225dx swingarm rebuild?

[jpatterson]

Hello forum. I have a Yamaha 225dx that no longer has swingarm bearings in it. I started pulling of parts and was looking through the service manual and need some help. Do I really need to pull the rear axle out in order to R&R the swingarm as the manual indicates? I also think I have collars that are stuck on the swingarm bolts as one moves a turn or so and the other hardly at all. I'm really looking for advice from someone that has rebuilt this style of swingarm. What are my best options on how to get these bolts out and can the swingarm be rebuilt without removing additional components? If I sacrifice the original bolts somehow and simply order new ones will it be any easier? THANKS in advance for anyone that can take the time to detail out the steps!

[GunsShooting]

I just removed the swing arm from my '84 225DX yesterday... fortunately for me, I only have to change the boot and not the bearings. Waiting for the boot to arrive, hopefully it will show up tomorrow.

I removed the wheels & tires to lighten it up, but didn't remove anything else from the rear end. I did loosen the cable for the foot-operated brake, so I would have some slack because you need to move it rearward to get the drive shaft loose.

The rear fender was off, of course.

I removed the tail light, picked up the ass end of the machine, propped the grab bar on a sawhorse made of 2x4s, and lashed the tail light mount to the sawhorse so the machine couldn't slide forward off of the sawhorse. Then I went to work.

I put a concrete block under the axle portion of the swing arm so it could rest on that when I pulled the shock pin. Pulled cotter pin & round pin that secures the lower end of the shock to the swing arm, then wired the shock up out of the way.

Popped off the plastic plugs and removed the lock nuts using a 1 1/8" socket. That socket was almost too big for the job, but it worked without slipping. Took the nuts all the way off.

Then put a metric allen wrench (6mm I think??) in the bolts, slipped a pipe over the wrench, and bounced it to pop the bolts loose. The right one came loose pretty easily, but the left was tough. Gave it some WD-40 and bounced it some more and it came loose with a pop.

The rear axle makes the swing arm heavier and more awkward to handle, but I don't see why it would prevent you from dealing with the bearings at the other end of the arm.

My swing arm bolts have the threaded portion and then a non-threaded portion on the inside end... that part is smooth and of a smaller diameter than the threaded part. So if the threads are free, they should turn on out. Give it some penetrating oil or WD-40 between the frame and swing arm to help. But there's no telling what yours look like if the swing arm has been flopping around without bearings.

There was a washer between swing arm and frame on the right side, but not on the left.

[jpatterson]

Thank you very much for validating some of what I was thinking. I am concerned about getting the allen swingarm bolts out. I have the large locknuts off and one of the allen bolts moved a bit...but the other is frozen. They have apparently bounced around without bearings for some time now and the collar or inside race of the bearing might be basically rust-welded on the swingarm bolt. I don't want to break or strip the bolt and was actually wondering if a sawzall could fit in between the swingarm and frame to cut off the end of the bolt. Do you know if the bolts are short enough that maybe they could be threaded all the way through the frame if the collar is preventing it from backing out the correct way? I hesitate to take the chance of breaking the bolt or stripping the threads in the frame with too much force.

[GunsShooting]

I think the remains of the bearing may prevent the bolts from moving inward far enough to let them clear the frame. I just measured mine; they are 2 1/4" long and 1 3/8" of that is threaded.

If the swing arm will move around as I imagine it will (probably flops around on the bolts), then even if some part of the bearing is fused to the inner end of the bolt, the bolt should turn. It might help to use a bottle jack or something to hold up on the front end of the swing arm, to reduce binding between it and the bolts.

I think the worst case scenario would be you'd have to weld something to the bolt in order to back it out... like welding a bolt or nut to it so you can use a large socket and breaker bar for example. But of course worst case scenarios can usually get worse in surprising ways.

[jpatterson]

I just quickly checked and the bolt that is free (right side) backs out to the point that a collar or chunk of something is keeping it from backing all the way out with a lot of force. However, I can screw it in to the point of seeing a 1/4 inch of frame thread and believe I could continue screwing it in. I did not want to end up in a situation of it screwing into the swingarm enough to drop out of the threads in the frame but not enough to clear something keeping me from removing the swingarm. I decided to come inside and check the forum as well as possibly try to at least break free the stuck left side bolt before going any further. Is the swingarm hollow on the left side that if the bolt is going in without restriction (bearing gone) that it would just go all the way inside and simply rattle out when the swingarm is removed?

[jpatterson]

SUCCESS!! I was finally able to break free the left side bolt and what felt like the verge of something bad (broke a 6mm socket allen already and was using a 2ft cheater on a standard "L" shaped allen at this point) it finally started backing out! Luckily the right side bolt was free, but there was absolutely no backing it out without something breaking. I decided to take a chance and just kept screwing it in and it simply went into the swingarm and all is good! Removed the swingarm and inspected the bolt to discover the end of it was mushroomed to the point that the inside bearing race and collar would have never came off. Wanted to let the forum know the situation in case someone else has the same problem. If the mushroomed bolt would have been on the left "driveshaft" side I'm not sure what I would have been able to do.

And now....can anyone provide any tips on removing the outside bearing race still stuck inside of both ends of the swingarm? Can the race be carefully cut or similar?174107

[GunsShooting]

I don't know - I didn't remove the bearings from my swing arm. I think the main variable is what remains of the bearings and races... Because on one that's working properly, the bearing stops the bolt from going in as far as yours has gone (bolt presses a spacer against the bearing, which is thus pushed against a race - think of a wheel bearing on a vehicle front wheel or trailer axle), and if the right combination of parts remains inside the swing arm, you might find it unexpectedly hung up.

[GunsShooting]

You and I were replying at the same time. Congrats.

Try a search... Someone recently discussed this and a few methods of race removal were mentioned.

[jpatterson]

Apologize f I double post as I that I had already posted my question. Can you or someone on the forum validate if the bore of the swingarm is smooth on both sides without some type of a bearing stop or inner edge? I am trying to determine if the outside races are still in both sides of my swingarm or if they have completely been wore out are fallen out. I have about a 3/8" space from the outside edge to what looks like the lip of a left over race. I tried to get behind them with a small slide hammer on the inside edge but nothing budges. I would like to find out verification if anything but the race is still in the swingarm. I would also like any suggestion or tricks on how I might be able to remove them if they are the left overs races. I am unable to find any information on removing them on the forum. I did find some discussion elsewhere about running a bead of weld along the inside of the race that allows it to contract and slide out easy from the heat. Perhaps a machine shop can do this for me if they are the left over races. THANKS for any information.

[GunsShooting]

I think you are dealing with the races. Take a look at an exploded view and it should become clear. The races on mine were set into the swing arm about the distance you said.

Someone also suggested cutting the race with a small die grinder.