final drive making clicking noise when turned

[ghost rider]

Does anybody know how much play the spline on the final drive were the drive shaft attaches should have in it( in and out) it has none from side to side.  Also  when you turn that spline should it make any noise inside the final drive( when removed from bike). My dum butt has been greasing the final drive gears for the rear end every 15000 or so but I have never greased the drive shaft on either end. So know I need a new boot, drive shaft and pinion joint. So I was checking everything out and found that when I turn the final gear it makes a clicking noise and moves in and out about 1/4 inches. It has over 110, 000 miles on it. I have been using mobile one 75 w-90 synthetic oil in it and changing it at the manufacturers recommended intervals. It is a 1999 model GL1500C. Any help here would be greatly appreciated.

[indybobm]

Have you taken the driveshaft out of the pinion cup yet? I think you are saying that the pinion cup is moving 1/4" in and out (front to back). Is the nut inside the cup moving also or just the cup? If not, it sounds like the nut has loosened and needs to be tightened. 

[ghost rider]

I am sure that I am not using the proper teck terminology here. I am replacing the drive shaft and the pinion cup, because the splines on that end of my driveshaft and the splines in the cup are shot. The final driven gear that the axle bolt goes through were it slides into the pinion cup is what I am conserned about. You can grap the splines and move it in and out and when you turn those splines it makes a clicking noise. I looked in at the drive gear inside the big one, through the oil filler whole and it looks fine.Don't know if this is normal or not. Thanks for responding to my question. i am a little lost here with the final driven gear.

[indybobm]

Sometimes it is very difficult to explain stuff that you are not very familiar with.  The Final Drive has an input (the pinion cup/driveshaft) and an output (the Final Drive splines/Drive flange that plugs into the wheel). Are you finding play where the driveshaft plugs into the pinion cup on the Final Drive, or where the Drive Flange plugs into the Final Drive (on the wheel side)?
Which splines are you grabbing? The input side or the output side?

[ghost rider]

Ok, thanks for your patience and yes that makes perfect sense it would be the input that I'm talking about.

[Ricky-D]

Haha. Clear as mud still.

I guess pictures would be the simplest way to indicate what is the item being discussed.

***

[indybobm]

If the driveshaft has been removed from the pinion cup, grab the pinion cup and move it in and out the 1/2". Does the big nut inside the pinion cup move with it of is it stationary?

If the driveshaft is still in the pinion cup, take it out and try the above. The driveshaft has to come out anyway for cleaning and greasing.

[ghost rider]

Thank you Indybobm, I now know what happened aside from my boot leaking and me neglecting to grease my driveshaft at tire change time. Thank you for your help. O.K. when I took the rear end apart the the nut holding the pinion cup on, had come of and the pinion cup was still attached to the drive shaft but was seperate from the final driven gear. I am hoping that it did not do any damage to my pinion or drive gear. I am planning on seeing if the the threads on the pinion gear and nut are still good when I get home. if they are I will tighten them back to spec with the pinion cup on the pinion gear and see what I have. If everything checks out ( play and noise are gone) I will order the parts for the input side of the final driven gear, ie the bearing set needle, the input bearing, and the o-ring. What do you suggest. Thanks again, Greg

[indybobm]

If you are talking about ordering and replacing the bearing and o-ring that is between the pinion cup and pinion gear, that is a big job. I would try to find someone in your area that is knowlegable about Valks or Goldwings and let them look at it.
About the nut that holds the pinion cup on, they are put on with a lot of torque. They do not usually come loose. Maybe someone else had been in there and did not tighten the nut sufficiently.
Still a little confused about the clicking. If the pinion cup is off, what are you turning?
Where are you located?

[ghost rider]

The pinion gear is what I was turning and I'm located in alexander city Alabama. No one around here  works on them and the dealership won't because it is to old. I put it back together last night and it seems fine. what is torque on the pinion nut? Do you know? I couldn't find it in my clymers manual. I think I'll just torque it down when I get my new parts in and let it roll. And keep an eye on it of course.

[WintrSol]

From the SM:
Pinion bearing retainer 147N-m or 112lb-ft
Pinion joint nut           108N-m or 80lb-ft

It also says to apply a locking agent to the threads of the pinion joint nut.

Has anyone done this without the special pinion holder? How do you keep all that torque from affecting the pinion gear teeth without one?

[indybobm]

Easiest way is to use an impact wrench with the air set to 100 at least 100 psi.

[WintrSol]

I meant, how do you torque it down to 80lb-ft? Impact wrenches don't do that very well.

[indybobm]

Impact wrenches are very good at getting the nut off. A lot of people use them to put them back on. You have to hang on to the pinion cup. I have done it and then checked with a torque wrench. No problem. The thread lock helps too.

[ghost rider]

Thanks eveyone , you don't now how much I apreciate all the help. Thanks to you I'll be back on the road in no time.