I'm almost done with replacing a worn clutch spring ( 25,000 miles on a 2006 1500 Classic ); I used the Gadget instructions ( thanks! ) as well as others like Old Sarge's. So, I have a couple of things to add which hopefully are not repeats ( although some are in the shop manual )
a. As noted the clutch cover bolts are different lengths. If for whatever reason you lose track of which bolt goes where, here's a list of the location vs. length. I numbered the bolts with a Sharpie, with the bolt of the oil fill cap being #1, the last #18. There are 3 lengths of bolts, 25,30 and 35mm. The locations are:
25mm: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16
30mm: 3, 4
35mm: 1, 2, 10, 13, 17, 18
b. As noted in the manual, you can measure the height of the spring. Mine was 3.95mm and the lower limit is 4.0mm, so mine was done ( but shouldn't be after only 25k miles). A new stock spring should be 4.3 mm.
c. The Mean Streak spring is taller than the stocker ( picture below ). I placed the old spring over the new one to show the difference. The gap is .060 / 1.52mm; this gap would only be 1.17mm is both springs were new, but the 1.17mm is what gives the Mean Streak its added stiffness.
d. When mounting the new gasket, it's easy to catch the gasket on the large front gear. When I pulled the cover off the gasket the two dowel pins came with it. So, I suggest pulling the dowel pins out of the cover ( can be done by hand ) and mounting them in the case, then mounting the gasket and then putting the cover on.
e. If you can try to do this one sitting. If you don't , then you run the risk of not remembering how to "re-assemble in reverse order".
f. One mistake I almost made due to (e) was that the last friction plate is offset from the others - the tabs on that plate go in the shallow indents in the plate holder. I had pulled a couple of the plate off to measure them and forgot that a few days later ( it is mentioned in the manual ). The plates were within tolerance.
g. I posted the other re-assembly error as someone else had also asked in a separate post. The spring goes inside the clutch plate holder and then you put the holder on - otherwise you will not be able to torque up the clutch nut.
h. In the manual, it says that you should just pull the clutch in and then insert the pin. However, it had work the clutch in and out to get the pin to go in.
i. Loctite. Probably only a few bolts I will put Loctite on, but after using the standard runny blue Loctite, I recently "discovered" the gel and paste versions so I thought I would share that. I bought both the gel ( Permatex Part #24010 ) and paste ( Loctite #37643 ), pictured below; I think the paste is better - easier to apply, doesn't flow. Both are about $12, Amazon Prime.
I hope this helps.
a. As noted the clutch cover bolts are different lengths. If for whatever reason you lose track of which bolt goes where, here's a list of the location vs. length. I numbered the bolts with a Sharpie, with the bolt of the oil fill cap being #1, the last #18. There are 3 lengths of bolts, 25,30 and 35mm. The locations are:
25mm: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16
30mm: 3, 4
35mm: 1, 2, 10, 13, 17, 18
b. As noted in the manual, you can measure the height of the spring. Mine was 3.95mm and the lower limit is 4.0mm, so mine was done ( but shouldn't be after only 25k miles). A new stock spring should be 4.3 mm.
c. The Mean Streak spring is taller than the stocker ( picture below ). I placed the old spring over the new one to show the difference. The gap is .060 / 1.52mm; this gap would only be 1.17mm is both springs were new, but the 1.17mm is what gives the Mean Streak its added stiffness.
d. When mounting the new gasket, it's easy to catch the gasket on the large front gear. When I pulled the cover off the gasket the two dowel pins came with it. So, I suggest pulling the dowel pins out of the cover ( can be done by hand ) and mounting them in the case, then mounting the gasket and then putting the cover on.
e. If you can try to do this one sitting. If you don't , then you run the risk of not remembering how to "re-assemble in reverse order".
f. One mistake I almost made due to (e) was that the last friction plate is offset from the others - the tabs on that plate go in the shallow indents in the plate holder. I had pulled a couple of the plate off to measure them and forgot that a few days later ( it is mentioned in the manual ). The plates were within tolerance.
g. I posted the other re-assembly error as someone else had also asked in a separate post. The spring goes inside the clutch plate holder and then you put the holder on - otherwise you will not be able to torque up the clutch nut.
h. In the manual, it says that you should just pull the clutch in and then insert the pin. However, it had work the clutch in and out to get the pin to go in.
i. Loctite. Probably only a few bolts I will put Loctite on, but after using the standard runny blue Loctite, I recently "discovered" the gel and paste versions so I thought I would share that. I bought both the gel ( Permatex Part #24010 ) and paste ( Loctite #37643 ), pictured below; I think the paste is better - easier to apply, doesn't flow. Both are about $12, Amazon Prime.
I hope this helps.
