In my defence (and it's a pretty shit defence), I
did actually grind a flat spot on the two bits of rod, where it was going on the bearing, and I also ground off a small amount around that, because of the problem about welding the coating. I ground off a
small amount.
I'm a bit of a shit welder, and to be honest one of my problems is laziness and half-arsed setting up (along with lack of skill due to lack of practise). Now, looking back on the thing, here's what I reckon I should have done.
1) Grind two flat spots
on the bearing, where the rods were to go.
2) Clean the grease from the bearing. I knew there was grease there, and it would cause trouble--why didn't I clean it?
3) Grind TWO flat spots on each of the threaded rods, one where it contacts the bearing, the other where the clamp will go. I had an incredible amount of trouble with the second rod getting the clamp to stay, due to the rounded surfaces.
4) Grind the coating all away all round where I was welding. I'm grinding the rod anyway, may as well do a proper job.
All this would take more time up front, but would have saved time later, and considering I took an hour and ultimately failed, it probably would have been time well-spent.
Now I want to try it again, just to show myself I can do it right. Anyone got a spare bearing out there?
Into the Gearbox...box...
box...box...
OK, here's the gearbox. It needs to first be removed.
![Image](https://image.ibb.co/h06Myk/The_Gearbox.jpg)
That little lever is a gear-change for the person riding in the sidecar; exactly why anyone thought it was a good idea to allow your passenger to change gears for you, I don't know. That black round thing above it is the air filter (no, not the black round thing on the right of picture, that's the coil. Jeeez...). I like the air filters these things use. They're a "Splash" filter, I'll take it off, and I'll take the lid off.
![Image](https://image.ibb.co/neRbW5/Air_filter.jpg)
Now, in the middle there, in the coppery ring and under that mesh grill, is coarse steel wool. You put ordinary engine oil in the outside well surrounding the grill, and while riding it splashes around and keeps the wool wet. The wet wool then catches any particles being drawn in with the air. What I particularly liked was the note in the manual for the dnepr (which uses the same filter) which said "used engine oil is suitable for this purpose".
![Laughing :lol:](./images/smilies/icon_lol.gif)
Can you imagine the manual for any modern bike saying "Ahh, just use your old crap. Whatever."
![Image](https://image.ibb.co/kPtC4Q/Air_intake_open.jpg)
And that's where the filter sat. You can see the pipe that takes the air to the carburettors. Also, on the pipe to the left just leaving the air filter, you can see a little black lever. That lever is the choke, sliding it up slides around a little bit of half-pipe to block that intake vent in the air pipe. It's pretty cool.
Anyway, removing the gearbox. Don't worry, I've remembered to empty the oil. Did it a couple of days ago.
There seem to be three nuts restraining it. Three? Is that all? Seems wrong. Anyway, removing those nuts, and the box is not willing to come off. I could swear there's something else holding it. The shaft at the back where the clutch goes? Might that be a solid shaft right from the engine through the gearbox? No, that's stupid on so many levels.
There's got to be something else holding it.
The design here, engine and gearbox, is interesting. The engine is kind of a backwards "L", where most of the engine is in front of the gearbox, but part of the oil pan and sump is actually partly
underneath it, without actually touching it.
Hang on, that's not right. I emptied the oil from the gearbox by undoing a sump-plug right down the bottom of the bike, but if the engine sump is underneath the gearbox, that would mean... Yep, I've emptied the oil from the engine, NOT the gearbox.
![Rolling Eyes :roll:](./images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif)
The gearbox sump plug is on the bottom of the gearbox, but not the bottom of the bike. So, I better empty it now.
![Image](https://image.ibb.co/j8GAr5/Is_that_oil.jpg)
Wow, is that oil? That's not a weird trick of the light, it's a light tan colour. And here's its consistency...
![Image](https://image.ibb.co/cs9Vr5/That_s_not_oil.jpg)
Kind of like a really soft whipped cream? Maybe some water's gotten into it, or something? I've seen oil like this before, it was in the dregs of some old drums I was scavenging. I'll be washing out this box with petrol. Which will fuck the seals, but I'll replace those anyway.
...time passes...
Oil's drained (sort of. Really wasn't draining fast), Now what the hell's holding this box in? Maybe there's a nut hiding inside? I'll just remove the gear-shift lever and cover...
![Image](https://image.ibb.co/niNiB5/Gear_handle_side.jpg)
No, nothing there. What you can see are the different gears that all click together to give your different gear changes, and that plate up front with the squiggle-paths cut into it is what moves the gears into their correct position.
There's the little bastard! There's a bolt on the
other side, hiding down low! While the nuts were back-facing, this bolt is front-facing, in a little hidey-hole.
![Image](https://image.ibb.co/mMz8dk/Found_you.jpg)
I think that's the right-side (viewed from the back) cylinder in the upper right of picture. For anyone reading this trying to pull off their own gearbox.
And here's the gearbox out.
![Image](https://image.ibb.co/eQ5QPQ/Gearbox_removed.jpg)
It really just pulls out as a modular unit. OK. As a
heavy modular unit. And isn't it marvellous when you pull something out, and a few random bits fall off before you can see precisely where they went and how they went there.
![Image](https://image.ibb.co/g6AEJk/Stray_bits.jpg)
Don't worry too much. They're from the clutch, and I've seen them before, the Dnepr's the same. I'll figure it out later.
Now, my aim here (and I've got to remind myself what it is I'm supposed to be doing) is to check the internals of the gearbox for problems--anything broken, out of place--something to explain why it jammed in reverse. The diff may be the reason, but I can't assume that. At the same time, may as well clean it out and replace seals and stuff.
Anyway, pulling mechanical things apart is fun! Even better if I can put them back together again and have them still work. That's the advanced stuff.
So I think I'll start by pullin off that large plate inside you can see in the picture above. Undoing the bolts holding it...Important detail, to remove one of the bolts, you first have to remove this little plate, or you don't have enough room even with a 1/4" drive. The offending bolt is the one with the socket on it.
![Image](https://image.ibb.co/jDuwW5/Remove_cover.jpg)
OK, all bolts removed, and it still doesn't want to come off. Why not? Well, I'm losing the light out here, and I found something on-line about disassembling the gearbox. If all else fails, read the instructions, I guess.
...Night passes...
Don't have much time left today, had to help mum with some gardening, but what it said on-line was to remove all the extraneous bits--all the levers and pedals sticking off, and then the plates they covered. I'll see about at least doing that.
![Image](https://image.ibb.co/mmBAr5/Kick_start_plate.jpg)
OK, that's the foot gear-shift plate coming off. You can't remove the gear-shift lever from the plate, and you don't have to. It comes off with the plate. That lever you can see next to it is apparently the reverse gear.
(It's actually past midnight writing this, trying to remember what I did today, or worse, yesterday, and on a couple of occasions I've had to go out the back in the dark with the kid's torch and remind myself. Like, I almost wrote that that was the plate covering the kick-start, until I realised that had to be wrong because the kick-start's jutting out the back and it had to be the gear-shift. Then I went out to check it. It's the gear-shift)
![Image](https://image.ibb.co/mUPkPQ/Bad_screw_heads.jpg)
OK, after removing the reverse gear lever, that's the covering plate, and what are those screw-heads? Look like they're kind of square socket or something...? Oh no, I know what that is, gouged-out phillip's heads. Fucking brilliant. I'll be replacing these bastards, assuming I can get them out.
![Image](https://image.ibb.co/ibbzjQ/Screwdriver_ratchet.jpg)
We have the weapons
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
. My 1/4" ratchet that my wife gave me comes with screwdriver heads, so I can push down heavily, and still turn with great force. I'll be replacing these with some nice internal hex screws. And probably the rest of the damn phillip's head screws while I'm at it.
And lastly, I've taken off the cover over the kickstart spring.
![Image](https://image.ibb.co/fDrAr5/Gearbox_plate.jpg)
It's down the bottom centre of the picture. Well, not the cover anymore, I've removed it. And the spring. Just note, the cover holds the spring under tension, and if you remove that cover without taking that fact into account, it
will bite you. Ask me how I know.
Anyway, light's going, and I'm going to turn in and see if I can get back to it tomorrow.