Topic: 76 cb550f project

[CBGhia]

I love a 550F.  It's the best of the SOHC4 family.  Just sayin'.

you spelled 550k wrong! 

2 bikes...
One of them has a 4 into 1 that sweeps all 4 pipes to the same side like a beautiful waterfall of chrome
The other has the same boring 4 into 4 that all the other bikes have. 

The 550F exhaust is one of the best looking headers that Honda (or anyone) has ever produced (along with the 400F).  It's just pretty as hell.

[firebane]

Add some red/yellow to black then add some green/red to green and together you get an ability to turn over the bike.

Now I need to check for spark and ensure timing is correct.

Then get my aux tank and try to fire.

[firebane]

How important is 12v at the coils?

I have the black/white feeding into a multi black connector and at that connector I am seeing around 11.7 volts. When I check at the connector for the coils I am seeing closer to 10 volts.

Battery is charged and shows between 12.3-12.6v

[firebane]

Well thinking bike was either used for a mud bog toy or involved in a flood.

[Darren Jakal]

Yikes!

Flood is certain possibility around here.

[RAFster122s]

Yeah, I'm voting flood and submerged for quite a while given the amount of mud that worked its way into the carbs. I hope you haven't tried to kick it over. Drop the oil pan and see what it looks like there... Then I would pull the plugs to check cylinders and valve cover caps and breather area.

Good luck, I  hope that is the last mud you find.  Check the frame carefully for any holes...likely to have mud in the frame if it was able to get the flood water into the frame. Problem with that is dirt will collect and hold moisture rotting your frame from the inside > out

David

[firebane]

Yeah, I'm voting flood and submerged for quite a while given the amount of mud that worked its way into the carbs. I hope you haven't tried to kick it over. Drop the oil pan and see what it looks like there... Then I would pull the plugs to check cylinders and valve cover caps and breather area.

Good luck, I  hope that is the last mud you find.  Check the frame carefully for any holes...likely to have mud in the frame if it was able to get the flood water into the frame. Problem with that is dirt will collect and hold moisture rotting your frame from the inside > out

David

Not really sure what to think to be honest. That is the worst of the mud I found but most connectors are heavily caked in dirt but the bike turns over fine.

I did have to clean the stater and take some sandpaper to the metal bits as it was wet too from either a little or lot of moisture.

I have now found two bad wires in the harness that look to have been shorted and one is a ground and one goes to the rectifier.

[firebane]

So this appears to have happened and not sure how lol. Looks like I will need a replacement.

[Darren Jakal]

How the #$%* does that happen?

Hey, where are you getting parts? Do you shop locally or online?

With this many Cowtowners we should form a gang (ha).

Keep at it, Darren

[firebane]

How the #$%* does that happen?

Hey, where are you getting parts? Do you shop locally or online?

With this many Cowtowners we should form a gang (ha).

Keep at it, Darren

I am hoping either the forum or ebay will come through. I may also drill through the hole and weld a new pin in place to see if that works.

How it broke no idea but I am chalking it up to the oddities from the strangeness of the bike.

[firebane]

I will still be getting a new one but for now this works lol.

[firebane]

So I set the plug gap properly and doing so found #2 had a bunch of crap on it so I pulled out all the plugs and looked down and found some wetness and rust on the pistons.

Hooked up a 1/2" piece of pvc to a small 1/4" tube secured with tape to my shop vac and sucked out the crap then turned the hose around and blew air into the cylinders to dry out things.

Was hoping to get my aux tank to try and get some fuel into the bike but that got delayed.

Was able to get the bike to backfire lol that scared me pretty good.

[calj737]

You should drizzle a small amount of mixed ATF/Acetone into each cylinder through the plug holes. Let it soak for a couple of days. This will eat the rust and drain into your oil pan. Empty and change the oil and filter.

Backfiring could very well be timing out of whack. If you removed the points cam and disassembled it, you may have installed it 180* out. Or, your coils/igntion wires are backwards...

[firebane]

Ok sooooo need some thoughts here.

1) I get different readings for setting static timing with a multimeter vs test light. The plate seems really sensitive and even just pushing on the screw lightly can change the reading.

2) It would appear I have NGK XD10F caps with DR7EA plugs so I am of the thought this is too much resistance?

3) All valves move smoothly but I haven't set the valve lash yet but I did adjust the floats to 22.5mm as they were practically set to 0

4) 4 carbs use a lot of fuel when set right so need to get more of that

Even with all this stuff done to it no matter what the bike simply won't run. My next step is to get a compression checker and see how that pans out.

Could having to much resistance stop the bike from starting? I have spark at all 4 plugs.

[calj737]

Yes, those caps are hurting you. Swap to 5k caps. And did you check that you installed the points cam correctly???

[firebane]

Yes, those caps are hurting you. Swap to 5k caps. And did you check that you installed the points cam correctly???

I will pick up the caps this weekend hopefully. Yeah I know about the points cam lol as I checked that thinking could be an issue.

[firebane]

Thanks to GV I have a spark advance on the way and I just picked up some new 5ohm caps and d7ea plugs. Added to the list with new throttle cables from motion pro and a new throttle tune assembly.

Tomorrow will be installing the plugs and caps and seeing if I can get the thing to run again.

[754]

This thing may have been in the Bow River flood..?
 The mud pic you showed..what parts was that..?
 If it was submerged, it will be hard the bring back..

[Darren Jakal]

Sprocket cover?

[firebane]

This thing may have been in the Bow River flood..?
 The mud pic you showed..what parts was that..?
 If it was submerged, it will be hard the bring back..

I have had many concerns about that and really hope its not too bad. It was the sprocket cover lol and the insides of the starter were so bad it wasn't letting the starter turn.

I am running fairly basic electronics to start the bike as I am scared to open the alternator side lol!

Why do you think it would be hard to bring back?

[calj737]

If it was submerged, it will be hard the bring back..

Why do you think it would be hard to bring back?
[/quote]
Because if rust formed on the crank bearings, rings, and trans, you'll be locked up like Al Capone unit a full teardown. No amount of penetrating oil or good luck will overcome a rusted internally motor. Even if you get it to spin/break free, the rust will clog your oil passages and toast that motor promptly.

You really need to drop the oil pan, pull the oil pump, and perhaps some galley plugs to inspect that thing internally. You can flush it with Diesel fuel to help rinse any goop out, but rusted internally equals a full teardown and replacement of bearing and seals.

[firebane]

If it was submerged, it will be hard the bring back..

Why do you think it would be hard to bring back?

Because if rust formed on the crank bearings, rings, and trans, you'll be locked up like Al Capone unit a full teardown. No amount of penetrating oil or good luck will overcome a rusted internally motor. Even if you get it to spin/break free, the rust will clog your oil passages and toast that motor promptly.

You really need to drop the oil pan, pull the oil pump, and perhaps some galley plugs to inspect that thing internally. You can flush it with Diesel fuel to help rinse any goop out, but rusted internally equals a full teardown and replacement of bearing and seals.
[/quote]

well let's hope that isn't the case.

[754]

If you pull off  a cover , and nothing is wrong, it cost you a gasket and you can sleep at night.
If there was moisture in the cases, it will ruin the mains, I know what it looks like and every bearing in the transmission, while they may turn, can wear out very quickly.
I have a border line one like that.. Mains need replacing..tranny, i be taking a chance.
 Quite honestly the white splotches in the lower part of the chain cover scare me..if that is a part of the engine that should be sealed from outside.
 And you mentioned some wiring corrosion or issues.
There is flood bikes in Calgary, my buddy got offered a Buell ..cheap..I told him..its got to come completely apart..
 I tossed a Nighthawk, very clean bike, must have been near a sprinkler..mucho water inside the lower end.

Back to when you got it, did you drop some oil out the pan? Was there water ? First thing the y usually do, is change the oil.

[firebane]

If you pull off  a cover , and nothing is wrong, it cost you a gasket and you can sleep at night.
If there was moisture in the cases, it will ruin the mains, I know what it looks like and every bearing in the transmission, while they may turn, can wear out very quickly.
I have a border line one like that.. Mains need replacing..tranny, i be taking a chance.
 Quite honestly the white splotches in the lower part of the chain cover scare me..if that is a part of the engine that should be sealed from outside.
 And you mentioned some wiring corrosion or issues.
There is flood bikes in Calgary, my buddy got offered a Buell ..cheap..I told him..its got to come completely apart..
 I tossed a Nighthawk, very clean bike, must have been near a sprinkler..mucho water inside the lower end.

Back to when you got it, did you drop some oil out the pan? Was there water ? First thing the y usually do, is change the oil.

I haven't dropped the pan yet but will be done today.

[Darren Jakal]

Good luck man. Hoping for the best, but prepare for the worst. Remember, it's still February so lots of time before the riding season.

Later, dj