, I'd read that in his post.  Was just commenting that any environmental or ambient change that would be effecting the hydraulic clutch would also be effecting the hydraulic brakes at the same time.  

Therefore if entrained air were released in the reservoir or elsewhere in the pressure system of the clutch I didn't see why the other pressure system (i.e., the brakes) wouldn't be effected also.  After all, the DOT5 in the brakes and clutch are going over the same mountain at the same time at the same temperature and the same barometric pressure.  That, more than anything else, had me scratching my head wondering about the logic of the tech support recommendation he'd received.  Especially when we've all had DOT5 over the mountains more than a few times without losing hydraulic effect within a pressure system.

Hope he's got a solution to what had been a repetitive problem that is as simple as a fluid swap.  And it's easy enough to certainly be worth a try.  I just didn't completely understand the solution given the circumstances as we had them.

[JDHOG]

Thanks for the comments.  I live at 1400 ft. above sea level and traveled to Bear Tooth Pass at 11,000 ft.  I stopped at 3 different dealerships and nobody seamed to have any repair ideas and all just added fluid and bled the line and sent me on my way.  At that altitude the clutch lever got real soft and didn't come back when coming off the mountain.   Anyway I have Dot 4 in her now and hopefully that will take care of the problem.  I did notice all 2005's are coming out now with Dot 4 fluid in both brakes and clutch.  I also havea 2003 SE Road King that I've never had any problem at all.

[mr_magoo]

JDHog I to went over bear tooth pass on the way to Sturgis this year and had no trouble with the clutch on the trip.  Other than the air in the fluid issue not sure what it could be,  I haven,t heard of the clutch unit holding air making it hard to get all the air out of the system.

[Twolanerider]

Yeah, it just seems peculiar that entrained air would be somehow be able to release in the clutch master or slave cylinder but that nothing at all would be effected in the brakes during exactly the same conditions at exactly the same time.  We all know that sometimes a solution "just works" and, really, sometimes that's a good enough reason to go with it.  We'd like to always understand; but sometimes we're just dumb guys on bikes.  So I'm keeping my fingers crossed for ya  [smiley=xyxthumbs.gif]

[JCZ]

Yeah JC, I'd read that in his post.

[Tony - www.1700cc.co.uk]

I can't think of any other explaination, the sealed system must be leaking. Where is Short Block Charlie when you need him? [smiley=bigok.gif]

[Gettinold]

IVE HAD A PROBLEM WITH MINE BEFORE WHEN THE HYD LINE AT THE TRAP CAME LOOSE . JUST TIGHTEN HER UP GAVE HER A LIL BLEED & OFF I WENT. NOW IT DONT SEEM TO WANT TO SEAL UP TIGHT SO GOING TO REPLACE O-RING  [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

[HARLEYBILL]

IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN,SHOULD COME FROM FACTORY WITH DOT 4.
CHECK OUT THE CLUTCH AND BRAKE MASTER CYLINDERS. IT SHOULD SPECIFY THE DOT4
WHICH IS FOR HIGHER TEMPERATURES/SEVERE DUTY. ALSO MORE CORROSIVE ON PAINTED SURFACES. I'VE PUT ON 3000 SO FAR AND NOT A GLITCH. IN FACT I NEVER KNEW HOW GOOD IT COULD BE.
CHEERS.

[Twolanerider]

04s were DOT5 while 05s made the change to DOT4 in preparation for ABS.

[eddieboy]

Check out the master cylinder. I am told that more than a few come out of the box with problems with the check valve.

never overlook the KISS principle

[Tom J]

Hello all.  I have a soft clutch on my 2009.  It goes so soft that with the clutch lever pulled all the way in, the clutch barley disengages.  This has happened a few times now.  I know there is no adjustment, so I replaced the oil using DOT4.  The old oil did look like it may have had wear partials; real tiny ones.   I bled out the lines with new clean oil, and it started working again like a champ.  This only lasted about two weeks though.  It went from working fine to completely soft over night while sitting in the garage. 

I'm thinking a master cylinder rebuild kit is in order, but I thought I'd take it to my dealer to be sure.  They had to come get it because it was unsafe to ride.  Once they got around to working on it, they said there was nothing wrong with it.  OMG!  really?  I guess I'm stupid. 

They are giving it back to me without figuring out the real issue.  It will pop up again I'm sure, but have any of you experienced the same problems with your clutch?  I have 59k miles on my CVO, so that's probably really high relatively.

Thanks all. 

[fastfreddy]

yes mine is 2013 and did same thing your explaining. my dealer rebuilt the master cyl. and all was good for 6k miles then got soft one time after that rode it to them since was out by them , they flushed/bled the sys, 4k miles later no problems after that.