new 440 owner, drive questions

[dmcca]

First of all, great site! I was looking at a used 440 and was unsure if i should get it or not cause it needs some work... I searched the net for info and came across this site, read through some posts for a while and bought it! Having a site like this gives me confidence that i can get this thing going well!

Anyway, the 440 i bought had no left brake and the right clutch slipped. The brake ended up being easy, just needed adjustment, but upon trying to adjust the left clutch i found that the clutch adjuster bolt (the 1/2" one) has stripped its thread and i cant get it done up tightly enough to grip. Is it feasible to drill and tap this bolt hole without taking the final drive off? Whats under the bolt hole, if i drill too far will i ruin anything?

Im still not sure if the clutch is slipping or not cause i can't try it out without this bolt. I'm really hoping there's a way to repair it and try adjusting the clutch first before i remove the final drive.

Thanks Dave

[dmcca]

OK i ended up fitting a slightly larger bolt and was able to tighten it up just enough. I found that despite adjusting the left clutch it still slipped so i guess i will need to rebuild it.

I have another quick question, when the clutch is adjusted properly how much lateral movement should there be in the thrust bearing? Mine were only moving slightly before the whole assembly was 'popping'. i read that this popping means its going beyond its reasonable range of adjustment, but it seemed to happen after only 3-4mm of movement in the thrust bearing.

[Lavoy]

Something is odd, if you are getting a popping noise that soon, I wonder if one of the balls may have broken, or the cups are bad.
Lavoy

[dmcca]

Thanks Lavoy,

Are the balls and cups replaceable?
Dave

[Lavoy]

Yes, the balls will fall out on their own, the cups might need some influence.
Lavoy

[snoopy]

I have used a grease gun to pump the cones out on my MC.

Bob