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Smell of burnt clutch


potatobroxd
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Quite recently when the weather is becoming colder, I've been noticing a lot of burnt clutch smell from slightly hard pulls from start. Ive done this plenty of times before but have only been noticing the smell very recently.


Is it because of the colder weather or could there be other potential issues?

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What grade oil are you using and have you changed it recently or is it due an oil change, using a thinner grade might help in colder months, only a thought others may have a more suitable suggestion :thumb:

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What grade oil are you using and have you changed it recently or is it due an oil change, using a thinner grade might help in colder months, only a thought others may have a more suitable suggestion :thumb:

 

Recently changed from a 5W-30 to a 10W40 oil, could possibly be due to that

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did you spill any oil while changing it? could just be burning off!


Also its not just road grime burning is it?


I don't see how you would have a burning clutch without it slipping :)


Unless the plates are warped making the clutch drag but you would feel it pulling with the clutch pulled in

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Quite recently when the weather is becoming colder, I've been noticing a lot of burnt clutch smell from slightly hard pulls from start. Ive done this plenty of times before but have only been noticing the smell very recently.


Is it because of the colder weather or could there be other potential issues?

 

Which of your bikes are you referring to ?

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What grade oil are you using and have you changed it recently or is it due an oil change, using a thinner grade might help in colder months, only a thought others may have a more suitable suggestion :thumb:

 

Recently changed from a 5W-30 to a 10W40 oil, could possibly be due to that

Why would you be using 5W-30 ? I'm pretty sure that both of your bikes should be running on 10W-40 .

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What grade oil are you using and have you changed it recently or is it due an oil change, using a thinner grade might help in colder months, only a thought others may have a more suitable suggestion :thumb:

 

Recently changed from a 5W-30 to a 10W40 oil, could possibly be due to that

Why would you be using 5W-30 ? I'm pretty sure that both of your bikes should be running on 10W-40 .

 

Im referring to the 125, i had spare 5w30 so wanted to use the rest of it. Its not my main bike so i was a little lazy :tumble:

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Recently changed from a 5W-30 to a 10W40 oil, could possibly be due to that

Why would you be using 5W-30 ? I'm pretty sure that both of your bikes should be running on 10W-40 .

 

Im referring to the 125, i had spare 5w30 so wanted to use the rest of it. Its not my main bike so i was a little lazy :tumble:

 

Oh .... 😬

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And to smell a burnt clutch on a wet clutch system really takes some effort .... or its not a clutch issue

 

I agree . When I burned the clutch on the ER5 riding up the Devil's Staircase and getting it wrong on the hairpins , I couldn't actually detect any burning smells . After limping home a hundred miles with hardly any clutch I still didn't smell anything . When I opened it up , however , it was a different matter . I was greeted with a strong smell of burned clutch . I wonder if all our friend is smelling is the distinctive aroma of new oil wafting out of the crankcase breather . This IS something I have noticed in the past . If anyone has ridden past Port Talbot on the M4 they will know exactly what smell I'm referring to .

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And to smell a burnt clutch on a wet clutch system really takes some effort .... or its not a clutch issue

 

I agree . When I burned the clutch on the ER5 riding up the Devil's Staircase and getting it wrong on the hairpins , I couldn't actually detect any burning smells . After limping home a hundred miles with hardly any clutch I still didn't smell anything . When I opened it up , however , it was a different matter . I was greeted with a strong smell of burned clutch . I wonder if all our friend is smelling is the distinctive aroma of new oil wafting out of the crankcase breather . This IS something I have noticed in the past . If anyone has ridden past Port Talbot on the M4 they will know exactly what smell I'm referring to .

 

I'm guessing it has to be some burnt oil smell that dripped onto tue exhaust or some dirt/grime burning off like Stu suggested as the smell is fading away after a wash. False alarm I guess!

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What grade oil are you using and have you changed it recently or is it due an oil change, using a thinner grade might help in colder months, only a thought others may have a more suitable suggestion :thumb:

 

Recently changed from a 5W-30 to a 10W40 oil, could possibly be due to that

Why would you be using 5W-30 ? I'm pretty sure that both of your bikes should be running on 10W-40 .

 

Back on topic....


Most handbooks seem to recommend quite a wide range of oil viscosity ratings depending on the climate/temperature where the engine is used. It's not unusual to see that range include both 5W/30 and 10W/40. Is there a reason the OP shouldn't be using the lower viscosity oil in their bike?


I am well aware of engines with narrow oilways rated for 5W/30 in which 10W/40 should not be used, but I've always understood it that most engines rated for 10W/40 are fine with 5W/30. In fact I've just put this into the CBF for winter.


Manufacturers seem to be getting very picky about oils these days so my understanding may be out of date.

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Manufacturers seem to be getting very picky about oils these days so my understanding may be out of date.

 

In these modern days of CAD, stress analysis etc, it is easily possible to design engine components (or indeed any component) to be ideally suited for their function and combine performance with longevity. OR to design the cheapest components they can possibly get by with. :-)


I strongly suspect that value engineering (i.e. being able to churn out components by the skip load at minimal cost) is key in their selection of oil. After all, if a camshaft fails after 6 years on a bike, who's to say that the owner didn't use the exact spec of oil?

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Manufacturers seem to be getting very picky about oils these days so my understanding may be out of date.

 

In these modern days of CAD, stress analysis etc, it is easily possible to design engine components (or indeed any component) to be ideally suited for their function and combine performance with longevity. OR to design the cheapest components they can possibly get by with. :-)


I strongly suspect that value engineering (i.e. being able to churn out components by the skip load at minimal cost) is key in their selection of oil. After all, if a camshaft fails after 6 years on a bike, who's to say that the owner didn't use the exact spec of oil?

 

One of my pet hates is the tendency to design and build to last the duration of the warranty. Vauxhall fell into this trap when they offered lifetime or 100k warranties coupled with extended service intervals. A friend was the workshop manager and he told me how many engines they were replacing on cars serviced according to the specifications but the engines were failing by 60k. Not long afterwards Vauxhall ditched the lifetime warranty offer.


If the manufacturer sets the oil specification and service intervals that doesn't mean it's actually best for the engine. It's usually more to do with making vehicles look cheap to run so they can sell more.

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