Broken cam chain = bent valve

[GS1150Pilot]

The education you will get in doing it is priceless.

[Nessism]

[hannibal]

Thanks Ed.

I'm still cleaning up the head and the outside of the cylinder block and crankcase. My current problem is that I can't get the cylinder block to come off the crankcase. The manual says to tap on the non finned parts of the cylinder. The only parts without fins are the cam chain tensioner mount flange and the top front of the cam chain tunnel. Can't seem to break it loose.

I'm guessing this is why some people had success without changing the base gasket. I'd bet that removing the head didn't disturb the base gasket at all. But I need to split the cases and lift out the crank to install an endless chain and I can't do that without removing the cylinder block. Any advice? Anyone use the special tool shown in the GS1000 manual? Any more common substitutes for this tool?

[chuck hahn]

If they dont come loose kinda easily I run a bolt in the 1 and 4 exhaust bolt holes and give a good upward smack with a rubber mallet. They give up rather easily this way. The base gaskets can give a good resistance for sure.

[hannibal]

Chuck, I got the head off. Just can't get the cylinder block to come off. Two ofmy studs have some rust on them. I've been spraying PB Blaster on them a few times a day. I'm hoping this will do the trick.

[chuck hahn]

Tap 2 one inch putty knives ( one on top of the other ) between the cases and the jugs. These will act to protect the surfaces. Next use a wide flat tip and go between the knife blades and tap the screw driver in some..repeat on the other side of the engine. Going back and forth youll break it loose.

[Nessism]

I'd get a block of wood and use it to distribute the load across the fins and then whack it with a hammer to get the cylinder loose. I don't recommend trying to drive something unto the gasket space since it's easy to damage the gasket surfaces that way.

[chuck hahn]

which is why you use the 2 putty knives..they go in flat and dont ruin the surfaces...it the screw driver which will jack it all up. Using the putty knives to sleeve the screw driver tip elimintes the gouges and dimples

If youre gonna use a block of wood be damned sure its on a thick and solid spot. Ive snapped fins before that way and was not happy.

[Nessism]

The fins are joined together with vertical ribs so to speak, so get a block of wood that's wide enough to span across at couple of these ribs. That way when you hammer the block the load will be distributed across a lot of different fins. Forcing a putty knife between the block and cylinder is a great way to mar the gasket surfaces. It would most likely work but you could also damage something.

[chuck hahn]

true enought ed..but MISS just one time or have the wood slip.. if you got straight into the base gasket you wont mar the surfaces..ive done it more than one time.

[hannibal]

Thanks guys. I'm going to try more taps with the precision adjustment tool. I could live with a broken fin easier than a leaky base gasket.

[hannibal]

The mallet and wood block worked perfectly to tap on the fins without damaging them. I also used the wood block to hammer upward on the top front edge of the cam chain area. Now that I've gotten the jugs loose, I'm finishing up cleaning up all the grime and oil on top of the transmission case. Still need to remove the starter and clean underneath it.

I still can't get the crank to spin freely. The broken cam chain link is bent back on the chain (don't laugh at my crappy drawing) so it won't spin forwards or backwards.



My plan is to leave the jugs on, flip the engine over, and remove the bottom half of the case. I should be able to see what's going on under the crank sprocket. Once I get the broken chain off and assuming the crank sprocket isn't damaged (fingers crossed), I'll reattached the bottom half of the case and turn the motor right side up. Then I can rotate the crank to clean the tops of pistons #1 and #4.

Assuming this all goes well, I'll remove the jugs and pull off the lower case again, and remove the crank to install a new chain.

Thanks again guys!

[hannibal]

I've been making good progress this week. Just cleaning and removing things as I go. My last step is removing the clutch basket so I can remove the plate (2 plates?) behind it.

I removed the six bolts, washers, and springs, then pulled off the pressure plate and the plates. Now I'm trying to remove the 32mm clutch hub bolt. The manual says to use a special tool to hold the hub so you can break the bolt loose. How do you guys do this? I've been glancing at it all day and can't figure out a DIY version. Any suggestions?

[eil]

This is actually the second time I've seen those screws back out and ruin an engine. The first was when I was helping a friend get his GS700E running again. He was redoing the top-end for some reason I don't recall now and he bought a second-hand set of cams off eBay. Well apparently the PO of those cams took out the bolts and put them back in before selling, but without the all-important red loctite. Neither of us thought to check because we're not engine experts and who would take that gear off a perfectly working camshaft anyway?

Well as you can guess, after little bit of riding, the engine grenaded exactly the same as yours. I went back over to help him disassemble the engine a few days later but eventually lost contact with him. I presume the engine is still torn apart in his garage or he sold it as a basket case by now.

[chuck hahn]

Put the engine in 5th gear wiggling the sprocket shaft on the left side while working the shifter lever up. Next get the air impact out and take the nut off the clutch hub. Wiggle the clutch or sprocket shaft to get the tranny back down to neutral.