sx swing arm?

[straight pipe]

hey gys i need some advise. i blew the swingarm bearings on my 85 sx. that lock nut on the rh side does it turn clockwise or counter clock wise? and if anyone has done this before a few tips would be appreciated. oh ya i am making a tool to loosen the lock nut and i have the 17mm allen key already for the pivit bolt thingy.

[bigredhead]

Get either a 30 or 32mm socket and cut yourself a tool.. i made my own.. worked like a charm

The thing goes regular thread... lefty loosy.

Some guys say to use a blunt chisel and a maul or heavy hammer. to knock it loose.....

SOAK the thing with liquid wrench or any penetrating oil you have.. tilt the bike on it's side.. I put a jack stand under the right side axle tube to tip the bike ... and soak it well.....

They are a ******* to get out... i actually ordered a new one from honda 10 $ and cut a new socket ( 30mm works best.. 32 will also work ..)

I might put my axle tool up for sale on e-bay. Also works for alot of other honda's.

[bigredhead]

Also... once you get the swingarm off...

To get the outer races out of the frame you will need to get creative.... i used a blind bearing puller.. but you can also weld a bead with a wirefeed welder to shrink it and get it out... or cut it with a die grinder but be careful not to scuff up the frame carriers.

[straight pipe]

did you get the bearings and seals from honda or from a farm suuply store? and on the swingarm, that main tube that the arm pivots , there are two holes in the tube that you can see from the back of the bike. i assume they are for draining i've heard of dudes installing grease zerts and filling it up with grease so water can't get in and to keep things moving nice. have you heard of this?

[bigredhead]

Heard of it.. but i say don't bother.


I smear the thing full of marine grease and put the new bearings in... i got original Honda one's.. 22 $ a pop.

Filling the thing with grease won't help your bearings as they have a backing plate to them that seals the bearings from the frame tube... you will understand once the swingarm comes off.

You can simply drive a screwdriver thru that backing cap and try to push them out from the oposite side.. but that rarely works unless your bearings are any older than a few months !!!! lol...

[straight pipe]

alright thanks for the info!! if i run into anything i can't figure out i'll let you know. thanks again!!

[bigredhead]

sure thing.. i've had to do the whole rear end ... twice .. and i practically live on here, so i'll be around !!! hahahahahaha....

[straight pipe]

ok now i have a question for you.... i tore it apart and everything came out nice for a change. my question is can i use regular sealed bearings instead of the honda ones? i see honda uses the automotive style bearing and if i can get a sealed bearing the same size it should work yes no? why do you think honda used this style of bearing?

[bigredhead]

They are tappered roller bearings... not the usual sealed things......

I say get the honda one's. For what they cost.22 Canadian . and how long they last. Get the real macoy !

I know " Allballs " makes aftermarket bearings, are you re-doing the entire rear or jus the swingarm ? How are the hub and diff bearings doing ?

[bigredhead]

Oh.. also.. make sure you CLEAN the swingarm boot that goes from the swingarm to the motor... clean the surfaces thorougly.. and then re-seal them with either " Automotive Goop " or rubber cement before you put the clamps back on.. you don't want water in there.... at all.

On all the flanges .. diff to bearing carrier.. diff to swingarm.. etc.. i used GE transparent sylicone .. put a thin film on both surfaces and once you put it all in place and bolt it down ( use blue loc-tite on all the bolts that hook up to the diff .. including the brake backing plate ) then you are sealed up and ready to go.

A bit of a pain to do all this.. but it pays off in the end.

Do it Once.... and Do it Right !

[straight pipe]

i am redoing the swing arm and i am thinking of redoing the RH axle bearings as well. i replaced the LH axle bearings a month ago. what did you pay for your axle bearings when you redid yours...my bearings went on me right in the middle of a ride and it was along weekend and i found some for get this 110 bucks retail a piece!! i didn't pay that but still shelled out 45 a piece for em and and you know we need two per side ,they had the seal as well so i bought two of em thinking of the day i'll have to do the other side.

[bigredhead]

I don't remember exactly but i know it was ALOT since i got all original honda... something like 30 each.. x 4 for the hub bearings.. Plus the seals.

WARNING: THE LEFT SIDE AND RIGHT SIDE ARE NOT THE SAME

the left side bearings are the same radius but not the same thickness... each are about 1/16th different. The left side are thinner.. the right side are thicker.

You should try to replace all the bearings at the same time on stuff like this.. if one side has wear but no play.. and you put new ones on the other side... the worn ones start to have play and ruin the good new ones... Do it all at the same time and they go longer and usually all wear out equally. That's my 2 cents anyways.. others may not agree.

[Sox]

i got my 86 sx for free cuz it had the same problem. took only 10 mins. but unfortunatly past owners ran it with busted swibng arm barings so the shaft rubbed on the inside of diff and fillled it wiht metal so we r gona have to rebuild the rear end soon. luckily no serious frame damage. hammer and a punch work for the special nut too.

[straight pipe]

cool! i went and made a tool with a pipe that i ginded notches into and i welded that to a 29" pipe for a handle. i used the socket end for the lock nut and the pipe handle for hammering out the bearing races...handy or what?
EDIT: thanks BRH for the input. have one more question. when reinstalling the swing arm did you leave the shaft in the housing and install the LH side then the RH?

[bigredhead]

Yep.

If you have the diff off.. wich you should by now... just put the drive shaft in the tube ( clean very well and re-grease all the splines beforehand ) put the swingarm on.. tighten the bearings a bit.. then slide the driveshaft on the engine splines.. with a touch of marine cup grease she should hold there.. then put the diff back on.

easy as pie.

AND DON'T FORGET TO SEAL THAT BOOT !

[bigredhead]

In order.

- drive shaft in swingarm.
- Swingarm on frame ( Grease the living hell out of the bearings before )
- Pivot bolt * Got a torque wrench.. don't over tighten..
- Install rear shock
- Line up driveshaft with motor.. and install diff over the splines
- Install axle
- Put both axle washers with flat side towards bearings.. tapered side towards diff
- Bearing carrier on left side
- Brake panel on right side
- wheels and ride.

Make sure you put the 2 metal washers on the axle in the proper direction... or the hubs won't fit all the way in and you will ruin your axle.

[straight pipe]

sweet thanks again!! hey i got all the stuff i needed fron out local farmsupply store. they had all the stuff in stock!! WOOOHOOO! so with a bit of luck she'll be rocking tonight!

[Sox]

i feel really lucky. i do alot of the work on my trike but i have my dad to help. hes a mechanic for hanson international. hes built atleast 4 f250s in our garage form frame up (thats a truck btw). and he rebuilt his 7.3l diesel last month (with my help). plus hes been playign with small engines his whole life wen he was young. so everytime somthing breaks it takes like 5 mins to fix. im really glad i have som1 so experienced otherwise i woulda been on this forum tryign to get instructions to do it insted of having him just tell me wat to do one step at a time. :w00t:

[bigredhead]

Yes.. you are VERY lucky.. i had a dad with 4 thumbs and none were able to hold a wrench.. lol.... i had to learn it all myself.. buy my own tools.. and manage it all on my own.

[Sox]

o yea i forgot bout tools lol. my dad has like every tool if not at home he has it at work. im sry to hear that brh.

[straight pipe]

hey i got her all together!! man does it ride better now!! hey thanks for all the tips, they came in handy. my bud has a sx as well and his is starting to go to so now it is a piece of cake, i have the lock nut tool and the bearing/seal numbers to make the next job smooooth! thanks again!!!!!!

[bigredhead]

Glad i could help !

Have fun !

[Sox]

hehe great change isnt it? have fun!

[JackFlack]

Straight Pipe can I see a picture ofthe special tool you made? What nut does it go on?