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View Full Version : Need Help with 1985 big red 250es rear end (differential)!!!



Bigbadred
08-09-2013, 07:09 PM
Hey everyone, I'm new to working on big reds (as I just purchased my first one) and it appears there is so serious grinding n such going on in my differential. I drained the diff oil and sure enough it was pouring out metal shavings. I even put the trike in neutral and felt the diff gear as a rolled it backwards and it felt chipped.

Now I started the surgery and can't seem to remove the axle from the diff. I've taken apart the casing and I cannot slide the axle through. May sound dumb but like I said in a newb to repairing trikes and I would really appreciate some help. Thanks and hope to get some insight!

:TrikesOwn

Larry T Moore
08-09-2013, 08:28 PM
get ahold of FlyingW..he got that stuff in his head like a library..set ya right up

Flyingw
08-09-2013, 08:35 PM
You have to get the left hub off. Unbolt the left axle tube and remove it. The axle is retained in the left and right axle tubes with a collar on each end of the axle. Remove the brake panel on the right. Its retained by four nuts. Now the axle should slide out the right side. If metal shavings are coming out of the diff drain, chances are the pinion gear needle bearing failed causing the pinion gear to wobble on the ring gear. The bottom line is.....the diff is toast. Look in the fill hole at the ring gear teeth. They should be smooth with square teeth edges. Bet they are chewed up. Scope it out and report back.

Bigbadred
08-10-2013, 10:26 AM
Hey thanks for the reply! So your saying the axle slides out the right side? Like toward the rear brake? I've always been trying to slide it through the left side

GunsShooting
08-10-2013, 02:14 PM
Hey thanks for the reply! So your saying the axle slides out the right side? Like toward the rear brake? I've always been trying to slide it through the left side

That's the norm. Check out this page which has instructions that are generic but apparently sorta-kinda universal.

http://www.bluetraxx.com/tech/axle_bearing_pg2.htm

ericmreimer
08-10-2013, 11:28 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSEvHQIPhcg

this is a 4 part, check it out. This really is pretty much exactly how it's done.

Bigbadred
08-12-2013, 12:29 PM
Hey guys thanks so much! Helped a lot. Finally got to the bottom of the issue, now just need to find the part and slap it in. Looks like I need some kind of special tool tho

Flyingw
08-12-2013, 03:15 PM
Which part?

Bigbadred
08-13-2013, 12:30 PM
I need both gears. The small one is like chewed right up and the big gear has some chips n stuff so I'll get both. But I need some kind of tool to get the small gear off :wondering

Flyingw
08-13-2013, 01:58 PM
Here's your problem. The ring gear (big one) and the pinion gear (small one) are match ground when they are made so they were sold as gear sets but they are no longer available. Yes a few very special tools are required to get the pinion gear out. Very difficult without at least two very special tools and some other commercially available tools such as a blind hole bearing tool. I will assume the needle bearing at the end of the pinion shaft failed causing the pinion shaft to wobble around in there tearing up the ring gear. Basically the rear diff is toast. I have a freshly rebuilt and repainted ES diff sitting on my shelf ready to go. For Canadian trikers the cost is 340.00 USD shipped. You can buy one off Ebay for about 250-300 but it too will need to be rebuilt and you will spend a couple hundred dollars gathering up the tools you need to rebuild one with the exception of the diff holding tool which is no longer available. When you do the math, buying mine is far more cost effective than trying to do it yourself but the choice is yours. Without a functional diff, you have a really heavy paper weight. I only have one of these so if you want it, you might want to jump on it while I have it. Let me know.

Bigbadred
08-14-2013, 09:31 AM
Do you have any pics possibly? I'm interested

Flyingw
08-14-2013, 11:35 AM
Yes, I'll post em when I get off work.

kb0nly
08-14-2013, 12:02 PM
Flyingw is the man when it comes to those dang diffs!!

Bummer that its bad, but once its replaced if you maintain it you should get another 30 years out of it... LOL

Oh and post up some pics of this trike your working on, we all like pics here!

Flyingw
08-14-2013, 09:25 PM
Here ya go. Completely rebuilt. I left the metal natural but put a clear powder coat over the cases to protect the metal.

Bigbadred
08-14-2013, 10:15 PM
Right on man, so would you have an idea on how much shipping would be?

Flyingw
08-14-2013, 10:32 PM
No. To find that out, I will need to go to the Post office with the diff in a box and have them tell me. I have tried the internet shipping estimator and found it to be grossly inaccurate. I'll go there tomorrow and do just that and get back to you tomorrow evening.

Flyingw
08-14-2013, 10:42 PM
I will predict about 40 bucks shipping. Is your propeller shaft out right now? While your diff is out, this would be a good time to clean up the end of the propeller shaft where it slips in to the diff. The outer surface is a sealing surface. The seal on the propeller shaft end is called a water seal. Its job in conjunction to the rubber boot is to keep water out. If the boot is damaged or the propeller shaft sealing surface is badly pitted will allow water to seep in to the diff. That's bad!!! If you boot is damaged it needs to be replaced. The ES boot is discontinued but the SX boot will work and it is still available for about 20 bucks. Basically the same boot but the molded angle is slightly different and in lieu of any other boot is better than a torn boot.

Flyingw
08-15-2013, 07:33 PM
Boy did I call that one. Since the diff is over 4lbs, it has to go Priority at 41.00. Sent regular in a plain brown box would be 58.00 so priority it is. Tell you what, my position at work has been eliminated so at the end of the month I am unemployed so I really need to sell some diffs. I have the ES diff and an SX diff ready to go. I'll sell you the ES diff for 360.00USD shipped to Canada. How about it?

Anybody interested in an SX diff completely rebuilt and powder coated. If so, hit me up. I have one each in tubs waiting to be rebuilt. Beyond that I'm out of diffs and out of carbs with the exception of 1 350X carb ready to go. I have a couple other 350X carbs waiting to be rebuilt and an 85 TRX250 carb (QA04A) waiting as well if anybody is interested.

What really sucks about losing my job is I will be losing access to the bead blaster. I will eventually buy my own but until I find another job, I go without my beloved bead blaster. I use the crap out of that thing. I've been buying all the glass bead and other supplies to do what I have to do with it. It's really hard to do a frame off rebuild without it. I'm just whining at this point......... In case you're wondering, I have an Econoline pressure fed cabinet at work. It makes easy work out of it and there is no comparison between a syphon fed vs. a pressure fed. It friggin rocks. That's why I'm bummed.