So you want to replace the drive shaft bearing(s) on your T660 Turbo eh? Well I wrote this up to walk you through the process. This is not a perfectly detailed step by step how to, this is more an outline of the steps involved. I’m not sure this job is for the faint of heart, while I didn’t encounter and major problems, be prepared to take a bunch of stuff apart.
First off, start by removing the belt and driven clutch. You have to remove the vent above the left hand foot hold and remove a bolt on the left hand side. There’s also a screw that’s under the good. Once you’ve done this you can pull the belly pan out to slide the driven clutch off.
Once the driven clutch if off, get the back end in the air and loosen up the track. I loosened mine up as much as I could, this will be very helpful later on.
Next I removed the bearing cover/spedo sending unit cover. There are three nuts that need to come off, just slide the cover off when you have the nuts off.
Go over to the other side of the sled and get ready to start digging. First remove the battery and set it aside. Then remove the Muffler, there’s 5 springs, 2 on the back, 1 on the front inner corner and two on the connector pipe. After that remove the battery bracket plus the muffler support. I then removed the reverse **** lever, and its attached bracket. You will have to unplug the reverse alarm button and remove it and its bracket as well.
Sorry for the lack of pictures here, I got busy and forgot to take them.
I used my oil extractor (which is also very useful for changing the oil on your T660, everyone should have one!) to suck the oil out of the case. This is really handy, and much cleaner then the alternative (pulling the cover and trying to catch the oil using paper towels).
Now it’s time to remove the chain case cover. I forget how many bolts but I’m sure if you’ve made it this far this step is a piece of cake. Once the cover is off, you will need to remove the bolt that holds the gears on to the drive shaft. There was a tab lock on my machine, but it wasn’t really bent up that far and I removed the bolt with out even knowing it was there.
You will need to pull the chain tensioner, back and use the set crew in the tensioner housing to hold it back. Remove the chain, and then remove the gears to expose the bearing cup. Make a note of the order the gears came out, there’s spacers that need to go back in all in the right order. Remove the three nuts that hold the bearing cup on.
Back on the clutch side it’s time to tap out the bolts that hold the bearing cup together/the cup to the tunnel. Once the bolts out, push the drive shaft towards the chain case side, and then slide the bearing off the chain case side of the drive shaft.
Now it’s time to wrestle the drive shaft out. This would probably be much easier with two people. I did it by my self, so it is possible but be prepared for a fight!
Note: This picture shows the bearing off while the drive shaft is still in the machine. I thought maybe I could replace it while it was still in there but couldn't, sorry if it caused any confusion)
Now that the drive shaft is out it’s time to remove the bearing. It’s lightly pressed on, so you’re not going to be able to just slide it off. I used a two jaw puller and it came off easily. I should note that I removed the magnet from the end of the drive shaft to avoid damaging it with the puller.
Now to put it all back together….Just do the opposite of what you did to take it apart! I’m not going to go into detail here, but I will give you a few pointers. I just tapped the new bearing back on to the shaft, taking care to only hit on the inside of the bearing. When I reinstalled the magnet, it looked like it was glued in, but to be honest it came out so easily I’m not really sure. To be safe I used some silicone to make sure the magnet stayed in place.
Putting the drive shaft back in is just as much of a fight as pulling it out, maybe more. Slide it info the chain case side, then reassemble the bearing cup on the clutch side and bolt it all back together. Do the same on the chain case side, make sure you get the O-Ring on the cup back in there. Again, this is probably a two person step, but can be done by one with a little leverage, brute strength and maybe a few cuss words.
Remember to clean out/wipe out and then refill your chain case, the T660 takes 12oz of oil (one AC container). Take the opportunity to checkout your clutch. I had to clean up the shaft and key, they were pretty rusty which surprised me (this is a garaged machine). I also coat the shaft with some grease to prevent sticking.
Take care when tightening up the track, your manual gives you the correct settings.
I hope this helps.
EDIT: Clarity, also if anyone else has anything to add to this process I would be happy to add it to the original post!
First off, start by removing the belt and driven clutch. You have to remove the vent above the left hand foot hold and remove a bolt on the left hand side. There’s also a screw that’s under the good. Once you’ve done this you can pull the belly pan out to slide the driven clutch off.
Once the driven clutch if off, get the back end in the air and loosen up the track. I loosened mine up as much as I could, this will be very helpful later on.
Next I removed the bearing cover/spedo sending unit cover. There are three nuts that need to come off, just slide the cover off when you have the nuts off.
Go over to the other side of the sled and get ready to start digging. First remove the battery and set it aside. Then remove the Muffler, there’s 5 springs, 2 on the back, 1 on the front inner corner and two on the connector pipe. After that remove the battery bracket plus the muffler support. I then removed the reverse **** lever, and its attached bracket. You will have to unplug the reverse alarm button and remove it and its bracket as well.
Sorry for the lack of pictures here, I got busy and forgot to take them.
I used my oil extractor (which is also very useful for changing the oil on your T660, everyone should have one!) to suck the oil out of the case. This is really handy, and much cleaner then the alternative (pulling the cover and trying to catch the oil using paper towels).
Now it’s time to remove the chain case cover. I forget how many bolts but I’m sure if you’ve made it this far this step is a piece of cake. Once the cover is off, you will need to remove the bolt that holds the gears on to the drive shaft. There was a tab lock on my machine, but it wasn’t really bent up that far and I removed the bolt with out even knowing it was there.
You will need to pull the chain tensioner, back and use the set crew in the tensioner housing to hold it back. Remove the chain, and then remove the gears to expose the bearing cup. Make a note of the order the gears came out, there’s spacers that need to go back in all in the right order. Remove the three nuts that hold the bearing cup on.
Back on the clutch side it’s time to tap out the bolts that hold the bearing cup together/the cup to the tunnel. Once the bolts out, push the drive shaft towards the chain case side, and then slide the bearing off the chain case side of the drive shaft.
Now it’s time to wrestle the drive shaft out. This would probably be much easier with two people. I did it by my self, so it is possible but be prepared for a fight!
Note: This picture shows the bearing off while the drive shaft is still in the machine. I thought maybe I could replace it while it was still in there but couldn't, sorry if it caused any confusion)
Now that the drive shaft is out it’s time to remove the bearing. It’s lightly pressed on, so you’re not going to be able to just slide it off. I used a two jaw puller and it came off easily. I should note that I removed the magnet from the end of the drive shaft to avoid damaging it with the puller.
Now to put it all back together….Just do the opposite of what you did to take it apart! I’m not going to go into detail here, but I will give you a few pointers. I just tapped the new bearing back on to the shaft, taking care to only hit on the inside of the bearing. When I reinstalled the magnet, it looked like it was glued in, but to be honest it came out so easily I’m not really sure. To be safe I used some silicone to make sure the magnet stayed in place.
Putting the drive shaft back in is just as much of a fight as pulling it out, maybe more. Slide it info the chain case side, then reassemble the bearing cup on the clutch side and bolt it all back together. Do the same on the chain case side, make sure you get the O-Ring on the cup back in there. Again, this is probably a two person step, but can be done by one with a little leverage, brute strength and maybe a few cuss words.
Remember to clean out/wipe out and then refill your chain case, the T660 takes 12oz of oil (one AC container). Take the opportunity to checkout your clutch. I had to clean up the shaft and key, they were pretty rusty which surprised me (this is a garaged machine). I also coat the shaft with some grease to prevent sticking.
Take care when tightening up the track, your manual gives you the correct settings.
I hope this helps.
EDIT: Clarity, also if anyone else has anything to add to this process I would be happy to add it to the original post!