GS 550L Gets a make over

[Redneck]

Holy Crap I actually got some work done

Holy Crap I actually got some work done

Finally was able to get some more work done on the bike yesterday. I honed out the cylinder walls. I don't have pics because the camera battery was dead. But after honing the cyclinder walls I then dipped the jubs in a mild acid bath with a product called "Acid Magic" its a specail mixture of HCL, suppose to not bond with the protiens of your skin thus not causing chemical burns. Needless to say I still wore protective gear, and I diluted the solution down to about 1 part acid 6 part water even though the directions called for 1 to 4 water... that and If I left it at 1 to 4 I could not cover have the jugs in the bucket I was using. It did the trick got the last of the grease out of the fins. Woot. I also did a final rinse out of the heads especailly concentrating on the oil ports to make sure I got all the media out from the wet blasting I did on everything. Hopefully today I will start putting the thing back together.

Paul

 

[Redneck]

If it ain't one thing its another

If it ain't one thing its another

So there I am I just recieved the parts I need to start putting the engine back together. So before I start the process I decide to take a quick look at the manual to make sure I do things right. Low and behold... " Before inserting screws for oil pump strainer apply lock tight fluid".... and guess what I don't have. Oh well I need some anti sieze also. Maybe tonight. Lets keep our fingers crossed.

 

[Guest]

So there I am I just recieved the parts I need to start putting the engine back together. So before I start the process I decide to take a quick look at the manual to make sure I do things right. Low and behold... " Before inserting screws for oil pump strainer apply lock tight fluid".... and guess what I don't have. Oh well I need some anti sieze also. Maybe tonight. Lets keep our fingers crossed.

I hear ya... i was doing fine until I got to the camshafts going in... needed moly lube

The worst thing I found was when you get to a point and realised you missed one seal on the fiche and you have to go order it in and wait for it.

 

[Redneck]

I won't lie to ya Pete... I was going to take the crank cases completely apart to begin with and paint them that way, then I chickened out. I pulled the oil pan and gasket, took one look at all the gears in there and was like wow I am over my head. Thats when I punctured the screen on the oil pump so there I was waiting for parts to come in. The good news was the reason I was going that far to begin with is that I dropped some old gasket material in the crankcase, luckily I found it in the oil pan when I took it out so there really was no reason to pull all the gears out. I just have to figure out how to best paint the engine when I get her all back together, not quite sure how to get paint around the whole thing at one time so I am not trying to paint the top then flip it over and get the bottom and ruin the paint I just put on the top. I am still working that one out.

 

[Guest]

Interestingly enough, the gearbox almost reassembles itself, I found it not too challenging at all in the end, although I do get what you mean.

It's gonna be an interesting challenge painting in one piece for sure!

 

[Redneck]

Well I got the Frame and Exhaust Pipes back from the PC shop on Friday. Finished up the dog pen on Saturday. Finally got some time to work on the bike some this morning. Managed to get the Oil Pump Strainer installed thanks to finally getting some lock tight, took all the oil pan bolts and cleaned them up with a brass wire wheel. Installed the ATU and the new oil pan gasket and pan. Finally its starting to head back into the right direction.... Together.

 

[Flyboy]

Wow paul, that frame looks good enough to eat, I am officially jealous.
The bottom end does not look that bad at all, I recon a rotary brass brush on a drill and you will be good to go.
You do know of course, that Suzuki never painted the lower case on these engines, they only painted down to the split line.
A good scrub and you should almost not notice the difference between the two.
Those ribs make it a PIA, I know.

 

[Redneck]

The ribs, fins, ridges, whatever you want to call them have been my bane. I did purchase a spot blaster from Harbor Freight that had many good reviews and I bought some glass bead media to do a quick once over of the engine once it is all together before I paint it. I now have an Idea how I plan on hanging the whole engine while I paint it. It involves 4x4 post, a drill, and some bar stock. Essentially going to make a quick engine mount for it, that i can paint around using the factor mount points. All I should have to purchase is the bar stock since i have all the left overs from the dog pen to make the stand with now. Wish me luck.

Paul

 

[Redneck]

Woot Woot... I got Garage time tonight. Started putting the engine back together again. I will say that putting the pistons back in the cylinders thoroughly sucks. My son and I did manage to get some bonding time trying to get it done. Guess that was a plus but we finally got it all put on. I also did notice on small thing that I hope will not be a problem.

Look at the inside corner by the oring on the piston side. There was a little gap in the metal.

and here is some pics of the engine as she is going back together.

of course I did have my other helper

Son has Parkour class in Portsmouth tomorrow so will probably not get anything done till Friday. I want to paint on Sunday it is going to be the only sunny day we are getting.

Paul

 

[Flyboy]

Paul, that gap looks ominous man, they don't O-Ring it for nothing, if I have it right, that is an oil gallery supplying oil under pressure to the head, the oil is supplied up those two studs and returns under gravity down the timing chain tunnel, to the sump.

Any idea how it happened?
Looks like you may get lucky and the dowel covers it, and will hold the pressure in, GS motors run with very low oil pressure anyway.

That is one very pretty little aprentice you have there, I see a big shotgun in daddy's future in a couple of years

 

[dr_fosg8]

Looking good there. Like the pc on the frame. I have never done a top end job before but I think the valves need to be put back in the head before it goes back on right? I am not sure but hopefully someone will tune in here before you get too much further.

 

[Redneck]

Valves who needs Valves!

Valves who needs Valves!

Yes I do need to go back and put the valves in. I was so excited that I was actually getting it back together that I did not even realize till this morning that " Hey dumb A$$ you forgot something, it might be kind of important." I have not put in the valves but I have not torqued the head bolts either. I just got in a hurry that and it was a my "cute apprentices" bed time so I was being hurried. I will get the valves all put on tonight hopefully before I take my son to his Parkour practice.

Paul

 

[Redneck]

Well as life would have it. One weel later I am finally getting to putting the valves back in the head. I managed to get two in after thirty minutes of struggling to get those little tiny pieces back in the whole. My back was hurting from bending over so I went back to the process of trying to get my shocks apart. That dad gum tin can at the top is making my life hell. I bought a lever arm spring compressor for the shocks pretty cheap. It works all right but that can at the top did not leave me much room to compress the spring. After a 20 minute struggle I finally got it apart. I am going to take the springs in and get them Plastisolled ( a rubber coating that can be put on the springs) and I am going to paint the rest of it black. I am figuring at the current rate of this reconstructive surgery I should be ready to ride again after the first snow fall.

 

[Redneck]

Is there a key to the keeper...

Is there a key to the keeper...

OH my lord those little keepers that go at the top of the valve springs that hold everthing in place, you know the two little curved plates that require tweezers to pull out.... they are kicking my a$$. I cant get them back in.... easily anyway. Is there some secret way of getting them back in? They are killing me. Last night after an hour I managed to get 21/2 valves reassembled.

Paul

 

[Guest]

They're a right bugger alright!

Have you seen Steve's video on installing them? It helped me somewhat, but I found you just have to be ultra patient and you will develop a technique.

The only problem for me was I only have 4 valves in total, and I got the technique down pat on the 4th valve...

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

A small dab of grease either on the inside radius of the keeper or on the valve stem helps hold them in place during re-assembly.

 

[Guest]

as Daddy said

 

[Redneck]

Valve Clearance issue...

Valve Clearance issue...

After much fighting and much cussing.... and a little helpful advice from you guys I finally got all the valves installed. Put in the Cam timed it up per the Haynes manual I have. Found out I forgot to order a gasket for the chain tensioner... but I had gasket material in the garage so I shadow traced the opening on some paper, used a utility knife and wham I had a gasket.

Tensioner installed now time to check the valve clearance.... first one I check passes... woot.... then epic failure... all the other ones fail with little or no clearance, between the lobes and tappets. Could this possibly be from over tightening the Cam holders. I tightened them down to approximately 6-8 ft-lbs. but my torgue wrench is the spring type and it reads in 5 lb increments. Second thing is the bike did tend to bog alot before I tore it down this winter so this may have been the issue to begin with. My big question is how do I know which shims to buy to fix this issue? I am going to put the valve cover on for now get the engine painted while i have good weather and continue on with the reassembly and come back and visit the valve issue when I have more knowledge and money.

Paul

 

[Flyboy]

Hey Paul, wonder why you had been so quiet, nice to see you got some work done on the bike.
I hope you gave each valve a nice swift rap with the hammer to see that the cotters were well seated and not going to jump out at the first valve depression.
Did you do any head/valve work, like cutting the seats or even just lapping the valves in?
If so, your clearences will be up the creek on the tight side, this is normal, you have removed material, after all, so the valve sits a smidgen higher in the head.
Try and get your hands on the thinnest shim you can, and use that as a measuring shim, to get your sizes.
See if the shim that has clearance will fit into the other valves with clearance and use that one as your measuring shim, otherwise order the thinnest one you can get from your favorite parts dealer.

 

[SVSooke]

After much fighting and much cussing.... and a little helpful advice from you guys I finally got all the valves installed. Put in the Cam timed it up per the Haynes manual I have. Found out I forgot to order a gasket for the chain tensioner... but I had gasket material in the garage so I shadow traced the opening on some paper, used a utility knife and wham I had a gasket.

Tensioner installed now time to check the valve clearance.... first one I check passes... woot.... then epic failure... all the other ones fail with little or no clearance, between the lobes and tappets. Could this possibly be from over tightening the Cam holders. I tightened them down to approximately 6-8 ft-lbs. but my torgue wrench is the spring type and it reads in 5 lb increments. Second thing is the bike did tend to bog alot before I tore it down this winter so this may have been the issue to begin with. My big question is how do I know which shims to buy to fix this issue? I am going to put the valve cover on for now get the engine painted while i have good weather and continue on with the reassembly and come back and visit the valve issue when I have more knowledge and money.

Paul

Email Steve for one of his spreadsheets.Think it will help but I haven't tried it yet.