Stripped final gear case filler bolt hole

[leclairk]

Wow hppants thank you for the offer. I would love a new pumpkin but I'm afraid I would screw something up changing our the guts. I talked to a machine shop who said he could install a helicoil for $40. I think that would be my first choice. If that doesn't work then I would love to take you up on your offer. Machine shop says I don't need to remove the pumpkin but he hasn't seen the bike yet so he may change his tune.

So what about the metal shavings that may have fallen down into the pumpkin? Safe to say the gears will chew it up or do I need to change out pumpkins just to get ride of the shavings? Most of the threads were stuck in the filler bolt threads so I don't think much got in there.

Thanks everyone for the help. If I drank wine I may have just plugged that sucker with a cork!

 

[MrZappo]

Wow hppants thank you for the offer. I would love a new pumpkin but I'm afraid I would screw something up changing our the guts. I talked to a machine shop who said he could install a helicoil for $40. I think that would be my first choice. If that doesn't work then I would love to take you up on your offer. Machine shop says I don't need to remove the pumpkin but he hasn't seen the bike yet so he may change his tune.
So what about the metal shavings that may have fallen down into the pumpkin? Safe to say the gears will chew it up or do I need to change out pumpkins just to get ride of the shavings? Most of the threads were stuck in the filler bolt threads so I don't think much got in there.

Thanks everyone for the help. If I drank wine I may have just plugged that sucker with a cork!

"Safe to say the gears will chew it up"

Well, its metal shavings so probably not ... At least not something that I would ever consider as something to brush off ......

If you sure that there are metal shavings in the "guts", I would (and I can be a bit anal at times) flush that sucker before I drove it ... How ? well never thought about a scenario like this .. Maybe fresh fluid and turn it by hand for a bit then check the drain plug (has a magnet on it) ... Maybe someone else can chime in here because I'm not sure of the pumpkin material or if it is even magnetic ...

The gears will be hardened steel but I'm not sure what the shavings would be ...

Either way, it will probably be minimal but no way to know for sure ... Personally (and over a few beers) I'd find a way to clean it out if possible ... YMMV

Not an expert. Just never like the idea of gears grinding anything ...

 

[mcatrophy]

Wow hppants thank you for the offer. I would love a new pumpkin but I'm afraid I would screw something up changing our the guts. I talked to a machine shop who said he could install a helicoil for $40. I think that would be my first choice. If that doesn't work then I would love to take you up on your offer. Machine shop says I don't need to remove the pumpkin but he hasn't seen the bike yet so he may change his tune.
So what about the metal shavings that may have fallen down into the pumpkin? Safe to say the gears will chew it up or do I need to change out pumpkins just to get ride of the shavings? Most of the threads were stuck in the filler bolt threads so I don't think much got in there.

Thanks everyone for the help. If I drank wine I may have just plugged that sucker with a cork!

"Safe to say the gears will chew it up"

Well, its metal shavings so probably not ... At least not something that I would ever consider as something to brush off ......

If you sure that there are metal shavings in the "guts", I would (and I can be a bit anal at times) flush that sucker before I drove it ... How ? well never thought about a scenario like this .. Maybe fresh fluid and turn it by hand for a bit then check the drain plug (has a magnet on it) ... Maybe someone else can chime in here because I'm not sure of the pumpkin material or if it is even magnetic ...

The gears will be hardened steel but I'm not sure what the shavings would be ...

Either way, it will probably be minimal but no way to know for sure ... Personally (and over a few beers) I'd find a way to clean it out if possible ... YMMV

Not an expert. Just never like the idea of gears grinding anything ...

Definitely not magnetic.

Personally, I wouldn't "ride it out". I visualise metal being squashed between gear wheels, putting significant strain on the bearings. I've no actual experience, however, and could be being over cautious. I'm well known as a pessimist.

 

[Fred W]

I would think the gear case could be flushed out pretty well with kerosene, then allowed to drain very well before being filled with fresh gear oil. Maybe run it for a few miles down the road, or just spin the wheel on the center stand, and then drain and refill it again just to be anal. It takes so little gear lube, it wouldn't be very costly, and would ensure you got all of the kero out.

As for installing either a time-sert or heli-coil, either one requires cutting new threads with a tap, which will definitely result in creating new metal chips. The traditional way to do it is to grease the tap heavily to retain the chips, but I would still want to have the pumpkin removed, drained and inverted while doing it so gravity is working with you on keeping the chips out. Then do the kero flush after all is done.

Mr Pants' old final drive was potentially over heated when he ran it without any lube for a while. He doesn't know for sure that it is even bad. One could take the chance of running it as-is for a while, doing gear lube changes often, and see how that works.

 

[hppants]

Either way - its a standing offer. Simply give me the address to send it to.

Good luck.

 

[leclairk]

If I'm going to fix it, I would rather do it right. I think to avoid the metal shavings I should just take up hppants on his offer. That way I don't have to worry about metal inside or the heli-coil being an issue. Do I need any special tools to re-assemble the guts? And, anyone have insight on which parts I should replace while I'm inside the pumpkin? I would think, clean and re-grease my parts, then install new O-rings, #11 and #20. My bike only has 11K miles on it. Thanks everyone and a big thank you to hppants!

https://www.cheapcycleparts.com/oemparts/a/yam/500455d0f8700209bc792e6b/drive-shaft

EDIT:

Forget everything I just said. I got home and looked at the service manual and I realize there is no way in hell I can pull off swapping out the guts. That's going to leave me with broken teeth on the drive shaft is I don't get the shims right. I will pull the pumpkin, take it to the machine shop, flush with kerosine, and flush it with gear oil twice like Fred suggested.

 

[hppants]

Well - its in the attic if you change your mind.... again.

Good luck.

 

[BkerChuck]

Just another suggestion although it would cost a few bucks. Use it as a core on one of those V-Max or was it V-star pumpkin swaps and change your final drive ratio....

 

[Constant Mesh]

Drain the oil. Attach a vacuum to the open drain port and slowly rotate the wheel and let each portion of the large gear pass near the drain port. The vacuum should capture any metal bits from the gear as it rotates by.

Use the vacuum while you're rethreading to capture any new metal bits.

 

[hppants]

Somehow, advise like that coming from a guy who calls himself "Constant Mesh" somehow seems meaningful. Perhaps the keyboard of experience....

 

[FJR30FAN]

ouch

 

[leclairk]

Machine shop was the way to go. He charged me $35 to install a hell-coil. With the Kerosine and new drive oil I was all in at $55. Plus a couple hours of my time to wrestle with the rear tire and pumpkin. Lubed the splines with ProMolly while I was at it. Thanks everyone for the tips and offers.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

That Heli coil kit, is at least $25 to buy.

I think you did good going that route and now you have steel threads that are way stronger than the aluminum..

Congrates!

 

[hppants]

Glad to read this worked out positively.

 

[tjcin]

Who doesn't love a happy ending!

 

[mcatrophy]

... now you have steel threads that are way stronger than the aluminum....

But just remember, the insert is screwed into aluminium threads that can still be pulled out by over-tightening the bolt, though much less likely now.

 

[CrabbyJack]

So what would the torque value be for the new steel threads?

(Tongue firmly in cheek)

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

12' lbs is plenty or "good and snug".

That's what I use on my FZ Oil drain plug (weaker design than the FJR) but same exact bolt.

On my Yamaha 4 stroke outboard F150, SAME BOLT SIZE, aluminum block, its FACTORY spec'ed at 20 ft lbs, I keep it at 12, same as the oil filter.

There's no load on it to speak of, just to keep it from vibrating out...

 

[Viper Pilot]

Tighten it just until the threads start to strip and then back off 1/2 turn! LOL

 

[Fred W]

Went to change my final gear oil and when I tried to torque down the filler bolt I discovered the hole is stripped (not the bolt unfortunately).

So, looking back on this now that it is all repaired, what torque value were you trying to achieve when it stripped? The spec is 17 ft-lb and I believe that one to be correct.

Or do you believe that it was pre-stripped by the last person who tightened that filler bolt? If so, who might that have been?

Enquiring minds want to know...