Oiling Swinging Arm
- Thread starter Neil
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Geoff said:
Holden (Castrol): http://www.holden.co.uk/viewproducts.as ... 0&pageno=2
Millers:
http://www.millersoils.net/1_Millers_frame_CLASSIC.htm
http://www.frost.co.uk/item_Detail.asp? ... (1%20litre)
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Neil said:
I use 90W gear oil and put it through the nipple with a small grease gun I bought from Walridge Motors. Seems to work fine. You can also put a length of plastic tubing on a syringe and squirt it through the hole in the center of the swingarm cradle after removing the screw. Bit hard to get at though.
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mkjen said:
You must have the welch plugs without any grease nipple? You can always drill and tap one of the welch plugs and install a nipple if you want. Otherwise, you have to get oil in through the spindle locking bolt with a syringe as I describe above. I am not sure what you mean by "I don't think there is room to get it back in". It is threaded so I don't see why it can't be removed to add oil and reinstalled. Can you please elaborate?
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mkjen said:
Yeah, getting at that spindle bolt with the wheel on is a tight squeeze alright! I want to try getting mine off today and then squirting oil in through the nipple. With the spindle bolt removed, I should see oil starting to come out which will tell me that the assembly is full of oil. I'll let you know if it's possible.
When I rebuilt my swingarm last year with the Heinz Kegler swingarm fix, I installed the older style caps with the long thin bolt that runs all the way through the spindle and tightens them up. One of these caps had a threaded hole for a nipple. When I originally got the bike it had the welch plugs with no nipple and I couldn't figure out how the hell I was going to get oil in it!! The article on the Old Britts site describes a good way to remove the welch plugs but I am not sure there is enough room to accomplish this on the bike. Getting at the swingarm at all while on the bike is difficult!
If I were you, I think I'd try drilling and tapping a small hole in your welch plug. Then you can fill the oil through the hole and seal it back up with a small bolt and gasket.
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Neil, sorry about delay in replying, have not been on forum for several days. The end cap is the round plate with the grease nipple in. If you undothe small hex bolt in the middle it will come off. The bolt is long & engages with the cap the other end of swing arm. Then with the bike leaned right over, just pour the oil in & replace cap. I am not sure about usng EP gear oils as they do attack some kinds of plain bearings, perhaps ther people know better than me about this, also an EP140 gear oil is not the same viscosity as a straight 140 oil, but a lot thinner
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Fixing leaks at the swinging arm
Can some of you guys who have worked on the swing arm of a Mk2 with the grease fitting on the RH side explain what is involved to stop a leak at this point? Specifically, can the o-rings (which I assume are the cause of the leak) be replaced with the arm basically in place? The factory manual is not clear on this, they address it in the context of removing the power unit and the swing arm.
If I get into this job just trying to fix the leak, is there more that I should do as part of the job while I am in there. The fresh lube part is understood.
Sorry for the hijack, but it seems related to the other questions.
Thanks.
Can some of you guys who have worked on the swing arm of a Mk2 with the grease fitting on the RH side explain what is involved to stop a leak at this point? Specifically, can the o-rings (which I assume are the cause of the leak) be replaced with the arm basically in place? The factory manual is not clear on this, they address it in the context of removing the power unit and the swing arm.
If I get into this job just trying to fix the leak, is there more that I should do as part of the job while I am in there. The fresh lube part is understood.
Sorry for the hijack, but it seems related to the other questions.
Thanks.
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Geoff said:
SAE 140/EP140/EP90 gear oils are all listed as the recommended oils for swinging arm bearing lubrication. If there had been any problems with the EP type attacking the Oilite bush material I think it would be known about by now, but I don't recall hearing anything about swinging arm bush erosion before? Perhaps others have? I think I remember reading somewhere that modern EP oils are formulated so that bearing erosion doesn't generally occur at normal (engine) running temperatures?
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Re: Fixing leaks at the swinging arm
What's leaking? Maybe some RTV needed around the nipple?
My MKII has the MKIIA style swingarm, which has Welch plugs pressed into the ends and no nipple. Oil is retained in felt plugs that fit into the spindle bore and wick to the bushings via felt discs. The only way to remove the plugs is to destroy one (right side) with a drill hole and pull the plug with a slide hammer. Many people install an oil nipple before reassembly, but it's not OEM on the MKII's I've seen.
The swingarm can be removed easily after pulling out the spindle. Wheel off, and shocks removed of course. There's a retaining bolt (1/4" fine thread) on top of the cradle tube that must come out first (rather inaccessible but doable).
The spindle is accessible from the right side after removing the end cap. Easier if the footrest and kick lever come off first. The spindle has 1/2-20 threaded holes in the ends, you screw a bolt in and yank. If the spindle isn't corroded it should slide right out.
Whatever is inside there (o-rings, felt plugs) depends on the build date on your bike. Mine was made 8/74
Michael A. said:
What's leaking? Maybe some RTV needed around the nipple?
My MKII has the MKIIA style swingarm, which has Welch plugs pressed into the ends and no nipple. Oil is retained in felt plugs that fit into the spindle bore and wick to the bushings via felt discs. The only way to remove the plugs is to destroy one (right side) with a drill hole and pull the plug with a slide hammer. Many people install an oil nipple before reassembly, but it's not OEM on the MKII's I've seen.
The swingarm can be removed easily after pulling out the spindle. Wheel off, and shocks removed of course. There's a retaining bolt (1/4" fine thread) on top of the cradle tube that must come out first (rather inaccessible but doable).
The spindle is accessible from the right side after removing the end cap. Easier if the footrest and kick lever come off first. The spindle has 1/2-20 threaded holes in the ends, you screw a bolt in and yank. If the spindle isn't corroded it should slide right out.
Whatever is inside there (o-rings, felt plugs) depends on the build date on your bike. Mine was made 8/74
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hewhoistoolazytologin said:
Wow!! Is that your oil filler for your swing arm? Great idea. I had heard about someone who fitted some sort of clear sight glass with plastic tubing leading into the spindle lock bolt hole so he could see the oil level. Looks like you have found an equally effective solution!
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Would be just perfect...if the o rings around the bushings didn't leak. Have had this setup since 1977 and the bushings are still tight, never had to replace the shaft, just drill it for the two bolts that hold it in the transmission cradle. Typical Norton upgrade. Just don't like the leak-through method of lubrication... :wink:
