clutch probs

[kezz32]

my clutch operation was starting to feel rough and the fluid was dirty ,so changed fluid and bled .all was fine and went for a ride, how ever the next day the lever came all way back to the bars, so i bled clutch again and got a nice lever went out and 1 hour later the lever had only half working action so i limpde home , were later i had no clutch operation at all again. is this maybe a slave cylinder fault. ?

[slob]

Sounds like air in the system still, first I'd bungey the lever to the bar overnight and see if all the air has risen out by morning, then try bleeding again if necessary. Much less effort that way.
Do you see any sign of fluid under the bike, if the slave seal has gone, it should be leaking.
The fluid is almost always dirty on the clutch system, never quite figured out why, nothing to worry about though

[damien666]

The other month on mine, i had a leak from the short black rubber hose, which goes from the handlebar resovoir to lever.

[Nickj]

Odd you mention that slob. I stripped the hydraulic side before changing the coffin master to a neater looking remote. All stripped to bits and cleaned till the interior of all was sparkling.
About 2 days later it was grubby :(
Still looked nice for a while.


Might be the slave in which case it might well leak fluid which you'd probably have noticed. Mine did this and it was obvious even with a small leak.
The seal at the lever end might have gone, this might not leak fluid if the rubber boot is intact. This is harder to find as the symptoms are the same for seals leaking at both ends

[Flip]

You say it started to feel rough?
In what way?

Was the clutch operation itself was okay before you bled it- if so then as Slob says it suggests air in the system after it was bled but if it was soggy before you bled it then I would say it's leaking somewhere.

I would check the slave cylinder first by taking it off and having a good look round- particularly if you are a bit heavy on the chain lube as you may not notice it initially around there as it tends to leak to the inside of the sprocket cover.

[Unit 18]

It sounds like it could be the clutch pressure plate bearing, when they become notchy they spin the pushrod which heats up the fluid in the slave cylinder until it boils giving the symtoms you mention.

[Darren69]

Ahh, Ducatiis patented hydraulic chain lube system? If you're certain that there is no air leaking in it sounds like the seals in the slave are shot, it's a common problem with both versions of the standard slave cylinder. Easily rectified by fitting an aftermarket slave, eg oberon or MPL. You will also benefit from a lighter clutch action So I'm told. I'm still on my original slave on the S4 but I have an MPL one just waiting for it to go and replace. The seals on my 748 went and the replacements are still holding out after 5000k miles so that maybe a cheaper option. As mentioned you can usually see if the fluid is leaking if you're not heavy handed with chain lube.

[kezz32]

after little investigation the clutch master cylinder was found to be leaking.. i have located a seal kit in usa ( Bevel Heaven Ducati ) ,, any body know of a supplier in uk
distription..brembo 13mm clutch m/c kit
thanks kezz

[gary tompkins]

It may be a good idea to replace the slave with an upgraded brand new unit

Chances are the original is pretty knackered, and may still perform badly after fitting new seals