Clutch pressure plate lifter bearing.

Chariot

.060 Over
Joined
Jan 24, 2021
Messages
141
Location
Glasgow Scotland
Ride
2017 Rocket 3 R modified trike to take wheelchair
After a winter check up on my engine and new clutch fitted I had a complete facelift and redesign of the Chariot by Lumley Engineering including lowering the diff ratio. Got the Chariot back in time for the lovely weather in April and took it out for a run. The clutch lifter failed within 50 miles a total of some 100 miles. Hide the rope and razor blades! Luckily for me my son, who is handy on the tools, was up house sitting while my wife went on holiday. Here is what we found. The clutch pressure plate lifter bearing part no. 16003 Jesa bearings had collapsed destroying the lifter spindle. My lifter mechanism is the latest one which does away with the thrust bearing. The engine builder sent me up the parts hotshot only to discover the bearing was the wrong one but with right part number from Triumph. This bearing fits the second lifter pin with 17mm shaft, my shaft is 16mm in diameter. We got the clutch back together, test run for 15 miles, engine flushed and filter changed with hours to spare before he went to the airport. Hoping for some warm weather again to go for a run, its like winter here. I WhatsApped a Swiss guy at Jesa bearings and he phoned me. His explanation was that they hadn't made that bearing since 2016 and the bearing that was fitted in the rebuild was old stock and the oil film had probably broken down, so the bearing would have started up dry. As its a wet clutch I am skeptical to say the least, see photos attached. Triumph workshop manual and parts manual is confusing. Bearing fitted is Fag 16.003 C3. This bearing has the C3 clearance which allows for thermal expansion.
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I've seen a couple, seemed to have been a result of unevenly tightened clutch spring tower bolts.
E.g. when tightening up if they aren't done in a gradual criss cross pattern then there can be a tight spot on rotation of the bearing.

Though killing the bearing in 50-100 miles seems very sudden.
 
If a frog had wings he would. not bump his ass on the ground.

That's what it seems like trying to figure why the bearing failed.
What if the someone grabbed an old bearing and installed it.
What if it was not installed correctly.
What if it was a sealed bearing and they forget to put the lube in it
What if it is an unsealed bearing without lube and you didn't put any lube on it then it might might fail b4 the oil got in to lube
You may never know why this bearing failed but you can do a lot to help the new one to last
 
If a frog had wings he would. not bump his ass on the ground.

That's what it seems like trying to figure why the bearing failed.
What if the someone grabbed an old bearing and installed it.
What if it was not installed correctly.
What if it was a sealed bearing and they forget to put the lube in it
What if it is an unsealed bearing without lube and you didn't put any lube on it then it might might fail b4 the oil got in to lube
You may never know why this bearing failed but you can do a lot to help the new one to last
Agree, think I would inspect the new bearing, lube and install with normal care. Think I used engine assembly lube. Remember to soak clutch discs and plates with approved motorcycle oil.
 
I've seen a couple, seemed to have been a result of unevenly tightened clutch spring tower bolts.
E.g. when tightening up if they aren't done in a gradual criss cross pattern then there can be a tight spot on rotation of the bearing.

Though killing the bearing in 50-100 miles seems very sudden.
Latest version of my clutch is Barnet competition clutch with carpenter race springs and standard triumph bolts. Before the last rebuild the clutch lasted about 1500 miles. The new rebuild is with a substantially reduced ratio in the diff. The speedo is now wildly out but we should get a much better life out of the clutch. First gear change is now about 8mph. In 5th on the TomTom it is now showing 93mph but maybe around 20mph more on speedo. Waiting on good weather to do more tests. Will renew the clutch each winter. I have been looking at bearing choices. Triumph used the 16003 series size 16x35x8. This is a radial ball bearing that will accommodate some axial load. The 7003 series is a single row angular contact ball bearing designed to accommodate both radial and axial loads where the axial load acts in one direction. Unfortunately the standard bearing only comes in 10mm width and would be expensive in the 8mm width required. In my oilfield days I overhauled many mud transfer pumps with this style bearing. Handles heat and misalignment well. Will post some pics and info on the mark 3.
 
Latest version of my clutch is Barnet competition clutch with carpenter race springs and standard triumph bolts. Before the last rebuild the clutch lasted about 1500 miles. The new rebuild is with a substantially reduced ratio in the diff. The speedo is now wildly out but we should get a much better life out of the clutch. First gear change is now about 8mph. In 5th on the TomTom it is now showing 93mph but maybe around 20mph more on speedo. Waiting on good weather to do more tests. Will renew the clutch each winter. I have been looking at bearing choices. Triumph used the 16003 series size 16x35x8. This is a radial ball bearing that will accommodate some axial load. The 7003 series is a single row angular contact ball bearing designed to accommodate both radial and axial loads where the axial load acts in one direction. Unfortunately the standard bearing only comes in 10mm width and would be expensive in the 8mm width required. In my oilfield days I overhauled many mud transfer pumps with this style bearing. Handles heat and misalignment well. Will post some pics and info on the mark 3.
Believe I'd change the pressure plate bolts to longer ones. R-3-R Turbo had a posting on the bolts, I replaced mine after reading the post.
 

Hard to say exactly without getting a good look at the bearing and all the components but that looks like mechanical failure due to excessive load. Lack of lubrication would leave discoloration, and contamination doesn't explain the peining/deformation seen on the inner race. The peining/deformation on both sides of the inner race suggests the bearing was cocked or something else that caused a transverse load of the bearing from deflection, if it was just excessive load (axial force) from normal use it would only deform one side of the inner race. I'd be suspect of an assembly error, but don't consider my post as evidence, I haven't seen the clutch first hand and haven't done bearing failure analysis for many years now so I'm a bit out of practice.
 
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