Hints and tips for refitting the FD onto the shaft.

[AustinW]

So I gave my bike a 12K service today and swung the FD down as routinely advised on here to help move grease around the pivot bearing and chuck some grease at the splines and the rubber boot. But what a bastard it was to get the FD back onto the shaft. This is the 3rd time I have done this and the previous two times I just lifted up the FD gave it a wiggle, turned the disc a touch and it just slotted into place. This time though it took a sweaty hour or more of fiddling about, and even with the boot off so I could see what was going on it was still bloody difficult. When it went back in I couldn't work out what I had done different. So, is there a technique to this, should the shaft be aligned in a certain way, or what.

The good bit was that the FD oil came out clean. Previously it has always been coffee coloured - with water ingress I assume. I suspect its just because I seem to have managed to avoid riding in much rain over the summer, and consequently there hasn't been much bike washing done, although it could be the new(ish) rubber boot was properly in place (it doesnt look it is this time as the fit on the inner side looks poor, but I am not doing it all again), or the replacement breather I put on it actually made a difference. Don't know, don't care but fitting the FD to the shaft was aright bastard.

 

[NZRalphy]

Just wiggle it and turn the disk a little. Should slot right in. I know.....helpful eh.

 

[jogo]

Put the gearbox into first gear.
Lift the FD by gripping with your left hand through the top of the break disk (by doing so you control how far you lift and can also rotate the disk a bit back and forth).
Use the right hand to hold the fem part of the drive shaft (lift it a bit and guide it so that it points in the right orientation towards the FD shaft).

 

[Doofus]

I have also had this - easy one time, tough the next. i found a loop of string around the shaft helped wiggle it into place when being pulled together. Male sure the string is looped so you can pull or cut it free afterwards. It has been a while since I last had a tough assembly, but I think also have had string around the CV joint to help pull that up. For me the problem comes from needing to get the shaft square on to the hole in the CV joint rather than needing to align the splines (which is easilly done by wiggling the disk once the shaft axis is aligned with the CV hole.

 

[Bendy toy]

I put a zip tie around the UJ sleeve so i could hold it correctly as the driveshaft connects. Cutting it off was fiddly but not a big issue.

 

[AustinW]

Thanks chaps. Yes, something to manoeuvre the UJ/shaft around would probably help. My fingers are still scratched and bruised after wedging them between rubber boot and FD to try and achieve the same.