Topic: Multiple issues and looking for advice

[piefairy]

Let me preface this with I'm looking to sell my 750, I just don't ride it enough and don't have room to store it. A few years ago my mother had a stroke and I had to move into her place (couldn't do the stairs at mine) and I just don't have room or time to enjoy it. Its selling season in FL. It had been 2 years since I last rode it. I pulled it out and the front brake is non-responsive. I've ordered a new master cylinder and will reverse bleed the brakes when that comes it. It use to idle, though low, at about 500 rpm, it wont idle now. If I give it a little gas it will stay running and sounds pretty smooth. The exhaust looks good, no noticeable smoke. The oil is bad, I know that, its thicker than it should be. Its also leaking oil pretty badly out of the left side seal, but only under pressure. I'm looking for advice on what to do to move it, but to do it correctly. I want to do right by the bike. Its has over 50k miles on it and still wants to run.

What I have planned are the following
Front brake, replace master cylinder, bleed ect.
Oil change, new filter
New spark plugs
Replace left side seal
New sump plug

Since the oil is sludge, I was thinking of putting Seafoam in it to break it up a bit before draining it. I was also thinking about running it through the fuel system since it had old fuel sit in it for 2 years. Is there an order I should do these in? Or do the obvious, Oil, filter, brakes, plugs, then adjust idle? I'm not looking for the cheapest way out, but not looking to blow through dollars I might not gain back necessarily. I know I'll never get what I have into the bike back, just looking to maximize what I can. The bike is not stock, has an M-unit blue, LED lights, Ricks reg, Antigravity battery, Moto gadget mini gauge, M button minis, and other changes. I have all the stock parts except the original 4 into 4 exhaust and the original front disc brake and caliper. As I found out the other day, someone installed a 550 disc and caliper, if not a whole front end, on the bike. Its got 50k on it, so who knows.

Anything else I should look into?

I know its a bit of an odd post but any help would be appreciated. I want it to stay on the road and the next owner to enjoy it. It's been a good bike, fun to work on, and a great learning experience, but given the circumstances, time to go.

Thanks in advance for any input.

Pie

[HondaMan]

I might suggest starting with new gas in the tank before anything else, especially if it is more than 6 months old, now. After changing the oil, hook up a battery charger and with the sparkplugs out, spin the engine until the oil filter fills back up and the oil PSI light goes out before starting it, as it has sat long enough for the oil to have left the crank and rod bearings by now. Most of the oil is in the oil tank, so no need to "break it up" with something as it will drain fine. If you also drain the sump, it might take some cranking with the starter to re-oil everything afterward: I've seen that happen when they have been sitting for a long time.

When you start it up, the compression will likely be lower than it should be on 2 cylinders, as their valves have been sitting open for the whole time: they frequently will get some light rust on their sealing surface(s) and need to be run a while to clean it off. It will clean off, though: I've seen it many times. During the meantime, the engine likely won't idle well (or at all) and the engine will be rough: this will make for primary chain clattering sounds in the bottom end. This is normal for these bikes after being ignored for a while: it's like a temper tantrum at you for forgetting to ride it!

[piefairy]

Thanks for the input. I cranked it over for a bit before I turned on the gas, A. because I thought it smart, B. because I forgot about the petcock I added new gas on the old, tank was pretty much empty. The oil is thick and pretty black, that is my only reason for thinking to add something to break it up. It's gone about 2 miles in its current state and haven't heard much out of the norm, a little chatter and one of two black puffs, but that was it.

Anything else I should be doing? Thanks for the advice HondaMan, I have your book and hope to get another CB down the road when things clear up.

[Don R]

 2 gallons of bad gas plus 3 gallons of new gas equals 5 gallons of bad gas. Since it's already been running with the old oil, I'd just get it hot and change it. The pilot jets plug up pretty easily when parked with fuel in it.

[MauiK3]

+1 get the oil changed, don't want to ruin the engine.

[piefairy]

Changed the stator and transmission gaskets today and ran into a problem. I was torquing down the bolts on the transmission cover and I guess my old wrench is out of spec/broken badly. I was working in a cross/star pattern through the bolts. Set for 7# and one during the final tightening one bolt let go, first one I was tightening to spec. Stopped there. Any suggestions? It still has some bite to it, but I could feel it go soft. I put an allen on it and it feels snug but I don't want to play with it much. Do I cross my fingers and add oil or is there something I can do to remedy this to some extent?

[piefairy]

Anyone ever used a helicoil in an engine?

[HondaMan]

Anyone ever used a helicoil in an engine?

Not just one...by now it's much closer to 100 for me?
I've successfully used them to 'save' all the 750's side covers at one time or another, the rocker tower's bolts, the head gasket 6mm sealing bolts, even the 8mm head hold-down studs. I use the longest one I can fit into the hole under repair.

R/C Engineering also used them on the engine studs because it let them get a bigger bite into the crankcase to hold down higher-power top ends, a clever improvement.

[Don R]

 Yes, many of have used a 6mm helicoil in a motor. Sometimes there might be threads past the stripped ones. If so, you might try a longer screw and just snug it up.

[piefairy]

Yes, many of have used a 6mm helicoil in a motor. Sometimes there might be threads past the stripped ones. If so, you might try a longer screw and just snug it up.

Thanks, I'll try a slightly longer screw, then the helicoil. I hate stripping threads, gives me heartburn.

[spotty]

Yes, many of have used a 6mm helicoil in a motor. Sometimes there might be threads past the stripped ones. If so, you might try a longer screw and just snug it up.

Thanks, I'll try a slightly longer screw, then the helicoil. I hate stripping threads, gives me heartburn.

on the plus side it gives you a legitimate excuse to do some olympic level swearing

[piefairy]

Yes, many of have used a 6mm helicoil in a motor. Sometimes there might be threads past the stripped ones. If so, you might try a longer screw and just snug it up.

Thanks, I'll try a slightly longer screw, then the helicoil. I hate stripping threads, gives me heartburn.

on the plus side it gives you a legitimate excuse to do some olympic level swearing

My priests ears are already burning...

[piefairy]

Got the helicoil installed. I think I must have inserted it to deep, the little tap wont break off and I cant get the screw in tool to grab it and pull it back out. On the bright side, I checked the bolt depth and it goes in all the way, so I assume it wont be an issue going forward? I'm remembering why I liked working on this bike... you can screw up and, usually, be able to fix it.

[bryanj]

You dont have to break the tang off unless its a sparkplug hole!

[piefairy]

Good to hear because I went and re-installed the shifter side cover. Waiting overnight and then going to see if it holds. I was having some issues keeping the gasket in place trying to fit it on so I put a little Permatex on a few spots to tack it in place while I fit the cover.

[HondaMan]

When the hole is deep and that $#@! tang is hiding at the bottom, and the screw hits it anyway, I break them off in their hole (if it is a blind hole) with a long pick, wiggling it back & forth until it breaks off. Then I apply a magnet to the long pick I used to nab the piece and lift it out.

But, patience, grasshopper...

[piefairy]

When the hole is deep and that $#@! tang is hiding at the bottom, and the screw hits it anyway, I break them off in their hole (if it is a blind hole) with a long pick, wiggling it back & forth until it breaks off. Then I apply a magnet to the long pick I used to nab the piece and lift it out.

But, patience, grasshopper...

The bolt hit the shoulder before hitting the tang or bottom of the hole... I probably over drilled it, but it was a hole that ended in the casting, never popped through. It was an exterior bolt. If counting clockwise from bottom left it was number 2.

[piefairy]

Odd question... I'm cleaning the grime and burnt oil off my engine and fins as I go and I keep running into red "paint" under, what I assume is, the mat silver it had been painted with in the past. Is this some kind of primer or what? I expected to see chrome or aluminum.

[MauiK3]

Photo will help

[piefairy]

https://freeimage.host/i/fdi2aP1

I also found the same color paint on the oil filter cover after some cleaning. I can't imagine the engine was red.

[piefairy]

Engine is closed up, put oil in it, no leaks. I put in close to 4 quarts of oil, turned the engine over several times to get it moving. If I go by the stick on the oil cap, it wants more oil. Its only half way up the checkered part. Does that sound right? Started it, it runs better and sounds better but I am getting white smoke off the first exhaust pipe on the left side. I'm hoping its just oil burning off. Also, for some reason my idiot lights are out, oil pressure and neutral sensor. Gotta figure that out.

Edit: Idiot lights were a loose wire.

[piefairy]

Put in new spark plugs, the old ones were black as night when I pulled them. I have the tank off and have a fuel drip line running to the engine. I'm trying to get it to idle. If I give it a little twist of the throttle it will hold at around 1400 RPM, but quickly stall out after I let go. I've maxed out the idle adjust screw clockwise and it still isn't happy. What should I tweak next? I really don't want to pull and rebuild the carbs. I've never done it before and don't look forward to it, I don't have the tools to do it right. Any tips would be appreciated.

Also the smoke from #1 cleared up, now I'm getting a bit out of another head, but it has to just be dirt or oil its not much.

[HondaMan]

That red does look like primer of some kind. Honda didn't use any.

It takes about 4.6-4.8 quarts of oil if the engine was totally empty (4.6 if it was just drained, 4.8 if it was fully disassembled). About 0.5 quart goes into the oil filter and stays there, and another 0.2 quart or so stays in the crankcases. The dipstick in the oil tank is set for 3.7 quarts depth at the full mark.

[piefairy]

That red does look like primer of some kind. Honda didn't use any.

It takes about 4.6-4.8 quarts of oil if the engine was totally empty (4.6 if it was just drained, 4.8 if it was fully disassembled). About 0.5 quart goes into the oil filter and stays there, and another 0.2 quart or so stays in the crankcases. The dipstick in the oil tank is set for 3.7 quarts depth at the full mark.

K so I need to add another quart. It was a full change, drain bolt at the bottom and a new oil filter. I was afraid to over fill it. The red primer is odd. No clue why someone would have stripped it that far, primered it and painted it. Hopefully that means it been rebuilt at some point?

[BenelliSEI]

I’d run it on the 4 quarts until it has truly warmed up. They are easy to overfilland you’re probably closer than you think.