Alterntor Drive Whack

[The Mighty Gryphon]

Ran some errands yesterday morning and upon coming up my driveway my K75 started making a few grinding noises sorta like chewing up a chunk of aluminum with a saw blade.  At the same time I noticed the alternator light was on.  First thought was the monkey knutz.

After a sleepless night I went out and pulled the alternator and found the knutz were ok, but that the drive dog now spins free of the shaft it is supposed to be mounted on.  Figures it would be the most expensive of the three parts of the drive. 

Anyway, I tried to remove the screw that holds the drive dog onto the shaft and the shaft turns.  Feels like the engine is turning with the screw.  Put the transmission into second gear, and it still feels like I'm turning the engine, but the rear wheel isn't moving. 

Is this normal?  How do I get that screw out to remove the drive dog?   Is there more whack going on in there than just the drive dog splines?  The starter appears to be ok as I was able to briefly start and run the engine before I pulled the alternator.

I am thinking that it is time to drop the engine and get into the intermediate case.  Is there any advice on making this job a little less painful?  What's the easiest way to get the engine out of an RT? 

[pallum]

I think this is probably the easiest way to get the intermediate housing off. Less things to disconnect and hassle with, but you're stuck sitting cross legged on the ground for much of the work. Probably don't need to remove the fuel tank or cowl if you don't want to either.


(Engine supported with wood blocks)

[rbm]

I once blew the bearing on that alternator drive and had to disassemble the intermediate housing to fix things.

How do I get that screw out to remove the drive dog?   
Should just screw out and the drive dog can be pulled off.  It may require a puller.

Is there more whack going on in there than just the drive dog splines?
There are seals, bearings and spacers involved.  There's also gears.  The gears are robust monsters so it's unlikely damage to them.

Is there any advice on making this job a little less painful?
No, you're in for a complete dismantling of the bike.

What's the easiest way to get the engine out of an RT?
Don't take the engine out of the RT; take the RT off the engine.  Follow the procedure on Chapter 11 of the official OEM repair manual (pages 11.23 through 11.32).  It details how to remove the bike from the engine leaving the engine exposed to work on.  Basically, proceed as if you are doing a clutch job.  When the rear drive is off, remove the frame from the engine and wheel it into a corner (since the steering is still attached).  This leaves the engine behind, exposed for surgery.  Probably a 40-60 minute job.