Topic: cb550 seized? compresion questions

[weissmatts]

I have a 1978 cb 550k that shut down on me mid ride, I think the engine seized..... I want rebuild the engine. Where do I start?

[Logan80]

You think it seized, or it did seize?

It should be fairly easy to find out. Push the starter button and/or move the kickstarter peddle.

I guess start there before jumping into a rebuild...

[Brian G]

Where do I start?

Oh dear...., where indeed??

Can you turn the engine - either with the starter motor or the kickstarter? If you can, the engine has probably not seized. (I say 'probably' because they can seize then free up after they've cooled.)

If the engine turns, there are two things which will stop it from running - lack of fuel or lack of spark. It remains to find out which one of these is missing.

You say the engine stopped in mid-ride? My (admittedly non-educated) guess would be an ignition failure (a fuel starvation problem would probably show itself as a loss of power and an intermittent surging/cutout before it failed completely. Try removing a sparkplug to see if there is a spark at the electrode when you ground the plug against the cylinder head and crank the engine.

I'm thinking that you need to do some basic troubleshooting here. I suspect (by the number of your forum posts) that you're a newcomer to SOHC Honda 4's - Welcome, friend, to the show that never ends 

Find a manual (there's a link at the top of this forum, or you can buy a Clymer or Haynes manual) and go through the troubleshooting section. Then get back to us with your ideas as to what's amiss. We'll be happy to help if we can 

Regards,

[weissmatts]

well I pulled off the pipes and used the kick start to see if the valves move and they don't...... so I know that cant be good.
and I don't hear the pistons moving nor see the valves moving

[Logan80]

Does the kickstarter move? Can you feel compression as the engine rotates?

[weissmatts]

yah it moves, I can only hear air from the carb box when I use the kick start though

[parm]

maybe your cam chain broke and thats why you dont see the valves moving

[weissmatts]

I had a feeling it was that but I wasn't positive, any advice on how to replace that?

[scunny]

at the least, take off the rocker cover and see if the cam chain has broken or the sprocket came off.

[weissmatts]

Cool i'll give that a try, you guys have been a real help. My first time on this website has proved really affective