help on removing throwout_bearing fork

[andregrondin]

Hello !

I realy need to remove the thowout bearing fork (red arrow on pic) because tghe shaft is not moving freely enough for me , but is seems to be pretty
stuck in there , I removed the locking bolt I try to pull hard on the shaft
at the same time I ran some vibration (zip gun gently ) on the fork and nothing moves , after I tried with heating ( gently ) and nothing bulge , I did put some WD40 as loose nuts and nothing !! any trick of the trade would be welcome .

[gerald]

That would be the last thing I would take off. If it moves at all it should free up. I would drill very small hole above the shaft an spray pentrating oil . Somebody else may do something different.

[andregrondin]

That would be the last thing I would take off. If it moves at all it should free up. I would drill very small hole above the shaft an spray pentrating oil . Somebody else may do something different.

If you say it would be the last thing you would remove it says to me that is a heck of a job to put back in place properly without causing more bad than good ! am I right ? if so then I'l take your advice and just let it like that .

thank you

[LeonardL]

Okay,
First things first.... Are you wanting to remove the fork or are you just wanting to get this shaft freed up so it will pivot properly? These shafts and forks are not that tough... They are just nasty and stuck with rust and brake / clutch disc dust along with what ever else has gotten into the clutch housing.

If you are just wanting to free the shaft so it will pivot, you need to first, clean the housing up as good as you can. Stuff a rag or something in the axle splines and take a pressure washer or a good strong water hose and wash that thing out as good as you can. Get it clean! If you can, blow it out with compressed air.
Then remove the anchor bolt that holds the small lever at the top of the shaft. Then soak the bottom of the shaft with penetrating oil where it pivots in the housing and soak it at the top of the shaft where it pivots as well. Then using a good drift punch, place it on the top end of the shaft and try driving it down with a hammer to break it loose.
There is a chance you will drive it down far enough to knock a flat looking metal plug out of the bottom of the clutch housing. If you do, that's okay, it is a simple concaved freeze plug that is easily replaced.
Once you break the shaft loose, you should be able to start working it with the fork or put the anchor bolt back into the lever at the top of the shaft and hook your steering linkage to it. Then use the steering lever and work it until it frees up. Keep spraying the penetrating oil in as you do and it will free up.
This is going to take some time and patience. Patience being the key word here.
It takes lots of elbow grease! I've done at least one hundred of these and they all turned loose by doing this.
Personally, I take the shafts completely out and then clean and polish all the components and the bushings in the housing. Then coat all the pivot points with "Anti Seize". You'll be good to go! Good Luck!!

[andregrondin]

Hi !

thank you to both of you for the help !

1st I wanted to remove the fork and make a super dooper job of cleaning everything , then I might just want to free up the shaft so it moves more freely , I have a tendency to be way to picky on my job and want to make it the best as possible all the time , so that is why I wanted to remove and clean everything . Patience is not my best quality but I'm patient enought to wait and do a good job instead of turning the corner too much , I will sleep on this as of what to do with this issue .

I'll keep you guy's posted !!!!

[LeonardL]

I like anyone who is willing to do it right by taking things apart completely and cleaning things up.
This is the way I have repaired most of these pivot shafts and all of the linkage involved. I use "Anti Seize" on everything. That way even if it gets wet inside the housing, the Anti Seize will stay in place. It is also a rust inhibitor and will at least slow down the process of the rust issue. Just be careful to not get too much as you don't want it to get in the clutch packs.

You can remove the fork in the same method I described for freeing the shaft. Try to clean the shaft as much as possible with sand paper or a good wire brush on a drill. Take the anchor bolts completely out and you can spray penetrating oil in the holes to help lubricate the process.
Drive the shaft down and out of the housing is the way I've always done this. Some guys I know, pull the shaft out the top and that's okay if that is what you prefer.

These clutch housings are problematic at best. They get full of moisture and all sorts of nasty things to screw things up. But take the time to clean every thing and you won't be sorry you did. It makes the linkages work better and the adjustments so much easier to set when you do.

[Paul Buhler]

I use "Anti Seize" on everything.

Leonard: Do you use the gray Never-seize, or the more grease-like green Never-seize often used on disk brake parts? I've found that the gray stuff can dry out over time and get crusty whereas the green stuff doesn't. I would suspect that the tendency to be drier (gray stuff) is probably good around clutch discs and brake bands, but was wondering about your experiences and thoughts. Thanks. Paul

[LeonardL]

I've always used the "Grey Never Seize" The green would certainly work though. You are right on about the grey drying out but it has a lot of graphite in it so it usually continues to do its job. Even though it's dry.
If you use the green I would just be careful to not get it too heavy so it wouldn't get into the clutch or under the brake band.
The main issue is the rusting and any thing you can do to prevent or slow down that process is what you want to do.
I've never tried the green personally and that might be a good thing for me to try.

[Paul Buhler]

Hi Leonard:
Thanks for the response. The green stuff is designed for high heat and works well for the caliper slides, pad seats and under anti-rattle clips on disk brakes; it stays in place and maintains its anti-corrosion and lubricating characteristics for a long time. I didn't know that gray Neverseize had graphite in it - makes sense. I learn some thing new and useful here every day.

Thanks again. Paul