Engine sprocket nut on sooo damned tight!!!

Motorcycling
1

My Kawasaki chain replacement saga continues. I planned a clean efficient operation that would take just a few hours. I am still in the garage god dammnit!!! - on probably one of the nicest sunniest days this whole godammn year!!! :rolleyes:After getting the slave cylinder off I’m having a battle royal trying to get the fuggin engine sprocket nut off! I’ve wedged an iron bar in the back wheel to lock it into place and got a socket attached to a breaker bar on the engine sprocket nut - I’m using frightening amounts of force on this thing (the breaker bar is bending) - I could use more force but frankly it’s getting scary watching the breaker bar bend like this! :crazy:

The nut is attached with 125 Nm of force - add on the fact that it has sat there over eight winters and you get the picture! :angry:

I’m wondering if I should admit defeat and take it to a garage with an air impact wrench or something similar to get the thing off - then I could tighten it back up again myself ride the bike back home and then take it off? :blink:

2

Are you sure there’s not a lock tab on the nut?

3

have you checked it hasn’t got a locking tab on it ? failing that use plenty of penetrating oil, had same problem with my GSX in end had to get someone hold back break on put in gear bar through wheel n a big length of scaffold did the trick

4

Thanks Rusty/Steve :wink: . I flattened out the locking tab with a chisel and sprayed on a load of wd40 the night before - so it looks like I’m gonna have to get hold of a scaffold bar! :rolleyes:

5

Had a similar problem with a hub nut on my Land Rover.

Solution was a 30" lazer socket bar and using a hydrolic jack to turn it.

You may need a porky friend to sit on the bike but it will work!

6

Cheers V2V4V8! :wink: . Sounds like an effective solution! This is the tightest nut I’ve come across in my entire fettling career to date! :rolleyes:

7

HEHE sounds like your have a bit of fun with this!!

bigger bar more leverage!!

we had an MV at work with a rear wheel nut so tight it took a 6 foot scafold bar on a 3/4 in drive ratchet to shift it.

one guy sat on the bike and one holding the front end down because the bloody bike was wheeling when i pulled down on the bar!!

8

That’s an understatement Adz mate! It’s been me and this fuggin kawasaki eyeball to eyeball for the last 48 hours! The kawasaki has definitely not blinked yet! :smiley:

:Wow: Gulp! Thanks for the above info Adz - I’m starting to get a handle on what I’m up against! A trip to some tooled up professionals may be in order!!! :wink:

9

I’ve had my rant against inpact wrenches, which I, er, “don’t like”.

But I own one as a tool of last resort. Sounds like your at that last resort stage. There are times when the impact shock is the only thing that will get the bugger to move. Still best to have the bike in a high gear and a heavy mate sit on the machine with the back brake on hard.

Once you have the first 1/2 turn, the breaker bar should do the rest.

10

Thanks Oldguy :wink: Yes - I’m in last resort territory - I’ve carried out a tactical withdrawal (translation: admitted defeat) and returned to my bunker to draw up a master plan that will win the war:
Call up pie eating mates with access to scaffolding tubes + purchase a trolley jack as advised above.
Or I’ll nip it down to my bikeshop and let the pros do it - they can then tighten it up again (with reduced torque) and I can ride it back home and resume getting the new chain and sprockets on.

When it’s ready to go back on the road I expect it will be p1ss1ng down with rain again. :rolleyes:

Over the winter I’m planning on replacing the shock (more fun) and fitting braided brake lines.

11

Time to buy the jack.

You’ll almost certainly need to use that for the rear shock.

One of the few times in life a full droop is welcome.

12

Both me and my ZX7R aren’t as stiff as we used to be. . . :doze:

13

2nd thing i would have tried is a gas torch, hot a flame as you can get for a short ammount of time and only on the nut.
It has worked for me on more than 1 occasion .

14

Thanks Zeph - interesting - I guess the nut expands due to the heat - but (crucially) not the shaft that it is threaded onto - thus allowing you to get it off.

This is all starting to resemble something out of a medieval torture manual! :blink:

15

Don’t forget when your breaker bar is bending under load and someone twats the socket where the drive enters it you have a human impact gun :cool: Sharper the tap the better :wink: Quite often works :smiley:

16

jump up n down on a big fugg off bar :smiley:

17

Done quite a few of these before, you’ll actually get more torque through the bar and socket than a gun can make, its the shock that works…

Wizz down ya local shop, bung em a picture of the queen and get em to gun it, then pootle back.

18

Good plan. Just remember not to use engine braking when changing down unless you’ve reasonably tightened the nut and closed the tab washer.

Bloody embarrasing having the drive sprocket fall off the end of the shaft in the High Street.

Er,… Yup. Don’e that. Who’s a prat then!

19

:smiley: Thanks for the advice Oldguy - i’ll ride VERY gingerly on the way home :wink:

Thanks grim - may try this one! :wink:

I’ve been doing a lot of jumping up and down recently Steve! :rolleyes:

Cheers fellas - thanks for all the advice! I’m gonna concede defeat on this one and let the pros do it - up till now the iron bar through the rear wheel has always worked for me vis-a-vis engine sprocket nuts. But I think this kawasaki nut has been on so long its kinda fused with the shaft - either that or it was put on with an air impact wrench.
Thanks for being able to share this stuff with you guys - I’m sure we’ll meet up one day at BM/Ace - then I can buy you all a drink! :wink: Kind regards ST.

20

I had this issue with my R1, I had the scaffold bar etc but the bike was lifting off the paddock stands so i rode to a shop who used the air gun :cool: