Clutch push rods - 2 short vs 1 long

[5twins]

I scrub it down with kerosene and old paint brushes, or better yet, these chip brushes from HF. Cut the bristles down about half way so they're stiffer. A box will last you for years. Also great for little painting jobs, just throw the brush away when done .....

https://www.harborfreight.com/36-piece-1-in-industrial-grade-chip-brushes-61491.html

Even with a new seal and bushing, the short outer rod in the 2 piece set-up will still wiggle side to side quite a bit. The worm will sort of hold it steady once assembled but still, the back end of it is free to "wander". That's one of the nice things about the long one piece rod, it barely wiggles at all. If you do find your seal is leaking, do the long rod swap first. That may cure the leak if it's not too bad.

I try to get under that left cover once a season and clean it all out, before it gets the chance to get too mucked up. I re-grease everything as shown in my pic above, and oil the clutch cable too. I'm usually not presented with much of a mess because I've managed to seal things up pretty good in there. Mostly, I'm dealing with chain lube fling-off. Here's a "before" pic .....

 

[79josh81]

I scrub it down with kerosene and old paint brushes, or better yet, these chip brushes from HF. Cut the bristles down about half way so they're stiffer. A box will last you for years. Also great for little painting jobs, just throw the brush away when done .....

https://www.harborfreight.com/36-piece-1-in-industrial-grade-chip-brushes-61491.html

Even with a new seal and bushing, the short outer rod in the 2 piece set-up will still wiggle side to side quite a bit. The worm will sort of hold it steady once assembled but still, the back end of it is free to "wander". That's one of the nice things about the long one piece rod, it barely wiggles at all. If you do find your seal is leaking, do the long rod swap first. That may cure the leak if it's not too bad.

I try to get under that left cover once a season and clean it all out, before it gets the chance to get too mucked up. I re-grease everything as shown in my pic above, and oil the clutch cable too. I'm usually not presented with much of a mess because I've managed to seal things up pretty good in there. Mostly, I'm dealing with chain lube fling-off. Here's a "before" pic .....

Nice. I think I'll just clean up the case, tighten the sprocket nut, and wait to examine the inside of the case for leaks around the seals after driving it for a little while. With 40 years of built up crap in it right now it's too hard to tell what seals, if any, are leaking vs it just being sling off from the chain lube. So if I have this right you just dip the brush in kerosene, brush it on to loosen the crud, and wipe it out with a rag? No spraying anything to rinse the crud out once it's loosened up?

 

[5twins]

Scrub it off with the brush. Yes, wet it down 1st and let it soak a little, and lay old newspapers underneath because lots of stuff will run/drip off. That's why it helps to shorten the brush bristles some, it makes them a little stiffer so they scrub better. They make actual parts cleaning brushes and they're pretty stiff, but most are a bit too large to get in there real well. You could use one to start but it won't get in all the little tight spots.

I've been using kerosene for my parts cleaning for many years. It won't harm rubber, plastic, or paint, isn't as flammable as something like gas, and is pretty mild on the hands, doesn't smell too bad in my opinion either, lol.

Yes, you'll need to clean the case out to pinpoint the leaks. Yes, that loose sprocket nut was responsible for most (maybe all) of what you found. The push rod seal is the next likely candidate.

 

[79josh81]

Nice and thanks!