Relay arm bearing time.

[hppants]

Some may know that Ive had some slack in y rear suspension for a while now. Brought the bike to a friends shop this morning and we put it on the lift. Started prying on the rear wheel and really concentrating on the source of the play. We believe it is a culmination of two holes in the relay arm, and the bushing(s) on the swing arm where the dog bones go. Id hoped to take the ray arm down and grease it, but now Im pretty sure its going to need bearings, and I dont want to leave the bike in pieces for days waiting on parts.

So Im going to buy a used relay arm and all the bearings/seals and bushings, along with new center stand bolts. Get the used relay arm all freshened up and then bring the bike back to my buddys shop ready to finish it.

No luck on eBay this morning, but maybe Im not searching correctly. If you have a lead on a used relay arm for sale, Im your buyer.

Obviously, for those who have gone there before me, if you have any useful advice, Im all ears.

Thanks.

 

[Fred W]

Im fresh out. Sent my spare off to Tony (Pathfinder) as he needed one acutely for an upcoming trip. He probably has his old one which needs all new bearings installed (they were shot) but you might be able to talk him out of it and then spend some time rebuilding it.

I would wager that the play would be in the relay arm pivots, and not the swing arm end of the dog bones, as the relay arm gets blasted with road spooge constantly. The swingarm is up out of harms way for the most part. So having a fully prepped relay arm to swap in should get you back in business with a quick regrease of the swingarm end.

 

[hppants]

Thanks Fred - Ill holler at Tony.

We felt some play at the middle and front holes for the relay arm. More in the front hole. To a lesser degree, we felt a little play at the swingarm. I changed the bushing and the bolt at the rear of the relay arm recently with the swap of the shock, and confirmed a good bearing there as well.

Ill get all new parts and install them and be ready for a quicker swap at my buddys shop.

Id appreciate any advice those with experience and knowledge can offer b

 

[RossKean]

Keep a close eye on eBay. I picked up a low mileage pristine set for way less than the cost of replacement bearings.

 

[James]

Are they the same across gens? The one on my 04 was rebuilt after my issues in CO in '16. Totaled in '17.

 

[Cyclepath]

Hey hppants, I spent some time in my cold garage this past March looking after the rear suspension linkage rebuild on my Gen 1.

Worked out well, just had to get a local shop to press in the new bearings. The rest I was able to do myself, and because I already had her back end suspended in my pipe frame, I also took the time to remove and freshen the centrestand mount points.

Feels great, and I already know that's the last money I'll be spending on that side of her.

Just reassure yourself of success with the proper grease, and use of our torque wrench. Good luck in this quest.

 

[SkooterG]

I believe the ES FJRs have a different part number for the relay arm. All other FJRs of all years use the same.

 

[Fred W]

That is correct. ES part is different. All others use the same relay arm.

 

[BkerChuck]

I picked one up on eBay a little over a week ago and there were 3 for sale at that time. I picked up one off a 2010 reported to only have 55k miles on it. Bearings are in good shape and seal look decent. I'm just repacking the bearings and swapping it out as soon as my replacement rear shock arrives.

 

[hppants]

Just found one on fleabay - yippie!!!

Looks to be in excellent shape - bottom of the arm has very little nicks.

Thanks..

 

[Fred W]

That is a very good sign of low mileage. Typically, even at only 50k miles those relay arms are well sand blasted from road grit. Sounds like a nice score if you got a decent price on it.

For those owners who have low mileage FJRs, be aware that you can usually avoid the need for replacement of the bearings or relay arm by getting them regreased early on, and then fairly regularly thereafter. I schedule mine at 25k mile intervals (about bi-yearly) along with all the other major service items (valve checks, spark plugs, coolant, air filter, etc.).

The amount of grease they use during assembly at the factory is insufficient for keeping water out of the needle rollers, IMO. The bearings dont turn very far or fast, so goobering in a good amount of waterproof grease will keep them from corroding and the grease wont be flung out.

 

[hppants]

The part I bought comes with bushings (collars), bolts, dogbones, etc.

I may just clean it up, mic it up, grease it up, and if all checks out, then stick it on my bike.

 

[hppants]

Well, the Flea-bay part arrived and it is clean. On the outside.

2 out of the 3 bearings were rusted pretty bad - the front bearing was just "ok" (not surprisingly). The bearings in the middle hole of the relay arm would not turn with my finger. The collar had some minor pitting from the seized bearing.

So I ordered all of the bearings and the collars and the seals and the bolts from Part shark. Even got the stuff for the swing arm on the other side of the dog bones.

Then I went to Autozone and found a "blind bearing puller" that I got loaned to me for 90 days for the low price of ..... FREE!

Then I went to the hardware store and bought a piece of threaded rod and a stack of fender washers - this will be used as my "bearing installer".

Then back to the shop and used the slide hammer blind puller to remove all of the bearings. Easy peasy. Now relay arm all cleaned up and waiting on parts. At least I can still ride the bike while I wait.

The lesson here is to listen to the forum. This part needs to be taken down and lubed up IMMEDIATELY!!! I should have done this at the first oil change.

In other news, this tool is going to be the cat's meow for cutting the center stand bolts:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Bosch-Starlock-1-Piece-Cordless-Brushless-Amp-12-Volt-Max-Variable-Speed-Oscillating-Multi-Tool-Kit/1000625085

Much better clearance since I can rotate the cutter in virtually any angle I need.

 

[dcarver]

Ahh that sucks 'pants.

Have you thought about installing a zerk fitting?

 

[Fred W]

That sucks. You have to wonder how it would be so crusty internally while not being sandblasted. Maybe it sat too long on the bike in a humid environment? But still I wouldnt expect the bearings to rust then. Or, maybe, it was in standing water? Like after a hurricane?

At least you have a good core to rebuild in your leisure and youll accomplish what you want the way you want to.

PS - grease fittings dont work unless you also slit the outer bearing race for the grease to get to the rollers.

 

[Heen]

Is the outer race built into the relay arm or are the needle bearings riding on the aluminum casting?

 

[RossKean]

Too bad about the condition of the part from eBay. The full set of bearings, collars and seals isn't cheap. I had better luck with the one I got.

 

[Fred W]

Is the outer race built into the relay arm or are the needle bearings riding on the aluminum casting?

Neither. There is a thin, hardened metal, outer race that is pressed into the bore in the relay arm. That’s what needs to be slit or perforated to allow grease in to the rollers.

 

[hppants]

For all bearings, collars, bolts, seals, including the parts in the swing arm on the other side of the dog bones - $187.10 shipped (Part Shark)

At 55K miles, that's the first "non-normal wear and tear" money I've spent on this bike. And truthfully, if I would have listened to the masses, I never would have had to do this.

The grease zerk project is pretty cool. But with the c/s bolts on the right way, maintenance on this will be much easier going forward. Quite frankly, with enough grease packed in there well, I may never have to grease it again.