Rear drive needle bearing and swing arm restoration

[Bjorn]

Have you looked up the prices for the components? In case you ruin something you'd better go for a used bike to slaughter than for spares from a dealer

 

Hubert

This is part of the paranoia hehe.

[docc]

The third Guzzi specialist that had mine finally took care of it. And that was just seals.

 

Not all Guzzi Specialists are created equal.

 

At last count, there is only one Andy York and one Pete Roper!

[andy york]

Speak of the devil ...Oh thats me  ha 

Just now saw the thread.... So you pulled the the big gear out of the box ....what about the bearings and seals and spacers in the "bottom" of the box ?

I don't have one apart right now but it seems like there is a bearing in there that can be a tad difficult to seat correctly. And everything has to be lined up 

all the way through the box .spacers ,washers, etc... so the spindle will go back through.

If you have not taken the small gear "out" and there is nothing wrong with that assembly, DON"T DO IT !!!

What a total pain in the arse it is.

Now I don't know how good your luck is ....and we all need a little luck on these bikes...lol.... But if you don't put new seals in it now 

I'll bet ya a beer that it leaks. nothin personnel   lol

And remember HEAT is your friend anytime on these bevel boxes

I'll be watching 

[Bjorn]

The big needle bearing and seal below it, look and feel fine. I removed all the rust on top of the crownwheel axel before reassembly. Cant imagen this bearing has moved due to taking her apart.

 

If the guzzi-man highly recommends me to change it, i will. Otherwise it will stay in there.

I dont plan to remove the actual pinion. I saw pete's thread. Besides i did not find any dissturbing axial or radial play.

 

I just want to document everything, it might help others someday.

[andy york]

The seal below the big needle bearing : to remove the bearing use heat and a couple of picks with 90 degree bends on the end.

heat the housing not the bearing ....should slide right out.

Thats the seal you have to replace if you ever get lube dribbling down the outside of the bevel box...passenger side.

you probably already figured that out .

Looks to me like you have a handle on it. I just don't have good luck re-using seals ,hope you do   lol

[docc]

The Seal Whisperer

[Bjorn]

Today I visited the largest Guzzi shop in The Netherlands. The mechanics were helpful and allowed me to watch the whole thing

 

After opening the box, the first thing he noticed was the corrosion (what was left of it) at the crown wheel axle. The picture below shows how I found it after opening the box for the first time:

 

I already removed most of the rust at home, but he told me it wasn't good enough. The corrosion had caused pitting on the axle, he sanded/polished everything smooth with the crown wheel mounted in the lathe. This was necessary because it could damage the internal seal and cause leakage. He polished the other side of the axle as well. This side contacts the large seal on the wheel side of the box. 

 

Just like Andy, he advised me to replace both the seals. Since I was there anyway, he changed them both. Paying special attention to the smaller seal, due to removing some material of the axle he tightened the spring of the seal to ensure proper contact .

 

Finally he looked into the clearance between the crown and pinion. First thing he did was pressing the crown all the way into the bearing/cover by using a large press. He checked the play of the pinion and the wear of both gears, everything was OK. Finally he reassembled the box and a bit of clearance between crown and pinion could be felt. It doesn't need a whole lot of play, just enough to prevent rapid wear of the gears. The shim was not changed as everything should be ok for a lot of miles

 

Next up: painting the box....

[gstallons]

good deal !

[docc]

You can tell you're in a proper Guzzi shop when there is a V11 paddock stand under the workbench.

 

And a hammer on top.

[gstallons]

Bjorn , I see you left 1/2 of the driveshaft on the final drive. Do you know how to index the two shaft parts when you slide them back together ?

[Bjorn]

Yes I do Thanks to the factory original paint markings hehe. The mechanic also told me the couplings have to be in the same plane. Which is the most important thing when putting the two parts together. He added, you should not put to much grease on the spline bit. Too much grease causes air to get trapped inside, forcing the front part of the shaft towards the gearbox applying unnecessary force.

 

In the meanwhile I bought some decent 2k primer and paint in a aerosol can. Very curious to try it out on the bevelbox. 

[docc]

Sounds like all very good mechanical advice.

 

I see the two wood blocks on the bench. Did the mechanic drop the drive onto these to dislodge the internal parts from the case?

[Bjorn]

He used the blocks to remove the crownwheel from the carrier. Just by using a nylon hammer.

[docc]

I ask because my rear drive case was broken when it was "dropped" onto two blocks for disassembly; apparently a common technique for the earlier units.

 

Bjorn, thanks much for the thorough thread and great pictures. I've set a link to it in "How To . . ." Swing Arm Bearing Removal and also in the FAQ thread Wheels Off Maintenance Checklist.

 

Well done! I bet you can't wait to get her back on the road!

[AndyH]

Thanks Bjorn.

I like the tip about greasing the splines: last time I found the trapped air pushed grease out of the other ends of the shaft and made quite a mess when spinning up, so had to clean grease from one groove in the splines to give the air an escape route.

I'm about to do the annual maintenance on mine so will remember this.

 

"the largest Guzzi shop in The Netherlands": TLM, I assume? Whoever they are, they sound like they have superb attention to detail, excellent customer service and are a limitless fount of experience.