Anyone pulled an engine?

[VTXorcist]

Well, the bike shop just got back to me about my sheared pipe bolt, and they want to pull the engine and even then they think I'll need a new cylinder. $400 just to try to drill it, though.

Since I only paid $800 for the bike, I'm going to try pulling the engine and getting a better angle to drill myself. The service manual makes it seem doable, but I was concerned about the sections about propping up the bike with a jack or wooden blocks and supporting the engine with a jack. I don't have a motorcycle jack, unfortunately, and I don't want to risk damaging the bike or myself.

Any tips from folks who have done this before?

[Sarris]

Why not just replace the head with a used one from e-bay. I'm fairly sure you can just pop the tank and remove it.

Remember, if all else fails, RTFM.

:2tup:

[VTXorcist]

I saw that you could replace the cylinder without removing the engine. Would I need to replace the whole cylinder or just part of it? Also, I've only ever seen whole engines for sale on ebay (usually at $500 or so). Maybe once I know what part I need to replace I'll have an easier time finding it, though.

[VTXorcist]

Aha, the cylinder head comes off on its own! Sorry, engine nublet in case everyone hadn't already noticed.

Found this post which shed some light on it. I'm tempted to just take that off and try drilling before I replace it altogether.

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1625

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by VTXorcist

I'm tempted to just take that off and try drilling before I replace it altogether.

What kind of "shop" were you talking to ??

Despite my earlier advice, it now seems that you would be MUCH better off taking it to a bike shop.....who would know that pulling the head would be the proper thing to do.......unless they have some special tool to do it right ON the engine.

I think getting the valve timing back exactly right can be tricky; maybe not a job for a "rookie".

[VTXorcist]

It was the dealership, unfortunately. I'm sure they know what they're doing, but the price is more than I want to pay. I hate to say it but I'm half tempted, at this point, just to cut my losses and sell it to someone who can fix it without spending a ton of cash.

EDIT: If only I had left that damn header pipe in place while I put on the new exhaust! :shocked:

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by VTXorcist

It was the dealership, unfortunately.

And I don't suppose there is another one close by ???

OK, since we are at the bottom of the barrel, so to speak, here is a story that I'm not too proud of......but it worked out OK, I think.

Years ago I had the same thing happen to me with a Honda 360. Fortunately the one that broke was real easy to get to. It broke almost flush with the head. I ground it down a bit until it was slightly concave and then drilled into the broken stud......with a bit that was quite a bit SMALLER than the original stud. I was drilling a hole into the part of the stud that was left and not touching the head (original threads) at all......well, until the bottom of the hole anyway as my angle was not perfect. I then used an ordinary tap to thread the hole....well two actually; first a pointed starter one and then a bull nosed one to get farther down. This actually worked quite good but I was VERY carefull as I had experience with broken taps in situations like that before.

So, what's the part I'm not too proud of? At the time, all the tools I had (drills and taps) were English and not Metric so it ended up with one noticeably skinny stud that was NOT metric like everything else on the bike!! It held up fine for about 2 years and I pointed it out to the next buyer. After that, who knows.

Point IS, you might want to give it a shot. If you go smaller than original, you might be able to get by without a helicoil (or similar) and thread it right into the hole. An extra long drill bit might help. Just take it slow and be careful. Oh, and be sure you can get a stud that matches the threads you will be cutting.....preferably metric.

[dhgeyer]

I did the same thing Easy Rider did on a GS500E. The original that seized and broke off was the metric equivalent of 5/16 or so (8mm?). It had come partway out before it broke, so there was open space beneath it in the hole. I drilled and tapped for 1/4-20, as I have all the stuff to do that. All by hand, with the engine in the bike. It wasn't too precision work, to say the least. When I got done, I think there was maybe 1/2" of good thread holding the bolt. Never had a problem with it after that. I don't think it's a very high stress application.

It was a desperate thing to do, but as in the case here, the bike wasn't worth what it would cost to have a shop do the job right. And that GS500E had all kinds of other problems as well, so I just wasn't going to spend hundreds to solve that problem.

After that, I always use high temp anti-seize compound on any threaded fastener going into the cylinder or head of an air cooled engine, including the spark plug(s).

[thepaintbox]

I've had my bike up for some front brake work. it wasn't too hard. I got some bricks (wrapped in towels for paint safety) and lifted the bike so that the frame (little bits by the footpegs) would sit on em. it was plenty stable.

Yeah, and the new head seems to be just under 500 OEM.