[water22786]

Hi everyone,

I've been trying to diagnose an issue on my 2005 CRF250x (I'm not the first owner). I just did a top end on the bike (new valves, cam, cam chain, did not replace piston or jug because they were in immaculate condition).

Even prior to doing the top end, I noticed small amounts of silver metal flakes in the transmission oil. Since riding for about 3 hours after the rebuild, I've noticed a larger amount of these flakes and several chunks (see attached pictures). They are non-magnetic which caused me to take the clutch apart to inspect. The clutch basket appears to have minimal scoring (evidence of wear but it does not feel rough and no notching) and no evidence of chunking that would explain the pieces recovered from the transmission oil. The clutch plates likewise exhibit no signs of excessive wear or chunking. When riding the bike, I have no issues shifting or finding neutral. The only shifting related issue is when I start the bike without pumping the clutch lever and shift into 1st, sometimes it will die. Other than that (and a possible air leak I am still trying to diagnose) the bike runs great. Does anyone have thoughts on what may be causing the issue? Thanks!

[JimDirt]

Welcome to the site !!

You are correct , I would suspect its something within the clutch/basket , what exactly , I can't say for sure , but I would do a meticulous going over of all the clutch components and see if you notice anything that looks different on each part , it looks to be the edge of something , I would guess its from the fingers on the basket , but what caused it , I don't have a answer , I see a slight bit of grooving on the basket fingers , that is possibly what is causing your stalling without manipulating the lever , if the plates stick , then they will be engaged and it will stall or be grabby when you take off , not smooth

Sorry , Don't really have any other answers , maybe someone else has come across this , but I rarely see chunks from a clutch , just shavings , unless the basket is broken , like one of the tabs that hold the spring bolts broke off or something , maybe the prior owner was using something he shouldn't have to hold the basket to remove or replace it , and some chunks got left behind , what I would do , is just keep a eye over the next few oil changes , and see if the pattern continues , but first , maybe try to get the entire area cleaned out , to assure there are no more visible signs of chunks , then ride and do regular maintenance and see if the chunks return , if they do , then re-inspect the basket and components to look for the cause

[Back2-2]

That is interesting. If is from the transmission and it is aluminum there is not much that can produce those pieces. The one is definitively a shaving and the other could be a shaving that became balled up from gear or clutch action.
About the only item in the transmission is the clutch basket and the engine cases. Any chance you replaced or repaired the water pump? The inner transmission side of the water pump mounting is the aluminum case. The other question would be if you use the kick start lever? Maybe some kind of shaving of the kick shaft going on?

Being aluminum it is soft and not a huge threat to the gears but it would be nice to know where and what is going on.
If it was mine I would keep an eye on it and change the transmission oil after each ride and see what shows up.

[water22786]

Hi Neil,

Thanks for the reply! I've not done any work on the water pump, but that's an interesting point you bring up regarding the kick starter. After doing the top end, I was kicking it quite a bit to adjust the fuel/air mixture screw and idle screw. I have noticed that there is some very slight side to side play in the kick start lever (where the lever inserts into the engine case) but I'm not sure if this is normal, or if it could be responsible for the shavings I'm seeing. When kicking the bike, the kick starter seems to work well, it always returns to the upper position and never seems to get stuck. It should be noted that when I kick the bike, at the top of every other stroke I hear a very loud click, but I believe that is from the auto-decompression. Curiously, I do not hear the same click noise when I use the e-start.

[Back2-2]

Well you may have found the source. Probably not a problem. I would just watch it on oil changes.

Be sure to let us know if you do find something - We love to hear the outcomes and findings.