How can I get rid of this much carbon?

[CodeProofMonk]

Well, I finally got off my lazy derriere and decided to get back to work my my GS1000. It's raining all the time here and I can't enjoy my new Bandit, so I'll give my GS some attention.

I'm picking up on a half-done rebuild. (long story).

Anyway, take a look at the pictures below of my pistons and heads:
(Apologies for the crummy camera)

What's the best way to deal with all of that carbon build up? I don't want to damage the pistons. Are these salvageable?

 

[posplayr]

guess what; there are many ways from soaking, wire brushing and wallnut shell blasting. If you dont want to take them off, then wallnut blasting might be the easiest.

Do a search

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?p=1005154&highlight=wallnut#post1005154

 

[Steve]

Yep, been there, done that. Had the same problem.

I had pretty good results using a brass-bristle cup brush and a cordless drill.

Be sure to cover the top of the crankcase below the pistons to catch any debris that comes off.

Finished job. Might have been about half an hour, likely less.

I had gotten a replacement because of a damaged spark plug hole, but I might not have done too much to clean the original head.

 

[spyug]

I did mine with a wire wheel and they came up clean as a whistle.

What you can do to get the bulk of it off is use some mineral spirits or kerosene to soften up the carbon. Scrape it off with a plastic spatula then finish up with the wire wheel ( in your drill).

To get all the "grit" sprinkle with a bit of oil and wipe with a shop towel.

For the valves you should dissassemble the head and after cleaning the valves lap them into their seats. Be sure to keep a record of where each valve goes and use the springs that are applicable to each.

Not a hard project , just fiddly.

Cheers,
Spyug

 

[duaneage]

Blast them with baking soda. If any gets in the engine it dissolves.

 

[posplayr]

what do you wirewheel guys do about the ring grooves?

 

[gearhead13]

what do you wirewheel guys do about the ring grooves?

Just what I was thinking, almost the most important part of the job...

 

[doctorgonzo]

Overnight in Berryman's it will wipe off with a tissue.

 

[Steve]

what do you wirewheel guys do about the ring grooves?

The ring grooves did not seem so bad, so I did not worry about them.

Overnight in Berryman's it will wipe off with a tissue.

Yeah, but that means that you would have to remove the pistons from the rods, then re-assemble with new circlips.

.

 

[mike_of_bbg]

Overnight in Berryman's it will wipe off with a tissue.

That's what I did; rings and all. A tissue might be pushing it a bit, but yeah it comes off a lot easier after 24 hours in the dip. Think I used a brass brush, lightly.

 

[duaneage]

Remove them and do it right.

Unless you think it's easy to go back in again :-k

Use a broken ring to remove carbon, or a specialty tool. The pistons can be soda blasted easier too.

 

[posplayr]

Just what I was thinking, almost the most important part of the job...

thats is why I said blasting is easiest

 

[doctorgonzo]

That's what I did; rings and all. A tissue might be pushing it a bit, but yeah it comes off a lot easier after 24 hours in the dip. Think I used a brass brush, lightly.

I dropped the stock pistons from my 1000 in Berrymans overnight, and they cleaned up with toothbrush, not a spec of carbon. so yeah, tissue was a bit of an exaggeration, but not much.

 

[Larry D]

This is what I did with mine. Berryman's in a paint roller pan. Worked great !!!

This what they looked like before...I didn't take any after.

 

[DimitriT]

Why would you want to get rid of that excellent protective coating?

I can understand cleaning up the valves and ports but the piston heads?

 

[CodeProofMonk]

Thanks for all of the replies. I had though about using a wire brush but I was afraid that it would score the top of the pistons. I'm no pro mechanic (in any sense of the word.), but given a long enough timeline can usually work things out.

Thanks for posting pics of other engines in similar conditions. Makes me feel better abot what I found on min.

 

[jimfj]

Just a quick question. Is there anything to add to the fuel or way of running the engine to prevent this kind of buildup? How many miles on the motor before you saw that kind of problem.

Jim

 

[Nessism]

Just a quick question. Is there anything to add to the fuel or way of running the engine to prevent this kind of buildup? How many miles on the motor before you saw that kind of problem.

Jim

Build up like that is normal and nothing to worry about. Some occasional Seafoam use wouldn't hurt though, which I "think" will keep the buildup down to a minimum.

 

[Guest]

If you didn't have that kind of carbon buildup on a medium milege motor I would suspect a lean engine.

 

[feelergaugephil]

Just a quick question. Is there anything to add to the fuel or way of running the engine to prevent this kind of buildup? How many miles on the motor before you saw that kind of problem.

Jim

Yes, My friend in UK has a Chevy Suburban which runs on liquid gas (not petroleum), it has 146K on the motor and the cylinder head started to leak, we whipped the head off and to my amazement the tops of the pistons were like NEW!!!
He has 2 huge tanks in the back and fills up every couple of weeks...,,,,
Don't know if its possible to run a bike though!!!!!!!!