Did I find a "Jesus Nut" on my Panhead?

[rbenash]

To my pont:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_nut

Been playing with my '65 pan since it's all done and back on the road. Figured we would have some run in issues. One was swelling of the stock float, readily fixed with new material/ replacement. It was swollen so bad it was binding on the bowl.

Thing is, I could let the bike sit for about 20 minutes and restart/get home. And the swollen float only became a problem after a certain run time and heat build up as I did have fuel flow into the bowl. Once I exceeded that minimized flow due to speed, heat (start to boil the low level of fuel, vapor lock) then I would have to throw the choke closed and find an exit, etc. But it would get me home.

Closest I've come to the Jesus Bolt is that I lost the clevis pin yesterday. The link between the shifter rod and the shift lever on the tranny. Bike is hot so you can't stick your and down behind the inner primary to even think about working a wire connection in some how.

So the connection was solid with the factory pin washer and cotter. Maybe if it was put in reverse of what it was might have had a harder time backing out (the pin) after the soft cotter severed.

But to me this was a Jesus Nut since I couldn't really go anywhere in traffic with the tranny now stuck in high gear. Can't start the bike if it stalls because can't get it in neutral. Bike needs to be in neutral for the starter to work. Can't get it into a lower gear because you can't get to the shift lever on the tranny. Could probably bump start it in high (actually better in high for that purpose). But in heavy commuter traffic that's a risk.

Anyway interested in what folks have done with this critical connection. I'm thinking stainless cotter and maybe reversing the pin direction so that it will have more trouble backing out if the cotter severs/breaks.

Something you guys have run into or am I just "lucky" ?

Bottom line looks like to reconnect you need to pull the left exhaust and go down to pulling the inner primary to replace the pin. Pretty serious road repair if you are out in the boonies.

[Robert Luland]

Anyway interested in what folks have done with this critical connection.

I call wife Bean and her and Beagle, Beagle come running in the pick'um up truck. Bob L

[rbenash]

I've never seen/heard of the cotter failing as I was a kid and coming up living around with Pan and Shovel owners. Just one of those things I guess. I have photos of the resto that show the cotter in place and in the right position (cotter towards the inner primary cover). Go figure. It's funny since when I pulled over I could just see where the linkage is made. Pretty sure I could do a road repair with a piece of wire and a hook to grab the shifter lever on the tranny and get some baling wire through. But dang with that heat and the left exhaust it wasn't happening until it was way cooled down. It was quicker in this case to have my wife come out with the bike trailer. It was still too hot to work on when she got to me.

It's a tight space between the inner primary and the link with the shifter lever on the tranny but I think with time and patience I can get another pin/cotter in without removing the inner primary. I do plan on taking this bike on the road and long(ish) trips so this is a part that I will keep in the kit and will probably never have to use Wondering if the spares should be stainless.

I was around this bike when all 3 previous owners had it. Don't remember them ever breaking down due to this, nor does my father. My father had several shovels and none of them had a cotter at this link fail. The newer bikes are easier to get at and the connection is redesigned.

[rbenash]

All back and on the road today. A bit tedious to replace. VERY tight quarters. You don't have a straight shot down to the joint and no way you are getting your hand down in there. Had to pull the left exhaust. I was able to leave the clamp that attaches to the left rear stud on the left cylinder in place. The parts manual does not show a washer behind the cotter key. It take a 1/16 th inch cotter pin. The books also show the clevis pin going in from the right side and the cotter pin on the left.

You can not get your hand up through from underneath the inner primary housing either. Maybe if you had a lift you might be able to work a tool up through to push up on the transmission shifter lever. Probably on the 64 and earlier bikes access is pretty good since they have the smallish inner Primary/Primary housings. But on the 65's and later they are big, bulky and hid the shifter rod and transmission lever joint very nicely

What i ended up doing is taking a thin wooden coffee stirrer (kind they use as Starbuck or used to when I grabbed a handful a couple years ago) - drop of super glue and fastened the cap of the pin to the stick. Got the shifter rod clevis in close postilion/alignment to the shifter lever on the tranny. Used the stick to get the pin started in the clevis hole. Let it sit. Took a havy wire and hooked onto the shift lever on the tranny and pulled it up to close alignment as best I could seed. Managed to get a long thing screw driver behind the stirrer attached to the pin and push it through. Once the pin is in you can use the shift peddle to pull the linkage up a bit, but it's still not enough for free access, does make it just a little easier to have a look, but still quite difficult to see.

Next took a length of .016 wire and managed to get it into the hole on the clevis pin and spin it around to the top/just off top center. Took another wooden stirrer and crazy glued the head of the cotter to tip. With a good small flash light and reading glassies was able to work the pin into the hole and break it loose from the stick. Then a touch and go tedious effort to get the cotter pin spread as the whole pin wants to spin while you are trying to spread the cotter. Judicious use of a long thin scredriver helped but a little luck helped. Almost had the cotter drop out of the hole on me at one point.

Not something that's easy to do on the side of the road and not something your are going to do unless the ending is totally cooled down.

Thing is looking at the whole fit, there's really no way for a cotter to pull through. Either mine was left out or a cotter was reused and the head broke off. The 1/16th cotter will slip out of the whole if not bent. Almost happened to me as I was trying to spread it

I really don't think I will see this happen again. I truly beleive there was either no cotter place on assembly, an undersized cotter was used (but even that, I can't imagine pulling through or a cotter was re-used. I do have a photo that shows the pin installed, but I think the primary might have been pulled off again after that while troubleshooting some clutch issues and that may have been when the "slip" occurred if you will.

Anyway all done and riding happily again today.

So happy that i didn't have to result to pulling the whole primary housing. If I did I think I would take the hit from the judges and put the pin in reverse of what it shows in the books. Installed that way there no way the pin could back all the way out once the inner primary case is installed. Something you can only do when the bike is aparte though. No clearance to get the pin in from that direction when the bike is assembled.

Anyway in the end took a few hours. Basically a step at a time and walk away and think awhile and then go after it. Took it in steps.

Every once in awhile I'll be taking a look down there just to check on things

[SFMike]

Got lots of miles on several 65s and others.
Never had that problem.
Never use a cotter pin without a washer to protect it.