GSX1150 Rebuild

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Seeing as I don't own a Drill Press I wouldn't be so stupid as to have a Go with a handheld cordless drill.

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Seeing as the Cylinder Head is off it was time to check out condition of the cylinders.
Its not pretty. Theres a lot of crud in there and some rust in cylinder bore.
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No.1
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No.4
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No.3

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& No.2

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And here is cylinder bore with rust

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[wyly]

It doesn't look too bad but a couple of issues have presented themselves here. 1 spark plug would not come out and 2 of the bolts that hold the cam shaft covers in place snapped off when i was removing them.
Its off to the Engine Reconditioner to get these items fixed.

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I had nearly identical problems, two broken and frozen plugs and two stripped cam cover holes. I just handed it over to one of the best engine re-builders in Canada, Vass Preformance Cycle. I had him rebuild the entire head for $1,200, money well spent.

You have someone in Auckland with a fantastic reputation, Brent Hyde. I've dealt with him in regards to my Honda CBX not sure what his history is with Suzuki or if he can be of any help. brentmopar@xtra.co.nz

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Once i scraped out the crud from cylinders i thought it prudent to remove cylinder as well.
There was rusty buildup on the studs but the cylinders themselves look OK

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That was all wiped / scraped away fairly easily.

I got the cylinder head back from engine shop. They had to drill out the problem spark plug and so heli-coiled it. They also did the other 3 as the threads were had it.
A few extra dollars got the head skimmed as well.

Before
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and after

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So now I needed to get the engine back in the frame so i could see if it would run. In previous restorations i have used the 'Tip the engine over and lower the frame over it" approach. Easy enough when he frame is bare but this was still fully assembled and i really couldn't be bothered dismantling it so an alternate approach was required.
This required a garden pergola, blocks of wood, paving tiles and some tie down straps.
Step 1: Get the bike and engine in position adjacent to each other
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Step 2: lift the engine up by tilting it back and forth and inserting wood/tiles under it. Use the straps to stop it tipping over.

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Once at the right height put some timber across frame to drag the engine over

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Almost there

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And done

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Now to get the Cylinder Head back on.

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[wyly]

So now I needed to get the engine back in the frame so i could see if it would run. In previous restorations i have used the 'Tip the engine over and lower the frame over it" approach. Easy enough when he frame is bare but this was still fully assembled and i really couldn't be bothered dismantling it so an alternate approach was required.

Installing an engine on your own is a challenge, it's good to see another method of installation.

I'll be doing the same in a couple of months but as mine will be complete tear down to paint the frame, So I get to lay the engine on it's side and drop the frame on it which I've never tried before.

[Rob S.]

Real go it aloners. Reminds me of me in college, changing engines on a VW bug and my '68 Camaro virtually single-handed. 20-year-olds have a lot of energy.

[oldGSfan]

Good work. You can do it with a hoist on it side without removing too much stuff but I know that tail section can be a pain. Harbor Freight furniture dolly underneath, chain hoist also from HF so the investment was about $60. I use it all the time as I don't trust those lifts that are only under the frame. For chain, fork, tire work etc. I put the loop under the seat through the frame rails. On the front, through the neck if the tank's still on.

Rob - I once put a 1600 dual port upright in a VW bus and no problem all by myself until putting the bolts in from behind the shroud. Arms just wouldn't fit, required shorter arms and smaller fingers I guess. Asked my wife for help, and she popped them in faster that I could believe.

[Rob S.]

Rob - I once put a 1600 dual port upright in a VW bus and no problem all by myself until putting the bolts in from behind the shroud. Arms just wouldn't fit, required shorter arms and smaller fingers I guess. Asked my wife for help, and she popped them in faster that I could believe.

I was fixing the VW Bug for a girl I was infatuated with. While I was sweating under her car, she was driving my Camaro and sleeping with my best friend. So, sort of the same thing.

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Having got the engine back in the frame and everything connected I thought I would do a leakdown test and compression test as a last check before firing it up.
Uh-Ooh
Readings are 50 50 67 60.
Something is not right so it I need to pull the head off and check the valves. Should probably have done it earlier but you live in hope.

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How are these for nasty. Its no wonder I wasn't getting much compression

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Exhaust Valves are terrible

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Now this is a job that I can use my handheld drill for. Valve Luffing
A bit of rubber fuel line inside the large diameter fuel line grips the valve stem quite nicely.
Turn the drill on and push and pull with a bit of valve grinding paste and a bit of pressure on the valve (my thumb) and it gives a nice light grind.

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Hopefully this will improve the situation.

[Grimly]

I just assumed, that since you'd sent the head off for machining, that you'd stripped it.
At the very least, you can't expect ancient valve stem seals to still be good.

[Big T]

Did you check the valve guide clearances?

Don't overdo the valve grinding, contact area should only be be a few mm wide

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First one done. What a difference
From this
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To this in first pass.

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To this. Gave the cylinder head a bit of clean as well.

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Should be able to get a few more PSI compression now.

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Finished the remaining Valve Seats
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And re-instated the Valves

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Along with some new Valve stem oil seals (actually ones off my spare engine )

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Now that the engine is back together we will see if it will fire up

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I also made an interesting discovery in the Spares box - 1 set of RS36 Carbs - T36 D3E (from 1987 as the previous owner has engraved his initials and date on the underside of covers)

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I will stick with the standard Carbs for initial testing this weekend

[Rob S.]

Pics not working.