Reminder: Final Drive Maintenance

[Voyager Ninja]

Just as a reminder to everyone before the warm weather arrives, be sure to lube your slip joint!

BTW: You do not need to pull the swing arm off to perform this PM like so many will suggest!

If you have never looked at your slip joint, you best take a peek……

My final drive was showing signs of oil leakage at the axel seal, so I did a full PM including the slip joint o-rings without pulling the swing arm.

The job does take long nose external circlip pliers and a bit of dexterity, yet otherwise the job is a ‘snap’ so long as you are mechanically inclined.

My slip joint was almost dry and had very little grease left. Now I am all greased up and ready to ride!

Cheers,

[Scott-(Altoona, PA)]

V-N, would you say the manual was very close in description of how to complete this or would you add some "beware of...." and/or "watch out for...."'s for those of us who need to take a look at ours?

[Nails]

V-N, would you say the manual was very close in description of how to complete this or would you add some "beware of...." and/or "watch out for...."'s for those of us who need to take a look at ours?

Apologies for resurrecting this old thread; but it's short, unanswered, and I was going to start this same topic anyway. I'm just getting started on this rear-end maintenance for the first time. I'll try to document it when I reassemble.

I'm aiming to grease the swing arm bearings and propeller splines -- taking a break to find "a suitable bolt or screw" to pull out the swing arm shafts. Then I'll apparently leave the propeller shaft hanging until I get the swing arm out of the way.

The manual has a "propeller shaft" section on 10-8: "Pushing on the locking pin a little into the propeller shaft, slip the propeller shaft off the driven gear joint." I gather that this is where it really should mention that the locking pin will fly to nether regions when it clears the joint unless you take some care. (This is about the front end of the propeller shaft after the swing arm is removed.)

But that's the propeller shaft, and Scott was asking about the final drive. It came off the bike without issue, but it looks like I'll need to replace some seals. It also looks like that's kinda a big deal -- I'm contemplating whether to just take it in. $$$$ Has anyone disassembled this to replace seals?

[Nails]

Okay, for me, the infamous Loren pin behaved beautifully, staying put. (But I still put a rag over it in case it gets another notion tonight.)

It made a couple comments, first that "Any friend of Loren is a friend of mine." (Upon questioning, it expressed regret for the hassle it caused Loren.)

For inquiring minds, here's where it fits:

Finally, notice the abundance of grease. (Not a word about all the grease that's everywhere except on the splines.)

Tomorrow, it'll be the swing arm bearings.

[cushman eagle]

Just as a reminder to everyone before the warm weather arrives, be sure to lube your slip joint!

BTW: You do not need to pull the swing arm off to perform this PM like so many will suggest!

If you have never looked at your slip joint, you best take a peek……

My final drive was showing signs of oil leakage at the axel seal, so I did a full PM including the slip joint o-rings without pulling the swing arm.

The job does take long nose external circlip pliers and a bit of dexterity, yet otherwise the job is a ‘snap’ so long as you are mechanically inclined.

My slip joint was almost dry and had very little grease left. Now I am all greased up and ready to ride!

Cheers,

Hi,Voyager Ninja,yes you can grease the rear spline with out removing the swing arm,but not the front spline.
Take a look at the pictures Nails posted about the front splines.That is where you get to know the Loren pin.
And I am the one that pin recently got named after

[Nails]

I've decided not to really do anything here except grease the splines, clean everything up, and put it back together with new gear oil in the final drive. The U-joint on the propeller shaft, and everything else, feels as tight as Willie Nelson's headband. I'll push some grease onto the swingarm bearings and call it good. Just waiting to get the new tire on my back rim.

The swingarm doesn't have oil inside it. The spattered grease on the output side of the final drive could've mostly come from the grease I used the last time I had the wheel off. I'll drill out that vent and call it good.

In truth, I didn't have much gear oil left in the final drive -- I replaced that a couple years ago. My guess is that it blew out last summer when I rode many hours in triple-digit temps at cruising speed. I'll need to keep better track of this oil level in the future.

I'll take photos to document this maintenance when I put it back together. I don't want anyone to see how bad I am about cleaning my XII.

[Nails]

My bike clearly never had grease on the front propeller shaft splines, and I don't think it's the only one. I just noticed that the manual doesn't clearly call for grease there. The manual's "Propeller Shaft Joint Lubrication" section says "the propeller shaft sliding joint and pinion joint"; and I think those are the same thing at the final-drive end. The drawings indicate grease only there.

I'll put the same grease on the front splines anyway.

[GrandpaDenny]

I understood the "sliding joint" to be the front of the driveshaft. However it's so shallow of a cup, and with the pin in place, I don't see it doing any sliding. <shrug> So, if it's not sliding, it shouldn't require grease, right? I'm cornfooosled.

[cushman eagle]

You would think so,GrandpaDenny,but I have worked on many farm tractors with drive shafts which could not slide,but the worn out splines showed the need for grease
As a result,I found a thick grease at a local Agco dealer,who sold it for just such applicatons,and experience shows it does stay in place for a long time and greatly reduces wear.
It almost has the consistency of never seize