| Author | Message | ||
     Shaiss |
The shoulder bolt (see picture) holding the shift lever wont stay in place. Since I started wheelin' the bike, after 4 or 5 runs up and down the bolt comes all the way out. I've tried tightning it with no luck. Locktight holds it in place for about a week or so then same thing. You need to screw the bolt in so I dont think the threads on the primary are toast. BUT, when you've screwed the bolt all the way in it just spins. Is there a lock washer somewhere that maybe isnt there? I've thought about using quick aluminum to rebuild the threads. What you guys think?  | ||
| Sparky |
For a repair, you'd probably have to pull the cover and determine whether it would be feasible to install a heli-coil/ thread insert or get the hole welded, drilled & tapped. Or spring for a new cover and repair the old one to have on hand as a spare (that you might likely need based on what you do with the bike).  I wouldn't mess around with quick-fixes if you want the bike to be dependable. | ||
| Shaiss |
Thanks Sparky! Till I find a cheap stock primary cover I dont have much options. I am homever in the next 2 weeks, pulling the primary of to do the 11% XB9 gear reduction. I'll look at it then. Is there something that holds that shoulder bolt in place though? Cause it threads fine through, but then keeps spinning. can you explain "install a heli-coil/ thread insert or get the hole welded, drilled & tapped." I'm kind of a mechanical retard, still learning. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Seems like a Heli-coil would work great for that application. That's an aluminum cover with threads tapped into it. That aluminum is pretty soft stuff relative to the steel bolt, its probably just stripped out. A Heli Coil looks a lot like a steel spring, in exactly the shape of the threads that were stripped out of your current hole. So to install it, you drill the hole slightly larger (removing whats left of the stripped threads) then use the included tool to tap new threads into the aluminum cover. Then you thread in that steel spring looking heli-coil thing. The outside grips into the newly tapped aluminum, the inside of the spring grips the bolt for the shifter. So basically you are retapping the hole to a larger size, then replacing the aluminum threads you stripped out with steel threads. I've never had one fail, including one I put in a magnesium bicycle pedal crank. They could back out when you remove the bolt though, but I have never had it happen. And even if they did, you could still just thread the whole thing back in. Weld, drill, and tap would be to weld in new aluminum to fill in the hole, drill it out again to the right size, and use a tap to put threads back in. I don't think primary covers are that expensive, so I doubt it would be worth going to all that trouble. Try the Heli Coil (cheap), or a TimeSert (more expensive but better version of a heli coil) and see if it holds. If not, buy a new primary cover. | ||
| Shaiss |
thanks again guys. Could someone point me to the one I need @ http://www.timesert.com/ http://www.emhart.com/products/helicoil.asp I'll buy and try your guys suggestion. Just wanna make sure I buy the right thing. And, to do this, do I need to remove the primary? | ||
| Shaiss |
I've read alot online and talked to a couple of people. They all suggested removing the primary and doing the drilling using a drill press. But what size timesert kit do I need to buy? Can anyone point me to the proper size? | ||
| Sparky |
LOL, I had been trying to upload this reply for your questions yesterday when the BadWeb went belly-up. You only need to remove the primary cover because the primary cover holds the shift bolt. I've had some experience with heli-coils, none with timeserts and worked a fair amount of time in auto parts & general machine shops, so, unless my memory is fuzzy, that's what I'm basing my reply on. When you remove the shift bolt, does oil come out of the hole? I'm asking because this affects the type of insert kit you want to get. If no oil, then it is a blind hole. Take the shift bolt to a hardware store and find a nut that it screws into. If it's 1/4-20, that would be the thread size and pitch you need. Then measure the length of the threads on the bolt. The correct size insert or heli-coil to get will be based on the thread size and pitch and the length of the threads for a blind hole. Unless I'm mistaken, an insert tap for a blind hole should be different than for a through hole. A through-hole tap will have a long tapered point on the end before the threads start whereas a blind-hole tap is blunt for tapping threads to the end of the hole. If you have a choice, get an insert kit for a blind hole. Also note, when drilling the hole for the insert or heli-coil, assuming it is a blind hole, measure the depth of the hole before drilling and don't exceed this measurement while drilling. | ||
| Shaiss |
Thanks Sparky. I appriciate the help, but this is too much for my small brain. I'll take the primary down to a machine shop and let them futs with it. |
