Author Topic: How to Prep Weathered Engine For Swap?  (Read 884 times)

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lajollacb550

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How to Prep Weathered Engine For Swap?
« on: January 27, 2010, 01:42:09 AM »
My 74 CB550's engine is toast.  The previous owner ran it for a few thousand miles with the carbs out of tune and the rings are worn out.  Lots of blow-by, smoke, etc. 

I picked up an engine from another 74, but it has been sitting outside for a while, uncovered.  It's been in SoCal, so not too bad of shape.  I'm wondering how I should prep it and clean out the internals, just in case it has an debris inside.  Is there something I can rinse it out with?  Any links to online guides for prepping dry engines? 

Any help is appreciated!!!


Offline dave500

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Re: How to Prep Weathered Engine For Swap?
« Reply #1 on: January 27, 2010, 01:57:25 AM »
take the pan off and desludge it,put atf oil down the sparkplug holes and turn it over by hand,how long has it been outside?if it feels stiff or grindy itll have to come apart,were all and any open ports plugged with rag to keep out insects and dirt?seeing its out of the frame id pull the head and reseat the valves,that way youll get a good look inside,or do you just want this one running so you can ride the bike and rebuild your old engine.

lajollacb550

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Re: How to Prep Weathered Engine For Swap?
« Reply #2 on: January 27, 2010, 02:19:24 AM »
Thanks for the suggestions so far! 

Not sure how long it's been outside and it was not plugged up with rags, so I'm anticipating the worst.  From the looks of it, it was at least out of the elements... 

I'll be rebuilding my old engine (only 34K on it) in the future, but maybe not for a couple of years.  Economy has cost me my garage.  :(   Just want to get the '74 up and running to save on gas $.  Most work will be done in the back of a cargo van, so space is a bit limited. 

If I take the head off and reseat the valves, is there risk of bending a valve?  I keep reading about people bending their valves...  I'm a newb to engine repair, so not looking for a huge project. 

Offline lone*X

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Re: How to Prep Weathered Engine For Swap?
« Reply #3 on: January 27, 2010, 03:47:25 PM »
take the pan off and desludge it,put atf oil down the sparkplug holes and turn it over by hand,how long has it been outside?if it feels stiff or grindy itll have to come apart,were all and any open ports plugged with rag to keep out insects and dirt?seeing its out of the frame id pull the head and reseat the valves,that way youll get a good look inside,or do you just want this one running so you can ride the bike and rebuild your old engine.

Cool on adding a few squirts of ATF to the cylinders and turning the engine over.  Just do yourself a big favor, DON'T stand in front of the engine or look down the plug holes when you turn it over.  You may also want to hang a rag over the head.  That thing can squirt oil all the way across the garage and splatter the cat that was sleeping in the rag bin.   :o
Lone*X  ( Don )

75 CB550K1  
VTX1800C for two up cruisin.
Several others have come and gone but whose keeping track.
52 years on two wheels and counting.....
"The best safety feature of any motorcycle is the one God put between your ears.  It's also the least utilized"

Offline dave500

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Re: How to Prep Weathered Engine For Swap?
« Reply #4 on: January 27, 2010, 11:13:01 PM »
youll only bend a valve if you put the cam back out of time badly or snap a cam chain whilst its running or the collets let go or some other freaky mishap,the valves might best be left to a shop as you need a spring compressor to remove and install the collets,you can remove the valves easily without a compressor.with the head on the bench and a ball of rag in the combustion chamber ,place about a 14mm socket over the retainer and strike it with a hammer,the rag should stop the valves opening so the retainer will compress the spring and the collets will jump out,have another rag around the collet area so they dont fly off,you could then wire wheel the valves and clean all the carbon out then give the head to a shop to lap and replace the valves saving a bit of money,,or buy a cheap valve spring compressor,i had to make up a sort of adaptor for my automotive type so make sure itll work on the small honda head!!,make a cardboard square and number it 1 to 4 and pierce the valve stems into it to keep them in order,,they must go back into the original positions in the head..there are two metal shims ,one under each spring!(two per valve)!they can be hard to see as they are quite thin,a good little magnet on a stick is handy to lift them off,dont lose any collets.,you might even be able to use your other head?if you can get it running well enough to ride without pulling the head thatll be cheap,once you open it up youll need to buy gaskets and plan A  can become plan B over night ,.you said your new to this type of stuff so maybe the less you have to do internally the better,good luck.
« Last Edit: January 27, 2010, 11:21:05 PM by dave500 »