Swingarm pivot bolt -service it

[anytwowilldo]

This is a PSA. A month ago I started to service the suspension on my 2002 XR400 in preparation for the Sheetiron. This was the first time it had been apart. I pulled the subframe and removed the shock and linkage and attempted to remove the swingarm pivot bolt to replace the swingarm bearings. The bearings felt perfect but I had bought the kit so I was going to do it. I removed the nut and got the bolt to turn with a breaker bar, but it would not slide out. I soaked it with WD-40 put the nut back on and went at it with a socket on the nut and a ball peen hammer. No luck, it was stuck. I decided to do a little research on the net and found that almost every one is stuck and the web is crawling with nightmares. People built huge slide hammers, huge c clamps, heated it, beat it, brought it to people and they did the same etc. At that point, since the bearings were good, I soaked it with WD-40 every other night and then PB blaster when I found it was better and eventually put it back together in preparation for the Sheetiron. I brought the PB blaster to the Sheetiron and sprayed it before and after. I was hoping that the load and vibration would help the PB Blaster soak in. I dosed it again when I got home and a couple times this week. I just got brave and went out to the garage and went after it again. I removed the nut and sprayed every area that water and PB Blaster could go in. I put the nut back on loosely and then the socket. I hit it a couple of times and it STARTED TO SLIDE OUT! I stopped after about a 1/4" as I was not prepped to remove the swingarm. At this point I think I've got it beat.
So if you have a bike that you may need to take the swingarm off or remove the engine and they are pinned in place by a swingarm pivot bolt, start lubing them now with something like PB Blaster. I plan on pulling and cleaning the bolt and lubing the bearings and coating it with anti seize and putting it back together. I also plan on pulling it every year or so in the future to relube it to avoid this problem in the future. If you know of a better product than Anti Seize, please let me know. Now go lube your pivot bolt.

 

[HeatXfer]

Good one! I'm doing the same thing to my KTM. :thumbup

 

[Eric B]

Great tip Tom!
Every bike I've had has been under-greased on that bolt.
It's a crappy job to do, but needs to be addressed early.
How much cost could it be for Honda/Yamaha/Kawasaki/Suzuki to
put a little more grease there?

 

[kuksul08]

Someone here suggested high moly paste. When the grease dries up the moly stays in there and lubricates for a very long time. Worth a shot.

 

[anytwowilldo]

Someone here suggested high moly paste. When the grease dries up the moly stays in there and lubricates for a very long time. Worth a shot.

Thanks for the tip!

 

[Butch]

I am not familiar with PB Blaster. Get it at Kragen, etc?

 

[John Hilmer]

With all due respect because I'm a lurker, yes you can get PB Blaster at almost any auto supply house.

You want to make sure that you purchase the PB Blaster Penetrating Catalyst version. Their other products won't help much in these situations.

This has worked for me even on old crusty cement mixers.

Let it work. Hit it with and impact driver both on and off and repeat several times allowing half an hour between attempts. It will eventually release. Well, it always has for me.

John

 

[Cabrito]

They happen to be talking about this on ADV and one guys says this.

Not sure if anyone here has mentioned it, but if the engine is just slightly out of line w/the swing arm pivot bolt and the frame ends, it can put undo stress on the bushings that are in the case and make it harder to move the bolt in or out.

Last lime I cleaned and greased the swing arm bolt I loosened all the motor mounts and [carefully] pry-ed the motor until it was in perfect alignment w/the swing arm bolt and frame. Then I tightened each mount in the sequence that was specified in the shop manual.

 

[anytwowilldo]

With all due respect because I'm a lurker, yes you can get PB Blaster at almost any auto supply house.

You want to make sure that you purchase the PB Blaster Penetrating Catalyst version. Their other products won't help much in these situations.

This has worked for me even on old crusty cement mixers.

Let it work. Hit it with and impact driver both on and off and repeat several times allowing half an hour between attempts. It will eventually release. Well, it always has for me.

John

This is exactly what I bought. Thanks for clarifying.

 

[anytwowilldo]

They happen to be talking about this on ADV and one guys says this.

Loosing all the motor mount bolts could not hurt. The swingarm bolt aligns the motor and the two others help hold it in place. I would assume it is straight, but I could be wrong.

 

[ST Guy]

Someone here suggested high moly paste. When the grease dries up the moly stays in there and lubricates for a very long time. Worth a shot.

Might have been me as I'm always touting the benefits of moly. Good idea.

 

[anytwowilldo]

I spent a couple of hours in the garage and was able to remove my swingarm pivot bolt today. The multiple doses of WD-40 and finally PB Blaster coupled with the Sheetiron 300 ride broke it loose. I made a 1/2" X 14" drift from a piece of rod that I purchased from Orchard Supply. I rounded the tip on a grinder slightly to put the pressure on the center of the bolt and started whacking it with a ball peen hammer. It had moved on me a week ago or so, so I knew it was still not frozen, but it still took some persuading. I started with more PB Blaster then pounded it out half an inch, lubed it then when back in. I continued in this fashion -kind of like cutting threads. I was trying to work the PB Blaster into the center of the swing arm bearing sleeves. After 5 minutes I had it out. I cleaned and relubed the swingarm bearings as they looked fine. I also cleaned the rust from the outside of the pivot bolt and the inside of the swingarm bearing sleeves and the center of the engine with a 9/16" nylon brush and more PB Blaster. Once all the pieces slid through each other as they should I coated everything with Antiseize. I used this as I had it and I don't want these pieces to seize again. I used the brush to coat the inside of the swingarm bearing sleeves and the center of the engine. It all went back together easily and I feel better knowing my swingarm bearings are good and have been serviced AND I can get the swingarm bolt out as needed. I'll pull it out every year or two, just so I don't go through this again.

 

[kuksul08]

Might have been me as I'm always touting the benefits of moly. Good idea.

Yes you definitely! :thumbup

 

[SFMCjohn]

...oh well, finally my turn in the box ...
KLR swingarm bolt holding up
what I’d hoped would be a
quick engine-swap ... done a bunch
of swaps over the years and so guess
I’m due for my first swingarm bolt setback, ouch ...

bolt turns, at least ... soaking
in PB Blaster last night ... been
working it on a milkcrate and on
the side-stand ...

gonna walk by PetSupply and
look for poop-freeze (dravnx tip from another thread :thumbup)
and see if Kalle can lend me a torch and
a bigger hammer (been using a bic lighter :laughing) ...

... spend some more time
in the garage and see what the day brings ... arty

 

[OaklandF4i]

...oh well, finally my turn in the box ...
KLR swingarm bolt holding up
what I’d hoped would be a
quick engine-swap ... done a bunch
of swaps over the years and so guess
I’m due for my first swingarm bolt setback, ouch ...

bolt turns, at least ... soaking
in PB Blaster last night ... been
working it on a milkcrate and on
the side-stand ...

gonna walk by PetSupply and
look for poop-freeze (dravnx tip from another thread :thumbup)
and see if Kalle can lend me a torch and
a bigger hammer (been using a bic lighter :laughing) ...

... spend some more time
in the garage and see what the day brings ... arty

Any bike I own that sees dirt or water gets a pivot bolt service at least once per year for cleaning and grease. Yours turns, so it should come out with a larger hammer and a flat drift or something similar. I've used a long handle heavy demo sledge hammer on one. Pro tip, take it off the stand and either lay it down or put against a wall so you can give it a proper whack without it moving and dissapating any energy you muster to hit it with. :thumbup

 

[SFMCjohn]

Any bike I own that sees dirt or water gets a pivot bolt service at least once per year for cleaning and grease. Yours turns, so it should come out with a larger hammer and a flat drift or something similar. I've used a long handle heavy demo sledge hammer on one. Pro tip, take it off the stand and either lay it down or put against a wall so you can give it a proper whack without it moving and dissipating any energy you muster to hit it with. :thumbup

... progress! broke it loose with Kalle's big ball-peen hammer
(you can see it zip-tied to the frame under the tank) ... :laughingarty

... thanks to anytwowilldo and OaklandF4i
for giving me the confidence to throw it
against a wall and really whack
the recalcitrant bolt ... :thumbup

see you in
the garage,
-- SFMCjohn

 

[2strokeYardSale]

Thanks for the pivot reminder, I'm gonna go at my YZ250 soon.

Not sure how the pic relates to pivots, but please rate our state public safety employee's service on a scale of "Are you 2strokeYardSale?" to "I smell alcohol."

That's not coming down into Austin is it? No....

 

[SFMCjohn]

Not sure how the pic relates to pivots ...?

... there’s a “where’s Waldo?” ball peen hammer in the pic
that I used to beat my pivot into submission ... arty

... but please rate our state public safety employee's service on a scale of "Are you 2strokeYardSale?" to "I smell alcohol."

That's not coming down into Austin is it? No....

... he got a “Are you 2strokeYardSale?” scale
warning for splitting up to a red light near Virginia City ...
sez he was innocent but rated
Nevada’s finest two-thumbs-up! :laughing:thumbup

 

[Junkie]

regarding removal: if you have air tools, an air impact hammer is good for removing rusted in rods etc.

https://www.harborfreight.com/air-tools/hammers/air-impact-hammer-kit-92037.html that's one of the cheapest ones available, obviously you need the right attachment rather than a chisel

 

[2strokeYardSale]

Thanks for the pivot reminder, I'm gonna go at my YZ250 soon.

Easy peasy. I greased the shaft last time I was in there so I'm sure that helped.

What exactly gets stuck to what? Is it the shaft corroding to the cases? (Not the actual cases but the bushing-like inserts that the shaft rides in.)