Well, I just made a mistake that's going to cost me a bit of work - and am looking for any advice. I've a '66 CA77 that is in pretty good shape and just cresting 8,000 miles on the odometer (which i believe is accurate). I've dropped in the electronic points/ignition system which has been great. I had a bit a slipping on the clutch - so a Loud Mouse clutch was put in (and man was that a great improvement, his clutches are quality gear). So... today the weather is nice here in Seattle for the first time in quite a while. As you might do also - I headed out for a cruise. I'd notice that the new clutch seemed to need a slight bit a adjustment (I had not changed anything when I first dropped it in). So I went to my owners manual and read up on how to adjust by loosening the 10mm bolt and slotting a larger driver into the "adjuster" for a small twist one way or the other. I played with this for a minute, then think I've got things moved for proper free play and go to tighten the 10mm bolt. Here's what I think are my two mistakes - 1) I did this with a warm engine, thus the bolt and the clutch adjusting fixture (which I believe it threads into) are at their lowest strength due to the heat, 2) I obviously overtightened. How do I know this... because either the bolt broke, or I stripped the clutch adjusting fixture.
I need to let the engine cool down to begin to dismantle and see the extent of my bungle. I don't have the heart to do anything but post this topic for the moment.
However, I am guessing I am not the first to go down this path with the vast experience of the forum membership. So - if anyone has done something similar and has some thoughts on a successful recovery path - I'd appreciate your input. The weather is just starting to turn for the better, and it's disappointing to be sidelined for longer than necessary!
Broken clutch adjuster bolt?... thoughts on repair procedure
Re: Broken clutch adjuster bolt?... thoughts on repair proceEasy fix. You didn't break anything expensive or difficult to find, just the bolt that holds the adjuster hold-down bracket tight to the case. If you did break the bolt it should just pull out of the case. At worst, you need the bolt and the adjuster hold-down bracket. You'll have to remove the right cover, though. No biggie. And likely have a chance to clean out 8,000 miles worth of chain lube in the process.
Pic of the back side of the cover is below.  IMG_0747 by rzgkane, on Flickr Part you stripped or bolt you broke is at the left of the pic below.  IMG_0746 by rzgkane, on Flickr I have both parts if you need them. They are also pretty available on ebay. See here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1963-1969-HONDA ... 35b8bb6f5c
RZGKANE - I really appreciate the feedback - and felt better about learning I had not created too huge an issue for myself. To make things more interesting - it looks like the right side crank cover had not been removed in decades. After a lot of penetrant and two nights of effort with an impact driver, the old case screws finally came out. The adjuster bolt was fine and I had shattered the clutch adjuster it threads into. So I will be taking someone up on the kind offers (man, it's great to have a group like this to work with) to pick up a replacement. On the plus side, I had been seeing a slight oil leak on this side of the bike, and it now looks like the main shaft seal could use replacement. Since it's all opened up and fortunately I'd already procured a new set of seals, tomorrow night I hope to pull the chain and the sprocket to confirm a bad seal. Also - you were right about 8K worth of crud in the case cover...
I'll try to take a pic or two for the next person that goofs up like I did and shatters the adjuster... Another plus , the weather in Seattle is going to stay rainy for a while, so I have time to complete the repairs without too much guilt.
I have just returned from the place you are about to go. There are a few things you need to know.
First, your starter sprocket seal is probably leaking more than the crankshaft seal. While in there, you may as well replace them both. You don't even get to the crankshaft seal without first removing the starter sprocket. A pair of ring clip pliers is handy for removing the ring clip that holds the starter's sprocket to the starter. The starter sprocket will need to come off at the same time as the starter chain and crankshaft's starter sprocket. Second, in order to replace anything behind the rotor/flywheel you will need a special tool to remove the charging system rotor/flywheel. A generous soul local to me lent me his. You will need the same generosity or to buy one. About $15. Third, you will likely need to reassemble the starter clutch after removing the rotor/flywheel (sometimes the thing just falls apart) and you may find broken springs in there behind the cups that push against the large roller bearings. HONDA still sells them and they are cheap, but you might want them in your hand when you embark on your journey. Fourth, you will need to have a sharp exacto knife or a single edge razor blade handy. Reason? You need to remove the sharp lip from the upper and lower crankcase halves before you try and pop in the new crank seal. If you don't you will likely chew the edge right off the crank seal and destroy it. I took off a significant amount of material off the edges and then took emry cloth and smoothed it out. Then, I put a small bead of 3M weatherstrip adhesive (better known as gorilla snot) on the edge of the seal that enters first on installation to give a little bit of lubrication on the way in, and a little sealing/staying power to keep it in there. The seal needs to be installed countersunk to the case at least 1mm or the starter sprocket will bind against it when you tighten down the little metal stay that keeps that sprocket from moving outward from the case. Fifth, when you are putting the rotor back onto the crankshaft you need to position the slot for the key way a little to the left (about an hour and a half's worth) of the key way so that you can turn the rotor clockwise (this pushes the starter clutch's rollers back into their homes) and line up the key way and the key as the rotor slides back onto the crank. And make sure you don't force the rotor back onto the crank if it feels like it's not going too smoothly. You'll probably F up the key way and need another. Sixth, when putting the crankcase cover back on wind the kicker arm back so that it's at the 11:30 position when the cover seats to the case. I posted several times while I was doing my repair (with pics) and there might be a few tips in there that I didn't put here. I probably should have just cut and pasted the stuff here. Oh well. Good luck. And here's the link again for a replacement to the part you shattered: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1963-1969-HONDA ... 35b8bb6f5c
Doh...I just saw that you said "main shaft" and not main seal. Sorry for the diatribe. Maybe the next guy will benefit from it.
That said, if you have a complete seal kit you might replace the crank and starter sprocket seals anyway, while you're in there. They're likely as ancient as the rest of the bike. Mine were crusty old things that cracked with any slight pressure to their sealing lips. Now they're nice and tidy and don't leak a drop. Thanks all for the helpful information and offers on replacements parts. I was extremely lucky and caught a local Craigslist posting for CB77 engine. A short drive and $47 later I've a lot of replacement parts for future use, including the little clutch adjuster casting that I had shattered. Last night I had enough open time after work to clean things out, install seals and button things back up. I've adjusted the clutch (not over tightening this time!) and it seems much smoother going thought the gears - and finding neutral is a breeze. The weather has gone down hill again (39 deg and sleeting), so it may be a bit before I haul it out on the road to check full operation and the utility of the new seals. Thanks again for the kind advice and support.
I thought the CB77's were dual carb bikes? That motor is a single.
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