Washer in crankcase

[pcmcse1]

While working at getting the new head on the yammy, i dropped a cam cap washer into the crankcase.

After taking every cover off and probing every cavity trying to find it, I've decided to reach out and see if any of you folks have a remedy for finding this.

Don't think I want to be riding this down the highway and it lockup on me.....

Thanks

Kevin

[fredintoon]

Um, fish for it with lil' magnet on a flexy cable?
Get six burly friends to help turn the bike upside down and shake it?

[jwhughes3]

Air jets

Shoot jets of air around till you hear it move and clink...

[James England]

Is the head actually installed on the bike? Have you drained the oil and removed the sump?

The washer went down the camchain tunnel. It may be sitting on the tensioner blade assembly. Use a telescopic magnet (like a car aerial with a small, poweful magnet on it) to probe around the tunnel. Shine down the tunnel with a flashlight.

Use a flashlight to look into the engine where you took the sump off. Look very carefully to see if the washer is sitting there somewhere. If so, use the magnet to get it. If not visible, get someone to turn the rear wheel slowly and go through all the gears up and down repeatedly. Also reverse direction of the rear wheel and rotate in each gear. If they feel any resistance, stop turning and reverse direction slightly. Keep a sharp eye on the gearbox cogs as the washer could be stuck on one of them. Probe around with the magnet too.

If you're lucky, the washer may have gone straight through to the sump but check the tensioner assembly. When I did exactly what you've done I found the washer sitting on that assembly and fished it out with the magnet.

[tcoop]

I had this very thing happen to me last year. After trying to find it from the top with a telescoping magnet for days, I pull the oil pan off probed to the front of the engin with the magnet and found it right away.

[motoman]

Likely dropped to the pan..........and that's pretty much where it's gonna stay. It no longer can get back to the tranny gears as the sump is too low, and the oil pump pick-up screen is too fine. Really would'nt worry bout it untill the time may come to drop the the pan to do tranny gear-fix......BTDT.

[wa407mpp]

magnet

some hardware stores sell a magnet on a bendable rod for about $5.00.

[BA80]

It's probably in the pan. Like motoman said, that little washer isn't too big of a worry even if it does get into something.

Drain the oil and pull the pan if it worries you.

[James England]

Like motoman said, that little washer isn't too big of a worry even if it does get into something.

I really think it would be quite a problem if it got into something, either from locking the rear wheel or jamming a selector or damaging teeth. What Motoman said was" likely dropped to the pan. It can no longer get into the tranny gears". I think, without doubt, even a small steel washer like that would cause serious damage to the engine/rider if it did get into something like between the teeth of meshing gears in the transmission

Personally, I would remove the pan and try to find it.

[BA80]

You could be right James but years of experince in the automotive repair business tell me that that tiny washer, if it was to get caught up in any gears which would doubtfully happen, would be pulverized in a fraction of a second and become oil filter fodder.

Not a desirable thing to happen but, lockup? I seriously doubt. Maybe a strange rattle for a second while it's being consumed. I did the same thing on my SG engine and I don't remember ever finding it.

James is right though, you should drop the pan and try to find it.

[mack]

Washer

I did the very same thing during my SF restore. I was unable to find it, even though my pan was still off the motor. I have changed the oil and few times now and it hasn't come out yet.Good News is that it hasn't. Caused any problems yet.

[trbig]

I'm with the others that say forget about it. Been there/done that. That little thing will sit flat down in the pan until you get around to fishing it out when you drop the pan. If you still feel the need, you can drop the pan and on the front of the engine, there's a little ledge up above the pan that you can't really see from above, but where 99.9% of anything you drop from the top ends up.

Again, I'd just get another washer and go, but you could also buy a magnetic oil drain plug off of Ebay for a little extra comfort of the mind.

[James England]

would be pulverized in a fraction of a second and become oil filter fodder. Not a desirable thing to happen but, lockup? I seriously doubt.

Yes, I dare say you're right. It's quite a thin washer too, isn't it?. I'd always be thinking along the lines of it getting trapped and damaging something, that's all. Or chipping a tooth off or something. Then again, if it would be chomped up immediately with no damage, I could live with that...

I'd look for it with the pan off but, if still it can't be found, I would just run the bike! I suppose that way, if something did go wrong, you could honestly tell yourself "I did try to find it!"

As everyone has said though, it's either on that little shelf or in the pan and I think you'd have to be very unlucky for it to cause a big problem...... I'd still have a little look for it though..

[BA80]

Nothing wrong with you thinking James, we're just the voices of experience speaking up.

I'll bet THOUSANDS of those washers have been dropped down into these engines and the worse thing I can remember reading about is it getting caught in the cam chain and kicking the adjuster out of adjustment.

[pcmcse1]

Washers out of crankcase!

Hello all!

Good news, the crankcase pan was removed and I found both washers.

This 31 year old yammy will be running and road ready again after 18 years of idle time.

On another note, does anyone have an idea of what the average compression for these engines at about 30K on them?

I also need caliper kits for the front brakes and new fork seals. Anyone have old stock they would like to part with?