H/wt swing arm pivot.

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crawsue
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H/wt swing arm pivot.

Post by crawsue »

While I sit here waiting on my Xmas Jampot,(which ,coincidently has been delivered to California before getting to Glasgow !! )I have been trying to work out why the swinging arm pivot has a strange oiling system (which is inaccessible on the left side--blocked by the primary chaincase)and not a couple of grease nipples.It would appear to my non-mechanical eye to be one of the main areas of wear along with the headstock bearings which do have greasenipples.Any clues,or is this just another way for me to expose my ignorance in matters mechanical
Hard work never killed anyone.....but why take the risk?
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PGGuse
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H/wt swing arm pivot.

Post by PGGuse »

Being not the inventor of the optimized lubrication system I copied it, and it works perfectly:
1st - the swinging arm pivot must be lubricated with oil, not with grease.
2nd - install a provision in the RH cover, for example with a short pipe to be temporarily connected with a plastic hose.
3rd - Position the bike inclined to the left as much as possible,
4th- fill a certain volume (approx. 100 ccm) thru the filling provision and give enough time, over night or so.
Provided the felt rings are still where they should be they will soon be oil saturated, and the bushings as well. Twice a year will keep this area sufficiently lubricated.
My solution may be viewed under: "Parts pictures > post war singles"
Cheers, Paul in FrankfurtEdited by - PGGuse on 09 Dec 2007 2:47:23 PM
Eric
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H/wt swing arm pivot.

Post by Eric »

The main trick is that the bushes are or should be of the of the sintered type, these allow oil to permeate through them. Thus any oil introduced through the oiling screw hole on the kickstart side will fall into the bottom of the tube that forms the swing arm shaft and distribute itself to the bushes at either end and then through them. This should mean they end up being one of the better lubricated parts of the bike.
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crawsue
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H/wt swing arm pivot.

Post by crawsue »

Thanks for the info,Paul,I had a look in the picture section but don't see anything relevant to your oiling modification,perhaps I am looking in the wrong place?......Eric,your explanation makes lots of sense and I will put my G80 on the side stand and slope to lubricate in future.But it doesn't answer my main queery,why not grease and nipples as in track-rod ends and suspension parts in cars of the same vintage( and much later)?
Hard work never killed anyone.....but why take the risk?
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PGGuse
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H/wt swing arm pivot.

Post by PGGuse »

Quote:.....don't see anything relevant to your oiling modification,perhaps I am looking in the wrong place?

After uploading of photos the system needs some time before can be viewed...
Paul
Don Madden
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H/wt swing arm pivot.

Post by Don Madden »

Probably the large volumn inside the pin would take a large amount of grease. I use the semi-fluid grease as used in the early Burman gearboxes, which also have felt seals.

Cheers, Don.
Eric
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H/wt swing arm pivot.

Post by Eric »

The oil will distribute to both bushes best when its horizontal and a good old fashioned pump oil can be used to squirt it in quite easily. I guess its oil because thats what the person who designed it decided to use. The load it not high and there is quite a lot of bearing area, bikes that have been lubricated correctly throughout life are still in use today with original bushes. Grease would not work in the same way as oil in a sintered bearing and quickly get squeezed out leaving things a bit dry in a plain bearing. Remember a few cars of the same vintage required greasing every 1,000 miles and most of them at 3,000 miles and it was still possible to get seized king pins. Sintered bearings will leech oil out for months or years on end after all traces of oil have disappeared from within the pivot tube. The headstock bearings may have grease nipples but unless my memory fails me as it may well do, any grease you may put in them will just add to that already stored within the frame nothing is pumped into the bearings themselves.
lawrence
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H/wt swing arm pivot.

Post by lawrence »

Stop press: Latest AMC update!
Improve the whole lubrication on the swinging arm and PREVENT THOSE OILY POOLS ON THE FLOOR (well some!) by taking off the screw that you normally remove to squirt oil in and replacing it with a standard grease nipple. It is the same thread and just screws on perfectly. Then mix some grease with engine oil until it is loose but just firm enough still to be fired from a grease gun, sort of like stiff treacle or golden syrup. Do not put this mixture on toast, it does not taste as good as treacle. Similarly do not be tempted to inject the swinging arm with treacle, it doesn’t work (well I don’t think so, I haven’t actually tried it . Inject this into the swing arm until it oozes out both sides. Repeat every thousand miles, again until it starts to ooze out. This is recommended by Jampot Spares, mind you they have a vested interest as they sell the nipples at about 80p each whereas the screw is only approx 40p.
Edited by - lawrence on 10 Dec 2007 7:17:59 PM
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crawsue
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H/wt swing arm pivot.

Post by crawsue »

Now we're getting somewhere,but why has it taken 55 years for someone to come up with it? Apologies to Mr. D Maddon.
Hard work never killed anyone.....but why take the risk?
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Biscuit
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H/wt swing arm pivot.

Post by Biscuit »

I thought everyone knew the grease nipple dodge,

Beware with the size though before you lash out the 80p, you need 1/4"x26, some are 2BA.



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