Big problem this time - bike sounds like a sewing machine and no power

**xwhatsit** · 25th November 2006, 00:08

Well the head is not too happy, as Ixion said earlier it may be able to be cleaned up, but is it possible using a head with nasty bearings could end up with another seized engine before Christmas? Maybe a new head is best? Although I'd way rather do it on the cheap, unless it causes more expense later.

I'll definitely buy that cam+sprocket off you, now all I need is to source a camchain, and sort this head out. Yay! Loud noises!

**lb99** · 25th November 2006, 00:22

I would pay to do it properly, but if your poor then you gotta do what you gotta do.
source a cam chain from econohonda, I think it should be about $80

**xwhatsit** · 25th November 2006, 00:24

OK hmm I'll give it a shot. Cheers for the advice, hope the crazy policemen in the parking lot didn't give you a ticket!

Thanks.

**xwhatsit** · 29th November 2006, 00:16

Well, the trademe head is gone, so if I do need another one I'll be back to the old waiting game for a while.

In better news, Sir lb99 has turned up a camshaft and sprocket for me! For thirty miserable dollars! Unbelieveable. However, one bolt on the sprocket is missing, which brings me to another question.

Bolts, bolts, bolts. Well, of course there's the cam sprocket bolt, but there's something else too... while in the garage yesterday, I had a look at the head and all of this stuff (grieving over my bike's body?). Anyway... I think I'm missing a head bolt

hshit:. It's quite a long bolt that I think is lying in the bottom of a container of old sump oil which is now long gone. Faarrrrrrk! So I need a replacement. I saw a thread up a while ago (thread, lol) about how it's hard to find Japanese bolts because they use a different standard to what is commonly stocked in NZ. Now... OK... `original' bolts are obviously best option. But can you go into a hypothetical `bolt store' (do such things exist?) and say, `OK it's this long and has this thread, I'll have just the one for $3 thank-you'? I think I can do this as the bolt is the same as another one on the head.

One more question before I go (yeah, I never stop asking them, do I? Have to learn some answers of my own one day). A couple of the helicoils in the head are looking a bit less than 100%. It may be due to my ham-fisted carrying ons, but I don't know as I was hardly pulling very hard on the lever (torque wrench for Christmas). At any rate, along with the farked helicoil in the valve cover, if a helicoil is already been put in, can it then be replaced again? Or am I stuffed? If they can be replaced, what is a nice place in Auckland that will do them for a figure along the lines of what somebody (forgot) mentioned earlier in the thread, $6 per thread?

Thanks guys. I'm slowly being educated.

**Posh Tourer :P** · 29th November 2006, 01:12

I'll be home in two weeks, so maybe I can get in touch with my friend a bit mroe easily and you can come and scavenge a bit??? He has a kinda complete second bike (obviously missing a head for now...)

**Kickaha** · 29th November 2006, 05:32

Originally Posted by xerxesdaphat

. But can you go into a hypothetical `bolt store' (do such things exist?) and say, `OK it's this long and has this thread, I'll have just the one for $3 thank-you'?

+

Yes you can, just look up fasteners in the yellow pages

**Ixion** · 29th November 2006, 08:34

As noted, bolts are redily available. There are bolt specialists, but for the common or garden variety, I find Messrs Bunnings stock a good variety at reasonable prices.

However, use of a generic bolt would be unwise in either of the two cases. They will probably be high tensile bolts at least. I think they are still available , try Econohonda, about $US5 and $US10. I imagine Mr lb99's friend might be able to find a head bolt?.

Helicoils can be replaced, dunno who does them but most engine reconditioners would I imagine.

**riffer** · 30th November 2006, 13:48

Just caught up with this thread. What an entertaining read. Well done for your persistence. Bling awarded.

**Pixie** · 1st December 2006, 10:29

The Bolt Shop on the north shore
MSL in rosebank rd
SteelMasters in penrose
You'll need to be specific about the tensile strength ,remember

**lb99** · 3rd December 2006, 17:34

who's your daddy?

Its even got two bolts, don't lose them 'cause they're special

I'll have a look for a rocker cover bolt shortly, you should be all set by wednesday

**toymachine** · 4th December 2006, 14:54

Waitemata Hydraulics could be a place to go for bolts etc too

I'm going to be trying there when I get a chance for a load of new bolts etc

**Pixie** · 10th December 2006, 09:45

Originally Posted by toymachine

Waitemata Hydraulics could be a place to go for bolts etc too

I'm going to be trying there when I get a chance for a load of new bolts etc

Only if you really want to pay the highest prices in town

**xwhatsit** · 11th December 2006, 22:03

Wo0o0o0o0! I have a camshaft, sprocket, bolts, and also four assorted bolts which may or may not match up to my head cover! Thank-you lb99! Green rep is needed for this man!

It was especially exciting receiving this package as the parts inside the cardboard box were wrapped up in Christmas paper! Hahaha. Early present

.

On a less happy note, the camshaft doesn't want to go into my head. It goes into the old cracked head nicely, and rotates beautifully, but in the new head, no cigar. The reason for this is visible in the photos I posted earlier, the edges of the outside bearing are bent and sticking out. I used a small hammer and a square screwdriver (it was in my Mitre 10 screwdriver set... WTF is it for?) to tap one of the sides into place, but being aluminium it broke off. Is this really bad? It's a tiny 2mm piece of aluminium... does there need to be a perfect seal between camshaft and bearing, or is a tiny missing bit going to matter? On the other side I managed to get into a fairly decent shape, so that the camshaft will sit in and turn, but not smoothly yet as I need to spend some more time flattening the metal down. Is this like a piston bore; very exacting level of finish and improbably precise tolerances, or is it more like the top of a piston; being a little scratched and beaten up is not ideal and will reduce efficiency, but isn't terminal?

In other words, lb99 mentioned earlier on having an ugly looking bearing surface will cause more wear, but won't cause another top-end seizure; to what extent is this true? Pics will follow presently so you can see what I'm talking about.

Thanks all for helping a smacktard, especially lb99 (I don't mean thanks for helping lb99 the smacktard, I mean special thanks to lb99 for helping a smacktard

).

**Ixion** · 11th December 2006, 22:34

More like a bore than a piston crown, but not quite so demanding. However, knocking bits off is to be avoided. Dont use a scredriver it's too concentrated a point, use a small rod , about maybe 6mm diameter, side on. Try to tap and roll not hammer. And patience LOTS of patience. Allow a few days, not hours, Just gentle tappity tap tappity tap.Until it is reasonably close . Then you can use the old camshaft as a former to clean the journals up.

**xwhatsit** · 11th December 2006, 22:47

Cheers for that. So I haven't stuffed the head by knocking off a 2mm piece? Will take pics. The hammer I'm using is slightly too heavy I think, so I will borrow an ultra lightweight one from my Uncle and use that, and find something a bit more suitable to use for hitting stuff.

As a side note, what is a journal? Wikipedia tells me `In mechanics, a journal is the section of a rotating shaft (such as an axle, driveshaft, or spindle) that contacts and turns in a bearing.' My English isn't so good, so it seems to me that according to Wikipedia the journal is on the camshaft, but that can't be right. Can you please explain to the n00b ^_^.

The cam is visually quite different from the old one, on the lobes. I wasn't prepared for how different the CB and XR camshaft would be; I thought that the quoted `greater lift and duration' would be something I couldn't pick with my eyes, but you can see they are different things. I wonder how the engine will react instead... One thing that came to mind was, unless my understanding of the Otto cycle is quite wrong, having these changes in the cams would cause more mixture to be sucked into the engine. Does this therefore necessitate carb modifications? Like, for instance, rejetting? As I suspect the engine was running lean before (although that may have been due to cracked head), I don't really want to lean it out anymore as I can't afford to replace melted bits lol.

Thanks for taking the time to read all the stuff I write. My virtual voice is sore from constantly going up at the end of sentences because I ask so many questions haha...