[Cleared2land]

Have you done a complete disassembly of the clutch mechanism and inspected or removed the On-off lever? I think there is some type of retaining clip on the lever shaft assembly at the derailleur body. That's the only thing I can think of that could affect the cam unit sliding outboard.

 

[B. Rock]

I haven't removed the on/off lever but the clutch is brand new. Like I said a couple posts up, I did notice that in Shimano's dealer manual they show the clutch being replaced at the same time as the on/off lever so I got another one of those coming. So I'm hoping that's it. Otherwise I might find a way to fix the cam tension screw frame in place with a mild adhesive.

 

[Cleared2land]

You're shot-gunning parts without isolating the problem? I prefer to find the problem before buying parts.

Gluing the cam unit is treating the symptom, not the problem.

 

[B. Rock]

The adhesive is only if the on/off lever doesn't end up fixing it. I was pretty sure the clutch was toast anyway so I'm not worried about that one. The on/off switch is the only other piece of the assembly so it's not really shotgunning parts when there's only 2 of them.

 

[Cleared2land]

I have never seen a clutch drum or band that needed replacement from wear. What indicated that it was toast?

 

[B. Rock]

Mostly the band - I could bottom the tension screw and only get a very minor increase in resistance. Comparing the old vs new when the new one arrived, the tangs were further apart, and adjusting the tension screw now makes a very noticeable difference. I got the bike with around 1,000-1,200 miles on it so I'm not the first owner - the derailleur needed to be retuned, so it's possible it was cranked down for its whole life before I got it.

 

[Cleared2land]

Interesting observation. Good luck with discovering the issue and getting it corrected.

 

[B. Rock]

Thanks. It's a bit frustrating after having a 1st gen XX1 that was flawless for about 5 years, then a Box One that was fine for 2 years (I won't use the word flawless here but it worked admirably), and now to have an XTR that won't play ball is a bit disappointing. Hoping it's a small part. Because if it's not the lever and the slop/looseness allowing the clutch to shift is from tolerances opening up in the derailleur body itself (and yes, all screws are tight) - it's basically toast.

 

[Cleared2land]

I was thinking if the lever switch shaft has twisted. I heard of this one, but maybe a different problem.

 

[B. Rock]

Could be - it doesn't seem to engage the cam 100% in the 'on' position, just most of the way, at least to my untrained eye. The lever's retaining clip is still there and I can't get any noticeable wiggle between the shaft and the lever so I don't think it's so worn that it's flexing the shaft, but maybe something has worn just a couple fractions of a mm where it comes through the body - just enough to make a difference.

Unfortunately the part is coming straight from Taiwan so it will be a few weeks before it gets here. The M9100 lever is unique (because of course it is), which is odd because the M9120 uses the same lever as the XT and is seemingly much more prevalent. I am grateful Shimano has this all on their website however.

 

[B. Rock]

New on/off lever and so far everything is copasetic. It does have less play in it than the old one, although the new one still has some play in it too. I do wonder if the process to replace the lever was part of the fix as well. Mainly greasing the axle shaft as well as cleaning the derailleur spring. Side note, reinstalling that spring is a real treat.

 

[Cleared2land]

You removed the derailleur spring?

 

[B. Rock]

Yeah. Followed the directions from Shimano for the lever replacement. They have you remove the axle shaft, which in turn means that the spring assembly will be coming off.

Edit: also, even though it's separated from the axle shaft, that whole spring assembly was absolutely filthy.

 

[Cleared2land]

You're referring to the chain/cage tension spring, not the derailleur spring?

 

[B. Rock]

Right, I guess they call it the 'plate tension spring'