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Transmission Rebuild, 1982 5-speed

10K views 41 replies 7 participants last post by  Joe Shovel FXR 
#1 · (Edited)
It's time that I get started putting my 82 FXR back together. First thing that I need is rebuild parts for the transmission. Who makes quality (USA?) gaskets and seals? I know there are bearings not bushings like the old 4-speeds, but what are the common wear items, and where to get them, besides eBay part number searches? Is there a rebuild kit? Thanks, Joe
 
#4 ·
Hope this helps-
Trans parts are expensive.
AFAIK Andrews makes most of them. I needed a main drive gear, bearings, Main shaft, a few other parts .
Guess what? It all came within 200 bucks of a new Baker with O.D.!
So-for the same money I have a new treansmission.
Thoughts to think.......
 
#5 ·
Gearboxes are so durable it's common to buy complete later units (including five speed TC boxes) to swap the internals (then Ebay the case to get some of the already modest cash back) for less money then replacing a few parts in an old, higher mileage box. That's a fine way to accomplish the spline shaft upgrade and ditch the POS stock clutch. All the info is in this forum and was very helpful when I upgraded mine.
 
#6 ·
But.....the parts that go bad are the common ones and expensive.
The main shaft, trap door bearings, might as well do the main gear and bearing.
Throw in the N1 shifter ....yaaadaa yada...it gets real close to a brand new Baker slide-in kit
 
#7 ·
I'm going for originality, so I'm going to fix what needs fixing and rebuild this transmission. The Jim's kit includes all the bearings, as well as usual seals and gaskets, so I hope the hard parts are OK.
The previous owner brought the bike in two times for transmission leaks, and someone lost or broke one of the cover screws. I hope I don't find other problem repairs inside:

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The cover came off without drama, and it looks good so far:

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Following along in the shop manual, I removed the shift cam. The fork shaft looks bad but it is smooth and came out easily. I'll dress it before reinstalling.

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The shift forks don't look too bad, but I bought one NOS fork last year and spent the next hour or so looking for it! I have to spend a day or so to organize my stuff better, or I'll never get this done. Here's where I left off today:

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268378
 
#8 · (Edited)
The shift shaft needs replacement, as does the sprocket.

I found the new 1-2 shift fork and compared it to the old one. They have updated the design slightly:



The shop manual says compare the thickness of the pads to a new one. If they are worn more than .020", replace them. The new one measures .203" thick, so .183" is the limit. Mine measures .185" but I have a new one already. The 3-5 fork measures .186" and 4th measures .189". While they are technically ok, I'd like to find better or new ones. I see Mid-USA sells them for under $20, but I don't know if those are any good.

When I went to take off the sprocket, I found it loose on the spline! The tabs were bent on the nut but it wasn't tight at all. So I definitely need to replace the main drive gear. Sliding the gears to engage the dogs puts it in two gears at the same time and locks the shafts so I could remove the nut.



The right side cover came off without drama, but the clutch shaft wobbles. I haven't removed it to see what is worn. I hope it's easy to fix.



I'll be replacing the throw out bearing too. This one doesn't have the oil slinger?

 
#9 ·
With the gears still locked together, I loosened the two big nylock nuts.



Then I tapped the main shaft and used the two slots machined in the trap door to remove it from the case.





Here's why the 5-speed is so much more modern than the old 4-speed. I could have done all this with the transmission in the bike. I actually did that on my Road King when the shift pawl spring broke.

 
#10 ·
The shift pawl slides out of the case. I'll be disassembling it and replacing the springs, so I don't have to do this again.



I cleaned the case and gear cluster in my parts cleaner. Without oil, the Main Drive Gear bearing was very noisy, so that was shot too. I wonder if that has anything to do with loosening of the sprocket nut? There's a new one in the Jims kit.

Half the gears slide off their shafts from this end. They are held in by retaining clips, and new ones are in the Jims kit too.



Then by tapping the ends of the shafts, they slide out of their bearings. The counter shaft popped right out, but the main shaft needed more persuasive tapping.

Continuing the disassembly, I marked the gears so they go back in the same position as they were. This is important because they wear as a set, and reversing one of the pair will lead to premature wear.

 
#11 · (Edited)
I inspected all the gears and shafts, and they seem to have worn evenly, no chipped teeth or scratches. Before I took it apart, I checked the gears for backlash, and could feel none. I should have used a dial indicator, but I forgot.

This is the only visible wear that I could find, the dogs in the countershaft 1st gear have been beat up. The mating gear dogs look fine.





The main shaft looks suspect, with this ding where the clutch hub mounts. The bearing surfaces look frosty, but I measured them anyway.



The shop manual doesn't give wear limits for the shaft bearing surfaces, so are these OK?

M/S inner primary bearing diameter .9826 - .9827"
M/S main drive gear bearing diameter 1.0003 - 1.0004"
C/S end bearing diameter .9837 - .9838"

Any comments on the condition of the shafts? Do they need replacement? I'm thinking I need a new main shaft.
 
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#12 ·
I would polish it some with scotch brite and see if the surface looks uniform afterwards. If there is much damage or wear it won't clean up easily. It's not always easy to see the depth of imperfecions based on images. By the way,thanks for the write up.
 
#13 ·
joe shovel FXR,
You should put your mainshaft and countershaft up in "centers" and check for "runout" somewhere in the center of the shaft.......I don't have the Shop-Manual here but it should list the limits of "runout" in the "Transmission-Section".

On your 5th-Gear-Mainshaft (the one in the case that the chain-sprocket attaches to)......you may want to rethink its ability to not leak oil/trans-fluid. In its current condition (caused by the loose sprocket hammering back-and-forth during gear-changes) will continue in the future.....even with new seals.
If you are bucks-down......take your time and apply a slight amount of silicone-seal to the splines before and after mounting the sprocket......then lock it down torqued to factory specs. Later the sprocket will still start to rock due to the pockets worn on the gear (in your photo)......and then very slight amount of trans-fluid will leak out and start to "wet" the sprocket.
 
#14 ·
I ordered a new Andrews 5th gear, so that's handled. As far as shift forks, I found a set of take-outs that are listed as part numbers 34191-79E, 34193-79E and 34195-79E for 90-98 FXR, 90-05 Dyna and Touring. My parts book lists the same part numbers but with B suffix. Usually that's just an improvement but not a change of fit or function. They are steel, not bronze like mine. Does anyone know what may be happening here? They look to be in good shape.
 
#15 ·
I fitted the clutch hub on the main shaft and it was loose. Further examination shows the taper is worn, so I ordered a NOS HD main shaft.

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The clutch release shaft is worn, and so is the finger. I found OEM ones on ebay, but the shaft doesn't have the grooves. Is that going to be OK? The length is the same.

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Unfortunately the case is also worn, you can see high spots where the grooves didn't wear the case. I suppose a sleeve is the only way to repair it. Live with it? Does anyone have a good replacement for me?

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#17 ·
I'll know better when I get the new main shaft, but the hub will get a thorough lookover.

I also solved the mystery of the clutch shaft. In 1984 Harley redesigned the part to add a sleeve and oil seal to the case. They must have recognized the weakness of the first design. I have a -84 case coming, and will get the newer style shaft and finger.
 
#18 · (Edited)
I made a little progress the other day, removed the bearings, chased all the threads, and cleaned up the gasket surfaces on the case and trap door. The bearings are held in by circlips but still needed to be pressed out. I finally bought a harbor freight hydraulic press, so I don’t have to work with sockets and threaded rod or my vice any more.



The main gear bearing clip has a taper that goes outwards.



All the bearings had this black residue, they must have used some kind of retaining fluid.



I will clean the case and covers with lacquer thinner and then spray clear to preserve them. Then it's time to start reassembly with all the new parts I got!

 
#21 ·
The only bad gear is the C/S 1st that I showed. The others look good.
 
#20 ·
Today I polished the top cover and the new clutch cover. The top cover was pretty bad, so I thought I'd need to sand it with ever finer paper, then polish. But I tried just using red rouge and a wheel, and it came out pretty good!



Two hours later, using Mothers and a rag in the tight areas, I'd say they look great. I'll clean them with lacquer thinner and clear paint, too.

 
#22 ·
Here's my turning point - cleaned up the case and all the covers, and brought them in to warm up with the can of clear paint. Tomorrow it will be near 60 degrees, so perfect day to spray. After that it's time to reassemble!

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You can see the anti-theft number by the trap door. Does anyone know how to decode it? Or is it just a date code?
 
#24 ·
It's been a busy week, but I did accomplish a little the last few days.

Sprayed with NAPA Tec Clear - something I've used over the years that is very tough.



I bought an 84-up clutch cover, that has a steel bushing for the release lever. I also got a new shaft and finger, but the finger is not as advertised. I had to order the right one, but that won't hold me up. Need to get a refund from the eBay seller.



The new Andrews 5th gear is covered in preservative, and the bearings were stuck together. I got one loose with carb cleaner, but the other needed to be soaked in ATF/Mineral Spirits. IT rolls pretty well, but not perfect. I have it soaking in oil now.



This is my other secret formula assembly lube. Since this transmission will probably sit a very long time while I finish the bike, I use a mixture of gear oil and oil stabilizer on all sliding and rolling surfaces. It will cling forever and dissolve when the trans lubricates itself when I start the motor.

 
#25 ·
First thing that goes into the case is the main drive gear bearing and the countershaft bearing. I put the bearings in the freezer overnight and then heated the case in the oven at 250 degrees. The main bearing went in by hand, the countershaft needed to be pressed. I did the same with the trap door bearings, they were an easy press too.



The clips for the trap door were easy to install. The flat side goes towards the bearing, the curved side out. The giant circlip for the main drive bearing was too big for my pliers. I was able to remove it with them. I have a buddy who says he has the right tool, so I'll set this aside until tomorrow.

Next was the shifter pawl. I disassembled it to replace the springs and give it a good cleanup.



The pin for the little spring is a press fit. They say to replace it but there wasn't one in the Jims kit. So I re-used it with some loctite 680 retaining compound. The gap is specified as .250", so that's what I did.



I put some scotch tape over the splines and installed the seal. I messed it up so time to quit for the day. NAPA should have a replacement for me.



I'm still trying to find a good used countershaft 1st gear, so tomorrow I may just finish the main shaft and whatever else I can do without it.
 
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#26 ·
I'm enjoying making progress, even if it is very slow, waiting on parts.

Since last time, I borrowed a friend's super duty circlip pliers and installed the fifth gear bearing clip:



Bought another shifter shaft seal (with a metal shell) and installed the rest of the parts. I wasn't sure if the arm should be straight up or angled, but I have a ton of pictures from disassembly so that's done:



I got in the habit of putting parts in the freezer before pressing them in. I used the long socket for the sprocket nut to press fifth gear into the case.



Main and Counter Shafts look a little frosty, and went in straight.



Then it was only a matter of installing a few gears with new bearings, spacers and clips. Fourth goes first, first goes second. This is as far as I could go until the new countershaft first gear arrives. Lots of assembly lube will keep the gears rolling.

 
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#28 ·
Yes, there are thick plates that support around the bearing load areas but let the shafts pass thru.
 
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