Dirt fell into crankcase - options?

[Shadetree_Trainwreck]

Hey y’all, I’ve got a 1981 GS450T I was doing the piston rings on and a few big clumps of dirt that was stuck in the fins fell right into the crankcase! Do I have any options other than to tear it all the way down and clean it all? The bike has 8000 miles and I’m both a full time worker and full time student so Im worried if I start disassembling it’s going to take weeks if not months and Ill lose track of parts and what not..

[Burque73]

First off, welcome to the GSR!

That's like one of my worst nightmares. Sorry to hear it. Maybe pull the oil pan and give it a good rinse with kerosene or deisel fuel.

[Shadetree_Trainwreck]

Thanks for the welcome roger! Hopefully that’ll be enough, Ill make sure to rinse the oil pan and try to pick out as many clumps as I can see.. Do you know how bad it will be if I miss a few bits of dirt? Im already planning on changing the oil and filter after riding a bit.

[Burque73]

Man, I really can't say that's going to get it all. Really just throwing it out there.

[Shadetree_Trainwreck]

Guess I will be tearing it down after all

[KiwiAlfa156]

Drop the oil pan (you'll need a new gasket), put a suitable bucket underneath and pour a couple of gallons of kero through it. Let it drain well. Try to get as much of the kero out as you can. You'll get to clean the surprising amount of gunge out of the pan and give the oil pick up screen a spritzing. Clean cheap oil, and run it for 20 minutes, drain, then fresh (good) oil and filter.

[Burque73]

Glad to know someone else thinks a kero flush will help.

Hey Kiwi, how do you avoid the dirt falling in there in the first place? Assuming someone doesn't want to pull the engine from the frame and turn it upside down to pull the head, what else can be done? Seems like all the little hiding places for dirt are impossible to clean out. When I get around to refreshing the top end, I've thought about laying the bike over on a mattress or something.

[KiwiAlfa156]

Glad to know someone else thinks a kero flush will help.

Hey Kiwi, how do you avoid the dirt falling in there in the first place? Assuming someone doesn't want to pull the engine from the frame and turn it upside down to pull the head, what else can be done? Seems like all the little hiding places for dirt are impossible to clean out. When I get around to refreshing the top end, I've thought about laying the bike over on a mattress or something.

A good degrease and pressure wash helps. Compressed air from an 'air duster gun' to blow any crevice crap out as best you can. Cylinder studs that run externally (air-cooled engines) are most likely problem areas and require attention.