Final Drive Project [Page 2]
I used the Ed Korn gear holder to hold the pinion and coupling hub
while removing the nut. The holder also helped keep things from moving
as I bent down the tabs on the lock plate. Easy.
The parts book calls this the "coupling hub". It couples the drive
shaft to the final drive. This one has quite a bit of wear on the
seal surface. The gears also has a noticeable step. I suppose it's
usable, but I'll be looking for a replacement that doesn't have quite
so much wear.
This is the easy way to remove the threaded ring. The coupling hub nut
and lock plate lightly hold the Ed Korn tool in place and an air impact
wrench gently breaks the threaded ring free. I looked at the threaded ring
afterwards and notices that there was zero wear in the notches in the
removal direction, but there was some wear in two if the notches in the
installation direction. Looks like the factory installer slipped when
tightening down the ring oh so many years ago.
Once the ring was removed I stood the case on end and applied heat until
the pinion and bearing fell out. I cleaned up the bearing a little without
removing it just to see what it is like. I think it is fine and need not
be replaced. I also measured the shim at 0.39 mm. One of the standard
sizes was 0.38. I'll check again when the shim is cool.
That's all for today. I cleaned up my work area and covered the case. I'll tackle the insides of the case and check the needle bearing next time.
Cleaning the case
I wiped off the excess grunge then brought out the parts cleaner to attack
the case. Some Goof Off helped remove parts of the paper gasket that
didn't want to come off easily. After getting the dirt loose in the
parts washer I moved to the sink where Simple Green, a scotchbright sponge,
and very hot water took care of the rest. Once the inside was clean I
used compresses air to make sure it was dry and then coated inside and out
with excessive amounts of WD-40. There's a reason I buy it by the gallon!
The last step was to coat the exterior of the case with Aluminum Jelly and
let it sit for about 15 minutes before again rinsing in hot water and
coating in WD-40. The results are pretty good. It looks nearly as good
as the bead blasted case that is currently on the bike. I bet another
10-20 minutes of Aluminum Jelly would make it perfect.
I could see the drive splines were OK (certainly not great) and was quite
happy to find the gear-set in otherwise excellent shape. Also, I cleaned
and oiled the big bearing. What ever it was I felt yesterday is gone. As
best as I can tell the needle bearings are also in good shape. There was no
grit or slivers to be found inside the case. It looks like all I'll need
are some new seals and gaskets to get this drive back together.