Topic: First engine teardown, advice would be lovely(CB500)

[BWL]

For some reason I bought the frame and engine of an old CB500 from a guy on Craigslist earlier this summer, with the intention of taking the engine apart and learning my way around a motorcycle. Things happened, I moved to a new location, engine got shoved into storage and kind of forgotten about. Well, I'm going back to school in about two weeks and I'm in a bit of a rush to get this engine apart so I can get it into the back of my Saab by myself. Purchased a three-pound mallet and one of those manual impact drivers about a week ago, pulled out the Clymer, and finally got to work yesterday. It took me a minute to figure out just how to loosen screws with the driver thing(three good whacks  ), and managed to.... get the breather cover off.  The head cover, however, seems to be stuck like no other. I count twelve screws and four bolts in my plastic bag of crap I got off the head cover, are there any more than that that I'm missing? I got one of the end caps off the sides off, do these actually hold the head cover on at all? I tried to tap it out with a screwdriver, which was a pretty terrible idea in hindsight, but it was an idea born of frustration and inexperience. What are the odds I rendered the head cover useless?

So in summation, any advice about breaking these kinds of seals while I try to tear this engine apart would be much appreciated, as would a link to any kind of online primer about sohc operations and performance. I'd like to take this opportunity to really get a know-how going about this kind of thing, my knowledge at the moment is pretty limited(carb mixes air and water, cam lifts up valves, piston compresses fuel/air, spark plug ignites stuff, etc.) I've browsed the FAQ, but all I could find performance part wise was cams at megacycle, is there anywhere online that specializes in performance internals for sohc fours?

Any help is appreciated, friends.

[ktp1598]

I used a pair of needlenose vice grips to extract several screws that were stubborn. Also you may try a penetrating oil the night before you try to remove them. (haven't rebuilt mine yet, so thats all the advice I can give)

[750goes]

My advice is to probably write down what you wish to achieve with this engine - just rip it apart or possibly rebuld it when you have finished using the hammer and impact driver??

If you want to be able to use it again, my suggestion is to take a few pictures of every step in dismantling the motor, buy a manual specific to your engine details ( post the engine number here and members will let you know what year model it is ), then do the ebay thing and find out a bit about what it may cost to buy some pieces which you may need for it, ask lots of questions on this site about anything you do not know, but you need to also make a bit of effort yourself in doing some research on your engine, before asking an obvious question - you might not get a reply or you could get lots of very wise answers...

Good luck in your quest

There are also quite a few links in the FAQ... you should possibly read if you have some time. Lots of knowldege there...

[BWL]

My advice is to probably write down what you wish to achieve with this engine - just rip it apart or possibly rebuld it when you have finished using the hammer and impact driver??

If you want to be able to use it again, my suggestion is to take a few pictures of every step in dismantling the motor, buy a manual specific to your engine details ( post the engine number here and members will let you know what year model it is )

I know it's a '73 CB500 for sure, or at least that's what the numbers on the engine and frame indicate, and I've bought a Clymer manual for CB350-550 sohc fours 1971-1978. Once I'm done tearing it apart I'd absolutely love to put it back together and make my first bike out of it. I'd like to have the engine put back together by the time I move into an apartment at school, so almost precisely a year from now. I know it's going to cost some money and a ludicruous amount of time, but I'm down for it. In the meantime, though, I'm just worried about getting it into some managable pieces.

[rt]

...still don't get the gist behind it. If you're planing to strip the engine for educational reasons only do it once you got the time to finish it in one go or you might end up with a bucket of scrap in the garage corner and no chance to getting it going again. There's plenty of those 'unfinished projects' on eBay....

Btw, do you know the mileage? Does the engine turn? If so, there might be a good chance it's running. Did you consider a kind of bench-test? Maybe everything you need to do is replacing the odd seal... My advice: if it ain't broke don't touch it.

If you do that anyway make sure you do it right from starters. I use properly labeled re-closable plastic bags for nuts, bolts and small bits and cardboard boxes for bigger parts.

Success.....



 

[bryanj]

There are bolts under the end caps also i would recommend a Honda manual instead of/as well as the clymer