HELP! oh please! - re: \"stuck nut\" while working on clutch

Hi Guys...

well, i was going to be posting a different subject line earlier today (as things were going QUITE well with my clucth issue), but.....

i'm having a devil of a time getting off the bolt that holds the clucth housing (or basket?) in place (yes, i've bent back the washer - but thanks)....

at first i was going at it without a "clutch holder" (funny set of vice grips), but things wer emoving around too much and i was having NO luck, so i went out and got one at the local shop....

thought my troubles were over when i dropped that ~$30 for a tool i'll prob only use once...

but... NOT!

i've got this vice grips clamped tight, got cable ties and all holding it in place (against the bolt for the foot peg as a purchase point) and NOTHING!

i mean... no matter what i do, i cannot get the nut to release...

hammer....

WD40...

PB Blaster....

even tried warming up the nut with a BBQ lighter (those long clicker things), but thought i should STOP THAT before things REALLY GO WRONG!!

i would HATE to have to (at this point* - see below) drag this thing to the mechanic's in pieces because of a STUCK NUT!!! i honestly think if i can get this nut off, i'd be able to fix this by myself...

i'm throwing in the towel for the night....

any comments would be welcomed...

i'm at my witts end....

- prime


* i KNOW what the prob is with the clutch not working right... the gear pedal spring is broken (a piece of teh spring FEEL out on the floor when i pulled off the engine cover)... to fix it i have to pull out the shifter.... and of couse, the WHOLE clucth house needs to come out first....

primemover wrote:

Hi Guys...

Well, since you have sprayed the nut with WD40 and tried lighting it with a BBQ lighter can there be any other tech solution? Bwhahahaha Sorry... The nut doesn't come off because it is tight. It isn't frozen, just has a bunch of TORQUE applied.

HOW did you try and remove the nut? You clamped the basket with vise grips. Then you used what? A socket on a ratchet wrench? If a nut had about 150 lbs of torque applied you will be unlikely to break it loose because if you ARE strong enough to apply 150 lbs or torque with your hand, you would just break the ratchet wrench... OK... now what is needed? There are two ways to go about this. IF you do it the MANUAL way and use a hand tool, then get an old steel clutch plate and weld on a bar to hold the hub. Don't bother with the vise grips and cable ties. If you apply 150 lbs of torque you will need to chain the vise grips in place, not cable tie them. OK... you must have the correct socket? Get a BREAKER BAR. 1/2" minimum and then put a leverage multiplying piece of pipe on the end. Get a friend to hold the fabricated hub holder and put some muscle into the breaker bar! You could also try using a HAND IMPACT DRIVER with the correct bit but I doubt it generates enough torque to break the nut free. In any case, at this point, I am getting tired just thinking about the process so will move to alternative #2.

Solution #2 AIR POWER! I personally would take out my air impact driver, put the correct impact socket on and just knock the nut off in about 1 second. Since you don't have an air impact driver, do you know a mechanic who would take pity on you if you brought the bike to him? If you brought the bike to me to just knock the nut loose, I would certainly do it for nother as it is a one second job. If you don't know anyone you can prevail upon, you COULD buy a compressor and the impact driver and sockets but this gets pretty expensive. The alternative is an ELECTRIC IMPACT DRIVER! Harbor Freight has one on sale right now for under $20 that generates 150 lbs of torque. This is actually sort of puny but might knock the nut loose... no guarantees but it might. I have several impact drivers and not all of them are equal in their abilities! The impact driver is handy also for getting the countershaft nut off as well plus lots of other chores.

I know you were looking for some magic answer but the answer is the amount of force needed to budge the nut. If you REALLY don't want to invest in tools or can't find someone (mechanic) to help with an impact wrench, you can always buy a new nut and buy a chisel and cut the old nut off... Just split it with the chisel (watch the shaft!) and install the new nut. I hate it when I have to do this myself...



* i KNOW what the prob is with the clutch not working right... the gear pedal spring is broken (a piece of teh spring FEEL out on the floor when i pulled off the engine cover)... to fix it i have to pull out the shifter.... and of couse, the WHOLE clucth house needs to come out first....

thanks...

no, not locking for any magic, just some good direction (and you provided MANY options!)....

i had posted here a few days back and from the comments i had gotten, did not think this job would turn out this way....

i'll pursue the paths of least resistance first (i.e., the cheaper routes).....

in the end, having the proper tools around for the "proper jobs" may be the only way to go...

thanks...

Hi....

i scanned the Harborfreight site.... could not uncover that ~20 buck Impact driver??? Saw one for ~40....

if you could further direct me, that would be great!

thanks...

- prime

www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=46511

thanks a BUNCH!

now.... if i may inquire about the following...

i do not have an air compressor, but i DO have one of those funny portable air tanks (can hold up to ~130 or so PSI)....

i wonder, would THAT be able to supply my "air"??

thanks for your continued time and help....

- prime

If you can get the tank filled and have a pressure regulator on the out of the tank, it just might work. The impact wrench I saw was ELECTRIC and just a shade under $20 in their latest sale flier which I tossed. If you order something, they will send you at least one sale flier a day and most of them carry just about the same stuff re-arranged.