Greasing front u joint revisited

[Chuck]

I'm finishing up the rehab/servicing of Rosie the Rosso Corsa and needed to grease that stinking front u-joint. I'd had a Centauro for several years, and thought, "Oh, no problemo.." Needless to say, I had problems. Searched all the threads on it I could find here, and looked for the lubrimatic adjustable nozzle. Apparently, it's out of production. Ace hardware doesn't list it, at any rate, and it looks like possibly Plews has bought out Lubrimatic. More signs of the times, but I digress.

So.. I made up the angled adapter and ground the nozzle per this site. Failed experiments in the background..

Nada.

Thought, other people have done this without taking the motorcycle apart, surely I can, too?? Maybe if she is on a work stand the rear will drop enough to let that nozzle get in there.. so, yesterday I made one.

Ok, let's give it another go.. put the nozzle and adapter on a flexible hose, stuck it in there and it went "snick". WTF?? First try. Gave the grease gun a couple of squeezes and heard that sound I've been listening for. Fresh new grease in a small line around the cross. Woo Hoo!

I don't think anyone has mentioned that the V11 needs to be on a work stand for the angled adapter to work. Today is probably one of the last riding days this year, so I'm off. Didn't want to go any farther until I had that obviously dry u joint lubed..

[Kiwi_Roy]

Each time I try I end up pulling the rear wheel and removing the drive shaft, quite easy actually at least you can then see the grease going in.

 

Just be very careful aligning the indent in the gearbox spline with the two allen screws.

 

She's starting to look Good

[HaydnR]

Each time I try I end up pulling the rear wheel and removing the drive shaft, quite easy actually at least you can then see the grease going in.

 

Just be very careful aligning the indent in the gearbox spline with the two allen screws.

 

She's starting to look Good

 

I thought that the driveshaft couldn't fit through the tunnel in the the swingarm?

[Baldini]

...Just be very careful aligning the indent in the gearbox spline with the two allen screws....

Can you elaborate any issues here? Which allen screws - the ones on UJ? Gearbox spline - the spline on output shaft? Thanks.

 

KB

[Kiwi_Roy]

Each time I try I end up pulling the rear wheel and removing the drive shaft, quite easy actually at least you can then see the grease going in.

 

Just be very careful aligning the indent in the gearbox spline with the two allen screws.

 

She's starting to look Good

 

I thought that the driveshaft couldn't fit through the tunnel in the the swingarm?

That's right, I just backed off the swing arm bolts and dropped it right out, gives you a chance to inspect those bearings and rear wheel also. I think I must have disconnected the suspension, it's only a 2 beer job.

 

I have only done it twice so I'm no expert.

[Kiwi_Roy]

...Just be very careful aligning the indent in the gearbox spline with the two allen screws....

Can you elaborate any issues here? Which allen screws - the ones on UJ? Gearbox spline - the spline on output shaft? Thanks.

 

KB

The two Allen head bolts that pinch the gearbox end of the driveshaft onto the spline. The spline has an indent to allow for these so you have to remove the bolt completely.

If you don't get the indent in the center of the bolt hole it results in the threads getting all chewed up.

The first time I pulled the driveshaft my bolts were all stripped that way so I replaced them. I also modified my grease gun to fit thinking "I won't have to pull that again" guess what.

I think if you had a bare needle bent to the correct angle you might be able to grease it but once you get the wheel out it's a cinch to drop the swingarm and pull the shaft.

Take a note of where the pivot bolts in the pork chop are before you remove them so they go back the same and check the pivot bearings also.

[twhitaker]

I remove the rear wheel. Much easier to get to that zerk with the wheel out of the way and the bike on the work stand.

[Baldini]

Thanks for your reply Kiwi_Roy.

 

When refitting swingarm: is it same as Tontis - screw in pivot bolts until bearings correctly adjusted then check both bolts screwed in equal distance?

 

KB

[gstallons]

No, you want the rear wheel to track in the center of the path of the front wheel. You also want to get a small amount of preload on the pivot bearings.

[luhbo]

...is it same as Tontis...?

 

Yes. Screw them in so they look equally distanced and lock them. That's it. More is sometimes less.

 

Hubert

[aermacchi250]

Each time I try I end up pulling the rear wheel and removing the drive shaft, quite easy actually at least you can then see the grease going in.

 

Just be very careful aligning the indent in the gearbox spline with the two allen screws.

 

She's starting to look Good

 

I thought that the driveshaft couldn't fit through the tunnel in the the swingarm?

That's right, I just backed off the swing arm bolts and dropped it right out, gives you a chance to inspect those bearings and rear wheel also. I think I must have disconnected the suspension, it's only a 2 beer job.

 

I have only done it twice so I'm no expert.

Also gives you a better view of your cracked Sachs shock

[Tom M]

Searched all the threads on it I could find here, and looked for the lubrimatic adjustable nozzle. Apparently, it's out of production. Ace hardware doesn't list it, at any rate, and it looks like possibly Plews has bought out Lubrimatic. More signs of the times, but I digress.

 

Hi Chuck,

This info is too late for you but maybe the next guy who's trying to lube their front ujoint will find this. Mcmaster-Carr's web page shows that they still have the adjustable nozzle in stock that worked for me and a few others here. Their part number is 1090K47.

 

http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/117/2167/=f14jmw

[devildogg]

I just did my front u-joint for the first time, boy that was a ball of fun

 

I ended up using a flexible hose and ground down the fitting on the end of the grease gun, I screwed around for hours but then just like you said, "snick" and it was on, you know I didn't think the sound of the grease forcing air and moisture out could sound so sweet

[Kiwi_Roy]

I just did my front u-joint for the first time, boy that was a ball of fun

 

I ended up using a flexible hose and ground down the fitting on the end of the grease gun, I screwed around for hours but then just like you said, "snick" and it was on, you know I didn't think the sound of the grease forcing air and moisture out could sound so sweet

By the time you do it again you will have forgotten how

[Chuck]

I just did my front u-joint for the first time, boy that was a ball of fun

 

I ended up using a flexible hose and ground down the fitting on the end of the grease gun, I screwed around for hours but then just like you said, "snick" and it was on, you know I didn't think the sound of the grease forcing air and moisture out could sound so sweet

By the time you do it again you will have forgotten how

 

well the secret for me was to have it on a work stand. When it was sitting on the wheels, the u joint closed up just enough to keep the nozzle from going in.