LCGB Forums

After losing most of my gearbox oil on the a19 on the way to York rally, I bought some Ep90 gearbox oil not far from Bubwith. And yes I realised I'd done a stupid thing as soon as I'd done it.

Anyway, my clutch started slipping so badly that I had to nurse it home at about 40mph or it would just slip really badly.

Question is, do I need to replace my corks or just change the oil?

Change the oil and try it. You can always swap the clutch plates if it doesn't work.

I'd change both the corks and the oil,after all for 4 plate Surflex B corks its only around the £20 mark.

HxPaul wrote:I'd change both the corks and the oil,after all for 4 plate Surflex B corks its only around the £20 mark.

it's not a standard clutch, so £30 for plates plus £10 for oil.

I've got a half full bottle of 10w40 for my triumph. I'll just drain the box then try that. If it's still goosed after two fills and flushes I'll buy plates.

thanks gents

I take it you are going to wash the cork yes ? I don't think flushing oil will get to the cork sufficiently .I'd take the cover off and strip the clutch .
Just use a little washing up liquid and warm water and an old tooth brush and give them a good clean off and dry with a hair dryer .
Its got to be worth a try .

dickie wrote:.................... full bottle of 10w40 for my triumph. I'll just drain the box then try that. If it's still goosed after two fills and flushes I'll buy plates.

That's what I'd try too

What clutch plates are they?

Just so that I don't help to fill the world with facts that aren't true.......

Within 5 miles of putting the wrong oil in my clutch started to slip badly.

I now reckon that at worst this simply accelerated what was happening anyway.

Yesterday I eventually got round to opening it up to clean it out, renew the dodgy gasket (stud holes too big) and found my clutch cable was like a guitar string!

So I left the clutch cable alone took it for a spin and it slipped.

I adjusted the cable and all is well.

I feel stupid now!

Lambretta's have a way of bringing every emotion possible from utter joy to abject dissapointment
Hey Paul remember when I put that ancient two stroke oil that had been lying around my garage for years in my petrol oh how we laughed

well that must have been a big relief. At least it was an easy fix.
Don't worry there isn't one of us that hasn't missed something obvious like that at some point or other in our ownership ....or should that be our servitude

johnnyXS wrote:well that must have been a big relief. At least it was an easy fix.
Don't worry there isn't one of us that hasn't missed something obvious like that at some point or other in our ownership ....or should that be our servitude

Wasn't any relief at all really. I still opened the case cleaned it all out and replaced the gasket. Same as I would have done if it were due to contaminated corks. I may have saved the cost of the corks though.

Plus I had to ride back from breighton ferry in a tuck.

I wonder what the dyno would have said if my clutch was right?

your cup half empty this morning is it Dickie ?

Isn't the issue with EP oils more to do with it being incompatible with the phosphor bronze bushes used in later clutches?