Hand Cranking '80XS1100SG

[geneborg]

I earlier inquired about hand cranking the subject bike. I have removed the left round cover and am unable to crank over the engine. I have also put it up on the center stand and in gear and am unable to crank over the engine via turning the rear wheel. The bike was bought for the parts but would like to determine the status of the engine. Am still hoping we have some stuck pistons from sitting. I had thought about putting diesel oil thought the sparkplug openings and letting it sit and then using a wood dowel giving the top of the pistons a tap.
Comments and further suggestions are asked for. It could be seized via bad bearings? Am still hoping for and easier alternative.
gene

[BLUEJEEPLAB]

Diesel is good, I prefer Marvel Mystery Oil. Let it sit and give the hand cranking another try after a day or two. Be gentle at the outset, your cylinder walls are not going to be real healthy as it is if you have stuck pistons.

I had a Honda twin that seized up on me. I tried the MMO method and two days later was able to kick it over slowly and a day after that (and some more MMO), was able to crank it freely. I drained the Crank Case and refilled. I rode it another 10000 miles before it through a valve and I had enough.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Gene,

Also, instead of trying to turn it with the timing plate square nut fitting....which isn't very strong.....you can take the ALT cover off of the right side, there is a nice big HEX head nut on the end of the crank shaft that you should be able to put a good wrench onto to turn it with. The engine turns backwards, so CCW from the right side, or CW from the left side as sitting on the bike!

You could also put a cheater bar into the slots of the ALT rotor as well, since the nut on it WILL LOOSEN when turning IT CCW!

One member had a similar problem with another bike, could never get the pistons turn slide, crank to turn. However, the rust was limited to above the pistons, so once he pulled the head off, could then turn the engine, etc.! Good Luck!
T.C.

[fredintoon]

Or there's the old grease gun trick

Hi Gene,
go easy reefing on things not really designed to be reefed on. If that motor is really stuck you are liable to bust something and thus add to your troubles.
After you have pulled the plugs and soaked the bores with your chosen fluid, let it soak for a day or so, put the tranny in top gear, shoved the bike back & forth and done that over and over and STILL the engine won't turn, try this:-
Smash an old sparkplug & braze or weld a slug of steel into the body.
Drill & tap the slug to fit a grease fitting. Poke a pencil down the plugholes to find the piston pair nearest to TDC. Check the lifters to find the one with both valves closed. Thread your converted sparkplug into that cylinder. Apply a grease gun & keep pumping. A good quality side-lever grease gun develops ~10,000 psi. If that don't get things moving, it's definately teardown time.
Fred Hill, S'toon.

[geneborg]

Got her loose

I removed the right cover and put a wrench on the nut and the nut came loose as predicted. I then put a cheater bar into the slots of the Alt Rotor and even put a pipe on the bar for more torque and was just about to give up when diesel oil shot about 5 feet out of one of the sparkplug holes. Anyone else trying this put a rag over the sparkplug holes. It moved more easily as I turned it over a few times. Now onto trying to get it running???

[BLUEJEEPLAB]

Congratulations!!

You might save yourself a lot of aggravation before you try to get it running by doing a compression check first. Look mostly for even comppression (within 5 lbs or so is okay) and low compression (help me out here guys <95 equals bad?) I'm at work and don't have my manual.

[BLUEJEEPLAB]

That didn't come out right after I re-read it.

Ideally the compression check should be 100 or better and within 5 lbs of each other. The Battle Cruiser shows 120, 114, 120 and 115 and still runs fine with no oil burning.

[skids]

The compression test is only for checking for zero compression at this point, such as the case when valves are bent and stuck. If things look ok in that regard, get it running and retest compression after it has had a chance to revive itself, like after running the bike for a few hundred miles (if possible). If you cant ride it on the road, use a box fan and run it in the garage. If the tank is full of rust, you might want to use an alternate fuel tank to keep the rust out. You wouldn't want to recondition the carbs just to crap them out again!

Originally posted by BLUEJEEPLAB

You might save yourself a lot of aggravation before you try to get it running by doing a compression check first.