Where does the factory case splitting tool mount?

I am splitting my cases this weekend... got the flywheel off with the cheap tool from Dennis Kirk. And I got a harmonic puller that looks perfect for the job from Pep Boys (cheaper and better then the kit they had at harbor freight). I'll have to weld a couple bolts to get the right threads, but thats easy enough. I'll post pictures.

My question is to verify where those bolts anchor. From the service manual, it looks like the puller bolts into the two stronger "webbed into the case" stator mounting points on either side of the crank. These are fairly small fine thread holes, but do have good support on the case. I kind of expected a bigger hole, but I don't see any other threaded holes in the area that could be used.

I wanted to make sure I have the right ones before I go "splitting" things :)

Thanks!

Whoo Hoo! Split just fine. A little heat with a propane torch around the crank area on the case made it all drama free.

The Pep Boys puller worked fine, but I had to weld some 5mm threaded rod to larger bolts that go through the puller. Again, not a big deal. Total cost for the puller and the rod was under $20.

I'll post some pictures later... Now to go find out for sure if my carefull cross referencing of Kawasaki part numbers was right or not... if they are, the transmission I bought cheap on ebay for the 1990 KDX-200 is 90% the same as the transmission for my 95... If not, another expensive lesson in being cheap ;)

The previous owner must have run the wrong kind of sprocket... the splines on the output shaft are stripped. My bike is splineless ;)

As it turns out, the crank seal on the stator side was leaking anyway. Which dissolved a good bit of the stator glue, and it was coming apart and wearing. So the cases had to be split anyway.

Just to update the thread for the archives...

You also need a "bearing splitter" to get the bearings off the crank. Moose makes what looks to be a nice one. I picked one up at Harbor Freight that was a little big, but after grinding on it for a while it worked fine.

Now, how the heck do you get the new bearings in the case and on the crank without hurting them?

Thanks for taking the time to write that nice clear summary foxforks, I appreciate it.

OK, just finished digging through many (but not all) bearing and case splitting threads... Good reading for sure.

So here is my synopsis of the steps I plan to follow:

1) Put the crank and crank bearings in your deep freezer (in separate zip lock bags). Wait until they are really cold (i.e. over night).

2) Clean the case bearing insertion points really carefully. Take the case halves, without any new seals installed, and put them in the oven.

3) Heat the case halves up... a few values have been thrown out for heat, 212 deg F and 100 deg C are common... heat them till water boils on their surface. 212 seems reasonable, as those seals should survive boiling water.

4) On the KDX-200, it looks like the crank seals have to go in between the bearings and the cases, so they have to go into these hot cases. If you wait until the last minute, at least those seals don't have to sit and bake in the oven... and if you work quickly you are about to stuff frozen bearings near them as soon as you stuff them in the hot cases.

5) Pull the bearings (not the crank) out of the freezer, and drop them in the cases, carefully lining them up straight. They should just about fall in. If you must tap, only tap the outside bearing race only, you don't want to "dent" the races with the balls.

6) Put in the rest of the seals, transmission, etc.

7) Find some sort of chunk of metal that can be used as a slug (I think this is an Eric Gorr tip), and heat it up. Drop this into the bearing race in the side of the case you are working with. The idea is that it heats up the bearing without overheating the seal. There is probably a fine line here... and I suspect working with "still hot" cases would probably help.

8) Take the frozen crank out of the freezer, and slide it through the the bearings on the clutch side of the case. Work quickly, you want the crank to stay cold.

9) Repeat with the stator side of the case, snugging everything down.

10) Determine if the crank is centered in the cases (I'll have to see if the manual gives tips on this). If it is not, it is hopefully seated too deeply on the clutch side, and you can "pull" it back to center using the same case splitter tool you used to originally split the cases. That seems wiser then "whacking it with a mallet", which seems (to me) to run the risk of bending the crank assembly... though either way you will stress it somehow. I guess this would also be a good thing to do while the crank is still cold and the case is still hot.

11) Look over and discover the washer you forgot to put back on the transmission assembly, then go drink.

(Beware the above directions, I reserve the right to revise them when I look at the manual and actually try doing it...)

Aaack! Thank you! That would have occured to me right about the time I started putting the bolts in to button the case back together, and therefore would have been done badly.

I would ask if Yamabond / Hylomar is the right stuff, but I better check the archives first, or risk another scolding ;)

See! It was there:

You are looking for ThreeBond 1194 Gasket Sealer, which is a direct replacement for:

*
Threebond 1104 (Discontinued because of hazardous chemicals)
*
Honda Bond
*
YamaBond 4
*
Suzuki 99000-31010
*
Kawasaki Bond 56019-120

http://www.threebond.co.jp/en/produ.../1100/1194.html

Thanks to Rich Rohrich in this thread:
http://www.dirtrider.net/forums3/showthread.php?t=158709

I also saw:

Permatex Ultra Grey Sealent

Recommended... The code words to look for appear to be "non drying sealant" or "semi drying sealant".

Apparently, the Kawasaki stuff is pretty pricey...

Indeed! That'll keep me reading for a while.

I believe I am *almost* at apogee... almost done taking things apart, and ready to (gasp!) put things back together. Eric is finishing the top end this week, a new (used) shock is on the way from ebay, and it looks like the 1990 transmission output shaft will swap over nicely to my 95.

All it takes is time, money, and a little help from my friends... :)

At least I can say I saved a KDX from the brink of a grave... poor thing...

I was smiling when I said the scolding part.

I'm on the other end of the equation on one of the Buell forums, so I understand both sides of the problem... It gets really tedious to talk about the same topic over and over, but it can be really frustrating for somebody new to try and get a specific answer to a specific question using the search. They aren't sure how to ask the question, and have a hard time recognizing the right answers. And sometimes, you have to be talked into the truth. You can do it with just search, but it is time consuming and frustrating.

Ultimately, I just look at it as a win - win, especially with Buell. I've answered the same stupid question over and over and over, but have made a lot of really neat friends and met some amazing people. It's been a great investment for my time.

So thanks again to people here for the welcome and the help... I'll pay it back. I am learning far more about a KDX-200 then I *ever* intended, that's for sure :)