Rusted Driveshaft

GSThree

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Hi, I’m normally on the LC forum but have foolishly offered to help a mate with a final drive service of his 2008 GS.
The rubber boots were holed and the front of the driveshaft is rusted onto the splines of the gearbox output shaft, proving to be immovable. Plusgas and screwdriver leverage have achieved nothing. There is no room to get a drift onto it.
Has anybody here fixed this problem in the past? Am thinking of investing in a heat gun and a pry bar, but am obviously nervous about damaging the gearbox.
Cheers, Jules
 
Have you removed the swing arm ? If not, doing so should give you access to the gearbox end of the shaft to apply heat and leverage.

Hopefully there will be no corrosion damage once separated and a clean up/Moly 60 paste will fix it.
 
Thanks for that. I’m trying to avoid removing the swingarm if humanly possible, to avoid having to buy more tools (who’s got a 30mm socket just lying around?).
The correct Castrol moly paste arrived today, just need to pull the damn thing apart!
 
Dropping the final drive down on it’s pivot should give you enough access to the other end of the drive shaft to rig up some form of slide hammer in the other UJ.

It’s likely to knacker the drive shaft, but by the sound of it, it might be too far gone anyway
 
You do know that it’s held in place by a ‘snap ring’ and needs a fecking good wallop to get it off ….. if it’s rusted on, as you suggest, it’ll be the first one I’ve ever heard of………… more to the point, what are doing on a 1200 final drive service ?
 
If as you say [The Rubber Boots Are Holed] I take it you are renewing them. You will need to remove the swingarm anyway.
Like Steptoe says then give it a fecking good wallop. When refitting another wallop is required.
 
If the swing arm has been undisturbed for a few years, there’s a fair chance the taper roller bearings are corroded as mine were. Even if they aren’t, they would still benefit from a regrease and adjust the preload on the taper. Also check for wear and side play on the hinged knuckle of the final drive casing where it fits to the swing arm tube, mine had play and needed a new trunnion and needle roller bearing plus felt washer.
 
Do not buy the rubber boots from Motorworks, I did and had to replace them 12 months later and the BMW are about the same price
 
Thanks all for your thoughts.
I’ve now purchased a heat gun and pry bars. A bit of Plusgas has been sprayed on for the last 4 days, and I should have time for another look at it later on today.
IAN: I like your idea of a slide hammer, I’ve picked up a metre of threaded rod so will have a go with that, trying not to destroy the shaft as my mate has not got the budget for a new one.
STEPTOE: FD service was meant to be simply be a change of bevel box oil and greasing of driveshaft splines.
LUCAS: Once the driveshaft is out (!) the boots can be replaced with the swingarm in place.
WAGGY: Thanks for the warning, but TOO LATE! MW could supply, the local BM dealers couldn’t.
 
LUCAS: Once the driveshaft is out the boots can be replaced with the swingarm in place.

Yes you are right :okay I stand corrected. :blast
 
“Once the driveshaft is out!”
Easier said than done. Not a mm of movement.
Nightmare scenario time: does anybody on the forum have any knowledge/experience of whether there is enough movement in the rear splines to run the bike with no movement (ie seized) at the front? It seems to have worked up to now with no obvious damage…
I am really starting to regret offering to help out with this job!
Jules
 
As Steptoe pointed out, there is a snap ring on the front spline

Sometimes it can help if you tap the shaft inwards then tug or pry it backwards, this can help unstick the snap ring
 
Thanks again all.
Leadfarmer: I wish it was just the snap ring on the front spline! It’s all rusted into place and won’t move forwards or backwards.
Waggy: Thanks for the link, I’ve ordered the tools you suggested.
I will get the swingarm off next. I can’t see it giving me a whole lot of extra access to the driveshaft, but I’ve got to try something!
 
You will need to remove the shock and the exhaust but you will have a lot more room and you will be able to see the shaft and output spline. The only way to gain more access is to remove the rear sub frame but that will require the removal of at least one of the throttle bodies as you can’t get to all the bolts plus a lot of other bits but can be done.
I used Mikeyboy on this forum to refurbish my drive shaft and bevel drive. He is in Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire.
 
If I were in your predicament I would remove the rear shock and swingarm, then get a stout pry bar and try persuading the shaft to pop off the gearbox splines. Might need a good whack to persuade it.
 
GSThree said:
I will get the swingarm off next. I can’t see it giving me a whole lot of extra access to the driveshaft,
Click to expand...
..,, do you know what you’re doing ? How much access do you need. With the swingarm removed all that’s left is the driveshaft attached to the gearbox….. plus I’ve seen plenty of rusty driveshafts over the years but never ever had one where the splines have rusted to the gearbox…, have you undone the final drive/paralever torque arm bolt and swung the final drive out of the way so you can get at the final drive end of the shaft ?….
 
Do any of us really know what we’re doing, philosophically speaking?
Yes, the final drive is dropped, with a contraption of my own dodgy design through the end of the rear u/j so I can use a slide hammer on it.
At the other end the front boot has been cut away so I can get a pry bar onto the front of the driveshaft.
I was wondering what more I would be able to achieve without the swingarm. But too late now, the special tool is on the way!
The gearbox output shaft looks rusty as hell, guess it’s due to a combination of a perished boot and the bike living outside for a few years…
 
GSThree said:
Do any of us really know what we’re doing, philosophically speaking?
Yes, the final drive is dropped, with a contraption of my own dodgy design through the end of the rear u/j so I can use a slide hammer on it.
At the other end the front boot has been cut away so I can get a pry bar onto the front of the driveshaft.
I was wondering what more I would be able to achieve without the swingarm. But too late now, the special tool is on the way!
The gearbox output shaft looks rusty as hell, guess it’s due to a combination of a perished boot and the bike living outside for a few years…
Click to expand...

Would it be possible to use an Induction Heater on the Shaft, assuming you cold lay your hands on one of course?
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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