How do you repair a frozen chain adjust bolt? One of the bolts in the swingarm that adjusts the chain on a 07 TE wont turn. Would like a repair plan before I mess it up. Bolt will probably twist off if I apply to much pressure. Haved tried to get some oil in to loosen but did not work.
Patience is key on these. 1. Remove swing arm 2. Mount in vice 3. Make a Dam out of Duct tape 4. Mix 50/50 mixture of Acetone and Auto Trans fluid 5. Fill Dam up let it set over nite 6. Gently try to unscrew it, constant easy pressure, a little back and forth,let it set to soak some more Should come out Later George
Sounds like a lot of work, but the alternatives are not terribly nice, as I have snapped one bolt off trying to get it to come out in a hurry. Too bad I didn't read this first.
If you wanted to save all the trouble of removing the swingarm, could you just lay the bike as flat as possible on it's side over night without any huge ill effects.?? Does that make any sense, or am I being lazy???
I usually hit the adjuster bolts with some WD-40 after I wash the bike. The next time I have the rear wheel off I think I will put anti-seize on the adjuster bolts.
This is the actual use of WD-40 ...it is a penetrating fluid ... spray it all over it and let it sit ...if this does not loosen it ... do all that other stuff to fix it ... There is also the option of applying heat but I'm not sure if you can actually get the right area heated in this case and that swing arm might be too sensitive to heat for good results ...
Do it again missed a spot. After taking off swing arm and say it doesn't work getting the bolt out or breaks off. Then has to go to a shop to get it EDM'd out anyway. Later George
Word. Taking a day or two to ease a bolt out is far preferable to the alternatives. Often they are just plain corroded (in which case once they start moving then as George says "back and forth" a little at a time). Occasionally I've seen an adjuster bolt with a deformed thread - mebbe it's locknut's been overtightened, or mebbe the wheel spindle nut has been undertorqued and it's been hammering on the adjuster. Dunno, but I've seen a few like that. In that case it's gonna be just plain tight. If George's acetone + atf doesn't eventually work (and it usually should) then a little heat is worth trying. We're not talking "melt the aluminium" temps, just a couple hundred degrees to work some thin oil down the threads and also expand the aluminium. A big heat gun is probably better than a small gas torch here. Heat the aluminium, not the bolt, and get the oil to the point where it's just smoking (some people swear by candle wax as a penetrant as it's really fluid when it melts). Having a really good quality single hex t-wrench or socket on the bolt is important too. Once it starts moving a little that should be half the battle won. If the exposed part of the bolt thread looks good then it's worth screwing the bolt in aways before trying to screw it out - back and forth, a little at a time. If it moves and will screw in easily but jams fast if you try to screw it out then consider (and this is s### or bust) cutting off the hex and slotting the end with a dremel or similar, winding it into the swingarm with a screwdriver and shaking it out of the hole covered by the plastic plug . Like I said, that's a last resort though. Whatever you do be patient as snapping the bolt off means you will have to get the remains spark eroded out, or drilled and a threaded insert put in. Not nice. Hope it works out.
I've used the heat method with success in the past; Quickly heat the aluminum up a few hundred degrees, with a torch, then squirt WD40 on the threads of the bolt where it goes in the hole. It will smoke quite a bit on the first couple squirts, but that's OK. As the metal cools, it will suck the WD40 into the threads and help loosen the stuck bolt. Move the bolt back and forth bit by bit, while continuing to squirt WD40 on it. That will also help the WD40 get down into the threads. Repeat this process 2 or three times and it should free up the bolt. Once you can turn the bolt about a 1/2 turn or more, start applying anti seize on the threads and work it down into the hole. If it turns out that the stuck bolt is because of a bad thread and it's causing it to pick up the aluminum threads, you're screwed anyways and you'll have to drill it or EDM it out.
Finally got mine fixed. Spent 60 dollars in tools and lots of time. I can't drill a hole straight to save my life, so I took it over to Joliet's place of business because he could drill a straighter hole in the broken bolt than I could. (Thanks bunchies, Ken.) Even then, it was difficult with the extention and the cramped working area. It was not perfect, but close. (If I had tried, my swingarm probably would have looked like Swiss cheese) We tried to get it out with an easy out, but no luck. I took it back to my garage, now that the bolt had a pilot hole in it, and I finished drilling it out. Tapped it for an insert. and squeezed in some new threads. It's ever so slightly off center....but straight, and now I'm just waiting for a new bolt to arrive at the dealers. There is also a lifetime supply of Bullfrog Rusthunter inside the swingarm so there shouldn't be any more problems. What a pain in the @$$.
Put anti-seize on the bolt when you put it in. Every Spring and Fall, I remove mine, clean them up and add more anti-seize.
Take your swing arm off like George Suggested and go thru his ritual. I then stand the swing arm up and find one of the weep holes in the swingarm that you should silicone shut when the bike is new. Purchase a can of PB Blaster and shoot 1/2 can on the inside so it flows down on the back side of the bolt. Let that also sit over night. When you are ready take a regular hammer and tap on the end of the hex head. Now don't get carried away with the hammer. You are just sending a shock wave thru the bolt to seperate it from the aluminum that was caused by electrolysis. Start backing the bolt out easy. Also turn it in/out a little like you do with a tap. Take your time. Once bolt is out run a tap back in the threads to clean them up. Once the bolt is out get a can of contact cleaner and shoot it in the weep hole to clean the swing arm out from the inside. Stand it up and let it dry/drip out the hole for 1/2 hour. You can shoot some air from a compressor thru the weep holes for faster results. Antiseize your new bolts 2x year or every time you service your swingarm bearings. Go back and make sure your weeps holes are silicone shut.
