Introduction
There can be many reasons for tearing your engine completely apart:
What was my reason? I did a big bore project. As is my habit, I kept detailed notes, took pictures, and along the way I talked to a lot of folks much more experienced than I.
Document Organization
The detailed information for tearing down and reassembling the Road Star engine is far too involved to put into one or two articles, so here’s how the information has been organized:
Each of these articles includes many tips, notes, and warnings to help you along the way. Although the articles are written around my big-bore project, I tried to make them appropriate to anyone tearing down the engine for any reason. Furthermore, they have been written to synchronize well with related articles, such as:
Other articles may pertain to a complete engine tear down, as well. We recommend you review the entire Road Star Clinic, Technical Tip library.
Making Sense of All the Information
To help reduce the volume of reading necessary to get the information you need for your engine tear-down project, a list of common projects are shown below. Under each project name, the areas of the engine you’ll need to disassemble (and related articles) are provided:
Big Bore Installation: 110ci or Less
You won’t need to remove or disassemble the crankcase or the transfer case. You won’t need to take the engine out of the frame. You also won’t need to open the generator case.
However, you will need to disassemble the top-end and cylinders so you can replace the pistons. You’ll also want to upgrade your clutch and starter. It would be common to install high-lift cams, as well. Depending on your big bore supplier, you may also need to paint or powdercoat your cylinders.
Recommended articles:
Cam Replacement, Including Lifters (aka Tappets) and Pushrods
To upgrade or replace your cams, and not other major engine components, you’ll definitely need to pull the rockers, pushrods, and lifters (aka tappets). In other words, the only components you’ll need to disassemble will be the exhaust, cams, and rockers.
Note: In the opinion of Crane Cams and Nemesis Racing (and many other experts), if you replace your cams you must replace your lifters, and you should strongly consider replacing your pushrods. This is not a major increase in expense, but it is extremely important for long engine life.
Recommended articles:
Valve Job or Head Work
To do this, you’ll have to pull the head(s) of course, but as long as you keep track of which pushrod goes where, you won’t have to remove the cylinders, the pushrods (or pushrod tubes), the cam area, or other engine components.
Recommended articles:
Engine Painting Or Powdercoating
The amount you need to disassemble will depend on how detailed you wish to get with this. In the case of powdercoating, there is no choice but to disassemble all the parts you wish to have powdercoated.
In the case of painting, you might get away without disassembling anything, if you’re extremely good with masking and prep. You may, however, want to--at least--remove the starter, oil filter, air filter, exhaust system, fuel tank, fuel pump, side-covers, floorboards, right-side oil-delivery-tubes (the chrome ones), and seat. Other item removal would help, but that’s up to you.
Recommended, minimum articles:
Transfer Case Repair (Including the Transfer Case Oil Pump)
You can remove--and work on--the transfer case without removing other engine components (except the exhaust). First determine if the case needs to be removed, or if just the components inside need to be worked on or replaced. It is straightforward to replace all transfer case components (except the bearings) without removing the case itself.
However, if you dropped something down the dip-stick, oil fill, tube--and you can’t retrieve it--you’ll need to remove the top of the transfer case (aka the oil tank). To do this without removing the transfer case entirely, you can pull the battery box and associated wiring out of the way, and then access the oil tank from the top.
If you have decided you’ll need to remove the transfer case, the following articles are recommended, as a minimum:
Generator / Stator Work
If you’ll be simply upgrading or replacing your stator or fixing your generator rotor, you won’t need to access other engine components except the exhaust.
Recommended articles:
Clutch Work
If you’ll only be working on your clutch, you won’t need to tear apart other engine components.
Recommended articles:
Transmission Work
The Road Star’s transmission is contained within the upper, rear portion of the crankcase. Therefore, you’ll need to disassemble the top-end and cylinders, remove the transfer case, disassemble the engine’s left-side, remove the crankcase from the frame, and “split the cases.” However, if that is all you’ll need to do, you can save yourself some time by following the basic guidelines found in Yamaha’s Service Bulletin M2004-001.
Note the following if you do not need to disassemble the cam or generator areas:
Recommended articles:
Oil Pump Driven Gear Replacement
This is found in the engine’s left side, beneath the clutch basket. See the section on Clutch, above.
Oil Pump (Engine Oil Pump) repair
The engine's oil pump is at the bottom, rear of the crankcase. If this needs work, you’ll have to disassemble the engine and the crankcase. However, you can do the same time saving trick as shown in the Transmission section above.
Small Parts Drop
If you drop a small part somewhere within the engine, and your best efforts using long-reach grabbers, magnetic wands and such have failed, you’ve got some unanticipated work to do. Just do your best to look at it as an opportunity to learn more about your motorcycle.
If you’ve dropped something down the dip-stick, oil fill tube, see the Transfer Case section above.
If it’s gone down the sparkplug hole, try using a small ceramic magnet on a string, as well as long-reach forceps. If you've exhausted every method you can think of, but nothing will pull it out, see the Head Work section above.
If it’s gone into the crankcase while the cylinders, cams, generator, or clutch is disassembled, don’t panic. It shouldn’t be too difficult to fish it out with a long-reach grabber or a magnetic wand. If somehow it’s gone into the crankcase while everything is assembled you could try draining the engine oil, and fishing it out through the drain hole. More likely, though, you’ll have to take the clutch cover off and remove the primary drive gear to try and get to it from the case cutouts there. See photos below.
If there's not enough room to retrieve it from the engine's left side, you'll have to pull the rockers, heads, and cylinders. However, in all likelihood you won't need to disassemble the engine further, because access to the crankcase from below the pistons is quite good.
The photo below shows the left-side of the crankcase, as seen from the inside. It has been colorized to show the general areas occupied by the major assemblies. Note especially, the motor oil drain-hole location.
Be sure you refer to the service manual through all phases of this project.
Questions should be asked in our forum (Use discuss link below). The forum is very active and you stand a good chance of getting your questions answered there. If you would like to leave feedback for the author, or have additional information you think will benefit others, please use the comment section at the bottom of this page.
Discuss this article on the forums. (5 posts)
DISCLAIMER: This information and procedure is provided as a courtesy and is for informational purposes only. Neither the publishers nor the authors accept any responsibility for the accuracy, applicability, or suitability of this procedure. You assume all risks associated with the use of this information. NEITHER THE PUBLISHERs NOR THE AUTHORs SHALL IN ANY EVENT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OF ANY NATURE ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH THE USE OR MISUSE OF THIS INFORMATION OR LACK OF INFORMATION. Any type of modification or service work on your motorcycle should always be performed by a professional mechanic. If performed incorrectly, this procedure may endanger the safety of you and others on your motorcycle and possibly invalidate your manufacturer’s warranty.
Quote this article on your site | Views: 29746 Comments (1) |
| Engine position in the frame Written by LuckyDon, on 07-02-2014 18:36 Where the cases split, is that line centered in the frame or is the engine mounted off center . |
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