Rear Drive pulley bolts loosened up!

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IDNSFG818

New member
FYI The tightening sequence for the bolts are the same as tightening a wheel. I usually snug them all up first in an criss cross pattern then once they are seated evenly final torque in a crisscross pattern.

FWIW. I was looking at the pic of the failed bolt holes in the pully for obvious signs of movement that would be a visual indication that the bolts are loose, but didnt see that in the pic.
So I would suggest putting some white out or paint stick dab between the bolt head and washer, and between the washer and the pully. This way if it starts moving from being loose you will see the paint seal broken. (Since its a bagger it wont look so ugly)
Another sign to feel for is if you notice at a stop when you put it in gear if the wind up of the drive train feels wierd or you feel what seems like slack in the drivetrain when you go from accelleration to decel while riding, take a look at the pully.
 
You know another thing is, the bolts the moco installs seem kinda soft, I wonder if swapping to some good grade 8 bolts would be more safe, but the weak link would be moved elsewhere, wonder if thats why they did it. The pulley in the earlier post has elongated holes so it obviously been moving around for a while, again its just something to keep an eye on, grade 8 bolts or not, if the bolts are tight as they should be, they should work. I think I will check whenever I wash the bike or for sure after i get a tire mounted and balanced. Thanks to all for the informative replies.
 
I didn't read every response in this thread, so excuse me if I missed this idea. But it almost sounds as if the engineers added the IDS to correct this defect. I have had many bikes over the years, and never had something this drastic happen to a bike. If there was any indication that this sort of thing could happen then any competent engineer would have done something to correct it. This could have included adding dowels or lugs, or as they did, installing a cushion to absorb the shock loads caused by the extreem amounts of torque that can be transmitted to the rear sprocket. I don't like to throw stones, but it sounds like HD is aware of a defect and they chose to correct it without going the recall route.
 
This technology has been out for a very long time. They use the same type system as a coupling between a diesel engine and transmission, not to mention some torque convertors and flywheels, with a hella more torque load and they are still held on with grade 8 hardened bolts.

Someone mentioned replacing the oem bolts with aftermarket ones. One word of caution; make sure the shoulder on the bolt is the same length as the oem one. The threaded part of a bolt is narrower than the shouldered part, this means the pully or hub will start to walk back and forth.
I wouldnt be surprised if Moco had these bolts made special with the shoulder length so it is a proprietary part. To tell the difference between grade 5 &8 is a 5 has 3 marks on the head and an 8 has 5 or more on it.

Question for you guys that have the IDS, Does it use the straight sealed bearings in the wheel hub with your typical spacer and then use a straight or tapered bearing in the IDS unit?
If its a tapered one, I can see why its failing. Inquiring minds want to know.
 
i'll be checking these bolts tomorrow. for those 07 owners who have not done the ids upgrade.....its the best mod you will ever do.
 
Its not that its cheaper, but it is a softer metal than a gr 8. Ihas a lessor shear and tensile strength than a gr 8. I cant say w/o having one in my hand if its a 5. I replaced mine with chrome ones that have the heads polished smooth and think I thru the old ones out.
Theoretically a 5 will work if everything is properly cleaned, torqued with some red locktite. This also means the threads on the bolt and in the hole are not stretched or galled or elongated.
 
Bagman, the dig at the MoCo might have been gratuitous... but hey I'm a good customer!

Is there a good reason to use a g5 rather than a g8? I'd like to know before replacing the bolts. the service mgr at mo local HD dealer didnt think it would be a bad idea...

Thanks in advance.

2wg
 
I know in some applications they will use a grade 5 rather than an 8 if the engineers designed a bolt to fail before the component were to fail. Im not an engineer but a mechanic and this is what I have learned over the years and thru trade schools.
So HD has a lot more knowledgeable input to their design than I. If it were me, I would start from scratch, make sure the bolts are new, the holes in the wheel and pully are not elongated nor the threads pulled, holes clean from debris, use red loctite and a torque wrench. AND follow the correct procedure in the book.
Theres an old saying we say in the shop when someone screws up, "When in doubt, read the book".
 
Bikes back together, took Bagman's advice and used white out to mark the position of the bolts and the washer. Think the bikes OK now but its good to know that a glance towards the wheel will indicate if anything is loosening up...

Hub was fine but the pulley is now an ashtray...

Bagman- thanks for the good suggestion...

Two Wheels Good
 
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