FJRiders.com

I’d be right there with you Ray, if you lived less than 1 country away. I’d LOVE to take that on beside you. You are right, as much as we want to create some great documentation, unless it’s someone’s job, it’s a big pain in the ass. You have both hands putting something together that’s tricky and that leaves no hands to take pictures or video. When you can get a free hand, your hand is greasy and the touch screen won’t work right which just pisses you off.

Biggest issue, as you know, is parts. Stretch bolts and other critical parts can be hard to locate at times. Maybe better to order anything critical just to have it so you can keep the momentum going. Nothing worse than being in the zone and having to stop and wait 3 weeks for a part. When it’s all done, you can return the unused, harder to get parts.

Just something to think about it

I certainly do appreciate the support and offers of your spare parts, but nobody's coming over to get their hands dirty, LOL. Yep I know you would if you could..... Meanwhile, got a coupla pistons independently soaking in Simple Green and Ring Free, too early to tell anything, so I spent some time unpacking (not that it was packed particularly well) all the baskets, boxes and stuff removed from storage in my trailer. Put it all on the shelf so to speak where I could get at it in some logical sequence. First, I had already taken some stuff out, but this was typical packing as I got it, nothing wrapped, just placed in boxes mostly OK, they didn't abuse stuff, but they didn't count on it being moved a couple of times till I got it. I always wondered what I would do with all the packing material I had collected over the years, dug that box out and put it to good use, put mostly the plastic parts into a big plastic tote, fairings are elsewhere in the loft. More betterer, eh!




I had a spare shelf unit, so I figured the tote would slide right under the bottom shelf out of the way. Oops, tote is a smidge too high, took the lid off, oops, a hair too wide, oops, that's gonna stick out in my way. Plan B.





Yep, let's put it on the top shelf and pile some more stuff up there, like headers, tail light/inner fender, front seat. Fuel tank was almost full, when I brought it inside from the cold trailer, sat it on a table tilted forward. The fuel expanded a while later and pushed out the vent pipe so I had a nice gasoline smell in the shop. Oops. Siphoned out a tad over 20 litres. Put clutch and box of misc. fasteners on another shelf for EZ access, as I'll need them first. Now we need a cleanup in Aisle 5! Cardboard will be recycled. Anybody want a skid?




Meanwhile, checked on the pistons this morning, not much a-happening there...

Regardless of how big your garage is, there is never enough room to work on a project like this without tripping over something.

For the pistons, do you have a small pump that you can use to swirl the solvent? Even an air bubbler like the ones used in a fish tank might help.

So, while you were figuring out what parts go where and with what, you could've just as easily been putting them on the bike instead of in other storage boxes and you'd be done by now....sheesh.

(just trying to help brother)

NTXFJR wrote: ↑Sat Dec 22, 2018 1:06 pm So, while you were figuring out what parts go where and with what, you could've just as easily been putting them on the bike instead of in other storage boxes and you'd be done by now....sheesh.

(just trying to help brother)

That's pretty funny if it was true. But would you like it if your factory bike was assembled with parts from a big ass basket, not knowing if it's all there? I would never try what Ray is doing, but I'd like to know what parts I have and also if they are in good enough condition to use.

So Ray has a big basket shaped ass now. Funny, I never took the time to notice, and what does it matter if his ass is all there?

Everybody is different (and some are just plain weird) but I like to work organized. I have a large work table that I setup to work from. I like to lay out the project as it would go on the bike and get all the mechanical and electrical items in roughly the same location as they will go on the bike. Instead of install bolt, search, search, search for the next part (aw shit, it's the wrong part, search, search, search all over again) the parts are all there and in the position they will be needed. I laid out the wiring for my LED lights on the table along with the connectors I would use, the switches and approximate number and type of zip-ties. I did this same layout thing with my AVCC cruise control install too. I find it much easier to work when I can visualize what I'm trying to do. Sometimes I even make drawings, part lists to check off which has on occasion prevented leftover parts and wiring diagrams. The wiring diagrams are useful to get the task done, but even more useful a few years later when it is necessary to work on the system and I have *no idea* what I had done. This also gives me some idea of the tools I will need for the job so I can get them laid out so they will be handy.

Or, I coulda just said, "It's much easier to work when things are organized."

NTXFJR wrote: ↑Sat Dec 22, 2018 1:06 pm So, while you were figuring out what parts go where and with what, you could've just as easily been putting them on the bike instead of in other storage boxes and you'd be done by now....sheesh.

(just trying to help brother)

Iff'n you wanna help, get yer ass up here and bring some better weather with you..... the real problem is, I can't bolt anything on to the bike without the engine being in there first. Can you manage adult beverages or would you rather read me the FSM?
Alan, that is a bit too organized for me, but I get it... definitely for the engine job... For everything except the engine, I have enough time that if I'm missing something, I can wait for it while I do the other 2,386 things I have to do, LOL. I do have a life outside of FJR's, too complicated to 'splain, so I won't ....

Wait! This sounds like an invitation to spend the winter in Canada drinking whatever it is that gets them by up there. Who could turn that down in their right mind/ IN!

Now wait a minute, you cuss us for the weather we Texicans send your way in the summer, and now you want it??

tominca wrote: ↑Sat Dec 22, 2018 10:58 pm Wait! This sounds like an invitation to spend the winter in Canada drinking whatever it is that gets them by up there. Who could turn that down in their right mind/ IN!

Tom you may have been exposed to winter a little to long already this year and its barely even started.

NTXFJR wrote: ↑Sat Dec 22, 2018 10:59 pm Now wait a minute, you cuss us for the weather we Texicans send your way in the summer, and now you want it??

First of all, I did not cuss.... the correct word is diss. Texicana is responsible for all the not so great weather and the bad weather. Come on up and we'll discuss it some more, but there's work to do as well.

Time for an update. Lots of things going on, and in between I'm once again going through my 'baskets' and getting things organized for assembly. Some things need cleaning up. I'm saving all the old parts regardless. I decided to take the cylinder head and clean it up, you saw the pics in the Forensics thread, then rescued the cams and set them in place on the head. I put a zip tie on one so I could keep track of who was Intake and who was Exhaust. Aligned the timing marks to what I thought was correct and the cam lobes wouldn't line up properly for #1 TDC. Hmmm. Got the cams switched obviously, so delved into the FSM to refresh my memory on the markings...



FSM diagram...... hmmm... let's have a look at those cam sprockets.



Wouldn't you know (I didn't) the markings on the cam sprockets are identical, so how do we know who is Intake and Exhaust cam? One cam uses the arrows for timing, the other uses the dashes. I painted the right ones with some red paint I had (I didn't have any white), so those can be seen better once the engine is in the bike. The two ways are to align the 'holes' in #4 cam lobe vertically to the vertical lines cast into the bearing cap, and confirm the lobes for #1 are pointing outward as if you were doing a valve check. Intake is on the left and has a white paint daub, but whether yours does or not, I dunno, but I have seen white paint in one of the timing marks.







OK, now you can see the cams in correctly and with the caps finger tight only, no pressure on the valves. Note lobe orientation of #1 at the left end.



I used some 3% moly grease as an assembly lube just to prevent oxidation, not tightening things down as that will open the valves, and the cams have to be out to install head bolts anyway. I'm really just getting ducks in a row, one should also note the cam bearing caps are all marked I and E and numbered 1 thru 4. Better this way than all jumbled up in a basket.

Another little basket, the valve cover... and it needed a good cleaning while I have it out on the bench. Gotta keep those WynPro plates looking perty after all.




Lookie now........



For the curious, this the head gasket, it is thin metal, painted both sides with some kind of black paint, and a pic between two cylinders showing the stamped raised areas that get squished when you torque the head bolts, thus sealing and separating the combustion areas from the oil and coolant areas. Never re-use a head gasket unless it's on your lawn mower (for testing) and you can take it back apart in like 5 minutes.

Ray,. You are my superhero, but then again you've always been my superhero.

Well, there is this little element that keeps me weak.......

I used some liquid paper to highlight the cam marks on a gen 2 bike. Worked well for checking everything before buttoning it up.

Just about time for me to check valves and do the 52k service. Not looking forward to it.

Throttle bodies - The bike will need fuel and a nice clean set of TB's. So they weren't really all that dirty, light film of sooty stuff, but I cleaned them up with a little paintbrush and a toothbrush, washed/wiped oily stuff off the outside, removed the vacuum hoses/MAP sensor to ensure they were clean inside, and checked the idle mechanism briefly. Removed the TB sync screws, cleaned them up, rinsed out the passages.... again nothing too dirty there. Can't wait to get it running and do the TB sync, but that's down the road a bit. BTW, I had done a lot of the servicing on this bike, know all was in working order before it got torn down.
The Before:





The After:





Staged ready to go.

Didn't Cory Hart sing about the bike in the box?

WHOA! BIZARRE! Guess whats playing on the radio!

Check out these intakes, how did they get so squeaky clean? And I mean, clean..... all the way to the valve seats.... I mean, really!!