Did a REAL stupid thing

Hi all,

I did a clutch overhaul and replaced all the friction plates and new springs ( Barnett ). I've done this several times on Road Stars and this is the same except for the hydraulic part. Due to a loss of thought process trying to do two things at once I installed the outer push rod on the outside of the pressure plate............. I went to test it before putting the cover back on and the lever was very soft and then wouldn't pull at all. I saw what I had done and put it back correctly but my lever is still impossible to pull. I've looked at the fiche and see how it should work but common sense tells me if I blew something out I would have pressure loss and the lever should pull all the way back. I don't understand why it's locked. Also, it I did blow something out in the clutch release cylinder, has brake fluid seeped into the engine oil? Any enlightenment would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Blake

Oh yeah, 2001 Midnight Venture

Crack the bleed valve on the slave cylinder, then push the rod back into the slave cylinder. Shouldn’t be any hydraulic fluid in the oil. If there is, it would be negligible. You will need to bleed the slave cylinder after it’s all installed right. But that shouldn’t be a problem.

I tried it but it didn't make any difference. Good thought though, thanks. The long post is stuck somehow and won't advance into the shaft. I should be able to pull it out like the ball according to the service manual.When I reach in with the magnet I can feel it move slightly but it bottoms out pushing it and it seems to hit an edge preventing it from moving forward and contacting the ball and short post.

You are not the first one to experience this exciting part of life. It seems to me that others have had a very similar or same issue. My recollection tells me that tou did not put everything together the way it should be. There is nothing that would stop the cross-over shaft from sliding back and forth. There is a short shaft, a ball and a longer shaft. The longer shaft I believe goes on the business side and it has a dimple on the one end to accommodate the ball the goes between the 2 shafts. I suggest you take the whole thing apart to check the install. It doesn't take much to screw things up in there and there is very little movement of the clutch plates, so even what you might consider a minor variance could cause major issues.

Let us know how you made out.