Max IV - the thrash begins...

[pgerblonski]

ok... i've been trolling and now have the parts (thanks for all of your input and help here guys!) balance of the goodies should be here by friday...

now i gotta make this thing go before Christmas...

gotta put on my new rear sprockets, tensioners all the way around, new rear right chain (drive from tranny), and a couple easy odds and ends (solenoid, throttle cable, and choke cable)...

robbie (aka rdr) i may need you in the next couple of days!!!

any insights on any of this would be appreciated... seems this should be pretty simple/straightforward unless i find unforeseen issues within - do have new bearings and retainers coming just in case as i don't actually have the time to find an issue order and wait and still make the deadline...

barring unforeseen issues, it seems i need to jack it up, make good measurements, yank the wheel, slip the old axle most of the way out, slip off the old sprocket and on with the new (heat is required to break the threadlock right?), line 'er back up, thread lock it, tighten it down and set tension? as all of my idler/tensioners are mia - how do i 'correctly' set the tension?

later i'll fab a new exhaust, and fix up the seats... kids won't care about that for the first ride

[Mike]

You are definitely on the right track. Read through the axle how-to here on the site in the how-to section and look at the pictures. You will need to pull the axle all the way out to change the outer bearings. Go ahead and do that while you are in there and it will save you the hassle down the road.

[rdr]

ok... i've been trolling and now have the parts (thanks for all of your input and help here guys!) balance of the goodies should be here by friday...

now i gotta make this thing go before Christmas...

gotta put on my new rear sprockets, tensioners all the way around, new rear right chain (drive from tranny), and a couple easy odds and ends (solenoid, throttle cable, and choke cable)...

robbie (aka rdr) i may need you in the next couple of days!!!

any insights on any of this would be appreciated... seems this should be pretty simple/straightforward unless i find unforeseen issues within - do have new bearings and retainers coming just in case as i don't actually have the time to find an issue order and wait and still make the deadline...

barring unforeseen issues, it seems i need to jack it up, make good measurements, yank the wheel, slip the old axle most of the way out, slip off the old sprocket and on with the new (heat is required to break the threadlock right?), line 'er back up, thread lock it, tighten it down and set tension? as all of my idler/tensioners are mia - how do i 'correctly' set the tension?

later i'll fab a new exhaust, and fix up the seats... kids won't care about that for the first ride

no problem jest give me a yell robbie

[pgerblonski]

tonight is the night!!

well at least i hope to start tonight!!!

finally got all the pieces (thanks DAN!! ) now here we go!!! gonna have to clear out some room and maybe i'll have it together for a test run early next week...? i also gotta learn how to drive this beast before i put the wife and kids in!!! and to do that i gotta get it put together... forgot my stoopid digital camera to record this for posterity - hopefully i'll remember to use the camera phone as i go along... if nothing else it will give all of you a good laugh as i probably will screw up and document such errors for your never-ending enjoyment!

guess we'll see soon!

pgerblonski

[pgerblonski]

it's underway... EEEEK!

ok... last night (friday night) i tore down the right rear axle (it amazing how much better it goes when your assistant is reading the correct directions btw...

i do have the right rear axle removed... guess i'll need to do the same on the left as well, but i got a problem - the chain that broke (from tranny to rear axle) seems to have smacked the tensioner assembly (assuming that there was supposed to be one on the right as there is on the left that reaches back to the rear member of the frame?) so it's gone (no scraps?) and the inner bearing was so tweaked that the edge of the bearing got swedged onto (almost welded) into the lip of the locking collar - my rear axles (both) have over 3/4" of play - so while i know i shoulda measured before removal it seemed i was left w/ little to measure (other than a +/- 3/4" measurement which i figured was worthless...)

seems i'll need to 'straight edge' the sprocket gears to line everything up, and then do i use the locking collar against the inner and outer bearings to locate the axle...? these were so far from the bearings i can't tell if that's their intended purpose? or do i locate the axle (in and out) via some other method?

insights?!

[Mike]

Yeah, that's not a bid deal, you can just measure the distance from the sprocket to the frame on the center axle and then match that on the rear axle. That should get you alligned properly. That way both sprockets are on the same plane.

Once you have them alligned, lock the collars onto the bearings and just double check your measurement to make sure that nothing moved.

[pgerblonski]

*whew*

cool!! thanks!... i haven't taken the weight off of the front axle yet, but thus far the issue of "way to friggin' much play" only seems to be on the rear... this thing must have been under tremendous torque when that chain popped!!!

hope to be rolling this evening!!! hope hope

[pgerblonski]

pity.. pity...

well, maybe we won't make it by Christmas for the kiddos...

it's 3AM the day after i was hoping to have the worst of all this behind me, and well... oh well...

seems this wasn't as well cared for as i had hoped and well, i'm missing some other stuff... and will need at least 3 more bearings! (crap!!!) as well as the tensioner bracket for the right side tranny <--> rear sprocket chain and i'll need another idler/tensioner sprocket... egad!!! the only one that came on the machine is worn slap out... it has worn to the point it's two gears - you can see how it was made!!!

dunno if RI carries these 'antiquated parts' or not?! it actually looks like someone didn't know how to tighten down the bearing race guides or something... or do these eccentrics blow apart like this often...? i have better than 3/4" play on 3 axles (well now just two since i'm almost done with the right rear... and man that left rear is gonna be ugly since i was hoping to not remove my engine!) crap crap crap!!!

oh and btw anybody know what the "green wire" in the harness does...? it's hooked to a spade connector on my (dead) solenoid and my new replacement part is sans this spade connector.... looks factory like... (faded green and inside the little wire harness sleeve.... not sure how to find it short of standing on my head in the driver's compartment...? unless one of you manly men (or girly men ) can tell me and save the wear and tear on my rapidly vanishing hair...?

hmmm maybe this could be a inauguration day present for the kids - might have the rest of the parts i now know i need and it assembled by then!

[racerone3]

sorry to hear that your having issues, but that seems to be the way it goes with these things. your green wire should be the exciter wire for the solenoid. it should have power when the key is turned to the "start" position. some used a spade and some use a ring terminal. you can either change out the connector, or hit the auto parts store and see if you can find one with a spade.
good luck with the machine and hope to see you up and riding soon

[pgerblonski]

thanks!

thanks for the encouragement (and wow another nc-lots of these things around here, no?)

my dissappointment is waning now and now i'm getting focused... gonna check out micmac's eccentric bearing eliminator article and decide if i just need to step up and jerk all of these things out... (since i'm rebuilding half of the axles now it seems...)

we'll see...

and i can't wait (but i guess i'll have to) to get this thing running and get out to play with it... i have access to 150 acres in the mountains i want to invite everyone to come play on!!! - then there's the creek in our backyard that beckons right now....

[Mike]

... i have access to 150 acres in the mountains i want to invite everyone to come play on!!! - then there's the creek in our backyard that beckons right now....

Now we're talking!

[racerone3]

[quote=pgerblonski;28781]thanks for the encouragement (and wow another nc-lots of these things around here, no?)

encouragement... no problem. that's what this site is all about! not a lot of them in NC. but we keep draging them out of the woods let me know if there is anything i can do to help you out. i don't own a max yet, but they are all pretty similar.

i have access to 150 acres in the mountains i want to invite everyone to come play on!!! - then there's the creek in our backyard that beckons right now....

i'm with Mike! mountains sound good to me!

[pgerblonski]

the mountains thingy...

we're working to build a camp for special needs kids - hence the land and the max iv

i figured it would be the best way to take folks on a tour of the property while we prepare to build/develop (ya can't really pack three people on a 4wheeler and talk, ya know...)

anyway it's steep, undisturbed, and on top of a mountain... not a bad place to go play... but i was really looking forward to floating the stream back behind the place here too this weekend... lotsa play room but it's a bit dicey with the 4-wheelers - you never know when you're gonna hit a deep enough hole to lose the whole rig... got a buddy whose son has built a nasty rock crawler jeep that he's been known to run the creek... he's come back from trips on the creek with a muddy waterline up on the windshield and he's running something sick like 38's on this custom over-sprung coiled YJ on 3/4 ton axles... it's a cool ride... and my little CJ on 33's just don't get it... LOL

ordered more parts (to complete the project i hope ) today from dan at RI (thanks again for your help man!!! i hope i didn't keep you too long!) maybe i can have it going before too long...?

[pgerblonski]

the thrash is back on!

ok.. had to wait on more parts... Lord willing they will be here today and i can start back into this thing!!!

kids have no idea they got short changed last week

but anyway... hope to have axle #2 out in the next day or so, and i'll try to get some good measurements of it while it's out...

figure i'll take on the left rear next since it will likely be the worst with the engine and tranny still in place...

here's hoping i have this thing running soon!!!

[philipatmaxfour]

ok.. had to wait on more parts... Lord willing they will be here today and i can start back into this thing!!!

kids have no idea they got short changed last week

but anyway... hope to have axle #2 out in the next day or so, and i'll try to get some good measurements of it while it's out...

figure i'll take on the left rear next since it will likely be the worst with the engine and tranny still in place...

here's hoping i have this thing running soon!!!

I am not sure how to interpret your above post,but pulling the max iv engine is pretty easy. I can,t imagine attempting to pull a left rear axle with the engine in. t-20 is ok ,Good luck