Hey guys, I'm on what I thought was the tail end of a restoration on a '99 Foreman 450 S and could use some advice. I bought the machine a month ago with about 3500 miles on it.
I have gone through the entire thing and replaced essentially every bearing, seal, completely rebuilt front end and brakes, all new cables, painted the frame, rebuilt the 4-2-4 etc etc. Trying to do a nice job! It was a good base for the price but it was pretty used for the mileage, and while it ran great it had a lot of neglected maintenance to do. I intend to use it around my property and to plow my 500' driveway with it. I like two wheels for woods riding..
When I was going through the rear end I found that the swingarm was filled with oil. I ordered an output shaft seal and a lock nut tool to get the swingarm off. Waited a week and pulled the swingarm tonight, replaced the seal then realized something was off - the final shaft was clearly cocked in the seal. I looked at the swingarm and it became obvious that at some point the u-join broke and banged around in there. Someone went in and did the joint but either missed or ignored the fact that it bent the shaft. It has almost .050" of runout....
Anyways, I have a dilemma. After pouring this much time and money into it I want everything to be right. But I really, really don't want to have to split the cases.
- I put a tight fitting pipe over the end of the shaft and pulled on it pretty hard. I was only able to move it about .010". I've read guys on here say they bend them back into shape. Has anyone here actually done that and could weigh in? How far did you move it? How hard are you pulling on it? I'm using mild pull on a 24" pipe but worried about the force I'm putting into bearings and aluminum cases.
- If I replace it; I have the skills to do the job but worried about tools. Is this something I can do without some big assortment of Honda PN pullers? What's on the "while I'm in there" list - clutches? Rings? what bearings?
- Should I just run it? I really hate to, it's not how I do things.. but it's also a plow/yard machine and a 20yr old quad. Keep an eye on the oil, let it leak, and just try to forget about it?
Thanks!
I have gone through the entire thing and replaced essentially every bearing, seal, completely rebuilt front end and brakes, all new cables, painted the frame, rebuilt the 4-2-4 etc etc. Trying to do a nice job! It was a good base for the price but it was pretty used for the mileage, and while it ran great it had a lot of neglected maintenance to do. I intend to use it around my property and to plow my 500' driveway with it. I like two wheels for woods riding..
When I was going through the rear end I found that the swingarm was filled with oil. I ordered an output shaft seal and a lock nut tool to get the swingarm off. Waited a week and pulled the swingarm tonight, replaced the seal then realized something was off - the final shaft was clearly cocked in the seal. I looked at the swingarm and it became obvious that at some point the u-join broke and banged around in there. Someone went in and did the joint but either missed or ignored the fact that it bent the shaft. It has almost .050" of runout....
Anyways, I have a dilemma. After pouring this much time and money into it I want everything to be right. But I really, really don't want to have to split the cases.
- I put a tight fitting pipe over the end of the shaft and pulled on it pretty hard. I was only able to move it about .010". I've read guys on here say they bend them back into shape. Has anyone here actually done that and could weigh in? How far did you move it? How hard are you pulling on it? I'm using mild pull on a 24" pipe but worried about the force I'm putting into bearings and aluminum cases.
- If I replace it; I have the skills to do the job but worried about tools. Is this something I can do without some big assortment of Honda PN pullers? What's on the "while I'm in there" list - clutches? Rings? what bearings?
- Should I just run it? I really hate to, it's not how I do things.. but it's also a plow/yard machine and a 20yr old quad. Keep an eye on the oil, let it leak, and just try to forget about it?
Thanks!
