Rear axle nut

I am trying to rebuild my rear axle with all new bearings and seals. I have un-staked the axle nut and I cannot get the dang thing off. I have the bike in gear, wife standing on the rear brake and I am lifting the bike off the ground trying to get the nut off. Lot's of penetrating oil and even some heat with no luck. Do I need to get a impact gun and try that???


Aden Rich
99 VFR 800

 

Try rotating your ratchet around so that you are pushing down instead of lifting up. I think it's torqued down to 175 ft/lbs. (I think) My sixth gen one came off pretty easy with a long cheater bar. Good luck!

 

Don't have much to say, just clicked on cuz i sniffed a nut !!

 

Torque = Force x Lever Length....

Just keep increasing the length of the cheater until the nut comes loose, or, the axle shears in half. Having the rear wheel on the ground, a rag in the sprocket, in gear, with the little lady holding the brake lever should be enough to hold it.....

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Specified torque for the rear stub axle nut is 201Nm,which calculates out to about 148.339ft/lbs. Call it an even 150ft/lbs.

When I removed the rear axle and bearing assemblies on my old '97 and my '03 there was RED Loctite slathered all over the threads of both of those axle shafts.

I put the bike in first gear and had an assistant stand on the rear brake. I put a short 3" extension on my 1/2" drive breaker bar to space me out away from the bike just a bit and then put a 4 foot cheater pipe on the breaker bar and pushed the bar downwards,same as MrSleep suggested . Worked like a charm.

Once you break the torque on that axle nut and spin it off,flip it over so that the beveled side of the nut faces the axle shaft and spin it back onto the axle shaft so that the flat surface of the axle nut is about a thread or two above the threads on the axle shaft.

Now take a big rubber mallet or a weighted plastic mallet and smack on the flat surface of the axle nut to free up the axle shaft. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES HIT THE BARE THREADS ON THE AXLE SHAFT!!! Use the axle nut or you WILL destroy the threads on the axle shaft. Brand new that axle shaft costs about $170.00

With the axle nut spun onto the shaft you will only be able to move the shaft just a little bit at a time,so once the shaft starts moving back the axle nut off a bit and hammer some more. Repeat this process until the axle shaft moves freely.

The reason the axle shaft gets stuck is because the outer wheel bearing gets a bit of corrosion between itself and the machined surface on the axle shaft,and some of that RED Loctite works it's way down into the splines between the axle shaft and sprocket carrier hub.

Make sure to clean up those splines and threads and any corrosion on the machined surface of the axle shaft before you reassemble.

 

Its a bitch...

I gave up on trying to install my rear wavy disk cause of that bolt.

I've been meaning to get back to it.

I also stopped at the point where the whole bike was moving...

 

You shouldn't have to hammer the axle out of the bearing housing, if you end up hammering on any of it.....you've waited too long to service it.

I have pulled that axle at least 5 times, never, not one time, did I ever have to pound on it to get it out and I have been able to break that nut loose with no assistance whatsoever. The problems come from lack of maintenance.





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Does anyone know the correct size socket needed to get that axle nut off?

 

Off the top of my head I think it's 46 mm or 1 13/16" socket will fit it too. I'll have to wait till I am home to confirm that size.

 

Dino - If you need a hand, let me know. And even though I ain't much of a mechanic, I have managed to accumulate more tools and sockets over the years than I'll ever know what to do with.

 

Good way to loosen up loctite or thread locker is to heat up the nut itself to something in the ~160-180F. Good heat gun will do. Then use a long breaker bar or a good impact on it.

 

Just a note: Do not buy a 12 point 1-13/16" socket because it wont fit that well. The 1-13/16" is .04mm bigger too, just enough for the socket to rattle on the nut, now I am not sure if a 6 point socket would be better, perhaps someone can chine in on that. I picked up a 46mm, 6 point, 1/2 drive socket from Grainger ($38.00!!!) And it seems to fit much better. I wanted to know if anyone have ever used a gun to remove that nut? Is it safe?

 

I had the exaxct same problem doing the exact same thing. Borrowed a neighbours Stillson/Pipe wrench. Thing was about 40 inches long, was a beast! My nut was corroded on and I was literally jumping up and down on the end of the wrench and it only just creaked a bit at a time. Soak it in penetrating fluid over night if it's stuck on due to corrosion. Good luck and hang in there it will move!

 

Did you try to heat it with a torch?

 

I didn't no don't have one. Might have helped. I would've been worried about it catching any grease or wd40 alight though haha

 

You should be OK, you just want to expand it a little.

 

Is it possible to bust a nut due to too much heat?

 

Perhaps if Kate Upton was naked using the torch

 

Kate Upton is more like a nut breaker......unless there is a wrench that uses cash for a handle