Help Needed: Driveshaft Service

[tomm]

Hi All,
In the middle of servicing the drive shaft on my 2008 Nomad, and have a question. I am following the procedure on Gadget's web site, and am at the point where I'm about to release that little pin and slide the driveshaft back. There are all sorts of warnings about not losing that little pin. The problem is that once I release it and pull the driveshaft back, the pin hole slides back into the swing arm. How do I keep from losing it if I can't get to it.
Am I supposed to remove the swing arm first? Does the driveshaft slide all the way out? Doesn't look like the U-joint will fit through the narrow part.
This looked relatively straightforward reading through the procedure, but it's starting to get a little hairy now and I don't want to mess something up. Bike has about 10K miles on it, and I'm doing the service now since I'm replacing the rear tire.
Thanks,
Tom

[lonewolf]

yes remove the swingarm first. the driveshaft will fit thru it. i ended up opening up one one the brake line holders to get enuf room to get the swingarm slid all the way away from the driveshaft. my pin didnt pop out. i was prepared for it with towels and rags wrapped everywhere, but it stayed put. just got dun with mine last weekend and am glad i did it 8,000 miles on bike. wasnt thrilled with how much grease was in there from factory.

[macmac]

Whoa! Do not cut any brake line holders, Do not open up any fitting and loose brake fluid!

No the U joint will not drop back in the swingarm tube very far, and pass thru..

What you need to do is get a small rag and pack in in behind the spline coupling on the engine side, so the pin IF it should pop into the air can't fall into the case.

Another big white rag should be on the floor so it won't bounce and get lost!

be prepared with a farm bucket or a joint compound bucket to work on the swing under the bike , after you can lower it and turn it to a side. then remove the drive shaft.

Set the spline coupler so you can see the pin hole easy, then depress the pin with a pick tool, and start the driveshaft sliding to the rear deeper into the swingarm.

WATCH where the pin will be showing and try to make sure it does not jump out, and it may not even try to jump out, but you can't trust it.

When you can see the inner splin side of the pin and the pin hole attempt to catch it, or cover it with your hand also needle nose pliers...

Once the pin is clear, remove it if it didn't jump anyway, and stick it to duct tape or place in a container. I like the tape because I know where that pin IS....

Then you can drop the swingarm and turn it.

Don't forget to pull the shocks right off the bike, and grease the needle bearing in the shock top mounts.

[dogdoc]

sounds like alot the these bikes have more lube in there from the factory then we thought.

[ells]

Originally Posted by Doc (Lonewolf)

sounds like alot the these bikes have more lube in there from the factory then we thought.

Mine, an '05, had plenty when serviced at 18K mi.

[VulcanE]

I would strongly suggest, that while your doing this service, go ahead and remove the swing arm so you can service it too. Do like Mac said, once you get the swing arm loose, just sit it on a 5 gal. bucket underneath the bike. That way, you don't have to disconnect the brake line, or cut any of the hoops that hold the brake line in place along the swing arm.

[tomm]

Originally Posted by macmac

Whoa! Do not cut any brake line holders, Do not open up any fitting and loose brake fluid!

No the U joint will not drop back in the swingarm tube very far, and pass thru..

What you need to do is get a small rag and pack in in behind the spline coupling on the engine side, so the pin IF it should pop into the air can't fall into the case.

Another big white rag should be on the floor so it won't bounce and get lost!

be prepared with a farm bucket or a joint compound bucket to work on the swing under the bike , after you can lower it and turn it to a side. then remove the drive shaft.

Set the spline coupler so you can see the pin hole easy, then depress the pin with a pick tool, and start the driveshaft sliding to the rear deeper into the swingarm.

WATCH where the pin will be showing and try to make sure it does not jump out, and it may not even try to jump out, but you can't trust it.

When you can see the inner splin side of the pin and the pin hole attempt to catch it, or cover it with your hand also needle nose pliers...

Once the pin is clear, remove it if it didn't jump anyway, and stick it to duct tape or place in a container. I like the tape because I know where that pin IS....

Then you can drop the swingarm and turn it.

Don't forget to pull the shocks right off the bike, and grease the needle bearing in the shock top mounts.

Hi Mac,
So, a couple of points of clarification . . .

It sounds like that pin doesn't slide back with the driveshaft, correct? It essentially gets pushed straight down into the engine side shaft, releasing the driveshaft, and then stays depressed in a small hole while the driveshaft slides back over it, and once the driveshaft clears it, it is free to pop out. So if I keep a finger lined up with the pin hole as I slide the driveshaft back, I should be able to catch it. And the rags are there just in case.

Also, once the driveshaft is released, I can remove the swingarm bolt, move the swingarm back a bit, and just pivot the left side down and to the right. In this way, I can avoid having to release the brake lines. And once the swingarm is pivoted down, I can pull the driveshaft forward out of it.

The bucket sounds like it is to support the swingarm while I'm pulling the bolt, correct.

Will also grease the shock needle bearings as well. Appreciate that tip.

I think I'm ready to continue now. Will be picking it back up again tomorrow. New tires will be ready then too. Cobra AV71 and AV72 radials.

Thanks,
Tom

[damark115]

sounds like youve got it right. I did mine this past winter. My pin didn't fly but it was good knowing that it may so that I kept an eye for it.
Well worth dropping the swingarm anyway to check for grease. mine was dry.
Any issues I am only down in Methuen MA and free Wed. night if needed. 1/2 hour trip.
I'll be in Boston till six. I sent my cell in a PM if you want. I sure you will be fine though.
Mark

[ringadingh]

My pin didnt take off on me either but I was carefull while removing it and had an old towel under the bike just in case it did fly off on me.

[tomm]

Originally Posted by Doc (Lonewolf)

sounds like alot the these bikes have more lube in there from the factory then we thought.

Well Doc, that may be true, but some don't. Unfortunately, looks like mine falls in that latter category. 10,000 miles and everything is pretty much bone dry. U-joint is just starting to go. Not real bad yet. A definite albeit very slight looseness on one axis. But definitely bad. So off to the dealer tomorrow to see if I can get a replacement driveshaft under warranty. I bought the extended warranty and the bike is only 13 months old. Hoping they won't give me any trouble.

Oh, and the swingarm didn't have an over-abundance of grease in it either. Will give that a closer inspection tomorrow. Good advice on checking that as well while everything is apart.
Tom

[macmac]

RATS

Tomm you got a defective U joint with no lube in one plane of travell. The dealer will warrenty it, but he will want to do the whole thing over! That is exactly what happened to me on the 01.

Umm you probably found you needed to use that bucket by now and block the swingarm to just pull the long bolt, which you will have to do to slide the swing arm back enough to release the pin, but otherwise you are right on.

The pin may jump and it may not... Mine didn't, but I was ready.

I have access to a barn with a clay sort of sand floor, and work on a 4x8 sheet of plywood, so I take extra precautions against parts loss.

grease up the 3 spacer inside and out and do the ends using a stiff chassis grease, which will assist in reducing swingarm side to side slop.

And then go bitch to the dealer about NO Grease, and a premature U Joint failuer, which could KILL you and 'us'!!!!!!!

Don't pay them 1 bloomin cent either, and double check their work.

I was ballistic in Cal, and that was going in. I told them I would be checking everysingle detail, and I did, and they installed a wrong head pipe gasket!

Because one was wrong I demanded 2 for free!

I also warned them about leaving finger prints on the bike anywhere, and they made sure about that.

But I was a wild man waving the dead driveshaft in my hand during the warnings..

Cali dealers fear new hampsterites!

It just pisses me off that since atleast 01 these U joints get air bound at the factory, and Ma Kawii has to know it. There should be a re-call!

As to the bearings they are just plain wrong for the application. They should be taper roller bearings and with a way to adjust preload! And then they don't use any damned grease!

My 06 had rust on the spacers inside and out and even on the ends at 8,000 miles.. :(" title="" border="0"/>