KTM 450-530 Wont Start With E-Starter Problem - Torque limiter Fix How To Article

Around the 50hr mark my 09 530exc developed a problem with the E-starter. The starter would turn the engine over fine but it wouldn't fire, it would fire right up with the kick starter though. After doing a lot of reading on the net it sounded like the torque limiter was slipping just enough that the engine would turn over but not quite fast enough to light. I ended up removing the limiter, tightening it up a bit and re-installing it again. Problem fixed! Now my bike would even start in gear with the clutch in! I now have 130 hrs on the bike and the E-Starter is working like a charm. I posted all this in another thread a while back but have had several people contact me with questions on exactly what was involved with tightening the torque limiter.....Fast forward to today....

My friends 530 recently developed the same problem with the E-starter...would turn the engine over ok but wouldn't start, it would start just fine with the kick starter. He ordered the parts (gaskets etc) and we decided to take pictures this time so people could see what's involved if they are having the same issue. Now that we tightened the limiter on this bike the E-starter is working like new again!

NOTE: If you own a 08-10 model 450-530 upgrade the oil pump gears and O-ring while you have the engine open to fix the torque limiter, it will save you from having to open it back up again. Link to the Oil-Pump upgrade How-TO: CLICK HERE

Tools that you will need on hand:

*Torque wrench in In/lbs (for the smaller bolts) and ft/lbs
*Clutch basket Holder Tool - Like this one: CLICK HERE NOTE: This tool works but not correctly on our baskets. You have to use the tool on the inside of the basket to make it work.
*Misc hand tools. Wrenches, Sockets, Breaker bar.
*Impact Gun is nice to remove the Clutch Basket Nut but not a necessity, you can use the Clutch Basket Tool and a Breaker Bar as well.

Supplies to have on hand (08 530EXC Referenced on Part#'s):

*CLUTCH COVER GASKET: KTM Part# 78030025000
*RETAINING PLATE: KTM Part# 77332018000 (Lock Tab For Clutch Basket Nut) Note: It can be re-used but it's cheap to replace and you don't have to worry about it.
*HEXAGON NUT DIN0936-M18X1.5 R.: KTM Part# 0936181505 (Clutch Basket Nut..manual says to replace, a lot of people re-use the old one)
*Your favorite oil to re-fill the transmission with
*Your favorite coolant to re-fill the cooling system
*Shop Manual. Nice to verify you have everything in the right spot and order upon re-assembly. If you don't have a manual you can use the parts diagrams as reference...example KTM Cycle Hutt Parts FicheFinder: CLICK HERE


Handy Torque Values:
"Screw, Torque Limiter" - M6, 7.38 ft/lbs Loctite 243
"Nut, Inner Clutch Hub" - M18x1.5, 59.01 ft/lbs
"Screw, Clutch Spring" - M6, 7.38 ft/lbs
"Screw, Clutch Cover" - M6x25, 7.38 ft/lbs
"Screw, Clutch Cover" - M6x30, 7.38 ft/lbs
"Screw, Kickstarter" - M8, 18.44 ft/lbs Loctite 243



Start by draining the coolant and the transmission oil. Next let's remove the clutch.




Here's a shot of the Retaining Plate "Yellow Arrow" and clutch basket nut that lives under the clutch pack. Bend down the ears on the plate till they are flat so you can remove the nut. If you don't have a impact gun you will have to use the clutch basket took to hold the basket while you use a breaker bar to remove the nut. The Tusk tool won't work on the outer part of the basket but will work if you place the tool on the inside of the basket at the Red Arrows.




Next remove the kick start lever, loosen the hose clamp on the water pump hose connection, and remove the rear brake lever.




Now remove the clutch cover. Here's a shot of the inside of the cover. You can see the water pump drive gear in this shot. Note: When re-installing the cover don't force it. The plastic water pump drive gear has to line up and mesh with the other drive gears inside the case for the cover to go completely on. If the cover isn't wanting to slide on easily reach behind the cover and turn the water pump drive gear slightly, then try to slide the cover on again. Repeat this until the gears line up and the cover slides on smoothly.




Almost to the Torque Limiter. Now just slide the clutch basket off and place it to the side. Be careful to keep track of the order of washers etc as the parts come off.




Ok...with the clutch basket out of the way we can now see the offending Torque Limiter. Remove the bolt holding the limiter in place and remove the limter. Note: There is a thin shim behind the limiter, keep track of it as you remove the limiter and make sure it gets re-installed during re-assembly.




Removing the Torque Limiter. The yellow arrow is where the thin shim goes.




A side shot of the Torque Limiter. I've added the numbers 1 & 2 to help explain the tightening process. KTM says the Limiter is "Non-Adjustable" and is pre-set at the factory, if the Limiter is slipping just replace it at $130 a pop. The Limiter is installed in the bike so if the bike backfires it will slip and prevent damage to the starter and the engine case....knowing this we now have to decide how much we want to tighten the limiter? From what I've read people have just snugged them down until they are fairly tight and called it good....this is the method I used on my 530 and it's worked great for me. You can decide how tight you would like to tighten yours, just need it tight enough where it will transfer power to the engine with out slipping.




You will see three holes in the front of the Limiter "Area 2 in the picture above", you can build a spanner wrench that fits these holes or use the channel locks method to tighten the limiter. Place a piece of leather around the teeth "Area 1 in the picture above" and clamp "1" lightly in a vice. Then use the channel locks to tighten "2" a 1/8 or 1/4 turn. I normally would take the time to build a correct spanner wrench but nothing touches area "2" once the Limiter is re-installed so any teeth marks from the channel locks won't hurt anything.





I've been asked a couple times about how the clutch basket tool works when torquing up the inner clutch hub nut. Some people use a impact gun and just rattle down the nut....I prefer to torque the nut to proper specs using a torque wrench.

I purchased a TUSK brand clutch basket tool from RockyMountainATV but it doesn't fit the KTM properly. The tool can still work but you have to install it on the inside of the inner basket instead of on the outside like it should work. The red arrows show where to place the TUSK brand tool.




Use the foot peg to back up the tool (red arrow) while you torque the nut down with the torque wrench.




That's it! Now just re-assemble everything, re-fill the oil, re-fill the coolant and enjoy having your E-start back again.

Hope this helps.

Hodakaguy

wow what a brill thread i will keep this one,you never know i may need it later

Nice bike! Oh ya thanks for the help Hodakaguy.

Excellent!

I think I've had this issue and not realized it... well done!

I've had it since day one and no one has had a clue.

On the gears that you have to mess with for the torque limiter (clutch basket and torque limiter) no, just make sure you have them fully meshed back together. The basket can be a little tricky to get lined up properly, you have to wiggle it back and forth a bit to make sure it gets fully seated.

Hodakaguy

Had similar problem with FE 450 check link for post and video .
I would suggest correct torque and some loc tite.
i tested a new limiter at 20 ft lbs and reset my old one 6 months no problems.
GWP


http://www.husaberg.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13414

Does the torque limiter wear out with use? Will this problem show up on all bikes eventually? My 400exc exhibits drag when in gear and clutch in, making it harder to start (known trait of the 400s). It still starts, but the starter motor is working harder against the resistance. I presume then the torque limiter may slip marginally under these conditions and is actually wearing out every time it slips, meaning that eventually it will slip under lighter loads?

Thanks for the post ..that's great to know what torque the new limiter is set at, would be good to re-set the old unit to the same torque.

Hodakaguy

@ Hodakaguy
How long does it takes from the first screw till the last reassembly?

This write up should go in the hall of wisdom.

You can do the job easily in a hr's time, I tend to take a little longer with the TV going in the garage...plus I'm ocd about double/tripple checking everything so that slows me down a bit

While you have the engine open to do the torque limiter upgrade the oil pump gears as well (if you have a 08-2010 model). Link to the oil pump upgrade HOW-TO: CLICK HERE

Hodakaguy

Hodakaguy
Let me throw this in...I also have a 2010 530EXC same starting issues wont e-start even though it turns over just fine, but it will kick start, all this at sea-level to 2000' +/-
Now...same bike....at high altitudes, 9500+ same set up except jetted for altitude...it will e-start every time!

I'm trying to figure how the torque limiter could be affected at altitude?
Got any ideals?

Not sure but I'll give it my best guess. When cranking the engine over the starter is basically turning over a air pump. At lower altitudes the air is more dense and will require more power to compress, creating a slightly greater load on the starter and torque limiter. At higher altitudes the air is less dense and requires less energy to compress it...taking a small portion of the load off the starter system and letting the engine turn over slightly faster, allowing the engine to start.

Just a guess

Hodakaguy

Compression

Well I'm rebuildimg the engine right now anyways, so I'll try the fix and see if it helps any. Give me a week or two and I'll report back here any improvements!

I have a new-to-me 2010 450 six days with 30 hours on it. It's Winter in Denver, so I've only been able to get it out for one test ride and I had this exact problem.

Very difficult to get a hot restart in-gear. Put it in neutral, fires up. Huge PITA.

I haven't dug into the jetting yet, and honestly assumed it was a jetting issue, possibly even a clutch bleed issue, but this sounds like a more likely culprit.

Thanks for documenting this issue...

Hodakaguy......you are the f-ing man!!! My beloved 530 recently started doing this and really began to scare me that something was wrong after I coddle the bike in maintenance after everytime I ride her!!! How you figure these things out, is a puzzle to me....guessing you are an engineer of some sort, right? Well I'll be doing this and also the oil pump gear change at the same time to keep the 530 running in tip top shape! Thanks for the info and guidance!!!!

And as my signature says, this bike is the one and only and just plain RIPS at anything you throw at her!

Nice write up- and pictorial. You helped me find the cure to this issue last year, and I appreciate your help. I actually was able to get KTM to warranty this, even though I was just a month or two out of warranty. I noticed from my spare parts manual to the online fiche, the have subsequently updated the torque limiter part number, so they must have had a bad run of these.

Thanks, I didn't figure the problem out though. I had read on other forums where people had the same problem and the torque limiter ended up being the issue. I just thought I would type up a how-to for others to follow if they were having the same issue so it could be more widely known.

I'm getting ready to upgrade the oil pump gears in my new 530 and noticed there is a updated oil pump shaft as well now, I'll install the new shaft and see if there is any difference between it and the old version then update the oil pump how to accordingly.

Hodakaguy