Time for an engine overhaul?

[Water Warrior 2]

5th bike, it is normal to have tools you will never use. I have lots of them. I even have a half inch torque wrench still sitting in the original packaging for the last 16 years. I have no idea how it works.

[anjames]

Damage report!

I got it all apart today and to my surprise only ONE of the rings was broken, into five pieces. For those of you curious, it is possible to take the head apart without removing the engine, but just barely.

Unfortunately, the cylinder is pretty scored from the broken ring bits jabbering around during my ride home, and a new cylinder is $300! Doh! Anyone know where I can pick up a cheaper used cylinder?

I took photos too, and will post them.

[anjames]

Found a new cylinder on ebay for $40! I talked to the seller and they said it still has smooth gasket and cylinder surfaces. Score! :rawk:

[anjames]

For the curious, here are the photos.

[Water Warrior 2]

Just curious. Are the cylinder walls to badly scuffed that trying to hone out the marks would be a waste of time ?

[anjames]

Unfortunately, I think they are. The scuffs are smooth, but since I had to ride it almost 5mi home after the rings blew, they are quite deep. Also, since the rings were broken into several bits, the gouges are not axisymmetric, so new rings wouldn't be able to seal against the cylinder. I think they may be even more than 1mm deep in some places.

[blaine]

That cylinder is toast.You were lucky to find one on e-bay.Good luck.
:cool:

[anjames]

Hey hey, at least two bits of good news this week: it's back together and actually running today and I finally finished my PhD. Hell yes! In hindsight, both of these things are clearly possible to do, but I wouldn't recommend starting either one because you will decide halfway through that it is way too much work for what you're getting but as soon as you're started it feels too late to quit.

I accidentally bought the wrong tappet adjuster, so I wasn't able to adjust the valves (which were tighter than spec after reassembly), and the spark plug is a little gunky due to burning all that oil, but it fired right up and ran fine this afternoon when I gave it a go. One new plug and one tappet adjuster set and it'll be running like a champ again.

Some words of wisdom:
The over-sized rings must be hand compressed while sliding the piston into the cylinder, otherwise they will (did) break, you will have to buy a new set, you'll have to fish bits of them out of the case, and you'll feel like an idiot at the same time. A telescoping magnet eases all of this pain if you do make this mistake. To avoid this problem, you should definitely have a clean rag immediately handy as you pull the cylinder out to wrap around the bottom of the piston before completely separating them so broken ring bits don't fall in the case, and you should leave it wrapped there until after you have the piston with fresh rings in the cylinder again.

[blaine]

Originally Posted by anjames

I accidentally bought the wrong tappet adjuster, so I wasn't able to adjust the valves (which were tighter than spec after reassembly), and the spark plug is a little gunky due to burning all that oil, but it fired right up and ran fine this afternoon when I gave it a go. One new plug and one tappet adjuster set and it'll be running like a champ again.

A Schrader Valve or a Phillips screw will fit the adjuster.I always liked using a schrader valve.A short one works better than the factory tool.The factory tool is too long for adjusting the valves on the intake side without moving the wiring harness out of the way.
:2tup: