Help!: Questions about the swingarm and driveshaft

[lakecountrydave]

My toolbox does not have anything large enough to remove the locknuts off the rear swingarm. Does anybody know what size they are so I can go buy the right sized socket? Is the pivot bolt turned with an allen wrench?

I had no problems removing the 4 bolts that hold the driveshaft to the middle gear housing However, I cannot figure out how the driveshaft and u-joint are supposed to be removed through the rear. They seem to large for the hole. What am I missing?

Finally, is the rubber boot supposed to be filled completely with grease, or is this mess a gift from the PO?

Thank you in advance for any and all assistance

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Dave,

Just checked, and the swing arm lock nuts are 27mm, same size as the clutch shaft nut, so it won't be a wasted socket!

The driveshaft is held into the other end of the U-joint with just a spring clip, and so some prying on the driveshaft at the final drive end will allow it to pop loose and then slide out.

The middle drive boot is NOT supposed to have grease in it, but it's an open pathway from the final drive/axle and swing arm all the way up to the engine, and so IF a PO got very ambitious about using the final drive Zerk fitting, he could have pumped in a few cartridges worth of grease that could have found it's way back up there!?

Hopefully it's THICK GREASE, and not thin OIL, there is a small water drain hole in the bottom of the boot, and so IF the middle drive were leaking, it would/should have drained out that hole, so probably just axle grease!
T.C.

[lakecountrydave]

Thanks for the help TC I had measured it at 26mm, so I'm glad I asked.

I am still confused with the driveshaft. Am I to pry the driveshaft out of the other side of the U-joint? Leaving the U-joint separated on both ends? If so what was the point of removing the 4 bolts holding it to the middle gear housing? Also, I am now super nervous having read about all of the problems people have had getting the driveshaft to re-seat.

The boot seems to be filled with the thick grease from a grease gun. I will finish cleaning it all out after I get this dang swingarm off.

[lakecountrydave]

I was able to get the driveshaft out by following your directions! Thanks again TC I still do not know why the four bolts had to be removed, but there are a lot of things that I don't understand The swingarm will have to wait until tomorrow as no place that is open has the necessary socket.

[TopCatGr58]

Well,

We can only provide info on what to do from what it requested. I didn't go back and reread the entire thread, but sometimes wording and terminology can be difficult for newbies to get exact, correct! SO...IF a request to remove the U-joint was posted, then removing the U-joint to middle gear and it's 4 bolts would be needed, provided, suggested. However, removing just the driveshaft out from the swingarm will provide/yield different info. Perhaps that is what happened, not sure!?

Putting the driveshaft back into the U-joint isn't really that difficult, helps to remove the spring band and pull back the rubber boot to expose/reveal the u-joint section to better visualize the driveshaft to u-joint junction, and to make sure that it is fairly straight before trying to "tap" it home compressing that "C" clip past the securing groove in the u-joint. Plenty of grease on the spined C-clip end will also help it's reinsertion! Once you have the driveshaft back into the U-joint, you should have finger tightened the 4 u-joint to middle gear bolts, then you can use the back tire to hold the shaft firm while retorquing those 4 bolts!
T.C.

[lakecountrydave]

TC,

I am just happy that you were able to talk me through the procedure Several threads on the site and Clymer's both state that removing the 4 bolts is part of the process. One bonus of having removed the u-joint is that I clean the gobs of grease the PO left me easier.

I appreciate the tutorial on reinstalling the driveshaft!