The Husqvarna is still in a million pieces but those pieces are improving. I received the new-used transmission from eBay and it looks to be in good condition. The seller included a few extra bits like a brace for the starter gears and a well-worn countershaft sprocket. The odd thing is, I bought the gears from a British eBay seller but the transmission was shipped from Latvia. Have I stumbled upon an international motorcycle theft ring that keeps a United Kingdom address for customer assurance but chops the stolen bikes in Latvia? Is it a way to get around the dreaded Value Added Tax?
The transmission fits into the crankcase well and looks exactly the same as the old gear cluster. I used the countershaft shim that came from Latvia but I don’t like the gear spacing so I might try the shim from the old countershaft shim. I’m using the Latvian shift forks and shift drum (the old ones don’t look bad but I suspect may be bent as the bike kept jumping from neutral into gear just pushing it around).
The flywheel puller I ordered that was supposed to fit my year Husqvarna missed it by a few millimeters. I was sent a 26mm but I measure the threaded puller boss at 28mm. Of course the puller would not thread on. I need to get the flywheel off to wash out the crank bearings and case. I have ordered a 28mm puller; hopefully it will fit.
My Harbor Freight parts washer hasn’t been cleaned since 1999 and had a ½-inch layer of greasy muck in the bottom. The goal is to not make the parts less polluted, not more. I scraped the gunk out and cleaned the parts washer. It was time, really. The solvent pump was not working and the plastic pump’s hose bard had broken just from sitting. I have looked online for a replacement pump but can’t find an exact fit. I don’t feel like modifying a different pump right now so I decided to wash the bits the old fashioned way: a stiff brush and bucket of mineral spirits.
As I clean the parts I stack them in order inside a nice, lidded, plastic box to keep dust and cat hair off of them until ready to reinstall. I use blue masking tape to keep the bolts for each component together. This saves you from having to figure out which bolt went where later on. Lots of junk came off the parts and I had to refresh the mineral spirit bucket frequently.
My buddy Deet thinks the world of Yamabond sealant so I ordered a small tube of Number 4 to seal the crankcase halves. I would have used Huskybond 3 but couldn’t find any for sale. My plan is to dry fit the crankcase halves together and test the shifting of the transmission, You need both sides to test the transmission properly otherwise the gears bind and push the shift fork shafts around. After I’m sure the thing shifts ok I’ll pull it apart and apply the sealer for final assembly.
I received the top end gasket set from eBay. It only took two days! I haven’t checked to see if they are the right ones but they look ok in the package, what could go wrong? The gasket set was pricy at $45 but is very complete with all the o-rings and rubber parts along with valve stem seals and the gaskets.
I’m not making rapid progress on the Husqvarna. I spend a lot of my time wondering at a blade of grass or being amazed by the sky revolving around above my head. Still, I’m more confident than ever that the Husky will tear up the trails once again. Now I just need that 28mm puller.
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Thank you for the honest and detailed update. Very glad to know that I am not the only one that can get easily distracted.
It goes like this for me. That ant hill is new. Where is the parts list I wrote on the 1986 calendar? Now we go to 30m of tool searching, then my wife wants me to take her to lunch.
Looking fwd to a vid of the Husky roosting.
Best
ZipTye
Sounds like you already have a plan Joe hopefully everything works and ride that’s what’s the game plan all about
You really should be doing a Timelapse video of your motor project. Posted just to distract you even more 😎
Mako
You are are making more progress than me! I was going to garage to start then I checked phone saw this article, read it and now writing a response…now I can’t remember what I was going to do in the garage!
Well at least you didn’t use your water pic to the clean gears and solvent tank out like I would have. Come to think of it Joe ,a water pic may suffice to fix your defunct solvent tank pump. Just don’t tell the wife when you use it. Believe you me.
Will be great to see the Hoosqervarnia back running again. The 360 yammy is probably loosing sleep over Husky being in the hospital.
VAT does not apply to sales from the United States. So throw that theory out with the gunk from your parts washer.
It maybe that adverts for selling parts in England reach many more than from Latvia. Stolen parts they very well could be. Who pulls parts from cases that are legit? Nobody!
If these trannys have known defects they should all have it, why would this one you received not?
Good luck !
My parts washer has replaceable , idk what it’s actually called, plastic tub that the cleaner itself fits on . It self contains the cleaner and drains back into itself. Safe T Clean or such brand