Final Drive overheating

[gargoyle_house]

I'm hoping someone can help me out with an odd problem. I have a 1978 XS1100E -- great shape, bought it used, runs beautifully and I ride it everyday I can here in VT, NH and Quebec. The bike was cared for lovingly by past owners, including an engine overhaul/rebuild (I think) in Arizona two owners back. I've added 20,000 miles or so since I bought it three years ago. I change the oil, lubes, etc regularly.

At the last tire change (I wore out my last set) I tightened the rear axle nut to 108 ft/lbs -- whereas before I had done it to the 76 ft/lbs all the times before (my error -- misread the manual). Now, my final drive is overheating -- I can feel it/smell it. I rode the bike only 15 miles (out and back) and put it up for the winter in my heated workroom. Now I have to solve the overheating before I can ride this year. Any suggestions?

I've checked the drive, it's the correct model for the standard E, not the special. Have I overtightened a crush washer or something that hadn't been done with the 76 ft/lbs tightening? I have not had any other problems, but don't want to just loosen the nut and pretend it didn't get too hot...I ride safe, not sorry.

[tcoop]

Check to make sure the oil is to the proper level in the final drive. Pull the wheel off and make sure the splines are greased. When we first got my son's 81 special the final drive oil had water in it (oil was a cloudy/milky brown color) I'm sure if we kept riding it like that we would have fried it. I don't know what the torque should be on the rear axle of hand (that’s what my son is for ) so I don't know if that could be your problem.

[James England]

You've loosened the nut and re-tightened to the correct torque, yes?

Personally, I doubt you've actually damaged anything. There are no crush washers in there. I always guess the torque on my axle nuts and could quite possibly have gone as high as you did.

I would drain the oil from the FD and renew it anyway. Measure the amount that came out and see if it was much less than the required amount. Examine the old oil for metal flakes etc. The drain plug is magnetised anyway and you'll find grey sludge on it but you're looking for bits of metal.

Once your new oil is in, go and take it for a moderate ride. Nothing fast and fancy. Stop after the first half mile and feel the FD. Then a mile etc The FD will get warm and this is perfectly normal. It should never be too hot to touch, or so hot that it smells though.

You may be wrongly linking the tightening of your wheel nut with the 'overheating' (are you sure it's not merely warm). There may be no cause and effect here. It is possible that your FD oil is low and it just manifested itself at the time you did your wheel....

[hamjam]

and you did this with the pinch bolt loose .. right

[DGXSER]

First off, I do not believe there is any difference in the FD unit from the Standard to the Special. Same gearing same unit. As has been indicated, nothing your doing with the axle nut has a crush washer involved. That is in the nut on the end of the pinion where the axle slides in.

so I have been instructed, the 76 was a misprint in the manual, none of the rear axles are to be 76, all were designed for 108 ft-lbs.

[BA80]

Are you sure its the FD and not the brake overheating the FD?

[DiverRay]

+1 on the rear brake.
But, in case we are wrong on that, what TYPE of oil are you using? Also, you DID loosen the pinch bolt BEFORE tightening the axle nut, correct?
For the brake (90% chance), you will need to pull the rear caliper and clean it on the inside. No parts are "needed", so it's just time. Remove the square rubber seal from inside the caliper, and use a tool of some type to clean the grove the seal sits in. Use only brake fluid as a cleaner, then reassemble and bleed.
For a test, go on a SHORT ride, one block, and put you hand on the rear disk, after using ONLY the front brakes to stop. IF the disk is warm, the brakes are dragging.

[ddragon63]

First off, I do not believe there is any difference in the FD unit from the Standard to the Special. Same gearing same unit. As has been indicated, nothing your doing with the axle nut has a crush washer involved. That is in the nut on the end of the pinion where the axle slides in.

so I have been instructed, the 76 was a misprint in the manual, none of the rear axles are to be 76, all were designed for 108 ft-lbs.

FD's are the same... are you sure its suppose to be 108 lbs? that's freakin tight!

[DGXSER]

Yep, Clymers states "Except Special Model - 108 ft-lb axle nut, 14.5 ft-lbs pinch bolt". I then goe son to say the Special model only gets 76 ft-lbs, which has been clarified by many on the site to be in error, Special model is the same as all others, 108.

[cywelchjr]

Yep, Clymers states "Except Special Model - 108 ft-lb axle nut, 14.5 ft-lbs pinch bolt". I then goe son to say the Special model only gets 76 ft-lbs, which has been clarified by many on the site to be in error, Special model is the same as all others, 108.

Yep, clymers is wrong as the FSM specifies that ALL models get the same torque spec at 108 ft-lb.

[ddragon63]

guess I oughta pull my cotter and re-torque mine then? I did mine as the book said 76....

[James England]

Yep, clymers is wrong

Does anyone here ever use Haynes manuals? I've used them on cars and bikes for decades and they are excellent manuals. I've not heard of, or experienced, mistakes in them either, although Clymer manuals seem to figure here quite regularly with misprints etc...

[natemoen]

Does anyone here ever use Haynes manuals? I've used them on cars and bikes for decades and they are excellent manuals. I've not heard of, or experienced, mistakes in them either, although Clymer manuals seem to figure here quite regularly with misprints etc...

I prefer Haynes over Clymer too but have never found one for the XS. I have however found my fair share of errors in Haynes manuals though, so they are not infalable by any means. I think it mainly has to do with what version of the manual you own. A company is going ro make the most copies in the first run and that one will have the most errors. Depending on demand for the manual they may print more and correct the reported errors but if no one wants more manuals they dont print more. And I think there was more demand for the bike and thus manuals over there so you have more corrected versions of the manuals.

But I do think haynes is better at copying things correctly from the fsm's than other companies.

[cywelchjr]

Does anyone here ever use Haynes manuals? I've used them on cars and bikes for decades and they are excellent manuals. I've not heard of, or experienced, mistakes in them either, although Clymer manuals seem to figure here quite regularly with misprints etc...

As Nate says I generally prefer Haynes manuals as well but have not seen one for the XS11. That said I use the fsm as my primary reference anyways, so that's a moot point for the most part. The primary use I put the Clymer manual to is for where it describes a process more clearly than the fsm. But most of the time it's been described here even better and without the mistakes.

[crazy steve]

I've never seen a Haynes manual for the XS, but I do have one for my Sportsters. Sorry James, but it's a terrible POS; the Clymer version is far better. Too-generic illustrations is one of it's major faults (if a part/assembly was changed, it only shows one and notes the revised item is 'similar' which isn't always true) and some less-than-clear instructions. Even more errors than the Clymer version for the same bike.

I like the Haynes automotive manuals I have, but I was extremely disappointed in their motorcycle manual. Chilton also publishes repair manuals for some bikes, those are even worse. Clymer is top class of the field IMO for aftermarket manuals...