Primary nut, stator & starter clutch fixes...

[pslamp32]

Well I did these today and all went well for the most part. Thought i would add a few FYIs for the other noobs like me. There were a couple of things I wasn't totally prepared for that were more or less assumed in the FAQ.

First and second, you will have to remove the rear brake lever and clutch lever to get the 2 case covers off. No biggie but I had no idea from reading the FAQ. I have a Clymer so doing this was pretty easy. Might be a little more challenging without it, especially the brake lever.

Also, the Clymer says you can hold the crank bolt without removing the left case cover by using a deep socket through the rotor nut plug. Not sure if this is true because I didn't read that until I had removed the whole left case cover. No biggie since I was going to do the stator and starter clutch fixes as well.

My biggest issue came when I stripped one of my screws on the starter cover. Took a good while to drill it out trying to be careful not to drill into the case cover. Finally got it out and went straight to the hardware store to buy 3 allen head screws.

I left the right case gasket in place even though I had a replacement because It seemed in perfect condition. Now I'm paranoid. Has anyone else done this? After refilling with oil and coolant I started her up for a minute or so and had no leakage anywhere so I hope I'm safe.

Overall the job was not overly hard but definitely took alot longer than some of the times I heard on here. Someone said 15 minutes. Wow! It took me that long just to drain the coolant and oil. I'd say the whole project took me about 3 hours by the time I got the oil and coolant back in and everything buttoned back up. Granted, stripping the screw definitely set me back a bit.

Thanks for the great FAQ and now the valve clearances are next!

Oh, BTW I have a 2005 SM and it did seem to me that the primary nut was a bit too easy to come off. Seems I did this just in time...

[twinsrule]

My biggest issue came when I stripped one of my screws on the starter cover.

Those screws are really soft. I managed to get mine of with no hassle, but I made sure the screwdriver I had fit perfect.

[harjp1959]

I left the right case gasket in place even though I had a replacement because It seemed in perfect condition. Now I'm paranoid. Has anyone else done this? After refilling with oil and coolant I started her up for a minute or so and had no leakage anywhere so I hope I'm safe.

You're fine.

Overall the job was not overly hard but definitely took alot longer than some of the times I heard on here. Someone said 15 minutes. Wow! It took me that long just to drain the coolant and oil. I'd say the whole project took me about 3 hours by the time I got the oil and coolant back in and everything buttoned back up. Granted, stripping the screw definitely set me back a bit.

When I do this stuff, it takes me forever. Hours and hours and hours. First of all, I'm going slow because I'm in no rush and if I'm doing something for the first time I have to figure out a bunch of stuff along the way. Like your reference to the brake pedal.

Then there's always the one little thing that has almost nothing to do with the job that takes the better part of an hour to do or fix (in your case it was the stripped bolt).

Finally, I do this stuff because I genuinely enjoy being in the garage working with my hands on my bikes.

[Noble]

you will have to remove the rear brake lever---Yes, seems obvious. Maybe the had part is the Cotter pin on the back side.

and clutch lever to get the 2 case covers off----??? Lost on this one. Why would you need to remove the clutch lever?

Clymer says you can hold the crank bolt without removing the left case cover by using a (17mm) deep socket through the rotor nut plug.---- Yes you can hold the crank this way but not enough to torque the primary nut.

I stripped one of my screws on the starter cover.----You almost always need the correct tool to loosen these screws. A hand held impact screwdriver, #3 bit. Once the screw head is stripped out, usually it will come out with a small chisel tangent to the head OD. With luck takes less then a minute. Next option is to drill he head off. The good thing about a stripped Phillips head is you have a good center to work from. You do not have to drill deep. 1/4 drill bit takes the head right off.

I left the right case gasket in place even though I had a replacement because It seemed in perfect condition.----If no leak to the outside, good. Now watch for coolant in the oil and oil in the coolant. You are probably OK. But next time, for the cost of a gasket, don't take the chance.

The job definitely took alot longer than some of the times I heard on here.---- 2 to 3 hr sounds about right.

[pslamp32]

and clutch lever to get the 2 case covers off----??? Lost on this one. Why would you need to remove the clutch lever?

***My bad. Meant the shifter...

Clymer says you can hold the crank bolt without removing the left case cover by using a (17mm) deep socket through the rotor nut plug.---- Yes you can hold the crank this way but not enough to torque the primary nut.

***No, actually the Clymer says you can use the 26mm deep socket to hold the hub. Didn't try it so maybe it's a mistake.

I left the right case gasket in place even though I had a replacement because It seemed in perfect condition.----If no leak to the outside, good. Now watch for coolant in the oil and oil in the coolant. You are probably OK. But next time, for the cost of a gasket, don't take the chance.

***Yea, I kind of regret not changing it out since I had the replacement in hand. What is the best way to check if there is mixing going on and what are the ramifications?

The job definitely took alot longer than some of the times I heard on here.---- 2 to 3 hr sounds about right.

***Somebody in the primary nut fix thread said 15 minutes!

Glad i did it since my primary nut was definitely loose. ?

[Noble]

Yes, shift lever needs to come off.

No, you can't hold the large hex thru the cover access hole.

Since the coolant is pressurized, it is more likely a leak will allow coolant into the oil than the other way around. Watch for oil that becomes milky in color.

Ramifications? Coolant in the oil contaminates the oil and reduces the lubrication quality of the oil.

15 min? exageration. Sure, a well equiped mechanic with the tools ready and experience might be able to do it in 15 min but for most of us it is better to take our time and by the time you deal with a few little problems like how to I get the blind cotter pin out and the stripped out screw head, 2 hr is pretty good.

You can contact the original poster of the procedure to suggest improvements.