I just bought an '03 cbr600f4i and found glitter in the oil which led me to tear the motor down. The main bearings are color-coded and mine seems to have two different colors. All are green except one, which is yellow. I am just wondering if this is normal or if I should assume this to be part of the problem. I can't seem to find the defect that led to the glittery oil in the first place. I took the forums advice and assumed it was something bad enough that I had better tear it down before it ruins the motor. I'd appreciate any help.

 

How do the rod bearings look? They are usually the fail point.

 

They look to have normal wear to me but here are some pics:

CBR Forum - Enthusiast forums for Honda CBR Owners - Nichole Marie's Album: Internals cbr600f4i

 

ya, they can be different. i've got 2 pinks, a yellow, and 2 greens on mine (if my memory serves - i know it's 3 different ones though).

the cases are slightly different and the cranks are slightly different - hence the table in the manual that you have to coordinate the letter on crank and letter on case to figure out which bearings you need

the gap needs to be the same - and thats where the plastigauge comes in at when you re-assemble


there's a little bit of shouldering on the last one pictured and there's a little bit of wear on that 2nd to last one too- i mean, since you broke it down, you definitely should replace them. but unless you had some crazy gap - that shouldn't have caused a knock or anything. and with that gap - it would have destroyed those bearings


did you run the motor at all before you tore it down (any sounds, bad tranny operation, etc.)? whats that's the tranny look like? pics of the crank?

whats the flywheel look like? the stator looks like something has been rubbing on it. is the inside of the flywheel messed up? had the bike been down before?

 

I'm planning on replacing all of the bearings but would just like to know for sure what the problem is for piece of mind. No it hasn't been down.

Yes I ran it before I tore it down. I changed the oil when I first got it and there was some sort of organic material in it and I assumed it was clutch material. I didn't notice the glitter then but I wasn't in the light where It could be seen. I drove it a few times and it kept stalling in first then a friend of mine rode it and it stalled in neutral and wouldn't start back up. My friend said it sounded odd when he held in the clutch, just a change in tune of the bike, no knocking.

Then I replaced the clutch discs (which looked fine) and the fuel pressure regulator and set the idle. This is when I noticed the glitter in the oil. So I took a look at the stator and noticed the unusual wear and thought maybe the main bearings / crank had an issue. The pulley doesn't seem to have any wear and the flywheel looks fine. I'll get more pics up tomorrow. Thank you both for the advice/help. This is my first bike and it's turned into a terror.

 

Well before you tore it down you could have had the oil analyzed and that would have told you a bunch.
Most bikes will make noises when the clutch is out and in neutral and go away when you pull the clutch in. But as has been said since you tore it down you may as well replace them while you are in there.
The glitter may have come from the stator rubbing.

 

I know the glitter could be from the stator but that doesn't explain why the stator is rubbing.

Posted new pics, everything from the cams to the tranny CBR Forum - Enthusiast forums for Honda CBR Owners - Nichole Marie's Album: Internals cbr600f4i

 

What do your cylinder walls look like? Are they grooved in any shape or form?

 

No. They are perfect.

 

For anyone who is wondering... I took everything to the local motorcycle mechanic and he is convinced that the previous owner blew out the clutch and that's where the metal came from. He also said the stator wasn't rubbing; the metal that attached to the flywheel was rubbing on the stator and caused the wear. Thanks to everyone who replied.. looks like I tore it down for no reason. At least it was fun