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compensator help

kdaddy

kdaddy

Active Member
After all new inner primary seals installed by the dealer i am getting a clackity clack when shutting off my engine. Coming from primary area. I assume its my compensator backlashing. I ordered a compensator assembly from JP and it came with a 1/4" spacer. Where does this go? There is not one shown in my manual. The only washer spacer shown is the sprocket shim sgainst the rotor cover. The spacer icluded has an ID that fits perfectly over the comp nut body. Also the ramps on my new comp are kinda rough and not machined. I would think these should be smooth? Box says made in taiwan go figure.
 
forgot to mention bike is 05 flht. I wonder if the spacer is for different model with same compensator
 
kdaddy said:
After all new inner primary seals installed by the dealer i am getting a clackity clack when shutting off my engine. Coming from primary area. I assume its my compensator backlashing. I ordered a compensator assembly from JP and it came with a 1/4" spacer. Where does this go? There is not one shown in my manual. The only washer spacer shown is the sprocket shim sgainst the rotor cover. The spacer icluded has an ID that fits perfectly over the comp nut body. Also the ramps on my new comp are kinda rough and not machined. I would think these should be smooth? Box says made in taiwan go figure.
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If this has just occurred after a visit to the dealer, I would be checking everything in the primary. Your compensator nut may have just loosened up or was not torqued to spec; first thing to check.

I doubt that your compensator needed to be replaced; the early units are near bullet proof. If I were you, I would not install the Taiwan compensator before trying a fix. Further more, if the compensator needs replacing I would replace with an OEM part.

It is very common for the early compensator nuts to come loose as many times the nut even though torqued spec, bottomed out and the torque did not develop the necessary clamping pressure to hold. The MoCo offered shims to fit behind the comp nut, as your 1/4" spacer does, but they were .030", .060" and .090" thickness. Before the shims were offered, the DIY fix was to remove the compensator nut and trim .0030" off the end of the nut, reinstall and torque to spec. Suggest you do that to see if it solves your problem; see the attached illustration for clarification.

Don't know how many miles you have on the bike but unless up near 100K, the Bellville springs in the compensator should be fine but if they have weakened, they can be replaced or supplemented with an additional spring.
 

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Just to add what dolt said, my compensator nut would not hold it's torque and I ended up having the complete primary side replaces excluding the clutch pack. Mine made a rattling noise as the lack of torque ate my rotor. That fix alone paid for my extended warranty thank god.
 
Got the cmpensator replaced tonight. Took abou 3 hours by myself. The ramps looked a little worn but not bad. Nothing seemed loose before disassembly however The culprit was the belleville washer springs were compressed about a 1/4" into the housing. Could not get them to pop loose so replaced the whole unit. I suppose this is where the backlash was coming from. I tightened per the new spec. 70 lbs then another 45 degrees. Fyi.. this equated to about 205 lbs according to my wrench settings. I will wait about 24 hours for the loctite to set up and then give her a run. Keeping my fingers crossed.
 
kdaddy said:
Got the cmpensator replaced tonight. Took abou 3 hours by myself. The ramps looked a little worn but not bad. Nothing seemed loose before disassembly however The culprit was the belleville washer springs were compressed about a 1/4" into the housing. Could not get them to pop loose so replaced the whole unit. I suppose this is where the backlash was coming from. I tightened per the new spec. 70 lbs then another 45 degrees. Fyi.. this equated to about 205 lbs according to my wrench settings. I will wait about 24 hours for the loctite to set up and then give her a run. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Click to expand...

Not sure where you got the torque value for the compensator nut but actually it is 150-165 ft.lb. At the end of the day, if the comp nut is bottoming out, you can torque it to infinity but without the clamping pressure, it will loosen over time.:coffee Keep an eye on it and if it loosens up, shave .030" of the comp nut and reinstall. Good luck.:s
 
Dolt thanks for the input. My torquing procedure is from service bulletin m-1170 dated may 2005. It is for 2003 to 2005 models. Jack Klariche had posted it here and it is archived on the site. I also googled it and read about it on some other sights. I assume it still applies?
 
kdaddy said:
Dolt thanks for the input. My torquing procedure is from service bulletin m-1170 dated may 2005. It is for 2003 to 2005 models. Jack Klariche had posted it here and it is archived on the site. I also googled it and read about it on some other sights. I assume it still applies?
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Maybe, dunno. I use the torque setting in the service manual for my '05 but I have also shaved .030" off he comp nut; never have had compensator issues.:bigsmiley10:

At the end of the day, the applied torque won't matter if the comp nut bottoms out before the necessary clamping pressure is developed. Ride and if it stays tight; call it good. If it loosens up, trim the .030" off and re-torque to whatever spec you choose.
 
Ok so new comp assemhly installed. Clutch compensator and chain all reassembled per spec. Clutch adjusted per spec and lever play as well. After a good long ride i am still getting a clack clack when shutting off bike in gear. This happens just as final stroke of engine stops. This is driving me nuts. No other noises at all. Runs great no noises. Everything in the primary is tight. Just a light clack and does not do it in neutral when shutting down. What the heck?
 
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