Simple question about a WL motor sprocket nut

[tracerbob]

Left or right hand threaded? I've looked everywhere. What torque setting should I use to tighten it? Can't find that either.

[41craig]

Right hand thread. Harley did not publish any torque settings for any side-valve motor. I always tighten 'til snug and then a light rap on the wrench with a hammer. Maybe someone else has some updated info.
Craig

[Sargehere]

To dope out left or right hand threads, one needs only to imagine the parts are made of putty, or clay: And, "Does the shaft turn the nut, or the nut turn the shaft?" The direction will always be "as if" the direction of the threads, if allowed to actually turn unrestrained, would tighten the joint, not loosen it. On all Harleys (on the left side) the engine shaft pulls around the drive sprocket, so further tightening of the threads/nut occurs as sprocket follows the shaft if the threads are normal, right-handed, pointing left of the bike and trying to make the sprocket shaft to screw tighter into the nut as it turns .

On the transmission shaft thread, the clutch hub is pulling around the shaft which is following-behind, so the threads point towards the bike, and any torque in the driving direction on the nut pulls it in closer, ever-tighter against the face of the hub. Hope this helps!

[tracerbob]

Thanks. Just wondering before I take a impact wrench to it.

[Sargehere]

Oh, and when the Flatheads were introduced, the torque wrench was unheard of. The way Harley prevented over-tightening was to make specific, short-handled. six-point
headbolt wrenches. Long enuf to use with one hand. You tighten the headbolts down only as much as you can with one hand. No two hands, no cheater bar tubes over the handle, and you won't strip out the cylinder threads, like so many shop monkeys have in history
.