Question on driveshaft lube or oil?

[Rasputin]

Well, thirty pumps from a grease gun every oil change has worked for me since buying bike new in 81'. That equals 2oz. of lube as suggested in original owners manual. That housing and shaft tube has gotten so full over the decades, that now greasing that zerk causes grease to come out around the final drive mounting surface. Final drive, if greased using zerk every oil change will NEVER have to be removed to grease splines. This HAS been proven by CZap and I a few yrs. back. Caption Zap may chime in verifying and explaining how location and angle of grease zerk MORE than lubricates those splines!

I am surprised the grease is not coming out at the middle drive/driveshaft boot. That whole tube and housing will hold a lot of grease before it will venture to those splines. Eventually it would have to go there due to gravity if nothing else...
I also suppose it would keep your swing arm bearings greased as well.

[myac455]

Well, I did a search, and I guess no one else has had the problem, but might as well ask here.
Someone mentioned a leak at the final drive.
Mine has more than a little leak. More like gobs of dead, dried grease on the bottom of the final drive, at the flange.
I looked in my Clymer manual and it says to just bolt it together. No mention of sealant. Doesn't work for me.
I was thinking something in a small tube like Yamabond, and copper sealing washers under the nuts.
What do you think ,guys?

[Bonz]

I have to concur with Motoman. When CZ helped me do the FD mod on my 80SG, he showed me, with parts in hand, the grease WILL get to where it is needed with the zerk. Sure, putting it in "manually" by taking things apart will work as well.

Whatever floats each guys boat I guess!

[bikerphil]

Mine has more than a little leak. More like gobs of dead, dried grease on the bottom of the final drive, at the flange.
I looked in my Clymer manual and it says to just bolt it together. No mention of sealant

Yes, you can put RTV there, no harm. It will help keep the FD unit cleaner, BTDT. I painted the FD black and no worries,

[motoman]

I am surprised the grease is not coming out at the middle drive/driveshaft boot. That whole tube and housing will hold a lot of grease before it will venture to those splines. Eventually it would have to go there due to gravity if nothing else...
I also suppose it would keep your swing arm bearings greased as well.

No surprise you questioned that Rasputin. Actually, I believe what happened was after selling bike after ten yrs. of ownership from buying new, was that owner had no idea what that zerk was for since I had it covered with a vacuum nipple. Some 14yrs. later when I got bike back(with same vaccum nipple in place which crumbled when removed) after it had spent all that time in Phoenix, Arizona, I suspect that grease which crawled up shaft had dried at end of shaft and hardened, plugging anywhere for it to go. So, with my lubing that zerk after getting bike back just caused grease to finially squish out around mounting surface of final drive after that area was full of lube. Nothing magicly happened, just results of the circumstances.

[myac455]

Yes, you can put RTV there, no harm. It will help keep the FD unit cleaner, BTDT. I painted the FD black and no worries,

Thanks.
I cleaned that thing up today. I noticed there was some RTV or something like it on the FD flange . I'm surprised the manual doesn't mention it. I didn't realize the pinion retaining flange was black and steel. Looks like there are shims under it to set the pinion depth. Not going to mess with that.
Already re-painted the swing arm too. I'll probably paint it silver with the FD unit now.
The FD lube looked bad, I'll have to say. For a supposed police bike, the maintenance program was severely lacking.
I filled the thing up with gas, and spun it with a drill in my bench vise, then drained it again. I'll probably put synthetic gear lube in it. I don't see how it will hurt it . Might even save it.

[Jeffintampa]

rear tire

Actually, 30 pumps with my grease-gun IS a measured 2oz......which is what original owners manual states should be pumped into those splines at each oil change. Final drive has NEVER been off from when new, some 36yrs. ago. Miles on bike now stands at 83,000mi.

Do you change your back tire by yourself or take to a dealer 83k is probably over 10 rear tires I always clean that area and grease

[motoman]

Do you change your back tire by yourself or take to a dealer 83k is probably over 10 rear tires I always clean that area and grease

Maybe confusion as to which location I was speaking of. Your thinking of the splined area under the plastic white cover at rear wheel. My reference is pertaining to the grease zerk on driveshaft tube. Remember also that final drive has its own contained gear lube, which has a drain and fill plug. As per rear wheel/tire,,,,I remove wheel and take it along with new tire to a bike shop and have mounted and balanced.

[dolphans1]

Can someone explain in great detail?

I finally got around by injecting lube into the zerk, about 30 pumps, but my real question is, is there oil in the hub at the wheel and the crankcase? I noticed a black cap around the base of the block and the rear wheel hub, which reveals what appears to be a large Allen bolt, but how does one remove this, drain it and fill it up with what weight of gear oil?

Thanks....

[MaximPhil]

Hi dolphans1,
Most of us believe greasing the zerk fitting in the shaft drive to be useless. There is gear oil in the final drive, check level through the filler cap which is about axle height at the back. Drain plug is at the bottom.
Brown/mud colour indicates moisture contamination from heat cycles.
Middle drive is also gear oil with the same (if original) fill & drain plug.
ALWAYS LOOSEN FILL PLUGS FIRST.
Wheel to drive splines should be greased too. Use high moly content grease.

Phil

[MPittma100]

Tool Kit

There is a plastic stick in the tool kit for checking the oil level of both drives.

The grease fitting on the drive shaft tube allows grease to drop onto the shaft splines inside. Rotating the rear wheel while applying grease will help.

[motoman]

Sorry Skids but "2)Drive shaft is greased. Zerk is above the shaft near the final drive." is about the poorest response to this problem. You can grease this fitting until your arm falls off and you will do no good. All it will do is fill the tube the driveshaft is in.

Sorry, but not true.......and has been proven so.

[Bonz]

Agreed. When I had the driveshaft housing off and in-hand doing the 750/850 FD mod, CaptonZap showed me that grease can and does get where it needs to from the zerk.

[CaptonZap]

That only applies if the correct amount of grease IS applied. One or two pumps isn't going to do much good.
When you look at a small one hand grease gun, and notice the size of the cartridge, you have to imagine about a third of the grease, and try to get that amount into the Zerk. How far in the plunger is pulled as you pump can be used as a guide. More is better. If you don't take it apart and clean it out, anything more, applied on top of that amount, is a good insurance policy.

CZ

[skids]

I would recommend not over tightening the final drive fill plug. It just has to be tight enough not to leak. It is an absolute BEAR to loosen once it gets stuck, because the fill plug is sort of recessed to where you can't get a grip on the side. I prefer nylon washers as they do not stick, leak, or melt.