Oil on clutch

Need help on where to start. Put 200 miles on the Rhino this weekend and on the last trail ride all of a sudden it just free revved. Took the little plastic piece out of the bottom of the clutch case and very black and burnt smelling fluid came out of it. Limped it back to camp and got it home. Now today I took the cover off of the clutch and more of the fluid came out and it's covering everything in side of it. Question is where is this oil coming from? Was going to order my JBS kit this week to so I guess I am getting a head start on the tear down, heres some pictures.
Some of the oil that came out

Oil covering everything


Let me know what you guys think.

by the looks the seal on the wet clutch cover is bad an letting oil into the clutch cover pull the primary clutch an u should see where its comming from

Yeah, if that is oil, the only place it could come from is the engine crankcase. If it is coming from the engine crankcase, logic would presume the wet clutch cover gasket is leaking.

Is your engine oil low? These things only hold like 2.5 quarts of oil so it doesn't take much oil lost to show up on the stick and it wouldn't take too much lost to damage the motor due to oil starvation.

Your best bet is to go ahead get about 10 cans of brake cleaner and clean that mess up real good. The transmission is belt driven and works via friction, so any little bit of oil or grease is going to create a slip. Take off the primary and secondary sheave assemblies and take more pics for us.

You didn't get water in there did you? Sometimes if you get in deep water (like over the seat base deep), the water mixes with the grease in the primary sheave assembly and makes a mess on things like it's oil.

Good luck!

I was checking oil level in the motor the whole time and it was on the dip stick, didn't notice a major loss of oil in the motor at all. I did go through some water the days before but nothing that high on the seat and every time we would stop I would drain some of the oil out of the case and it was never a lot. I will remove more of the primary and secondary sheave tonight. Is the wet clutch gasket inside the primary sheave?

ChrisH wrote:

Yeah, if that is oil, the only place it could come from is the engine crankcase. If it is coming from the engine crankcase, logic would presume the wet clutch cover gasket is leaking.

Is your engine oil low? These things only hold like 2.5 quarts of oil so it doesn't take much oil lost to show up on the stick and it wouldn't take too much lost to damage the motor due to oil starvation.

Your best bet is to go ahead get about 10 cans of brake cleaner and clean that mess up real good. The transmission is belt driven and works via friction, so any little bit of oil or grease is going to create a slip. Take off the primary and secondary sheave assemblies and take more pics for us.

You didn't get water in there did you? Sometimes if you get in deep water (like over the seat base deep), the water mixes with the grease in the primary sheave assembly and makes a mess on things like it's oil.

Good luck!

There is an oil seal on the wet clutch out put shaft and a seal and internal O Ring on the transmission input shaft. You should take both clutches off and clean the engine, then top off the oil and check for the leak.

Thanks Mike!
I failed to mention the oil seal where the wet clutch drum shaft passes through.

That sucks, the grease looks kinda hardened in the picture like it came out of the sheave.

CustomizedRhino13 wrote:

That sucks, the grease looks kinda hardened in the picture like it came out of the sheave.

nope...that looks like oil mixed with mud....doesnt look like the sheave grease at all.

chuddly wrote:

CustomizedRhino13 wrote:

That sucks, the grease looks kinda hardened in the picture like it came out of the sheave.

nope...that looks like oil mixed with mud....doesnt look like the sheave grease at all.

I have to agree, that's oil.

x3 on the oil , x2 on what stuntman said about seal , an clean clean clean the bellt & sheave because a little oil goes a long way at a messed up ride

Stuntmanmike wrote:

chuddly wrote:

CustomizedRhino13 wrote:

That sucks, the grease looks kinda hardened in the picture like it came out of the sheave.

nope...that looks like oil mixed with mud....doesnt look like the sheave grease at all.

I have to agree, that's oil.

Must be the glear I'm seeing, at least it gives you the excuse to get the JBS sheave sooner!

So I was taking more apart today and I noticed 3 bolts in the bottom of the case

And then looking into the back of the case I see 3 empty holes, question is what is that back there?

they look like the bolts that hold your wet clutch housing on id pull everything down to ur wet clutch and give her a good look over maybe loctite all the bolts back in but also check for any cracks in the housing they are aluminum and ive broken one before...

Trying to figure this stuff out as I go but what exactly is a wet clutch?

Works like any other clutch. It's just bathed in oil, as you can see. Looks like those bolts held the cover on. Hence your oil leak.

The wet clutch is connected to ur crank then an aluminum housing goes over it with a shaft where ur sheave bolts too. Pull that 4 prong sheave cage then ur sheave then ur stationary sheave and ull have eyes to the wet clutch caseing james has videos on youtube to remove ur sheave etc will be helpful for u

sounds like time to slug that wet clutch after you make sure its good

Well I got ahold of James at JBS and he got me all squared away with a new seal to fix the leak, a JBS sheave!!!, and some of his radiator guards to keep the mud out!! So excited to try out a JBS sheave!

congrats man youll enjoy it

Does this look okay to you guys? James told me to taker the wet clutch cover off and look at the wet clutch and this is what I saw, after talking to James I guess I have been using the wrong oil so thats where the concern comes into place.

that is darker than i have ever seen...but i could be wrong. best let some of the guys who are better on the wet clutch pipe up and give their opinion.

i would change it...prolly gonna start breaking up soon and getting in your oil..i have them in stock

looks dark to me to, an you don't want it getting in oil could get your moter

Get a new one from James and add the weight to the shoes and you wont have that problem agian.

yep sorry man replace,slug,install hot rod and enjoy