Drive shaft grease

Hi guys

I changed the fluid in my diff today, while i was at it I took the driveshaft out and greased all of the splines, they were all nearly dry!!!  it was an easy job and well worth doing, I used Castrol grease on all of the splines, I hope that it is OK for this job

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The rear axle nut on my 2008 M800 is a standard nut and axle and not the castle nut and split pin jobbie I was expecting, can any M800 owners confirm that this is correct

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Thanks in advance

Andrew

I'd say 'No' to the grease, but it's better than nothing though for the time being, Yes that's the standard lock nut for the 800, older models have the castle nut 

Thanks for the reply Sim, why a no for the grease??

It's just general purpose grease for bearings n stuff, not for a high load like a drive shaft.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AS60-60-Moly-Assembly-Paste-100-gram-/131454307187?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts_13&hash=item1e9b498b73

I would agree with Sim about the grease and axle nut.For piece of mind I would change the grease.

Cheers guys

I have just ordered some of the right stuff from eBay, thanks for the advice 

Andrew

Are you removing the shaft from the drive Andrew? or just doing the mating surfaces where the wheel comes off?.

I undid the 3 bolts and slid the whole assembly out and greased the lot

Did you manage to re use the seal or fit a new one?

are you talking about the seal between the final drive housing and the shaft, because I never split them, I slid the shaft out from the bike after undoing the 3 bolts that connect it to the frame, but didnt separate it from the final drive housing, should I have done?

Tricky one Andrew, there's never been any failures of the splines at that end (behind the seal) in Europe from my knowledge, but there's been quite a few in the US and Oz, not sure why?, I would recommend putting some sealer on both sides the metal plate between the drive and swing arm on re fitting though to stop water ingress into the shaft housing, you probably can do that without removing the drive fully but with just enough clearance to squeeze some sealer into the gaps? The top end of the drive shaft  where it sits in the Universal Joint (engine end) doesn't get any lube from the factory, so I'd imagine the Universal grease you've applied should be ok.

Hi Sim

I will take the shaft out again when the new grease arrives, clean it all off and re grease the lot again, I am tempted to get the seal out now just to check behind it while it is apart, do you know what the seal is called so I can order a new one?  or i notice that some people re use it, how do they get it out without damaging it?  Thanks for all of the advice Sim it is very much appreciated

Andrew

Poor boiling water over it and try and twist it loose in a circular motion whilst pulling it backwards, you could even use grips to twist it as it like a rubber coated bottle top that slides on and the seal is inside, difficult to explain it really?  the part number for the seal is 0928330051 if you can get it off without damaging it, These will sort you out with a new one for about £6 from memory Link, I got one off fleabay (new old stock)  for about £2 by searching the part number.

Thanks for that Sim I will order a new one tomorrow, I just as well do the job properly or I will always be wondering if there is any grease behind that seal !! I have ordered a 100g tub of the Moly 60 grease, will that be enough?

Yeah plenty for all the joints two or three times over  , post some pics of the drive end of the shaft if you could? always interesting to see how much lube is on there from the factory and how it's standing up?

the seal is on order when It comes back I will take pics and put them up, cheers Sim

When I removed my shaft, ok Sim don't start, there was no noticeable lubrication at the U/J end whatsoever! When I did the VS1400 diff swap I literally smothered that end to make sure at least some of it would get onto the U/J.
When I received a VL800 diff & shaft from DKMotors at Newcastle Under Lyme the U/J end was dry & wen I took the seal off the diff end there was rust inside it & little if any lube at all so I think he factory just put a thin wipe on which soon flings off or such?
I bought the full diff assembly as nobody would split the shaft from the diff even though I wrote to them to explain how easy it was to do & even offered to pay for the destroyed seal but they all said cannot do it as too difficult, prats! Still if I ever sell my VL I'm taking the wheels n 1400 diff off first!

Good move Andrew,whilst it is stripped down you are better doing the seal,and grease at least you will know it has been done,chances are you will find it dry when you take the seal out,and if not it has only cost you the price of two pints for piece of mind and safe riding.

Another question for you guys I have stripped the back end off the bike tonight, my grease is being delivered tomorrow (I hope), I havent taken the seal off yet Im doing that in the morning, I will post a pic of the spline behind the seal so we can see how much grease Suzuki put in at the factory.

In my excitement taking it apart i didnt take any notice which way the plate (the one with 3 holes and a tooth) came off between the diff and axle, can anyone tell me if it goes back on a certain way so the tooth engages on a particular spline or can it contact any tooth, it looks like it will only go on one way or the other if flipped.

Andy, here is the relevant bit from the manual. Hope it helps.
 

Update: stripped all the axle again and removed the seal and circlip the splines were excellent, there wasn't a lot of grease in there though and a little surface rust, so I cleaned it out and packed it with Suzuki Moly Paste, it was well worth doing for peace of mind, I have put pics up as requested, thanks for all of the advice guys.

Good bit of maintenance, your mind will be at ease in the knowledge it's been done properly   dealers won't do that when a bike goes for a service!

Excellent piece of work Andrew.Well done you will reap the rewards.

Andrew/Anyone, how do you get the seal off the diff end? I tried today but could I get the thing to budge? No. I chickened out in the end and refitted the shaft...... but will try again when I next have the back wheel off. I tried the boiling water and a screwdriver to try to prise it off, but no chance! I have got a new seal so it wouldn't really matter if I wrecked it but...... 
Any tips? Cheers, Rob

Hi Rob, I tried the boiling water and failed, I used a screwdriver and hammer tapping it around and it gave up fairly easily, if u have a new seal dint worry about damaging the old seal just work your way around the seal with a hammer and screwdriver

Thanks Andrew, I will be braver next time! 

Rob if I can help with tips in any way don't hesitate to contact me, I used a thin flat blade screwdriver and it came off quite easily Andrew

Andy Good job done mate.
It seems a scary thing to do until you have done it, then you wonder what you were worried about.

Just a pointer for removing the seal if you need to keep riding and re use the existing one, If pouring boiling water over it doesn't expand it enough to remove it by hand? you could tap it with a hammer and screwdriver (like Andrew) without knackering it up, you could even use a pair of grips to twist it off, the seal looks like a bottle top with a hole in it and the actual seal part is only about 3mm, the rest of it is a metal casing covered in thin rubber, so as long as you don't absolutely destroy the casing? it should be good to re use it, it's only a dust seal so it doesn't have to retain oil or anything pressurised, then again? for £6 or £7 it's cheap enough to have one in store and replace it every time.

Thanks for the advice Sim....... will definitely get the bugger off next time I have my shaft out (oo-er!)