Motorbikes anyone?

Ha! ......... That settles that, then ........... a 15% variance in compression between cylinders 1&2 ........ and zero compression in cylinders 3&4. I'm happy now

There are a lot of people, I suspect, that wouldn't be too overjoyed at the prospect of forking out for a blown head gasket ....... but, as you said, Tom ....... knowledge is indeed power; I know it's goosed, now I can get about fixing it.

£40 and a day pottering in the garage should have it done, barring any disastrous failures of the cylinder head.

Should be fun
 
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There's always something you find when you crack the lump open. Fortunately, stripping the head off and inspecting shows no damage to the piston crowns or valves ....... Which was necessary, considering the bloody exhaust cam had snapped, so the head gasket was needed anyway. Luckily for me, there was one on Fleabay for £30 delivered that had six people watching it ....... Until I snapped it up, that is.

I'll have to redo the valve clearances again, but that's not a biggie as I was due to do them anyway. Now I just need to find where I've stashed my box of shims .........


 
Bastard is fixed!

Found a few hours yesterday to put the damn thing back together after having to tilt the engine forward again so I could get a sheared engine mount bolt out of the head. Now there's a top tip for you lot, should you ever decide to pick a wrench up yourselves: Never trust aftermarket bolts to be made of anything other than case hardened lead.

Specifically, that's the bolts that hold the crash bungs that were on the bike when I got it. The bike actually went together enough to start and run it on Thurdsay night but, tired as I was, I tried to torque those bolts up to the same tension as the other engine mount bolts and the damn thing went bang. I've got another set of Suzuki bolts on the way, but for now I've pinched a set off my brother's FZR600.

So ....... I'm back on two wheels again ....... and I feel like I've got my legs back
 
Just fantastic.
 
That is gorgeous sir..
 
Bogeyman said:
It could have been worse:
Click to expand...

True........ I bleedin hate heli-coiling. It's a simple enough process, but the potential for killing a block if you're cack handed with the drill or tap is frightening. When people ask me to talk them through it, I cringe to see the look on their faces: Increasingly blank comprehension, coupled with ever more enthusiastic nodding. The ability to drill straight is such an underrated skill.

No wonder that my most often used phrase in those situations is: "Look, just bring it around on Saturday afternoon. You drop the lump if it's in the bike and I'll sort it in ten minutes for you, ok?"
 

The worst helicoiling I ever done, was to a BMW R80 block, man those are mean, not only do you have to get them true, but there is oil running from a little duct to the side of them, that feeds the top end.
 
The greatest retort I ever heard from a mechanic was ages ago when I needed a car repair & after he gave it a "looky loo" I said "Well, how difficult will it be?" He replied with a wry grin "Just a simple two part repair: I will lift the radiator cap and you then drive a new one under it."

 
I snapped a manifold stud on my build you see in the pictures, it snapped off flush too so couldn't get a grip on it with anything. That set me right back about a month but managed to drill it out eventually then helicoil a size up.
 
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