I've spent the last few hours plowing through the bulletins and service manuals for the Cannondale. While examining the pictures on the Cannondaleriders.com web site.
We clearly have two issues here, not one...
#1 We all know that there is an update for the Crankshaft Cartridge Plate. This replaces the Crankshaft Cartridge bolts with studs... This plate is in the "front" left hand side of the engine shown best on page 104 of the Service Manual PN 941-5002037.
Many of the newest machines have had this change implemented and one can clearly see one of the studs used to secure the back of the crankcase cartridge plate when removing the clutch basket. Cannondale 27 gave us a great picture of this. This picture is located on page 5, post 5 of "Check your Engines..." thread. In the picture the stud is located in the upper left hand side just below an allen head bolt that is securing the transmission cartridge plate (see the two different cartridges here? The one in the front is the crankshaft one and the one toward the back behind the clutch basket with all the allen head bolts is the transmision). The crankshaft cartridge is what all the talk is about. But thanks to moto440mans pictures we also have a second issue...
#2 The second issue that we are dealing with is best illustrated in the pictures left by Moto440man in the "check your engines..." thread, but on page 1 posts 2,3 and 4. These pictures clearly show multiple bolts backing out of the "transmission-cartridge-plate" as well as having one visible bolt missing from the "crankshaft-cartridge-plate". The transmission cartridge plate is located on the same side of the engine as the crankshaft cartridge plate but the back half of the engine directly behind the clutch basket. The transmission cartridge plate is best shown on page 142 of the Cannondale Service Manual PN 941-5002037
So, not only are bolts backing out of the crankcase cartridge plate but they are also backing out of the transmission cartridge plate. Moto440man's pictures clearly show this.
NOW FOR THE QUESTIONS...
Why is there no bulletin on the transmission cartridge plate bolts backing out? Is this caused only when the crankcase bolts let go? My 03 has the stud update on the crankcase but I have the same allen head bolts on the transmission cartridge plate that backed out on Moto440man.
If we are to check for the crankshaft cartridge plate stud update are we to pull out the allen head screws in the transmission cartridge plate and red lock-tight them while we are there? This is a large concern of mine!
What do we all think of this?
:eek: :eek:
CLARIFICATION/UPDATE "Crankcase Stud Bulletin"
Since my last post I was reading the service manual and it states... "When removing bolts from the transmission cartridge remove them at the rate of 1/4 turn at a time and work your way around from one bolt to another this is to reduce the chance of cartridge warping" I guess we won't be pulling out just the one's we can see... We'll have to do them all at the same time.
I was told by my dealer that it is VERY important to untorque these bolts in sequence. He also said that the crank plate coming loose is whats causing everthing else to go. I was told to remove the tranny bolts, clean, loctite red and install. They didn't have to be studs. Some people are finding loctite on these bolts, some are not. Mine didn't have any loctite on anything.
I hate to say it but I'm kind of fealing the same way as RookieX. I haven't even bought mine yet. I have put down a deposit on it and am having them do the stud upgrade for me as peace of mind. I will loose this deposit if I don't buy it now. But after reading all of these post I'm kinda thinking that I may just be buying into problems, even with the upgrade. Who is to say that whoever buys C-dale out will make a retro fix for any of the dales already out, they may only decide to redesign this entire end of the motor to fix the problem on the new production models.
I'm just worried guys and not sure if I should just go ahead and take the loss now. I realy do want the dale and probably will never get a better price then right now, I'm just scared.
I'm just worried guys and not sure if I should just go ahead and take the loss now. I realy do want the dale and probably will never get a better price then right now, I'm just scared.
Well, don't be scared. I look at it this way. We have about $20k in our Houser/yzf quad. There is no warrantee, no dealer help and the tranny took a hike in our 2nd race with it last summer. No were on the "net" was there help about the tranny problem or trying to get the parts from Japan. Believe me, I called every dealer in the US plus the pro riders that had the YZF's, no help in parts.
At least with the Dale , IF you have a problem, you have this forum to find out whats wrong and where to get parts. Even with the small problems we have with the Dale , it is still more dependable and less major maintaince than the yzf.
At least with the Dale , IF you have a problem, you have this forum to find out whats wrong and where to get parts. Even with the small problems we have with the Dale , it is still more dependable and less major maintaince than the yzf.
K-Dog...
I hear your concern and I was there a week ago. The quad's in my garage and I haven't even ridden it yet... Here's the nice thing about cannondale. They post all of their bulletins. I don't know if anyone else does this but atleast we know what the problems could be before they happen so we can prepare!
If you want to be like everyone else go get a honda or something. If you want to turn heads everywhere you go and don't mind dealing with a little wrench turning grab the C-Dale...
I hear your concern and I was there a week ago. The quad's in my garage and I haven't even ridden it yet... Here's the nice thing about cannondale. They post all of their bulletins. I don't know if anyone else does this but atleast we know what the problems could be before they happen so we can prepare!
If you want to be like everyone else go get a honda or something. If you want to turn heads everywhere you go and don't mind dealing with a little wrench turning grab the C-Dale...
