Help with gearbox side-cover removal

[earemike]

Hi all, I'm after some advice.

 

In about an hour, including a couple of coffees and grinding a 5mm allen I was ready to pull the gearbox cover.

 

For the next hour I couldn't get the bloody thing to budge.

 

Last time I let the bike shop do the job because they wanted to try it, never having done one before (I'm regretting this now). They've used a grey non-hardening gasket/cement to seal the cover and I can't get the bloody thing off. Can anyone recommend a course of action? Does anyone know of a chemical way to loosen the cover? The shop is out of business now so I can't ring to find exactly what was used.

 

Once I do get it back together I was planning on using a silicone based sealant, at least it won't be so hard to disassemble next time. If that's a bad Idea could you let me know, I sure don't want the job to drag out next time for whatever reason.

 

Thanks I ride my bike all weather and the thought of driving my car to work everyday is making me sick...

 

Mike

[FuelCooler]

Can anyone recommend a course of action? Does anyone know of a chemical way to loosen the cover? The shop is out of business now so I can't ring to find exactly what was used.

 

I would try several applications of acetone (letting it soak), while sharply tapping it with a rubber mallet (or wood). Keep the acetone away from your body work and sparks/open flames. Also run a razor blade down the forward side of the cover, if you can. The starter is off, right?

Cheers,

Steve

[richard100t]

I dont know why they would have used such a thing on there. The part came from the factory with no sealant at all. That kind of work is probably why they are out of business now. I used some type of silicone based form a gasket on mine just for peace of mind, but allegedly you dont need anything. As for cracking the bondo thats in there now I would follow the others advice. Knock it in a symmetrical pattern like removing bolts from a wheel. Once it gets a crack in the seal it will pop off.

[stogieBill]

I've had the sidecover off twice on my Scura. I use Yamabond no.4 for a sealer. This requires a minor bit of tapping with a wood dowel and hammer to loosen.

 

Good luck with the acetone; be careful with that stuff.

[gstallons]

IF there are no dowel pins holding this cover on you can "breake loose" this cover by striking it from the side to loosen it. Most sealers have little or no "shear" strength. This means side to side movement. I use either Yamabond or Loctite makes an anaerobic sealer (515 ?)that is great HTH

gene

[Paul Minnaert]

well, it won't move much sideways, look here:

 

 

it has dowels to keep it in place. If you are shure it's the bond, apply heat. At the right side there is a place where you can put a screwdriver between to gently apply some force.

[earemike]

SUCCESS! It's now 1:40am here but it's off.

 

A big THANKYOU for the advice. I can't say if it was the repeated application of acetone or my persistence (a result of your advice giving me something else to try).

 

I laughed at Steve's comment, asking if the starter had been removed, put a smile on my face before round two.

 

In the end I used the metal tab that Paul mentioned. I'd tried it earlier, the tab was flexing but the seal was solid. I was worried about damaging the cover as I can be a bit rough in the shed <_ . i guessing the acetone helped along with my claw hammer>

 

So thanks again, every now and then I wonder if I should sell the Guzzi but she's got a character that's grown on me and there is a pleasure in being able to fix her myself. If I have to change a gearbox spring every year so be it. Maybe I should just add it to my service schedule, 10 000km change the gearbox oil AND the spring.

 

 

Thanks again I'd be lost without the great resource that is this forum.

 

Mike

[Paul Minnaert]

well, if you change the boss too, you maybe never have to change the spring again

[earemike]

Thanks Paul, I'll measure it in the morning.

 

I'm a bit worried though because I don't break the little tab off at the end, I seem to break the long arm off at the coil. Perhaps it was installed incorrectly and the mistake repeated.

 

Still I'll be measuring in the morning so cheers for that.