Rear engine output shaft breaks off at nut?

[Squidley]

Here are the pics from Cecil

[Cdnlouie]

Thanks for posting the pics Squidley!

 

Here are a few notes of explanation for the other little fun things that go with the job:

 

Universal joint - You must remove the clips and watch out because they will flick spring off into the sunset when they release, so put a rag over them to catch them or you will be sorry.

- The you have to remove two of the cup bearings, but it makes sense to do them all and repack with grease (and check for wear). Push them out with a vise, you need to use a smaller socket on one side and box end wrench or something else to push out the cup on the other side.

- you can then replace the (removed) cup bearing with an 11mm socket on the bearing shaft (it is hard enough so you won't hurt it) and push the opposing cup bearing out the other side (repeat the process for the other two).

- Lube the outside of the cup bearing and yoke with oil to allow smooth insertion and removal.

 

Gear Lash - I picked up that great little flexible neck micrometer at a Harbour Freight for maybe $25 and it worked great. It has a vise-grip on the other end which I clamped to the main bike stand. Once you get it in position you lock up the flexible neck and it allows you to check for rotational gear lash.

- I simply held the main drive axle nut (behind the left middle gear case, just above footpeg) with a wrench or my other hand (with the bike in gear) and rotated it (forward or back) until it locked with first or second gear and then turned the yoke (clockwise, then counter-clockwise to see how much lash there was between the two pinion gears. Ideally you should measure the lash in a couple of different positions but it is real hard to get more than one spot with the engine in the bike. I turn everything over several times and then rechecked in the same manner again.

- You can feel the lash with your hand, and the micrometer makes it measurable for you. This part is pretty straight forward and if you need to change shims then you may have to order the ones that will give you the proper clearance between the gears. In my case the original shim worked perfectly during re-installation.

 

Oil Seal - If you have a nice seal remover you're in luck, but you don't want to pry under it carelessly and ruin your tapered end bearing, so I drilled the seal around the outside and then it just slipped out with a pull from my pliers (clean the bearing well after this). I put a little gasket seal around the metal housing and outside of seal for installation.

- A 2.25 inch piece of ABS is an excellent seal installer. I bought a plastic end fitting (2.25 outside and 2.0 inch inside diameter) with the screw out trap so it was easy to tap on the center of the cap to install the seal.

 

Output Shaft Nut - Don't forget to put loctite on the output shaft nut (medium - blue should do it).

[Dano]

Great finish to the article Cecil, well done!

 

Dan

[CrazyHorse]

Thanks for the pics.

[Cdnlouie]

I've put about 500km on the job so far this spring and everything seems pretty nice .

 

Here are the part numbers for the pieces necessary to do the "retorque" of the driven pinion shaft (and the same for a seal replacement).

 

Spacer expansion (collapsible collar) 2H7-17571-01-00 $15.99 Cdn. funds

Oil Seal 93101-35085-00 16.99

O-ring 93210-71360-00 5.99

 

Got about 25000km and still going strong (2012)!

Edited March 12, 2012 by Cdnlouie

[r_squared432]

This just happened to me - almost end of the driving season up here but it still sucks.

 

So before we get to the fixing part - if the nut and washer are flying around in the boot, how much danger is there to them jamming up the drive shaft and the wheel? What keeps the universal joint from moving back and forth on the middle drive shaft spline if the nut is gone? I first became aware something was not right with a higher than normal transmission whine, especially in 2 and 3rd gear. I checked oil and it was low so added a quart and drove home. Drove about 80 km total in that condition so was I at personal risk or not?

 

Ok - now for the fix it part. Can you can get the broken middle drive shaft out without having to drop the engine and open up the case? Reading some of the threads earlier seems to suggest this is possible but never done anything that major on the bike so can someone who has been there help me out on this?

 

I have 90K on the bike (a 87 VR ) and all the rest of the stuff is still working so reluctant to give it up but not sure I was willing to pour a lot of bucks into parts. Any thoughts?

[paysaw]

The shaft will not come out.It is been held in place by the pumpkin.It is a big job to change, but you don't have to pull the engine to do it.I switched out that gear on my 83.Be prepared to put some time in to change it.Read the help files on how to do it.You just need patience.PM me or call me and I can tell you how to do it if you can't get anywhere with it.Ray