502 Refurbishment

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Re: 502 Refurbishment

Post by Go Go Diablo » Tue Jan 12, 2016 10:42 pm

Now reinstall the chain, sprockets, lower shaft and spacers. Install the idler sprocket and tighten the chain. Rotate the shafts and insure the chain moves across the sprockets smoothly.

These gearboxes are known for leaking. Here are a few tips to help:

- When you scrape the gasket off the aluminum gearcase, then follow up with a light grinding of the surface. This not only cleans all gasket material off, but it levels out the metal around the bolts holes that tends to get pulled outward.
- The holes in the covers also tend to get distorted. Set your covers on a vice and lightly pound out around the holes. This gives the cover a little spring when installing it.
- If the bore that the bottom bearing goes in to is loose, use Loctite bearing retainer on it to take up the clearance.
- Use a thin cork gasket if you are making your own. Using a thick gasket moves the seal farther away from the shaft on the lower sprocket and there is not much surface to spare when it's assembled.
- Put a bead of Permatex on the aluminum with putting it on a little thicker at the bottom circle.
- Install your gasket as shown.
- Put another coat of Permatex on the gasket again a little thicker at the bottom circle.
- When you put your top cover on, have the aluminum spacer against the top gear and center the top hole in the cover around that spacer.
- Put a heavy bead of Permatex side to side on the bottom edge of the top cover where the bottom cover overlaps.
- Install bottom cover.
- Hand tighten bolts and let Permatex set up for several hours. Then retighten cover bolts.
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Then press your bearing blocks on with new bearings.
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Re: 502 Refurbishment

Post by Go Go Diablo » Tue Jan 12, 2016 10:52 pm

Lastly, reinstall the drive sprockets.

Inspect your drive sprockets carefully. If you see cracks in the cogs, heavy pounding in the valleys between the cogs or the rubber is at all loose on the rim, consider replacing them.
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Consider this: The original sprockets and their rubber were made 50 years ago. Rubber in time will always get hard. Also, if a drive sprocket fails, you have the pull the gearbox out to replace it. Now that does not mean I'm suggesting to replace drive sprockets all the time. If they are in good condition and your are fairly confident the rubber is well bonded, go ahead and use them. Sprocket on the left is good. Sprocket on the right needs to be replaced.
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When installing a sprocket, install them such that the untouched side of the cog is now driving the track. This gives you a fresh surface against the track cleats. Once the sprocket is on, I like to center punch around the keyway to slightly cave it in. This stops the key from walking out. If you have ever had that happen out on the trail, you know it is a long ride trying to drive it back on one track.
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When the gearbox is back in the chassis and upright, only install 4 to 6 ounces of oil. If you fill it to the fill hole on the side cover, it is sure to leak no matter how well you tried to seal it.
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That's it for the gearbox. 2 to 3 hours typically. On to Bogie Stations.
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Re: 502 Refurbishment

Post by Go Go Diablo » Wed Jan 13, 2016 11:00 pm

Now is a great time to install a new snow flap if needed. I pop rivet mine on.
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Also take a few moments and turn out the track adjusters and lubricate the threads. You will be glad you did.
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The most important thing I do to the bogie stations is add a lubrication zerk and some additional weld between the tube and U bracket. Bogie stations did not have zerks from the factory. The axels have two brass bushings in each end and for some reason, Bolens must have thought they did not need lubrication. Obviously, that was a mistake.

I start by taking any tires and bumpers off that are no good. If I need some new tires, then I pull the old tires off the front and back stations as well and I'll explain why later. I toss the stations in the sand blaster and hit the axel and where the axel meets the U bracket. I drill the 3/16" hole in the axel and install a press fit zerk. Then tack weld the zerk in place. Without the tack weld, the zerk will just pull out when you put the lube gun on it.
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In regards to the extra weld on the axel, bogies came original with only two welds on the outer sides of the brackets. Almost all sets of stations you pull off, you will find some of these axels broke loose from the U bracket. So go back over that original weld and add another weld inside the U bracket. Once the welding is done, I put them back in the sand blaster to blast off the welding debris. Throw a little black rust inhibiting paint on them and let them dry.

When reassembling the stations, if I'm putting new tires and bumpers on some stations, I always put these new rubber pieces on the front and back bogie stations. They are the most important as they help the tracks get on and off the sprockets cleanly. The rest of the bogie stations in the middle are mostly along for the ride. Having a little rougher tires and bumpers on those stations does not harm the set up.

After installing the stations on the chassis, I like to lubricate them with oil. This gun I bought is supposed to be good for oil, but not so much as I tend to get oil all over and have to store the gun in a can when the oil runs out of it. The point is that I can get oil in the axel and I think that is far better than any grease put in there.
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When complete, the last thing I do is install a nice little red cap on the zerk.
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That's it for Bogie Stations. Figure about 2 hours.
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Re: 502 Refurbishment

Post by jayvee43 » Thu Jan 14, 2016 6:48 am

For a 502, Is there a difference of placement for the bumpers. i had some bogie stations with two holes, and i think i remember reading that the two front had the bumpers closer to the pivot pin? What's your take on that?
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Re: 502 Refurbishment

Post by Go Go Diablo » Thu Jan 14, 2016 11:04 pm

That is a very good question. We have talked about bogie assemblies in the past, but let's refresh everyone on some pointers about the differences. Some bullets include:

- An assembly for a 500 only has the single hole for the bumper.
- Bumpers on the front double assemblies and the back two assemblies have additional washers under them to provide more lift.
- An assembly for a 502/503 is built heavier than a 500 assembly.
- All 502/3 assemblies have two holes for the bumpers.
- 502/3 assemblies can be used on a 500 by putting the bumpers in the holes closest to the pivot.
- All assemblies on the 502/3 have the bumpers in the holes farthest away from the pivot except the last to assemblies. They have their bumpers in the hole closest to the pivot.
- Again for the 502/3, bumpers on the front double assemblies and the back two assemblies have additional washers under them to provide more lift.

Here is a link to Bogie Assemblies 101:

http://www.gogodiablo.com/?page_id=709
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Re: 502 Refurbishment

Post by Go Go Diablo » Thu Jan 14, 2016 11:16 pm

Continuing with the reassembly, it's time to reinstall the gearbox. It is slid in place easy. Install the clevis pin at this time.
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Turn in the adjusting screws so the tops of the cogs on the drive sprockets do not hit the tubular frame. If you have ever seen a drive sprocket with the tops of the cogs chopped off, I'd bet at some point, they were too close to the tube and it acts like a sharp knife and just slices them off.
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The Idler Sprockets on this unit were pounded down in to the valleys pretty hard. That can happen with time, but it can also happen if the tracks are too tight.
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Now here is something to consider regarding the Idler Sprocket. As discussed earlier, replacing a drive sprocket means you pull the front of the Diablo apart. However, replacing an Idler Sprocket only requires you to split the track. Idler Sprockets are far easier to replace, so taking a chance on a questionable sprocket is less likely to cause you a lot of grief if you have to fix it later. On the other hand, if you are driving around and your the rubber on your Idler Sprocket comes off, you typically would not know it and if you happen to drive too far before you realize the issue at hand, the metal rims of the Idler Sprockets will tear up the centers of the aluminum cleats. Now you just wrecked your tracks.

So this Diablo is getting new Idler Sprockets. I always replace the four bearings in the sprockets. No rocket science here.
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Putting the gearbox in and replacing bearings in the Idler Sprockets is pretty easy. About 1/2 hour.
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Re: 502 Refurbishment

Post by Go Go Diablo » Fri Jan 15, 2016 10:10 pm

I welcome your feedback or questions through this post so everyone doesn't have to read just me babbling on.

So lets talk tracks for a bit.

Issues with tracks include:

- Weather-checked, ripped or bowed tracks. Can't do much about any of these, but these tracks are also pretty hearty, so a little wear and tear is typically ok.
- Lacer clips that are worn. No problem, just install new ones.
- Cleats that are broken. Again no problem, just replace them.
- Cleats that are bent. Very common. Just straighten them.
- Cleat rivets that are missing. Hmmm, need to make a decision there.
- The holes where the lacers are connected gets tore out. No fix for this. You can either install a splice kit or find another track.
- Mismatched in length.

Lets start with the lacers:
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When the lacers wear out, you have no choice but to replace them. You just lay them on the bench and use a larger drill bit like a 5/16" and drill out the peened end of the rivet. Just like that, you can peel the lacer off. We have new stainless steel lacers available. You just put them on and install the rivets.
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For years, I installed rivets and never heard of a rivet punch. I was using a wide center punch to flare out the hollow rivet, then a blunt punch and hammer to hammer them down. Recently, I found this rivet punch is quite common and they do a great job of rolling the rivet over and making a clean installation.
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Finding a few broken cleats is common. Drill out the rivets. Install the new cleat and peen over the rivet.
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You can buy cleats or if you have an extra track around, you try and reclaim some cleats off that spare track and install new rivets. Cleats are made of extruded aluminum. They have a steel rivet rail in them that have the rivet heads behind them. The rivet rail is held on the cleat with a heavy dent in the cleat. To take the rivet rail out, you can use a cut off wheel grinder and using it on an angle, cut in to the dent to relieve it from the rail. Then pound out the rail by pushing on the rivets with a punch. Install new rivets and reuse the rivet rail. Install a new dent.
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I use a short piece of old railroad iron to straighten cleats. Just lay the cleat against the iron and whack it with a hammer. They straighten pretty easily which explains why they can be bent so easy.

You may find some rivets missing on your cleats. My rule of thumb is one rivet missing on a cleat is ok. Two or more rivets gone? Replace the cleat. If you have a whole row of the same rivet missing on multiple cleats, something is rubbing on your track. So look for the problem and fix that.

If your lacers are ripped out of the rubber, you cannot shorten the track to the next cleat and install the lacers as the track will be too short. Bolens actually supplied a Track Splicing Kit which consisted of a short piece of track with 3 cleats on it and lacers on each end. You were supposed to shorten your track and then install the splice so your track is back to it's original length. I have a number of these kits if you need one.

If your tracks are bowed, a little bow is fine. By laying the track on the floor and setting a tape measure on the side of the track end to end and measuring the depth of the bow, an inch depth is ok. Two inches is a lot. Three inches may be too bowed.

Lastly, lay both of your tracks side by side and see how they match in length. I've seen Diablo track range in length from 104" to over 107". If you tracks are an inch or less different in length, you can usually be ok with that. Much more than an inch difference and you might have troubles. We will talk about track installation next and you will see why this is important.
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Re: 502 Refurbishment

Post by fap67 » Sat Jan 16, 2016 8:53 am

I got a bunch of questions. What does the business end of that punch look like and where did you get it? What are the lacer rivets called and where do you get them? Do you know if these are the same lacers that Hus-skis used and if they are, did you have them made somewhere or are they NOS ones that you have? Thanks.

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Re: 502 Refurbishment

Post by Go Go Diablo » Sat Jan 16, 2016 9:53 pm

The rivet punch is from McMaster Carr part number 6667A2.
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The rivet description is 3/16 x 1/2 Semi-Tubular Rivet 3/8 OD Head Truss 1/16 Thick Zinc. My local Fastenal number is 10210-15594. Note - your Fastenal Distributer may not recognize this part number as it may be a brand part number.

For the cleats - same rivet but 5/8" long. I purchase both by a thousand and they are about 10 cents each.

Regarding the lacer, I think they are the same as some Hus Ski tracks. I have some NOS lacers, but I sell the lacers I get made. They are heavier and made from stainless steel.
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NOS lacer on tope, fabricated lacer on the bottom.
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Re: 502 Refurbishment

Post by fap67 » Sun Jan 17, 2016 9:21 am

Thanks Bruce, are the hollow rivets, hollow all the way through or just the ends? Do you have the Fastenal part # for the lacer rivets?

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