Seems to be a lot of wear on my crank gear

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biknut

Well-Known Member
Sep 28, 2010
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Is this normal? The crank gear looks like it has a lot of wear. When I first looked at it, it was pretty dry. It has about 250 miles on it.

Is this gear easy to replace? Are they even available to buy?



 

2door

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 15, 2008
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I photo shopped your top photo so I could lighten up the shadows and that looks more like damage than wear to me. Anything loose inside the cover that could have gotten between the gears? Also you need to lubricate the gears occasionally with a good grade of bearing grease but don't over do it. It only takes a small dap. Excessive lube will find its way into the clutch so go easy on the grease. I use a small paint brush and spread the grease over the gear teeth.
Tom
 

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biknut

Well-Known Member
Sep 28, 2010
6,631
409
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Dallas
I photo shopped your top photo so I could lighten up the shadows and that looks more like damage than wear to me. Anything loose inside the cover that could have gotten between the gears? Also you need to lubricate the gears occasionally with a good grade of bearing grease but don't over do it. It only takes a small dap. Excessive lube will find its way into the clutch so go easy on the grease. I use a small paint brush and spread the grease over the gear teeth.
Tom
Nothing seems loose except for a lot of gear lash, probably made worse from the wear.

Sounds like you're saying this is not really normal? I think it probably came from the factory with little or no grease. I only have about 250 miles on it. The reason I took it apart was to lube it, but didn't expect it would need it so soon.

Since new it's always had a lot of gear noise, but I don't know what normal since this is my first. It's so easy to get to I'll be keeping a closer eye on it from now on.

I feel like I should try to replace the gear if I can find one. I'm going to contact the place I bought it from (zoom) and see it they have any. Is it easy to replace?
 

biknut

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Sep 28, 2010
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Looks like I'm SOL. Zoom said they don't have any spares. i guess I'll have to buy a whole motor if it fails.
 

scotto-

Custom 4-Stroke Bike Builder
Jun 3, 2010
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Those are pretty easy to come by parts, and you are certainly capable of replacing them. Check Spooky Tooth, That's Dax, King's etc....I've seen these parts for sale and they're pretty cheap as I recall.
 

biknut

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Sep 28, 2010
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Those are pretty easy to come by parts, and you are certainly capable of replacing them. Check Spooky Tooth, That's Dax, King's etc....I've seen these parts for sale and they're pretty cheap as I recall.
Thanks I'll give it a try.
 

biknut

Well-Known Member
Sep 28, 2010
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Those are pretty easy to come by parts, and you are certainly capable of replacing them. Check Spooky Tooth, That's Dax, King's etc....I've seen these parts for sale and they're pretty cheap as I recall.
Thanks a lot scotto, looks like Spooky Tooth has what I need. I just ordered one from them.
 

furament

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May 31, 2009
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but also if it is lascing like that some times a bood sharp rap with a r.b.f.h. will let it take more of seat on the shaft .10 of an inch in or out does wonders take the big screw out first ;0
 

biknut

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but also if it is lascing like that some times a bood sharp rap with a r.b.f.h. will let it take more of seat on the shaft .10 of an inch in or out does wonders take the big screw out first ;0
The pinion gear looks like it's seated pretty far down on the shaft. You can kind of tell by looking at the wear on the teeth. I'll be careful when I install the new one.
 

biknut

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Sep 28, 2010
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I installed a new pinion gear today. Sure glad they included a puller with the kit. It didn't just want to jump out of there. It took a little work to pull it. I could hear a big reduction in gear whine.

My motor was very noisy out of the box new. I don't think they lubed it properly from the factory. It sounds a lot better now.
 

wayne z

Active Member
Dec 5, 2010
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I clean and re-lube my gears bout every 50 miles. That's how long it takes for me to notice more noise from the gears.
50 miles between greasins is the standard recomended by many.

Wayne Z
 

2door

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Sep 15, 2008
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50 is a little overkill. A couple of hundred will suffice. As I said earlier, too much grease and you'll be looking at a slipping clutch. It doesn't take much and not too often. Take the time to wipe the old grease out of the cover and generally clean things up a bit while the cover is off.
Tom
 

biknut

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Sep 28, 2010
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I agree 50 miles is a little overkill. It's been 100 miles since I checked and lubed it the first time, and it was still looking fine.
 

wayne z

Active Member
Dec 5, 2010
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Well Yea I could go longer I guess, but I like to tinker anyways.
But I DO hear an audible noise increase after 'bout 50 miles. More noise = more wear?
After I clean the gears and cover carefully with carb cleaner aerosol, I use about a pea sized amount of white grease applied evenly around the primary gear.

When I clean the secondary gear,I am careful about not washing the grease out of the loose ball bearings behind the clutch parts.I just bump the engine over a few revs at a time and wash the bottom section of the gear ,using gravity to pull the gunky stuff away onto old rags stuffed under the engine.

I've been experimenting lately with using some chainlube and less grease. Chainlube goes longer before noise increase but it gets around, if you use a lil too much you will have to pull the pads and clean everything good to stop slipping.
YMMV


Wayne Z
 

Goat Herder

Gutter Rider
Apr 28, 2008
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Honestly I might put about a table spoon worth on my gears once a blue moon and no more. Mostly because of neglect and I don't want to mess with it all the time.. I dab it in multiple places evenly as possible all over the gears. Just been plain old bearing grease that I used so far. Seams to me that Centrifugal force has never let the grease near the said clutch pads.

I never went crazier that that. I bet if some one went nuts tho?

I mean it obviously makes since not to go crazy with the stuff because there's no point in it. Just saying.

And actually my first motor I never had a prob and almost never lubed the gears. I neglected it. But when they are new and wear mating together I have had some that did howl a bit and the grease worked wonders.

One still needs to clean out the clutch debris tho as I see it the stuff might work its way into the crank seal over time. Wearing it out prematurely and causing a air leak. I have had one seal go out there.

Also the severe globing of grease is only going to allow the the debris accumulation at the crank seal I think.
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