yesterday i started on my project '87 LT250R. started taking it down to just frame to inspect parts and begin with the front suspension & hubs, and that's where the fun started...
i've taken hubs off of the spindles before, no big deal, right? no such luck this time, these were seized on .. i had to use a claw style puller to get them off. On one, the inner bearing stayed on the spindle along with the seal. the seal was easily cut off, but the bearing was alittle more stubborn... i tried removing it with the same claw type puller, but it just busted the bearing, leaving the inner race siezed to the spindle, and no way to grab it. i took a dremmel to the race & cut it deep enough to split it without hurting the spindle, and finally broke it loose & removed it. after they were off i started cleaning up the spindles with a wire brush on a drill, they cleaned up pretty well. the remaining bearings required some effort to remove from the hubs but not much more than normal. new bearings & seals installed and back on the spindles.

after that drill, i started inspecting suspension. when i bought it i knew it had some play in the front suspension, and lots of slop in the steering. i figured it needed one or two ball joints, a steering shaft and a steering shaft upper & lower bushing. when i got the steering shaft out, i realized there was no bushing. i found that one ball joint is missing a castle nut and one lower had way too much play. luckily i had a spare lower ball joint laying around from previous projects so i replaced the bad one. then i started to find out more....some idiot had removed/lost the lower shock bushing sleeve on both sides, and it appears the same for some of the A-arm bushings. i have yet to disassemble all of it.....

more fun to come....i didn't get into the swingarm pivot or linkage but took a look, and it appears i'll have to do that too. i'll talk about that on one of my next project updates...

i'm starting to think i should have parted it out when i got it... now it's looking more like a money pit.

 

Sorry dude. I've bought rebuilt quite a few quads, and so I factor in the cost new bearings all the way around, and then an extra $500 for motor parts (just in case) plus the obvious like plastics, etc. Next time, heat up your spindles. A friend of mine put his in an oven for 400 for 30 min. Popped out after a couple hits. With mine, I didn't want to mess up mom's oven, so I just put them in front of the fire place for a few hours while doing other stuff. After heating up to around 90-100 degrees, a few hits with the hammer and they popped out. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] You might want to consider that next time, so you don't blow your bearings. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-frown.gif[/img] Good luck with your project.

 

I had the same exact problem when I removed a hub on my 91' lt250r. the inner bearing and seal stayed on and it broke when I tried pulling it off. It wasn't fun. I just replaced both my lower ball joints that were very wore out (moved up and down almost 1/2 inch). I imagine that will make a differance in the handling. Now I just have to get rid of my stock shocks that have been toasted since I bought it. Good luck on the rest of your quad. Hope it isn't half the peice of sh*t mine was when I bought it. I just about have my motor back together now. I am just waiting for a couple of suzuki parts that are taking like 3 weeks. I have a couple of parts I would be willing to give to you cheap if you need them. A crank (needs new rod) and a stock carb w/ cable. c_klocker@hotmail.com if interested. I don't think my stearing stem has any bushings left on it either.

 

Wow, sorry to hear about the trouble there dual-sporter. Good luck on it and I hope all works out in the end there. These are the things I am concerned about since I am looking buying a used quad.

 

right on dual sport

mine is comin along too

What would you do? The little threaded flange that accepts the clutch cable adjuster (on the right side of the motor) is craccked off. It was being held in place with a couple of wires.

should I try and reuse my a-arms bearings, or would it be better to just buy new?

 

nacs racing carrys a clutch cable adjuster that just bolts on with 2 of the bolts for the clutch cover. Thats what I have. It works great.

chuck

 

thanx chuck
ill look into that

 

i have one of those clutch things on an engine, they work great... in fact, it may end up on this quad. you have to cut the rest of the cable mount off the clutch cover for it to fit. it saves you buying a clutch cover that may also eventually break.