Clutch Pushrod & Countershaft Seal

[Bandito]

I'm about to replace my sprockets and chain... and while I am at it, re/re a new
clutch pushrod and countershaft seal.

The pushrod seal is weeping, the countershaft - unsure. But I figured might as
well do it while I'm down there.

There is a decent article I found on replacing them... and deburring the areas
where the new seals go in...and using some gasket sealer around the exterior
of them... and pressing them in by hand.

Anyone have any comments, suggestions or important know all info before I
start attempting this...

And yes, I do have an extra set of each in case I fubar the first ones.

Jay.

 

[inxs]

- its pretty straight forward-just follow the instructions, youll be sweet...the sprocket shaft seal can often be done by checking the sprocket nut torque

 

[Bandito]

- its pretty straight forward-just follow the instructions, youll be sweet...the sprocket shaft seal can often be done by checking the sprocket nut torque

Yeah, I'm not sure if it's even leaking or not, but I figured I've got the seal... and I'm
going to be in that area with it exposed anyways... may as well get it done.

 

[Bandito]

Screwed up the first pushrod seal... did some more deburring and some light
sanding with some 800 grit on the lip... second one went in mint.

Install the new sprocket, countershaft sprocket... chain... and ...

FML!!!! (F*$K MY LIFE), the new chain I ordered which is supposed to have a clip
type link included (it's even on the box showing it) is missing. One bag inside
with rivet type... other one is missing.

I have no rivet setup... so I am fubar on a freaking $4.04 part!!!

Go freaking figure... couple thousand in parts, nothing is wrong save for a bunk
horn that I drove over in my car for fun... and the last shipment I NEED is missing
a small part inside the packet that's not the sellers fault at all.

Piss me off... I spent $40 to overnight ship this stuff ... the bill was only $220
including freight... so I could ride this thing tomorrow to a bike night get together.

Ah well, crap happens.

Actually, now I look at it, the rivet type link doesn't even have the rivets it should
come with... must have been a Friday at the end of the shift or something when
someone packaged this up. So much for quality control.

 

[XSLeo]

I have found that when I buy a chain I always order an extrat master link. That way I have a spare if one breaks. Or in your case the chain is missing one.
Depending on the brand a local dealer may have one.

 

[Bandito]

I picked up a master link, all is good. It's pouring rain at my place... so I haven't
been able to ride it with the new gearing...

There was some drama with the whole thing though... I torqued down all the bolts
and put the clutch cover back on... and noticed the cable was very loose, and
that the clutch adjuster was still where it should be set.

I took a light and checked in where the pushrod goes in the engine... and the bearing
that should be in there... IS GONE. I'm thinking... WTF, where could that have gone.
I was sure I saw it in there... I check all over the garage... and am thinking I must
have kicked it down the driveway or something... and thus it's gone.

Then it hits me... when deburring the lip, I used the built in house vacuum to such
any metal shavings out of that area... could I have sucked the bearing out???

So I pull the can off and sift through 12" deep of dust and doghair... three times,
and discover the ball!!!!

All good in the hood... cleaned it up... tossed it in, everything is minty new again!!!

Sometimes you get lucky and find these stray parts.

 

[xjwmx]

Clean the sprocket nut and bolt threads and drench it with blue thread locker, in addition to the locking tab. Suggestion from xsjohn. They're prone to coming loose. Mine was staying on by a hair when I got around to it. Its looseness also causes the countershaft seal to leak, as inxs stated.

My pushrod doesn't leak even though the bushing seems worn bad. The pushrod seal is gooped with yellow sealer real good courtesy of a p.o. A p.o. also replaced the ball bearing with a cylinder cut from a rod.

 

[Bandito]

Normally I'd be very suprised if that bolt tightened down to 12.5mkg would come
loose.

Then again, I have found that essentially every single nut or bolt on an XS650
is game to falling off if not having a lock washer, correct torque, nyloc, or blue
threadlocker... (or combinations thereof.)

One of the few bikes you can have assembled in your driveway, take it for a spin
around the block... and have a heap of parts on the ground as all the hardware
falls out in 5 mins. LOL.

 

[pumps]

Bandito I'm right in the middle of replacing sprockets chain etc. My pushrod seal appears ok, counter sprocket seal unknown so far as it has been raining it's ass off here. I need to get it outside to work on it. The back yard is a swamp. What's the best way to hold the old sprocket in order to get the nut off? I was thinking of just clamping some vise grips onto it to hold it as it is the old one anyway but getting the new one torqued down....?

 

[xjwmx]

What's the best way to hold the old sprocket....?

I folded up a towel and shoved it between the chain and the sprocket (either front or rear sprocket). It held the torque and was easy to get out by spinning the other way.

 

[xsjohn]

Hold the back break to free the sprocket nut..........spray the threads and nut with brake cleaner and just use a couple of drips of locktite blue..........here is how to fix the problem of hogging out the push rod seal and bushing.......the rod wanders on the ball and this stabilizes the rod when the clutch is engaged.....divits have to be in the exact center of the 2 rods.........I spin it in a drill and used a dremmel spinning with a grinding tip........holding the rod close to the work and the dremmel at a 45 degree angle to get the divots right..............

xsjohn

 

[xjwmx]

Normally I'd be very suprised if that bolt ....

Oh, it comes loose. What I read mentioned the nut was usually finger tight. So I thought to check mine, and lo - it was spinning loose, although still barely retained by the locking tab. It holds its own locking tab on, so its looseness gets magnified by some factor. It was traveling alomst enough for the tab to disengage from the splines.

 

[Bandito]

I pulled the side cover, cleaned the threads and re/re with a large portion of blue
threadlocker. Thanks for the heads up on that.

To remove it, all I did was put it into gear and hit it with an impact driver, came
off no problem, but it was on tight.

Used a torque wrench on reassembly.