Tranny seized!!!

[ChopperJeff]

While on a recent trip, my tranny seized, and caused the drive belt to snap. Towing to my mechanic he found that the tranny had no oil in it. Must have blown a gasket or something as it was fine just a little while back.

So, am I totally screwed and in need of a new tranny? Perhaps it can be rebuilt? If I need to replace it, are there any other RSD 6 speed trannys available for the 2005 Choppers other than the stock Baker? Sure would like to get it fixed in time for the upcoming Street Vibrations that I had planned to attend.

And yes, I'm the one that just had his engine rebuilt. When it rains, it pours, huh?

 

[Eric]

sorry dude,,, baby ray has good tranny lube.....hope you get it fixed

 

[chaingunner]

Doh! I guess I'd have to wait and see what the mech says about the condition and if any damage was done.

Wish you luck bro! At least more than you've been having.

 

[Raywood]

Damn Jeff, that sucks. Reddog is in the same boat. He contacted Baker and you should also. Maybe cheaper than the BD dealer. But I'm sure they will want you to ship it to them to be evaluated. As for other brands I think I would stay with the Baker unit maybe Jims. Others have to many issues also.

Good luck

 

[BadBrad]

While on a recent trip, my tranny seized, and caused the drive belt to snap. Towing to my mechanic he found that the tranny had no oil in it. Must have blown a gasket or something as it was fine just a little while back.

So, am I totally screwed and in need of a new tranny? Perhaps it can be rebuilt? If I need to replace it, are there any other RSD 6 speed trannys available for the 2005 Choppers other than the stock Baker? Sure would like to get it fixed in time for the upcoming Street Vibrations that I had planned to attend.

And yes, I'm the one that just had his engine rebuilt. When it rains, it pours, huh?

Are we related? I have the strangest shit happen to my bike. Fortunately, no tranny problems (knock on wood):bang:. Good luck.

 

[ChopperJeff]

It turns out the tranny didn't seize due to no oil. Apparently the dip stick could show no oil, and yet the tranny could be half full, which is the case I had.

What occured for me was that a gear in the tranny broke in half, which then brought everything to a quick halt. With any luck, he'll be able to get a replacement gear from Baker this week.

It also turns out that it was 4th gear that broke, and that's the same gear that's been making a bit of noise for the past few months. Guess one should never assume that a little unusual noise from the tranny is nothing serious.

 

[lee]

did it lock up your back wheel?

 

[MARV]

sounds like a reasonably priced fix.


the trap door and clutch actuator cover bolt patterns are proprietary to bdm for the dssc. not sure about the case.

 

[ChopperJeff]

No, the back wheel never locked up due to the immediate snapping of the drive belt. I guess the force was so great when the tranny went from spinning at whatever speed to a dead standstill in a millisecond, that the belt just broke before the rear wheel even had a chance to lock up. Just as well, huh?

 

[BadBrad]

No, the back wheel never locked up due to the immediate snapping of the drive belt. I guess the force was so great when the tranny went from spinning at whatever speed to a dead standstill in a millisecond, that the belt just broke before the rear wheel even had a chance to lock up. Just as well, huh?

Belts aren't cheap but it may have kept you from laying it down. I would think that once the tire locked up, pulling in the clutch would free it back up. Good luck with the gears.

the trap door and clutch actuator cover bolt patterns are proprietary to bdm for the dssc. not sure about the case.

Marv, why do you get so technical? Got pics? :loony:

 

[ChopperJeff]

I could be wrong, but I would think that pulling in the clutch in the event of a seized tranny would not seperate the tranny from the belt drive. Isn't the primary chain driving the clutch, which in turn, when engaged, drives the tranny? Thus, wouldn't disengaging the clutch only seperate the tranny from the engine, and NOT from the sprocket that drives the belt?

In any case, it was fortunate that the belt broke, saving me from a locked up rear wheel.

 

[TheDeadOne]

I could be wrong, but I would think that pulling in the clutch in the event of a seized tranny would not seperate the tranny from the belt drive. Isn't the primary chain driving the clutch, which in turn, when engaged, drives the tranny? Thus, wouldn't disengaging the clutch only seperate the tranny from the engine, and NOT from the sprocket that drives the belt?

In any case, it was fortunate that the belt broke, saving me from a locked up rear wheel.

 

[avdhunter]

I was scared to open this one! After realizing that the cops hadn't been to Baby Rays place I feel beeter about reading on!!! Damn glad it wasn't worse Bro!!!! Good luck on gettin her fixed!

 

[MARV]

Marv, why do you get so technical? Got pics? :loony:

i'm all about the tech.
and some comedy.
the rest of the BS you all can wade through.

pics?

actually i do.

actuator covers

old = bdm

new = aftermarket rsd cover

 

[Michaelb]

Since the tranny locked up like that...did it hurt the primary or engine at all?

 

[ChopperJeff]

The engine appears to be fine as it still starts right up and runs smoothly.

Don't know about the primary as I haven't peeked inside it, and with the tranny locked up and nothing turning, it's hard to determine the health of the primary.

I assume my mechanic knows what he's doing and will check it all out.

He told me that what probably caused all this was the counter screw backed off, which caused part of the tranny to become loose and the gears to move around. At least I think that's what he said... though I may be paraphrasing him incorrectly.

It turns out that when this gear broke and then jammed, it cracked the housing in a couple places. He said his machinst friend is going to fix that though.

The main issue now is getting the parts from Baker. If they happen to have them in inventory, then my mechanic can have them by Wednesday. Otherwise, I'm screwed, and will be missing out on Street Vibrations.

Too bad a Revtech tranny won't bolt right in as my mechanic said that he can get one of those for about $1200.

 

[txchopperguy]

When I saw "Tranny Seized" I though maybe Baby Ray was detained at the border...Concealed weapon? LMAO!

Seriously, it sounds like it could have been worse, and I would imagine that if you were hauling ass, the belt breaking kept you from being thrown off the bike.

Good luck dude.

 

[ChopperJeff]

Good news, and bad news.

The good news is that my mechanic will probably be able to get the needed parts in time for me to make it to Street Vibrations.

The bad news is... the one part he needs is rather pricey due to the fact that Baker does not make the counter shaft repairable. The gears on the counter shaft are pressed fitted on, requiring a 20 ton press to assemble it. As for disassembling, my mechanic said there is no way to get anything in where the gears are in order to get them apart. So, bottom line is that once a gear gets messed up on the countershaft, you're looking at replacing the entire countershaft, with gears and all. The counter shaft goes for about $700!!!

That said, the gear that broke is not on the countershaft, but is on the main shaft, which CAN be easily disassembled.

However, there is one gear on the counter shaft... 4th gear to be exact... that has one tooth with about 15% of the tip broken off. My mechanic said that if it was his bike, he'd probably just leave it alone. However, he could not guarantee the results of running it like that. I almost went that route, but then I thought about how much I ride... roughly 12,000 miles/year... and the fact I REALLY don't want any more surprises, so I told him to just go ahead and replace the countershaft.

The other expense will be replacing the gear that broke, and another gear on the main shaft that apparently got a bit messed up. Throw in the bearings and gasket kit and we're up to about $500. Then just for kicks throw in another $100 give or take for his time.

Oh well, another $1300 down the drain.

I guess compared to buying a new one for $3500 it's not too bad, and I'll basically end up with a new tranny. Replacing it whole thing with a Revtech may have been an option, but then it would take a lot more time, and the price would end up about the same. Hope I'm going about this right.

Oh, to clear up what happened, as I realized my paraphrasing from what mechanic said was indeed a bit off... the bolt that holds the countershaft on backed off a bit, thus causing the countershaft to become loose and begin moving about. This eventually lead to the failure of 4th gear as it was bumping up against other stuff.

 

[TCALZ06]

Good to hear your wheel didn't lock up.
How many miles did you have on your bike?

 

[lee]

a lot of dough but I think you're doing it right. Spending the money now for a proper job will save you money down the line. Not to mention the safety of the whole thing. You definitely don't want your back wheel locking up at any decent speed.