SH_46 error

[kleake]

08AE, 30k miles, never a lick of any issues other than heated grips.

On the way to work this morning, there was a feisty Audi, as I dropped from 5th to 4th, got an opening and dropped to 3rd to nail it, the rpm went up more than normal, then it locked back into 4th and the shift light and SH_46 came on. At first I didn't even catch what all happened, just noticed a larger delay and less thrust as I got on it. I thought maybe I didn't move the hand shifter far enough to grab 3rd, but once I got around the next car I saw the error light. I let off, got back to normal speed and it wouldn't let me shift at all. I was coming up in major stop and go traffic and as I slowed I realized it wasn't even going to disengage the clutch. Pulled over, cycled the key and all seemed normal, thankfully as it was 4 lanes wide and bumper to bumper traffic when I stopped. Is this a sign of more problems to come? I do all my own work, but do have the YES for the expensive stuff.

I have read about the dry clutch issues, and since mine was new it will jerk a little the first couple of blocks in the morning. If I take off from a rolling start in 2nd (from about 5-7mph) it does it bad, so I don't normally do that, but have noticed it. After riding a mile or two all is perfect. It's never been a major issue so I didn't do anything, thinking over time it would work itself out, but it hasn't got worse nor better over time since new. BUT, the other day I did do some slow speed parking lot practice that involved a lot of slipping the clutch, and could have heated it up a tad.

 

[kleake]

Welllllll,,, I think I found the error. My clutch is going............ The other day while doing the slow maneuvers I noticed that after a while the rpm seemed to be higher than normal before engagement. Thinking maybe the clutch was getting warm, I stopped tinkering and went on my way. Keep in mind, I was only doing these lock to lock 180 degree zig zags for about 10 minutes or so total. Zig zag to one end, maybe 100ft, loop back, go again, then a couple of straight stops, etc. Knowing this stuff builds heat, I tried to vary it enough that it would heat for 30-45 seconds, then 30-45 seconds of cool down. But this is a wet clutch being cooled by the oil, so it's usually not a problem unless you are on a Harley with a dry clutch.

I rode it at lunch and was a little harder on it to see what might be up, and sure enough, 5th to 4th while on the throttle resulted in a lot of slip. Even 2nd to 1st had plenty of slip. After finding those results I took it easy on it and will be getting it to Yamaha to let them take care of it. I wasn't expecting a worn out clutch at 30k miles, but at least my YES hasn't expired yet. Anyone else have clutch issues this early?

 

[ionbeam]

Welllllll,,, I think I found the error. My clutch is going...Anyone else have clutch issues this early?

SH_46 -- "engine speed and gear position sensor signal do not match while vehicle is driven"

I have to ask, have you recently done an oil change? An energy conserving oil will cause the clutch to slip.

Check the calibration of the gear position sensor. If the voltage is wrong it will cause the ECU to erroneously think the gear is wrong for the speed.

And finally, yes, there have been a very small number of complaints about the AE clutch slipping at an early age, but no, it hasn't been confirmed to be premature clutch wear. The only way to confirm clutch wear is to pull the plates and inspect then measure them. So far nobody has done this, or if they did they didn't find and report back here that the plates were worn.

One competent mechanic on the Forum is currently fighting his gear position sensor as the root cause of his problem.

The only other thing that is 0.000001% likely is that there is excess pressure in the clutch slave cylinder keeping the clutch slightly disengaged. You don't want to mess with the clutch bleed until absolutely necessary. If things go wrong and the entire system needs bleeding, major parts have to be removed to access the rear bleed port.

 

[kleake]

I always run Valvoline 10-40 because it is not energy conserving, and I have about 2500 miles on since my last change.

If the clutch wasn't slipping I would check the gear position sensor, but the fact that it's slipping tells me that would likely be where the error came from.

I read where one guy had 4k on his and the mechanic said the clutch was smoked. Since this came up the next time I rode after doing the parking lot exercise, I can only assume that wore my clutch to the point of slipping, and on my way to work was the first time I hammered on it since, and dropping from 5th to 4th, then 3rd (I don't think it ever got to 3rd as 4th was still slipping when I hit the switch) at a higher rpm I'm thinking it slipped long enough to trigger the code.

I'm itching to tear into it myself to see exactly what is going on, but since I have the YES, i'll leave it to the pros at my local shop. So far I've had good luck with them, which is a total of 1 repair. They have a pretty decent reputation though. I'll definitely post up what is found though.

 

[RossKean]

If the diagnosis is worn clutch plates, you probably won't get any joy from the dealer on the YES. Wear items are excluded.

 

[kleake]

If they tell me that after the fact, I will be arguing. I spoke with my dealer and he said the clutch shouldn't be a problem getting it covered, but he called on the fork seal I have leaking. He told me that YES told him that is a wearable item, which I sorta understand, but disagree. I called YES myself and they said that they will cover the forks up to 30k miles. I've got to look, I know last week I was at 298??, so it's borderline, but he said as long as there isn't any damage that caused them to leak, they should be covered. I'll be discussing that with the dealer so they can push to get them covered as well.

 

[kleake]

Got a call and the bike is ready. All submitted for YES, but pending review so I'm not 100% sure the fork seals are covered, but should be. They said the clutch appeared to have been hot, and especially the outer disk. It was pretty much gone, while the rest were just worn, but still ok. They replaced the disks, springs, etc.. I'll know more once I pick it up, but I'm not sure i'll make it down there tonight or tomorrow yet though. Oh, and they are telling me it's caused by running Valvoline instead of yamalube. I'm not sure I buy that completely. I realize they are different oils for motorcycles, but to kill a clutch in 30k miles?

 

[ionbeam]

...they are telling me it's caused by running Valvoline instead of yamalube...

And, how did they test the oil to find this out?

Oh, and that is just fine, Yamaha can't enforce any aftermarket requirements (Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act) on you.

 

[Scooper]

It wasn't the oil.

It was your parking lot practice.I did the same with my Road Star.

I will be surprised if the clutch job is covered as would not on mine.

Called a wear item.

 

[kleake]

They covered it with no question. The dealer stated that it was likely the oil that caused it, but did not relay they type of oil being used as a cause. They just told me to change or I'll be back again in another 30k. I do agree I could have been a little easier on the parking lot practice, I'm just surprised it took it out that quick, because I don't do that often. Probably less than 5 times since the bike was new.

 

[mcatrophy]

Other than the "sticky" issue, these clutches are normally pretty reliable.

... Knowing this stuff builds heat, I tried to vary it enough that it would heat for 30-45 seconds, then 30-45 seconds of cool down. But this is a wet clutch being cooled by the oil, so it's usually not a problem unless you are on a Harley with a dry clutch....

Bear in mind that, although these are wet clutches, they are not bathed in oil, merely get splashed.

Oil level in the engine is normally a few inches below the bottom of the clutch. (There are arguments about whether there is an oil feed along the shaft.) So there isn't any real cooling effect from the oil. I'd call it a "damp clutch".

(Click on image for larger view)

Height to oil level: About 12 inches. Height to bottom of clutch housing: about 16 inches.



Below is a video I took of the clutch with the cover removed, engine running.

 

[kleake]

mcatrophy, Thank you, that definitely explains a few things. If I had known that, I would have taken it even easier on the thing during practice. I would think there would "need" to be an oil feed inside the clutch or it's going to sling off just about every drop that does hit it.

 

[Bounce]

Being discussed here.

https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/topic/154126-dreaded-sh-46-error/?hl=sh_46