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  • #1

    Cutting the crust

    I'm looking for ideas here and I'm open to all suggestions. I am tearing down a 1979 XS1100 that sat for 1,000 years or so. It took five days to get the head off. Now comes the tough part. The rings have pretty much petrified and the pistons are rusted solid in the cylinders. I filled the cylinders for several days with penetrating oil. I also put enetrating oil down around the studs. I cannot move the cylinders. I am not worried about saving them, as I have a replacement set, but I also don't want to damage the crank, rods or case. I now have filled the cylinders with Rislone and I am going to let that sit for a day or so, but I don't think the crank is going to let me move the pistons much with a rubber hammer.

    I can pull the bottom end, split the case and disconnect the connecting rods to get it off, but I don't really want to split the case if I don't have to. The bike has all the gears and I have no reason to believe I have an issue with the crank.

    Does anyone have a suggestion how I can free this thing?

    Thanks,

    Patrick
    The glorious rays of the rising sun exist only to create shadows in which doom may hide.

    XS11F (Incubus, daily rider)
    1969 Yamaha DT1B
    Five other bikes whose names do not begin with "Y"
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Patrick,
    When all else fails, apply HEAT!! I would use a propane or MAP GAS tourch to heat up the barrels from the outside. Once hot, hit the pistons with a little "cold shot", available from an electronics store, or Radio Shack. This should loosen up the rust, and allow the clearance needed to move the pistons.
    ATF works as a good oil for freeing pistons. It has a LOT of anti oxidation additives, and is cheap. Pour in in each piston after the heat cycle, wait one day, and try again.
    Good Luck,
    Ray
    Ray Matteis
    KE6NHG
    XS1100 E '78 (winter project)
    XS1100 SF Bob Jones worked on it!

    Comment

    • #3
      Chances are good that there is only one piston that is actually siezed in the cylinder. If you put a wrench on the crank, will it move at all? If it will, then you should see slight movement on the pistons that are not siezed. Take a block of wood and put it on the piston that is not moving at all, and give it a couple of sharp raps(NO, don't whale on it full strength!!) with your hammer.. and not the rubbe mallet either, use a small or medium ball peen to hit it.

      Rislone should be enough to penetrate the rust. I used transmission fluid, followed by diesel fuel. Neither one was enough to free it up, so had to resort to the hammer/wood method.
      Brian
      1978E Midlife Crisis - A work in progress
      1984 Kawasaki 550 Ltd - Gone, but not forgotten

      A married man should forget his mistakes. There's no use in two people
      remembering the same thing!

      Comment

      • #4
        I just happen to have a propane torch, and I think it would be fun to burn the bike a bit just to get even with it for the struggle with the head. For cold, though, could I accomplishment the same thing using, maybe, ice cubes in the cylinders? I don't think the resulting water would be around long enough to do any damage.

        Patrick
        The glorious rays of the rising sun exist only to create shadows in which doom may hide.

        XS11F (Incubus, daily rider)
        1969 Yamaha DT1B
        Five other bikes whose names do not begin with "Y"

        Comment

        • #5
          I think that as many as three cylinders may be seized. At least, that's how many the Rislone is not draining out of. I think this might be a case for heat and cold followed by the rubber hammer. The penetrating oil did cut the crud in the cylinders above the pistons so if I can get them to move it's smooth and lubricated above them. The head took five days. I'm only on day one with the cylinders. It sat a long time......
          The glorious rays of the rising sun exist only to create shadows in which doom may hide.

          XS11F (Incubus, daily rider)
          1969 Yamaha DT1B
          Five other bikes whose names do not begin with "Y"

          Comment

          • #6
            Patrick, The famous KROIL, 'the oil that creeps' is gonna be your best bet. Rislone,ATF, etc. just don't penetrate as well. Kroil gets by 10thousanth of an inch. Trust me, it's made a believer out of me several times. Comes in a rectangle can, orange with black lettering. Check at ACE hardware, as that's where I finially found it. Home Depot, Lowes most likely doesn't handle it. Might check NAPA stores too.
            81H Venturer1100 "The Bentley" (on steroids) 97 Yamaha YZ250(age reducer) 92 Honda ST1100 "Twisty"(touring rocket) Age is relative to the number of seconds counted 'airing' out an 85ft. table-top.

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            • #7
              you could also apply the heat right to the pistons so they expand and break the bond but do not try to remove them until they have again cooled down completely. Apply the penetrating oil or chain saw oil after the heating process. Chain saw oil is a good choice because it GETS EVERYWHERE. In any case ether the block or the pistons will likely need to be heated up to "break" the bond. As for removing the block once the pistons are free there are 2 pry points in the front and these are the ONLY places where you should do any prying. And any prying MUST be done with care.
              Rob
              KEEP THE RUBBER SIDE DOWN

              1978 XS1100E Modified
              1978 XS500E
              1979 XS1100F Restored
              1980 XS1100 SG
              1981 Suzuki GS1100
              1983 Suzuki GS750S Katana
              1983 Honda CB900 Custom

              Comment

              • #8
                "M.C. Hammer?"

                Pistons rusted to the cylinders, and base gasket bonding the cylinders to the case.
                Get some putty knives from Home Despot and wedge them into the base gasket to help break the bond there.
                Beating on pistons #1 and #4 will try to move pistons #2 and #3 upward. They will not move, though, as they're frozen in their cylinders, as well. But what you will be doing is trying to lift the whole cylinder away from the case, which is what is really stopping you. (The two pistons can't move upward, due to the thicknesss of the rust on the walls above them, so it's the base gasket bond which is stopping everything from moving.
                Throw away the block of wood you're using, as the crowns of the pistons are now probably already dented and just use the hammer directly. (you've been applying a lot of shock force to a small area at the top of a curved surface... pistons are shot)
                Once the base gasket releases and the cylinder comes offa the case, the cylinder slides up offa the pistons rather nicely, as the rust is mostly on the walls above the pistons, not too much under them. (Connecting rods may have to be replaced, as well)
                but I don't think the crank is going to let me move the pistons much with a rubber hammer
                I stopped using a rubber hammer after the first day.

                [IMG][/IMG]
                Caught in a flood and then sat in a cornfield for ten years. Took me three days to get it apart. (For a little music to set the pace for your hammering, try the "Anvil Chorus" from Verdi's "Il Trovatore")
                "Damn it Jim, I'm a doctor, not a mechanic!' ('Bones' McCoy)

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                • #9
                  For a little music to set the pace for your hammering, try the "Anvil Chorus" from Verdi's "Il Trovatore"
                  That's what I love about this site, the culture...

                  We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread...
                  Papa Gino

                  79 and something XS 1100 Special "Battle Cruiser"
                  78 XT 500 "Old Shaky"
                  02 Kawasaki Concours "Connie"

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Hammer Time!!!!!!

                    QUOTE: If at first you don't succeed, Get a BIGGER HAMMER!!!!!!
                    Dan ( A.K.A.- MacGyver )

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