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Getting started. 79 GS550 Street Tracker Rebuild

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    Getting started. 79 GS550 Street Tracker Rebuild

    Hey there folks. So today is the official start of what I’ll call a slow process of rebuilding my 550 Street Tracker.
    My engine stand came in so I have to make some adjustments to my workbench first, then put it all together. Hoping to get that done tonight.
    So far, I have pulled the plugs and looked into the cylinders to find the #3 piston blown up (That explains my last ride).
    So we’ll see where this takes me have to pull it completely apart and assess the situation.
    Anyway, here are some pics before I get started.

    Looks like I can only post one photo per post at this time. I’ll post more, later.
    Attached Files
    ‘79 GS550
    ‘82 GS650G

    #2
    First obstacle completed. Got the bench down to the proper size and mounted the engine to the stand.
    Next order of business is to try to figure out if I can save it. I blew a hole in the #3 piston. It figured out that this has actually been sitting for nearly 10 years. The head cover had been pulled off before going into storage. Unfortunately it wasn’t put back on beforehand. The garage it was stored in collapsed almost three years ago and it spent about 9 months in the elements.
    That being said, there is a lot of corrosion on some of the engine. The camshafts have a tiny bit of surface rust. Have not cleaned them up yet. I’m really hoping I can save this engine and keep it from the scrap yard. I have no idea yet, where to start. If it weren’t in such rough shape, I’d he k the valve clearances first to get a baseline, but I’m not sure it would be accurate with the surface rust. Perhaps I can take some fine steel wool or brass wool to the cam lobes to clean them up and then check the clearances.

    Either way, it’ll need to be torn apart to do anything.

    What would you guys do? Where would you start?





    Last edited by Gumbo76; 01-14-2020, 03:24 PM. Reason: Adding Pictures
    ‘79 GS550
    ‘82 GS650G

    Comment


      #3
      Use Flickr or Imgur or something to upload pictures & then link the bulletin board [IMG] code
      1980 GS1000G - Sold
      1978 GS1000E - Finished!
      1980 GS550E - Fixed & given to a friend
      1983 GS750ES Special - Sold
      2009 KLR 650 - Sold - gone to TX!
      1982 GS1100G - Rebuilt and finished. - Sold
      2009 TE610 - Dual Sporting around dreaming of Dakar.....

      www.parasiticsanalytics.com

      TWINPOT BRAKE UPGRADE LINKY: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...e-on-78-Skunk/

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by salty_monk View Post
        Use Flickr or Imgur or something to upload pictures & then link the bulletin board [IMG] code
        Nice! I totally forgot about that. So much easier to do it this way when using my "smart" phone.
        Thanks for the advice! I have added a few pictures to my previous post.
        ‘79 GS550
        ‘82 GS650G

        Comment


          #5
          The GS engine is very hardy, I'd be surprised if your engine couldn't be saved. I would say you have two options... the first it to clean it out & just get it running and go through a series of oil changes.

          If it were me I'd pull the sump & look at the bottom end. If it looks good in there and shifts through all the gears I'd first get it running "as is" before attempting any kind of stripdown. Change the oil a few times in succession to clean it through.

          You might need new rings & stem seals as plus some gaskets probably a worst case... obviously make sure it spins on the starter etc... Check the stator if you go behind that cover.
          1980 GS1000G - Sold
          1978 GS1000E - Finished!
          1980 GS550E - Fixed & given to a friend
          1983 GS750ES Special - Sold
          2009 KLR 650 - Sold - gone to TX!
          1982 GS1100G - Rebuilt and finished. - Sold
          2009 TE610 - Dual Sporting around dreaming of Dakar.....

          www.parasiticsanalytics.com

          TWINPOT BRAKE UPGRADE LINKY: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...e-on-78-Skunk/

          Comment


            #6
            Thanks!
            So essentially, pull the head off, change the piston and put it all back together to see if it’s running. inspect everything while it’s apart.
            Any special considerations when changing that piston?
            ‘79 GS550
            ‘82 GS650G

            Comment


              #7
              Looks like a fun project! If you blew a hole in a piston, I wouldn’t attempt to get it running until you tear the engine apart and clear out any broken pieces. The last thing you want is loose pieces jumbling around inside the case. Just my two cents.
              1969 Honda CL350 Cafe
              1980 Suzuki GS550L cafe project Link
              2019 Yamaha MT-09
              2016 Honda CBR650F(wife’s bike)
              2001 Honda CBR600F4i(Son's bike)

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by JohnnyL View Post
                Looks like a fun project! If you blew a hole in a piston, I wouldn’t attempt to get it running until you tear the engine apart and clear out any broken pieces. The last thing you want is loose pieces jumbling around inside the case. Just my two cents.
                I agree, the pieces of piston are in their somewhere. You may get lucky and the pieces went downward instead of bouncing around in the cylinder. Inspect the combustion chamber and cylinder walls for damage. Since you will be pulling the cylinder to remove the damaged piston, I'd replace all the rings and re-crosshatch the cylinder walls so the new rings can break in properly. The big question I would have is what happened to cause the damage?
                GSRick
                No God, no peace. Know God, know peace.

                Eric Bang RIP 9/5/2018
                Have some bikes ready for us when we meet up.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Oops, sorry I missed the part with the holed piston.... Sorry about that.

                  In that case I'd go looking for pieces. Hopefully you can find them all without splitting the cases

                  You may find a better starting point from someone on here... but it might be fun to tear it down & see what you find first
                  1980 GS1000G - Sold
                  1978 GS1000E - Finished!
                  1980 GS550E - Fixed & given to a friend
                  1983 GS750ES Special - Sold
                  2009 KLR 650 - Sold - gone to TX!
                  1982 GS1100G - Rebuilt and finished. - Sold
                  2009 TE610 - Dual Sporting around dreaming of Dakar.....

                  www.parasiticsanalytics.com

                  TWINPOT BRAKE UPGRADE LINKY: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...e-on-78-Skunk/

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Here it is

                    So, last night I was able to pull the heads off and the cylinders. Got a real good look at everything.
                    Looks like I have some damage to the #3 cylinder wall. I’m wondering if it can be saved. Thoughts?





                    You can see the upper left part of the piston where those scuffs came from.



                    Here are the valves. #1 on top, #4 at the bottom. A lot of carbon build up on everything in there.



                    The other three pistons all look pretty much like this


                    Thoughts on what could have caused the blow-out?
                    Last edited by Gumbo76; 01-16-2020, 10:43 AM.
                    ‘79 GS550
                    ‘82 GS650G

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Running lean I would think is the usual culprit...

                      You should be able to either get oversized pistons or pick up a better jug, I don't think you'll take that out with a hone. The head looks normal from the picture compared to others I've seen, the pistons shot looks pretty grubby but I've seen similar...
                      1980 GS1000G - Sold
                      1978 GS1000E - Finished!
                      1980 GS550E - Fixed & given to a friend
                      1983 GS750ES Special - Sold
                      2009 KLR 650 - Sold - gone to TX!
                      1982 GS1100G - Rebuilt and finished. - Sold
                      2009 TE610 - Dual Sporting around dreaming of Dakar.....

                      www.parasiticsanalytics.com

                      TWINPOT BRAKE UPGRADE LINKY: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...e-on-78-Skunk/

                      Comment


                        #12
                        By the amount of carbon buildup on #1, #2 and #4 valves and lack of carbon buildup on #3 valve, it looks like #3 was running pretty lean. But it is hard to tell from the photos. It just seems like there is a significant color difference on #3. What did the other spark plugs look like compared to #3?

                        Originally posted by Gumbo76 View Post
                        So, last night I was able to pull the heads off and the cylinders. Got a real good look at everything.
                        Looks like I have some damage to the #3 cylinder wall. I’m wondering if it can be saved. Thoughts?





                        You can see the upper left part of the piston where those scuffs came from.



                        Here are the valves. #1 on top, #4 at the bottom. A lot of carbon build up on everything in there.



                        The other three pistons all look pretty much like this


                        Thoughts on what could have caused the blow-out?
                        1969 Honda CL350 Cafe
                        1980 Suzuki GS550L cafe project Link
                        2019 Yamaha MT-09
                        2016 Honda CBR650F(wife’s bike)
                        2001 Honda CBR600F4i(Son's bike)

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Just following to see what happens with the engine rebuild.

                          .... and to see what "street tracker" might be.

                          Had 850G for 14 years. Now have GK since 2005.
                          GK at IndyMotoGP Suzuki Display... ... GK on GSResources Page ... ... Euro Trash Ego Machine .. ..3 mo'cykls.... update 2 mocykl


                          Comment


                            #14
                            A extra lean condition on #3 is probably caused by leaving the vacuum port open

                            Petcock may have failed, new Petcock, didn't cap the vacuum port. It wouldn't be the first person who had no idea what goes where

                            Find a decent 650 top end and use that.
                            1978 GS 1000 (since new)
                            1979 GS 1000 (The Fridge, superbike replica project)
                            1978 GS 1000 (parts)
                            1981 GS 850 (anyone want a project?)
                            1981 GPZ 550 (backroad screamer)
                            1970 450 Mk IIID (THUMP!)
                            2007 DRz 400S
                            1999 ATK 490ES
                            1994 DR 350SES

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by Big T View Post
                              A extra lean condition on #3 is probably caused by leaving the vacuum port open

                              Petcock may have failed, new Petcock, didn't cap the vacuum port. It wouldn't be the first person who had no idea what goes where

                              Find a decent 650 top end and use that.
                              Thanks for the input.
                              I don't think I'll be able to change the top end to a 650, but I had thought about that, but that would include replacing carbs, air cleaner, etc. Wasn't planning on that.

                              I'm not sure the pictures really show what the condition of the jugs are.
                              The scoring is pretty minimal, but I don't know exactly how deep honing would go. The scoring at the top, which is the worst, is at the very top of the jug. nowhere near where the ring reaches.
                              I'm wondering if I can hone out the rest of the jug, and if it'll still run fine.

                              Is it possible to change out just the sleeve of that jug?
                              What do I look for when trying to find a decent Head to replace this if I have to?
                              ‘79 GS550
                              ‘82 GS650G

                              Comment

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