SPII U joint and steady bearing

[JayDee24ca]

I've started going over the SPII for the upcoming season. One of the things on the list is to check out the ujoint and do some PM in that department. I have a spare steady bearing on hand if I need to replace it. 
I found the U joint well stuck in the bearing, so I am going to have lots of fun trying to get them apart. The Ujoint, still in the detached swingarm, is floppy, as in freely movable, without being sloppy, as in there is no discernible lateral or axial movement in the joint knuckles themselves, as far as I am able to see. The swing arm cavity was well greased and not dried out at all. The inner race of the steady bearing turns smoothly with the ujoint with no discernible loose or tight spots.
Richardson recommends replacing the steady bearing each time the swing arm is removed, simply as a precautionary item. Given all the foregoing, is it worth the effort to replace the bearing? How bad a job is it, without the special MG tool, to install the double jointed Ujoint into a new bearing in the swingarm? I did all this on the Convert and Eldo not long ago, but the situation with the SP setup makes it a whole different proposition.
Thanks
John D.

[John A]

I had a stuck u joint on an 98 EV . I was able to sneak alongside the joint to get the circlp out of its groove and with a one inch diameter ,long rod pounded it out .then separated joint from bearing. I think the cavity on yours is smaller, you may not have enough room along side the u joint to do that. I would go ahead and get it out and replace the bearing, it's not going to get better

[Denis]

When I replaced the u-joint in my SP II the first time we had to peen the inside race of the bearing  because it was just a hair larger diameter than the part of the U-joint inserted. It's possible that is the case with yours or as in the case of the second set I replaced, a REALLY tight fit. Or someone Loc-tited them together because they were not a snug fit.

It's always recommended to replace the bearing each time you replace the U-joint, not necessarily each time you remove the swing arm.

The last time I did it, when the two were a really tight fit together, I pressed the U-joint into the bearing and used a home-made tool to keep the U-joint straight. Next time I'm going to buy the MG tool if it's available.

[fotoguzzi]

"Steady Bearing"? is that the carrier bearing?   your description sounds like it's all good and fine as is?  then put back together..
long time gone, but when I put in a new carrier bearing I put it in the freezer over night, it slipped right on and in then tightened up as it thawed..
maybe freeze the whole thing to get the old one off?

[JayDee24ca]

Jeeze, decisions, decisions!
No, there is no room to get in to the circlip/snapring as long as the ujoint is still in place. I think I will simply try to drift the ujoint out using a large mallet and a long bit of hardwood. Putting it all back together will be where the challenge. Trying to keep that ujoint straight so it will push into the steady bearing (carrier bearing) is a real problem. Denis you said you used a homemade tool to put this back in place; can you describe what you made?
So here's a question: I warm the swing arm and freeze the bearing to facilitate its installation. But can I then freeze the ujoint and heat the assembled swingarm/bearing to make insertion of the ujoint easier? Or is it impossible to warm the bearing enough to make any difference once it is in place?
Ideally I'd like to take fotoguzzis advice and put it back together and wait till something breaks, as it seems fine at the moment, but I know it would haunt me, so I'd better bite the bullet.......
John D

[John A]

Wood has too much flexibility , if it works it's not stuck. Use a steel round stock with a large hammer if it is stuck.

[John A]

So here's a question: I warm the swing arm and freeze the bearing to facilitate its installation. But can I then freeze the ujoint and heat the assembled swingarm/bearing to make insertion of the ujoint easier? Or is it impossible to warm the bearing enough to make any difference once it is in place?
Ideally I'd like to take fotoguzzis advice and put it back together and wait till something breaks, as it seems fine at the moment, but I know it would haunt me, so I'd better bite the bullet.......
John D

That's how I do it,

[JayDee24ca]

That's how I do it,

So that's how I did it. Back together, no issues. I used a heat gun to warm up the bearing inside the swing arm and had the ujoint in the deep freeze for a half hour or so. Had to do a bit of persuasion with the plastic deadblow hammer, but no big deal. Getting the rubber boot back on was fun, though.
Thanks!
JD