Final Drive Breather Remove/Install

[BudRinPa]

I need to remove and replace my final drive breather. I have the new one on hand and it seems to be press fit, not threaded. Before I remove the existing one I was wondering if someone has replaced one before and let me know what to expect. I asked my local Yamaha dealer and got an answer of "bring it on in and we will take a look at it." Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[WJBertrand]

I believe it’s pressed in. Why does it need to be replaced?


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[BudRinPa]

Because my stupid ass, when I first bought the bike 2 years ago took a pair of pliers to it thinking it was a fill port! Just the top twisted off and have had no issues with it but I am leaving on a cross country trip soon and want to make sure everything is up to snuff. My question it how do I "press" it in. Don't want to tap it with rubber mallet and I have experimented with vice grips gently to remove the existing one and it does not budge. Maybe some type of adhesive?

 

[BudRinPa]

Because my stupid ass, when I first bought the bike 2 years ago took a pair of pliers to it thinking it was a fill port! Just the top twisted off and have had no issues with it but I am leaving on a cross country trip soon and want to make sure everything is up to snuff. My question it how do I "press" it in. Don't want to tap it with rubber mallet and I have experimented with vice grips gently to remove the existing one and it does not budge. Maybe some type of adhesive?

Guess I need to break down and purchase a service manual soon.

 

[Cycledude]

Probably have to cut a groove in it so you can collapse it enough to remove it

 

[StefanOnHisS10]

Probably have to cut a groove in it so you can collapse it enough to remove it

oof.. and with that one gets al the small iron partical’s (from the grinding) in the gearhousing. That would be my last way of working.

 

[Checkswrecks]

See Eric's post #2

How to check / R&R final drive breather?

My final drive is weeping diff oil from the axle / cush drive and also misting oil around the gasket that holds the two halves of the drive housing together. If it was just weeping from the cush drive area, I'd assume that it's a simple oil seal replacement - the bike's a 2013 with 45K miles on...

www.yamahasupertenere.com

 

[EricV]

Typically this is press fit installed with a fixture at the factory. It would be a good idea to freeze the new part prior to installing it to aid in the installation.

Some dry ice around the one in the final drive might help to get it out. Take a paper or plastic cup and cut a hole the size of the breather in the bottom, tape over the hole in the top of the breather, (since you presumably broke the whole top off before), so nothing gets in the diff, place the cup over the existing breather and fill the cup with dry ice. Wait a good 20-30 minutes, adding more dry ice as needed, then go after it with the vice grips after some taps with a hammer from different angles. Hopefully it will pop out w/o too much fuss.

At the same time you're cooling down the old one, use some dry ice to freeze the new one too. It will shrink it slightly, making it easier to install and when it warms up it should be a tight fit. You may still need to use a hammer to seat it in the final drive, but be gentle to avoid breaking the new part. I would also heat up that area of the final drive with a propane torch or heat gun before installing the new frozen part.

 

[WJBertrand]

I wonder if an EZ-out could be wedged into the broken bit to pull it out? Maybe apply a little heat to the aluminum housing?


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[EricV]

I wonder if an EZ-out could be wedged into the broken bit to pull it out? Maybe apply a little heat to the aluminum housing?

Perhaps, but it's not threaded, so twisting alone may not do much. Honestly, looking at the picture I posted in the other thread linked to by CW, the wall thickness isn't that thick. I would be tempted to just use a punch and hammer a divot in the side of the breather down low to move it away from the final drive and it will probably come out easily. But that would be a risk too, and comfort levels vary. As a retired machinist my comfort level is different from others.

 

[BudRinPa]

Thanks everyone, all great suggestions. I am going with the heat/ freeze option and will report back to let you all know how it went. Kinda wonder why they did not engineer it threaded to begin with!

 

[EricV]

Good luck! Not threaded because it's not a normally replaced or a wear item. The quicker and easier it is for assembly, with the lowest chance of someone or a machine screwing it up, the better, in terms of manufacturing.

 

[WJBertrand]

Perhaps, but it's not threaded, so twisting alone may not do much.

Agreed, which is why I suggested pulling it. You'd need to use just enough twist to lodge the EZ-Out tightly into place. I can see where that could work against you as well if the wall was too thin, potentially making the fit to the final drive housing tighter.

 

[EricV]

Agreed, which is why I suggested pulling it. You'd need to use just enough twist to lodge the EZ-Out tightly into place. I can see where that could work against you as well if the wall was too thin, potentially making the fit to the final drive housing tighter.

Typically seating an ez-out means giving it a light whack with a mallet or hammer to get it to bite into the offending fastener. That said, the hole in the top after you break off the cap of the breather is not nearly as large as the sleeve, so you could potentially whack an ez-out in there or drill the hole a little larger. It's pressed in strait, so I have my doubts about twisting it and trying to lift at the same time. Crushing the wall so it is no longer in full contact with the hole may be the trick.

 

[baisleyde]

I did the same thing , pulled the "top" off it. It was a long time ago and everything is completely fine. I change that rear drive oil a lot more often that you really need to and there is never any evidence of contamination in the old oil.

 

[BudRinPa]

Same here decided to leave well enough alone!

 

[StefanOnHisS10]

You’re reported wanker

 

[BudRinPa]

Thanks for reporting the wanker. I decided to leave well enough alone on the breather issue figuring if I did attempt to replace it, right before a long trip was not the time.

 

[DamonS]

Loctite has a relatively new bonding glue for metal that we use in our shop now and again, that you could literally glue it back in place and it'll hold just like new.

we've used it in replacement of welding where we couldn't quite get a welder in there and it holds tremendously well.. I won't use it where safety matters (like i wouldn't use it to repair a frame rail), but for something like your application, its never coming off and nobody will notice

 

[BudRinPa]

Loctite has tons of products, could you let me know which product you are referring to? I just completed a 15,000 mile trip, changing the fluid 3 times and have found no evidence of contamination. That being said I would still like to replace it just so I don't have to worry about something happening in the future. Thank you!