[SGT55]

Hello fellow troopers, So this is my first post. I have a K4 1000 and am swapping over to the highly touted 16:43 drive chain sprocket ratio. However, I am having trouble removing the nut that holds the front sprocket on. I have tried a breaker bar, impact wrench, liquid wrench and heating the nut with a propane torch, no luck, Grrr! Is there a retaining ring that is keeping this nut on? I can't find an assembly diagram for this? I have watched several different videos and none mention any special clip or ring?
So I am hoping to tap into the wealth of knowledge that haunts this site. I am attaching a photo of the nut to show what looks like some sort of retaining ring just inside the I.D. of the nut?
Any ideas on where to find an assy dwg for this? (I have a service manual but have not found this specific dwg).
Would I risk gearbox damage if I were to put the bike in gear to help stop the sprocket from turning while attempting to break the nut loose?
Thanks all✌
Getting the bike ready for a long trip 🤞

 

[oldjeep]

It's just a nylock nut. You hit it with an impact gun and it didn't come off? You could try heat, or find someone with a more powerful wrench.

 

[Fox]

When I do mine, I have to stand on the end of a pretty long breaker bar and gently bounce to get it to break loose. Don't put it in gear, brace a 2x4 between a rim 'spoke' and the top of the swingarm, be careful to not smoosh your brake line.

 

[Ianjohnson211]

What ^ he said. 2x4 between spoke and top of swing arm and a good breaker bar popped mine loose.

 

[Solarguy]

Yup, that is the answer ^^^

Stout 1/2" breaker bar (and maybe a piece of pipe) and a 2 x 4 to prevent the wheel from rotating.

 

[BUZZ13]

Yep it looks like many others have had the same problem. I actually googled the problem and found a vid that had me remove back wheel and replace tha axle and secure the chain to that. Used a legth of pipe over the breaker bar for leverage. Took more effort than I was expecting but it came off no problem. I reckon heat would destroy the output shaft seal. Good luck.

 

[BackPacker]

Concur. This is one of those jobs where you need a good plan and good quality tools that fit well and give you the leverage you need. Trying to do the job without a good plan and with the wrong tools for the job will really ruin your day - not to mention your body and/or the bike.

Also consider that you're going to be putting quite a bit of force on the bike, and the force vector is not going to be inside the base formed by the centerstand and rear wheel. This means there's a chance the bike tips over. You may want to have a helper standby to prevent that, or secure the bike properly.

 

[slovcan]

Concur. This is one of those jobs where you need a good plan and good quality tools that fit well and give you the leverage you need. Trying to do the job without a good plan and with the wrong tools for the job will really ruin your day - not to mention your body and/or the bike.

Also consider that you're going to be putting quite a bit of force on the bike, and the force vector is not going to be inside the base formed by the centerstand and rear wheel. This means there's a chance the bike tips over. You may want to have a helper standby to prevent that, or secure the bike properly.

Along the same vein, tie the centre stand to a crash bar or something else solid forward to prevent the stand from folding back up.

 

[SGT55]

Wow, this site is great. Thank you all for your input, all good stuff. I guess I could put the wheel back on with the old sprocket and try the 2x4, but chain rotation is not the issue. With the chain around the axle and secured with a screwdriver, it does not move. Where I am having an issue is when I torque the nut with my breaker bar, the chain stretches and rides up the teeth of the front sprocket, where it "jumps" the teeth resulting in a "one-tooth turn" of both the nut and sprocket without loosening the nut, while the chain doesn't advance. I will try fastening the chain to itself just behind the sprocket to see if I can keep it from "jumping" off while under load.
The impact wrench I am using is electric and may be too weak for this app.
Thank you all again. I did apply quite a bit of heat. Hope I didn't fry that shaft seal, thanks for the heads-up Buzz
Enjoy the ride

 

[BackPacker]

With the chain around the rear sprocket, there's not enough slack in the chain to jump a tooth on the front sprocket.

 

[Mr Big Head]

My Harbor freight Earthquake impact makes short work of that nut. Your electric is probably not up to the task.

 

[Mr Big Head]

Agree with Backpacker. Reinstall your rear wheel and tighten up your chain slack if needed. Your going to need the 2x4 through the wheel and a breaker bar unless you can get a better impact.

 

[SGT55]

Thanks again guys, I will do that as soon as I install my new rear sprocket carrier bearing.
I will also give a little more thought to pre-torque stabilizing
BTW, looks like my avatar should be with your screen name Mr. Big Head, lol

 

[Spec]

Righty tighty, lefty loosey....

😁

 

[hillsy]

My '14 1000 front sprocket nut came off with a battery impact gun - it took a bit though as it was held in there with red Loctite from the factory.

 

[Motopundit]

Air impact gun, gearbox in neutral, and have a friend pressing hard on the rear brake pedal. That is the quickest way without breaking anything. A small amount of heat may also help.

 

[PeteW]

Battery electric rattle gun. That's my go-to now. As above, it's still a struggle but more reliable than anything else I tried.

 

[hillsy]

Battery electric rattle gun. That's my go-to now. As above, it's still a struggle but more reliable than anything else I tried.

Yeah - I was kinda surprised how my battery rattle gun has more oomph than my air one. And of course - far more convenient to use away from the shed.

 

[Vic5491]

Hello fellow troopers, So this is my first post. I have a K4 1000 and am swapping over to the highly touted 16:43 drive chain sprocket ratio. However, I am having trouble removing the nut that holds the front sprocket on. I have tried a breaker bar, impact wrench, liquid wrench and heating the nut with a propane torch, no luck, Grrr! Is there a retaining ring that is keeping this nut on? I can't find an assembly diagram for this? I have watched several different videos and none mention any special clip or ring?
So I am hoping to tap into the wealth of knowledge that haunts this site. I am attaching a photo of the nut to show what looks like some sort of retaining ring just inside the I.D. of the nut?
Any ideas on where to find an assy dwg for this? (I have a service manual but have not found this specific dwg).
Would I risk gearbox damage if I were to put the bike in gear to help stop the sprocket from turning while attempting to break the nut loose?
Thanks all✌
Getting the bike ready for a long trip 🤞

Woah, stop and read what I have to say. You are potentially on the edge of ruining your bike. The Suzuki nut is concaved so that it only uses the outer half of the threads on the countershaft and the nut has a thin metal locking tab that seems to be "too well designed" as it locks the nut so well that when you have to put the force you are now needing, it can strip the threads off of the end of the countershaft. I know because this happened to me. I used the board through the wheel and a long breaker bar and could not break it loose so I hit it with a good impact wrench and was horrified to see all of the mangled threads when the nut came off.

Call your dealer and ask if they will take it off for you. Tell them you have tried with no success. Then if they screw it up, hopefully they will fix it for you. Maybe they know a trick we don't know.

I was able to salvage mine by getting a non-concaved grade 8 front axle nut that had the same threads as mine and put it on with a large thin washer that put pressure on the sprocket as the new flat faced nut was drawn tight. I also bought a proper die and very carefully recut the old threads so I could put the new nut on. I then put the nut on with 50 ft lbs of torque, ample blue loctite, dimpled the nut in the slot to further secure it and then cleaned it very well and marked everything with paint to be able to see if it ever moves. So far it has held tight for 1.5 years and about 10,000 miles. If I ever have to take it off again I will use lots of heat from a butane torch to soften the loctite and not over stress the threads. Even if the heat damages the seal behind the sprocket, I'd rather replace a seal than have to replace the whole motor.

If you are in a time bind, do not rush this. Ride it as it is on your trip and do it when you get home and have time to do it right. While I was able to salvage mine, there is no assurance that you will be able to salvage yours the same way.

Amazon.com: Alfa Tools MHD70775 20Mmx1-50 Rethreading Hex Die Carbon Steel : Industrial & Scientific

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Be absolutely sure you get this threaded on right at the start. Otherwise the buggered threads will be cut differently and will not match up with the good threads on the second half of the threaded shaft.

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/c/dorman-autograde/tire---wheel/wheel-end/hub-assemblies/spindle-and-axle-nuts/bed676caacb6/dorman-autograde-m20-1-50-thread-spindle-nut-kit/dag0/05112?q=spindle+and+axle+nuts&pos=8

I "THINK" this is the nut I used but did not record it so scrutinize this on your own before assuming this is the right nut.
As I recall I found the large washer I needed in the specialty section of Lowe's fasteners.

While your nut "MAY" come off with more force and not damage the threads, the risk is too great in my mind based on my experience to chance it. It you can't find a dealer who will remove it and assume liability for doing it. I would likely get after the nut with a small cutting wheel in a dremel and see if I could cut it 99% of the way through and then break it with the wedge end of a chisel of screwdriver. There is not enough room to get a nut breaker in there.

I hope this warning helps save someone the problems I faced with mine.

 

[Mr Big Head]

Woah, stop and read what I have to say. You are potentially on the edge of ruining your bike. The Suzuki nut is concaved so that it only uses the outer half of the threads on the countershaft and the nut has a thin metal locking tab that seems to be "too well designed" as it locks the nut so well that when you have to put the force you are now needing, it can strip the threads off of the end of the countershaft. I know because this happened to me. I used the board through the wheel and a long breaker bar and could not break it loose so I hit it with a good impact wrench and was horrified to see all of the mangled threads when the nut came off.

Call your dealer and ask if they will take it off for you. Tell them you have tried with no success. Then if they screw it up, hopefully they will fix it for you. Maybe they know a trick we don't know.

I was able to salvage mine by getting a non-concaved grade 8 front axle nut that had the same threads as mine and put it on with a large thin washer that put pressure on the sprocket as the new flat faced nut was drawn tight. I also bought a proper die and very carefully recut the old threads so I could put the new nut on. I then put the nut on with 50 ft lbs of torque, ample blue loctite, dimpled the nut in the slot to further secure it and then cleaned it very well and marked everything with paint to be able to see if it ever moves. So far it has held tight for 1.5 years and about 10,000 miles. If I ever have to take it off again I will use lots of heat from a butane torch to soften the loctite and not over stress the threads. Even if the heat damages the seal behind the sprocket, I'd rather replace a seal than have to replace the whole motor.

If you are in a time bind, do not rush this. Ride it as it is on your trip and do it when you get home and have time to do it right. While I was able to salvage mine, there is no assurance that you will be able to salvage yours the same way.

Amazon.com: Alfa Tools MHD70775 20Mmx1-50 Rethreading Hex Die Carbon Steel : Industrial & Scientific

Buy Alfa Tools MHD70775 20Mmx1-50 Rethreading Hex Die Carbon Steel: Hex Threading Dies - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

Be absolutely sure you get this threaded on right at the start. Otherwise the buggered threads will be cut differently and will not match up with the good threads on the second half of the threaded shaft.

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/c/dorman-autograde/tire---wheel/wheel-end/hub-assemblies/spindle-and-axle-nuts/bed676caacb6/dorman-autograde-m20-1-50-thread-spindle-nut-kit/dag0/05112?q=spindle+and+axle+nuts&pos=8

I "THINK" this is the nut I used but did not record it so scrutinize this on your own before assuming this is the right nut.
As I recall I found the large washer I needed in the specialty section of Lowe's fasteners.

While your nut "MAY" come off with more force and not damage the threads, the risk is too great in my mind based on my experience to chance it. It you can't find a dealer who will remove it and assume liability for doing it. I would likely get after the nut with a small cutting wheel in a dremel and see if I could cut it 99% of the way through and then break it with the wedge end of a chisel of screwdriver. There is not enough room to get a nut breaker in there.

I hope this warning helps save someone the problems I faced with mine.

Any experts please chime in on this!