[Mike337]

I noticed in one of Mitch's videos where he is pulling the cvt cover off, it gives him a hard time until it eventually bends the bearing retainers and comes off with the bearing still on the shaft. He says something like "Don't worry about them" This exact thing happened to me, so I'm wondering did he mean you don't need the retainers? I bent mine straight and re-used them because I obviously didn't have any new ones laying around, but they both have cracked a little in my straightening process. So can I just leave them out like Mitch's video hints? And should I emery and grease the shaft a little so the bearing pulls off easier next time?
Thanks.

 

[Elliott Larron]

Those Components gets Real HOT!! it wont make any difference you grease them or Not.

The Bore Size on the Port is the Problem Around the Bearing, Shave it down and it will Come off Easy, All So seem that way even after leaving it undisturbed for awhile and then trying to remove it it still gets stuck and hard to remove but have found it easier to Remove after i shaved the Inter Cover Bearing holder.

Elliott,

 

[Daboo]

I guess I've been lucky. On both 400s I've owned, the bearing stayed where it belonged. I think some owners have left the bearing on the shaft. I suppose technically, it doesn't matter because the portion that turns is actually between the inner and outer race. However, I'm partial to having things the way the engineers designed it. I think if it happened on my bike, I'd bet the bearing off, reseat it in the CVT cover and put the two retainers back on.

I always put bearing grease inside the CVT cover, on the inner portion of the bearing and a slight amount on the shaft. Too much in there, and you'll be spraying it all over.

Chris

 

[Elliott Larron]

I guess, that's why that little Hole is there!! for Squirting Oil for Lube of the Bearing, It must be important to have that Bearing on there, Never ran the Bike with out it, But i may need a New one there Since my Model is a 2007'

i think the 2 two retainers that Chris, Mention with out them would Spin the bearing around the inner Plastic and Rub & Friction and Melt the CVT Cover

 

[mikeyMarine]

if you are going to leave them in get new ones, think of those little pieces of square sharp metal falling off and getting in between the belt and clutch plates and cracked metal never un cracks, it just gets worse, especially in areas of heat and vibration I agree they should be in there and they do provide some sort of function but I seem to remember that the bearing is pressed in to the alumimimimimiminim cover from reading removal and installation instructions once looong ago and should be pretty tight , having it loose on both the cover and shaft ends I dunnoabout

 

[Mike337]

Good answers. #1, yes they're cracked and could crack all the way and get into something. #2, They probably do help it wedge down tight so the bearing doesn't spin in the aluminimnuminum cover, and #3, I'm sure they're fairly inexpensive.
Thanks.

 

[NORM7]

CVT Cover and V-Belt drive replacment

Hi ,
The cover is easily removed without the bearing. A you-tube video showed use of an 8mm screw into the lowest hole of the cover when screwed in will release the cover cleanly with no effort..... after all the cover screws are removed. It worked for me!
My 2008 AN400-K8 has been causing me continuous maintenance problems starting the very first year when the Fi light-STVA problem surfaced and spark plug disconnection repeatedly occurred. A touch of grease solved the first and jamming with a twist secures the plug temporarily. Yearly replacement of at least one tire at 12,000 miles, charging system failure requiring a new rectifier/voltage regulator and generator stator, all involving 5 failures on the road with exorbitant towing fees and a lot of do-it- yourself time. Now, I'm struggling with drive belt replacement, which snapped while on the road also.Much of the broken belt fibres are jammed in the cvt, requiring extra disassembly to remove.
My current problem is in removing drive-pully and clutch cover shaft nuts.So far, I haven't been successful in holding the pulley and cover securely enough to remove the nuts......Any good suggestions???????

 

[symtastic]

air or electric impact works real well

 

[ChipDoc]

Sears Craftsman sells a 1/2" electric impact that works really well.

 

[Quantum Mechanic]

In the maintenance section on this site there is a video/diagram of how to make a clutch bell holding tool (sorry no link). It's easy to make from some 5 or 6mm strip steel and does not need to be welded. Cost to make one is almost nothing and you just need a drill and some high tensile bolts.

The cvt cover and bearing has never been a problem on my 400 or any other one I have stripped. Always the cover has come off fine using two 8mm bolts, and even without the bolts sometimes. The important thing is to use (as Daboo says) some bearing grease. I use Lithium wheel bearing grease. It rarely goes hard and you only need just a smear on the clutch shaft bearing and the inner bearing sleeve in the cvt housing. It won't stick if you do that. Use the wrong grease and it will, or leave it way too long for a clutch service, and it will be harder to get off. On no account shave the cvt cover bearing housing, or the inner bearing sleeve to make it easier to get the cvt cover off the shaft. It's a fine tolerance for a very good reason and you'll just end up loading the internal transmission shaft bearings more, causing bigger problems down the road.

 

[Bolzen]

If the cover is really stuck you can use a plate with 2 8mm bolts through the holes aligned with ones on the cover. As you can see there's a central smaller hole on the cover between 'em. Use some metal rod just thin enough to go through that hole. Insert the rod into it so that it sets against the butt-end of the shaft, and screw the plate evenly to cover. It should come off easily.

 

[InfernoST]

 

[Quantum Mechanic]

But Bolzen, why would you use a rod? The two 8mm bolts will do a far better job on there own, which is why they are there and they work. You will have two 8mm bolts pulling the cover symmetrically off the shaft and dowels without undue stress, or any undue, uneven pressure as long as you just turn them half turn each at a time. From the engineering point of view, I cannot see any reason to fiddle with a rod.

 

[Bolzen]

But Bolzen, why would you use a rod?

For one thing fortunately i've never had to use these bolts, and for the other i wouldn't exactly call this "a far better job":

 

[Quantum Mechanic]

If you haven't used them I understand why you might think a rod would be better. It isn't, I assure you. I think Mitch only had a problem because the bolts were on the short side and he was having to revert to pulling on the bolts, something you don't need to do if you have the right length bolts, or some spare long ones. I've done loads without ever having a problem, even the stiff to remove ones using bolts.

 

[Desert Rat]

Long bolts like these is the correct way and will make getting the cover off easy. If the bearing sticks to the shaft don't worry just leave it there. I pulled my cover off I would say 7 or 8 times in the 46k+ miles I had it. Bearing was stuck the second time I pulled it & left it with no problems.
Mitch has good videos but he missed with this one posted by Bolzen.

 

[Mike337]

^^^ The problem being, if the bearing sticks on the shaft, that means the bearing hold down clips gave out, so with them all bent outward, how can you just put the case cover back on without removing the screws and hold down clips?
I removed my bearing from the shaft, removed the screws and hold down clips, pressed the bearing back into the cover, replaced the screws and hold down clips, then I put the cover back on.

 

[InfernoST]

^^^ The problem being, if the bearing sticks on the shaft, that means the bearing hold down clips gave out, so with them all bent outward, how can you just put the case cover back on without removing the screws and hold down clips?
I removed my bearing from the shaft, removed the screws and hold down clips, pressed the bearing back into the cover, replaced the screws and hold down clips, then I put the cover back on.

My bearing came out of the housing as you described the very first time I removed the housing, I bent the clips back in a vice, sanded the nub on the clutch bell the seats inside the bearing, replaced the O-ring then greased up the inner race of the bearing and re-assembled. The bearing didn't get stuck onto the clutch bell after that and I had that housing off several dozen times thereafter. Note: I applied fresh grease to the inside race of the bearing prior to re-installing it each time.

 

[Quantum Mechanic]

As inferno says, you can leave off the bearing retaining tabs if you have to. I prefer to replace them as that is best practice, but if they are not availabe quickly then it's ok. It makes no difference in reality. Just means the bearing will most likely come out the cvt case each time it's removed. On customers bikes when this problem has been apparent I tend to use a little bearing lock fluid to make sure it stays put. Also a little dot punch does the trick inside the cvt bearing housing to make the bearing fit a little more firmly. It seems to work. You don't want that bearing to start turning in it's housing. If anyone does the same as inferno, remember to do the same as him and re-grease the bearing each time you have the cover off. It may be exposed to more dirt if the bearing is coming out the cvt case.

 

[mike1nw]

Yes- use two 8mm bolts to pull the cover.
No- do not try to pry it off.
No- you don't need the bearing retainers (tabs).
Yes- put a little grease in the cover so the bearing will slip back in easier.

I made a clutch/ Variator holder out of a scrap piece of plywood and 6 bolts. In lieu of an impact wrench to remove the nuts, it works splendidly. See an earlier thread of mine if you are interested. A simple project, others have made refinements to it. I used 1/2 inch plywood because I don't have metal working tools.

DO NOT use an impact wrench to install the 2 nuts. Use a torque wrench and a holder of some kind. Torques are available elsewhere on this site.

BTW, I have found that you don't have to remove ANY tupperware when R&R the drive belt etc. or removing the rear wheel. You can reach all fasteners without removing tupperware. A small mirror helps on the left side. Saves time for more riding