88 Yamaha Big Bear DIF yoke removal

[grego86 0]

My front dif is leaking oil pretty bad around the yoke. I completely pulled the whole dif from my bike and now stuck trying to get the yoke unbolted from the dif body. There's a large nut in the center of the yoke and I've tried using impact wrench and not budging. The nut and bolt kind of looks like it has a crimp spot made to keep it from backing off the bolt I guess. Does that sound right? What's the easiest way to remove it? Just soak with some type of lube and try again with the impact?

[grego86 0]

[davefrombc 235]

That  is  just a   self locking  nut. I  can't tell whether someone  has  used a punch on it  to   lock it tighter  or  not  with the crud  in the  thread above it, but  it  should  come  undone  using an  impact  wrench.  Clean  the   thread above the dent in the   nut  to ass if the thread of the shaft is damaged..  If it  is, you  could  grind away the  damaged  spot  under  the  dent, but  you  likely  don't  need to grind anything away. also , when you  clean  the   shaft to  get a better  look,  make sure it is   regular right hand thread. It  appears to be  from  what  little I can see of it , but make  sure.

Use a big  pipe wrench to  keep the  yoke from  turning,  and use a  good  air or electric impact wrench to spin the nut off..

Edited January 12, 2017 by davefrombc

[grego86 0]

Someone locally told me it prob has a punch out in it. Does anyone know if my model does or not?

[davefrombc 235]

I doubt the  nut  has a spring pin  holding it ..   Clean  it  off and look. If there's a hole drilled  through it, it  has one , but that  nut  looks  like a regular  self  locker to me.