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Cylinder Head Stuck

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Guest

Guest
I'm trying to remove the cylinder head, but I think the gasket has fused the head and the rest of the engine. What can I do to remove it?
I'm finally trying to fix that misdrilled hole.
 
Hey, ZPS, welcome back, I don’t think we’ve heard from you since your first ride video, months ago. Glad to here from you.

You should get lots of advice on getting that long-stuck-on head gasket freed up. Methods may vary depending on if the engine is still mounted in the frame or sitting on your work bench. Start with the least aggressive, penetrating oil, PB blaster around the gasket edge, keep soaking it periodically. You may try tapping with a hammer against a wood block against the head, coming at it from different angles but mostly upward. Be very careful not to hit in an area where you could break off a fin. (Ask me how I Know).

oh, and before any of that, triple check that you have in fact removed all the nuts and bolts securing the head to the barrels.
 
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Rich82GS750TZ said:
Hey, ZPS, welcome back, I don?t think we?ve heard from you since your first ride video, months ago. Glad to here from you.

You should get lots of advice on getting that long-stuck-on head gasket freed up. Methods may vary depending on if the engine is still mounted in the frame or sitting on your work bench. Start with the least aggressive, penetrating oil, PB blaster around the gasket edge, keep soaking it periodically. You may try tapping with a hammer against a wood block against the head, coming at it from different angles but mostly upward. Be very careful not to hit in an area where you could break off a fin. (Ask me how I Know).

oh, and before any of that, triple check that you have in fact removed all the nuts and bolts securing the head to the barrels.
Click to expand...

I posted some more videos on my channel (TheGSRider on Youtube), including going through a surprise derecho.

The engine is still on the bike. I have Deep Creep, an air compressor, a rubber mallet, a sledgehammer, a small prybar, oven cleaner, and an air hammer.
 
I had an old BMW R75/5 and nothing would get the head off, I resorted to the farmer's trick of feeding some clean clothesline down the spark plug hole and rotated the engine firmly but not slamming it. I am anticipating this may raise eyebrows but it worked a treat for me, and I'd do it again if I had to. Beats banging on the fins IMO.
 
ZombiePotatoSalad said:
.
.
.
Click to expand...

THe two #11 ??

And this #9 ??



14.gif
 
If the #9 bolt is on the front of the engine, then yes, I'd already removed that. It was covered with grime, so it was the last one to be removed, but I finally found it.
 
oldGSfan said:
I had an old BMW R75/5 and nothing would get the head off, I resorted to the farmer's trick of feeding some clean clothesline down the spark plug hole and rotated the engine firmly but not slamming it. I am anticipating this may raise eyebrows but it worked a treat for me, and I'd do it again if I had to. Beats banging on the fins IMO.
Click to expand...

How exactly does that work? How far do I thread the rope in? Do I tie the other end to something? How do I remove it? I don't want the line to break inside my engine.
 
I brought the engine up to about an inch or so before TDC - you MUST be sure the valves are closed - remove cams is best. Feed in as much as it will take in the spark plug hole, completely stuffed it with no room for more. As I fed it in, pushed around toward the sides with a wooden dowel, moved it around as best I could to make sure it spread out a bit. But it's probably not that important. Then put a wrench on the crank bolt and bring toward TDC slowly, and off she goes. on a 4 cylinder I would probably stuff the outer 2 cylinders. Soft cotton clothesline from the discount store worked for me. The amount of upward pressure is considerable. Just keep an eye on things and don't try cranking on it. If it doesn't work with a 'reasonable' amount of pressure, stop and pull out rope. I'm sure someone could damage something (wrist pins? rods themselves?) if it is horrendously stuck and they cranked the hell out if it.

ZombiePotatoSalad said:
How exactly does that work? How far do I thread the rope in? Do I tie the other end to something? How do I remove it? I don't want the line to break inside my engine.
Click to expand...
 
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I agree try that first. Last resort for me was this trick and many have used it with success but if you do, be gentle and careful.

I get a bit nervous whacking soft aluminum so I'm careful to find the right place. I think a lot of fins get broken! Some engines have an obvious area to tap, others not so much. I have normally been able to shake heads free with 'normal' methods but the BMW was absolutely immovable any way else, and I've removed many dozens of cylinder heads.


cowboyup3371 said:
As was suggested, wood blocks and a rubber mallet should knock it free
Click to expand...
 
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Ah, so simply thread the line into the cylinder through the spark plug hole, and fill it by bundling inside. Then the piston pushes the cord up against the head, the pressure causing it to push up. Ok, I think I see it.
 
Yes, exactly. I was absolutely stopped in my tracks by that BMW, nothing else worked. I can't see any reason it should harm anything (as long as valves are fully closed), it didn't seem that it could be anywhere near as severe as normal explosive power by combustion, given the pressure it took me.

ZombiePotatoSalad said:
Ah, so simply thread the line into the cylinder through the spark plug hole, and fill it by bundling inside. Then the piston pushes the cord up against the head, the pressure causing it to push up. Ok, I think I see it.
Click to expand...
 
Zombie, I had a similar issue a few months back with my engine. Here's a link to that thread, it's in the tips and tricks section. Lots of great suggestions from the regular crowd. I ended up pulling the cylinder and the head off together and then tackling the separation once they were off the lump, was planning on pulling the barrels off anyway.
 
Bolts: Removed
Penetrating oil: Applied:
Rubber mallet: f9f.jpg
 
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Now, for the first time, I can see the pistons... and I can honestly say I did not expect to see pistons shaped like that. I'd post a picture, but it keeps saying "upload of file failed."
 
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