I haven't yet, but I'm going to. I have the advantage of my cases being cleaned in a very strong acid.

But painting the motor is commonplace in the fighter/muscle bike scene. There are some very good alloy cleaners out there. Get some old toothbrushes for the little crevices. Don't forget your elbow grease.

 

Acid cleaning feels like the way to go. I am going to try a nylon wheel in my power drill combined with some degreaser to see if I can slap off the worst of it. I don't want to risk scraping the paint off in case I decide to keep it as it is (but clean).

 

Okay, this might turn into a "What the h**l did I do and how do I undo it?"-thread. Today I worked a bit more on the engine. First I managed to remove the inspection caps without doing it in the correct order, then I managed to remove the camshafts with the sprockets to the cam chain still attached. But one thing I failed is to remove the cylinder head bolts. I am pretty sure I am using the right tool, an Allen no 8, but the bolts are stuck. I mean really stuck. Are they really supposed to be torqued to like half a million Nm or something like that?

Pics will follow, maybe some other rookie will benefit from seeing how everything looks inside.

 

Cylinder head bolts can be mighty stuck, I reckon you`re not going to open them with an allen wrench, you will need a tool that will "jolt " the bolts open, either an impact driver or if possible a pneumatic bolt gun. IF you manage to use the last one do not put it to max power from the beginning, rather try to ease the bolts open or the next pic we`ll see is a set of snapped head bolts sticking out of the block and a lot of fowl language.

I`ve never opened a motorcycle block but in cars the bolts are usually the type that stretch during the tightening sequence and cannot therefore be reused.

 

Thanks, Mattson. I do have an impact driver but was too scared to use it. I'll try it tomorrow. Fortunately I don't have a pneumatic bolt gun, hehe.

 

As with everything regarding aluminum engine parts, leave that meter long sledge lying to the wall and instead of your might use your wits and you`ll get there. Think of the pressure they have to hold and the heat they have to do it in, no wonder they get a bit stuck. I once tried changing the head of an XU9J4 engine (Peugeot 1,9 16v off a 405MI16) but one of the bolts was so thoroughly fused with the block I eventually could not get the stump up from there not by burning it red hot, not with a sledge nor a meter and a half long extension so I eventually swapped the whole motor, not something you look forward to do in a cold garage as it ONLY fits out of there from underneath!

 

Matti is unconditionally correct. you simply cant can't treat aluminum bolts the way you do steel bolts.
impact wrenchh like he said is the way to go, as long as you do as he stated and start with light pressure.
another thing to try is to lightly tap on the top of the allen wrench when have it inserted into the bolt head.
also applying heat can help.

 

Oh, I pray to all our Norse gods that they aren't fused to the block. If so, I might just have to go with my contingency plan which, just as you did Mattson, would be to simply get another engine. I am also ready to try to drill the bolts out but hopefully it won't come to that either. I'll keep you guys posted if I succeed or not.

Some people think I'm foolish to do this, dismantling the bike completely and have a look at everything but this is actually one of the main reasons. I've already discovered so many bolts and part rusted together and I'll refurbish as many of them as I can and replace the rest just to make it easier the next time I have to work on the bike. With all the money I'm spending on her to make her look good, I just don't want to push the problems ahead but rather deal with them once and for all.

 

As a final, last resort you can try to tighten the bolt, just a little. Sometimes that will work when others won't. I know it sounds counterproductive. You have to be very careful not to use too much force or you will indeed snap the bolts

 

This new year everyone is talking about started pretty well. I took your advice, guys, and used an impact driver to smack the bolts open and managed to get them all out of the block without snapping anyone.

Digging deeper into the engine, I am starting to feel that I'm in way over my head. I removed the cylinder head, cam chain with the front guide and the starter motor. I also removed the alternator cover and the clutch cover. Here is where I ran into some problems. It was easy removing the springs and pressure plate, but loosening the center locking nut will be a problem since I don't have access to air tools nor electrical impact tools. Since I removed the engine from the frame and it's now standing joyfully on a couple of wooden blocks on the floor, I can't really do the old "put the top gear in and press hard on the rear brake"-trick either so I guess I have to order either a universal clutch basket tool or a specific one for this clutch basket. I should probably have read in which order I should do things before I started, but hey, hind sight is not for the brave.

Looking at the piston heads, they do seem pretty grimy as do the top of each cylinder. It is like ring of dirt on the top part of the cylinders while the rest is smooth and clean. I guess it has to do with it being the top part and the movement of the piston. How do I clean this without destroying anything, my mechanical mentors?