MOP
09-03-2003, 08:42 AM
Most people dread changing bellows, well follow these steps and get it done in under an hour. Drain off about a quart of oil. Remove helmet bolt or bolts and flip it up out of the way. Remove the bellows clamp at the upper gear case, remove back cover. Disconnect shift link at the upper, remove bolts securing upper to mid section. You will have to grind an Allen wrench down to get the two tight ones. Give the upper a few light blows with a dead blow hammer or a block of wood it should come free pretty easily. Now as you lift the upper rock it gently side to side this will let the shear coupling drop off the uppers shaft. Pull the upper out lift it high as it clears the bellows so as not to let the input shaft hit the mating surface. Cover the mid section, carefully check water hose and exhaust bellows. Its tight but even they can be changed while you have it apart. Now change out the bellows and what ever position clamps the way the book shows. Clean both mating surfaces well, use a new O ring. Coat input shaft splines with high pressure grease. When you go to put the upper back on lay it on its side on a heavy rag on the mid section, it is much easier to handle and line up the shaft splines once the spline starts in stop and lightly coat the uppers mating surface with non hardening gasket compound, rotate it to it normal position pull the rag and finish the install. I'll bet you will smile and say that was pretty darn easy, pulling the whole drive is a very unwieldy and turns the job in many cases to several hours. Lining up a hand full of upper gear case is a ton better than wrestling the whole drive to line up the splines.
PS fill er back up!
PS fill er back up!