Rebuilding an R1 Engine

[Terrible One]

actually 9000 miles is alot right? come to think of it. miles and km

 

Multiply by 1.609 to KM

[hanxx]

Wow,respect!

[spidey77]

no updates???

[Marcheline]

Still waiting for the tools to arrive from America. Its the holiday season, unfortunately. Should be at my door-step by this week or next.

[Phang]

I have a shipment from Germany sent on the 15th, now the 2 carton boxes are in the middle of nowhere. Germany to Singapore usually takes 5~6 working days, I hope my stuffs can find its way to Singapore.. 15days and counting..

[Marcheline]

I have a shipment from Germany sent on the 15th, now the 2 carton boxes are in the middle of nowhere. Germany to Singapore usually takes 5~6 working days, I hope my stuffs can find its way to Singapore.. 15days and counting..

The tracking no. doesn't state the exact location of the shipment? My package is still stuck at the VPostUSA office in the States. This is taking way too long, even though its the holiday period.

[Phang]

DHL tracking website is not as detail as FEDEX/UPS/EMS.

 

Anyway, the parcels had reached Singapore on the new year eve. Stuck in Singapore Post since yesterday as no one is working today, I believe.

 

I have an item matched, paid and ready to ship at vPost Oregon today. See whose will reach Singapore first

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v198/Phang/ems.jpg

[Hell Angel]

Do keep us update on your progress.Hardly see any local guys DIY on engine component.

[Marcheline]

http://i45.tinypic.com/rmqz2b.jpg

Woohoo! Should be getting it this week.

[Marcheline]

What a day! Took long enough to arrive.. Started operating on the engine as soon as the tools arrived.

 

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/Package.jpg

 

The tools were ordered from Pitposse (http://www.pitposse.com). The items were shipped from the merchant within 5 hours of my order, but took 5 days via UPS Ground to reach VPost. No hiccups, thankfully. Ordered in the following:

 

Valve Spring Compressor to remove the valves and clean them.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/ValveCom.jpg

 

Clutch/Flywheel Holding Tool. Go figure.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/Clutch.jpg

 

Piston Ring Compressor

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/PRing.jpg

 

Piston Pin Puller (Don't ask me why it's labelled as "Pistin". Beats me too)

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/PPin.jpg

 

Flywheel Puller

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/Puller.jpg

 

 

The flywheel holding tool worked like a charm and really made a difference as the pick-up rotor was successfully removed. The cinder block was discarded along the road-side, so yours truly duly picked it up.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/GenwithPuller.jpg

 

And then the hiccup came soon enough. First the flywheel puller M15 bolt thread stripped. I realised this when the flywheel (correct technical term: Generator Rotor) started turning eccentrically as the bolt was progressing inwards at an angle. Yamaha bikes, particularly the R1 are known to have a problem of the generator rotor being stuck to the end of the crankshaft. This was one nasty bit*h.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/StrippedPuller.jpg

Notice the shiny portion at the front of the bolt. This warrants a visit to Poye Huat to get the Grade 8 bolt they have.

 

The last straw came when the ratchet broke apart with a loud "Takkk!"

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/BrokenRatchet.jpg

 

Another day, folks.

Edited January 5, 2010 by Marcheline

[Marcheline]

It's out! As said before, my puller thread stripped. My uncle visited my grandmother at my house and saw what I was doing. He took one look at the puller I bought from the States, went back home and came back with his puller which he used on his Yamaha FZR 15 years ago!

 

The puller on the left is the stripped puller I bought from the States. The one on the right is the puller he machined at his workplace more than a decade ago!

 

The chamfer at the end of the puller was what made the difference. The crankshaft is tapered and the chamfer fit snugly into it. With the puller I bought, the end was rubbing against the outer shaft and didn't progress inwards linearly, causing the threads to strip.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/PullerDiff.jpg

 

Before the bit*h of a flywheel was off.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/GenwithPuller.jpg

 

The result! It came off with a loud "TRRAAKKKKK". The stator is visible in the picture. This is gonna be rewound at an electrical shop along Kelantan Lane.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/CrankTaper.jpg

 

The front end of the engine is filled with the AIS (Air Induction System), which was removed at the start, coolant tubes, oil filter and water pump.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/FrontEnd.jpg

 

Performing some tidy-up, removing the oil filter.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/OilFilter.jpg

 

Water-pump assembly removed.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/WaterPump.jpg

 

The before picture of the clutch with the pressure plate still on it

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/kdn1u9.jpg

 

After the pressure plate is removed and all friction/clutch plates are removed. This is the clutch housing. The nut in the centre is the clutch boss nut and it was fixed tight as hell!

 

Went around the Tuas industrial estate and found a long hollow metal pipe on an empty field. Used it for leverage and out comes the clutch boss nut.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/ClutchDisassembled.jpg

 

Stay tuned! Work can now progress as planned cos that darn flywheel is off!

[Marcheline]

The clutch housing, dismantled into its individual components.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/DSCF0091.jpg

 

Surprise surprise! Look what I found behind the clutch housing. It's a broken piece of clutch plate. Surprisingly, all the clutch plates were not missing the broken piece. I would have to assume the previous user of the engine abused the clutch for it to actually break, then changed the plates without noticing the broken piece.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/DSCF0088.jpg

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/DSCF0090.jpg

 

The oil/water pump drive chain is visible in the picture. The small gear at the top right is connected to the starter motor. Getting a clearer picture of how the motorcycle engine works yet?

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/DSCF0086.jpg

 

With the clutch assembly and the timing/pick-up rotor assembly removed, the engine looks much cleaner.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/DSCF0087.jpg

 

 

Now on to the shift shaft. This in connected to the gear change lever which we always use to shift in between gears using our left foot.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/DSCF0093.jpg

 

Taking the shift shaft cover off.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/DSCF0094.jpg

 

With the shift shaft removed. The funny looking gear in the picture is pretty interesting! When you turn it counter-clockwise by hand and it reaches the limit, a shaft (not visible) starts to move out from the block by a bit.

 

Turn it clockwise and the shaft keeps jutting out bit by bit. I'm wondering how the mechanism works. Will find out soon enough!

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/DSCF0095.jpg

 

There are now no more components left to remove. The next step is to start tearing into the engine from the bottom! Turning it upside down.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/DSCF0096.jpg

 

The oil pan.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/DSCF0097.jpg

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/DSCF0098.jpg

 

What a tiring day! Tearing from the bottom will mean an assortment of oil tubes and a gazillion more parts before the entire engine block is split to reach the gears (inspection of dogs and slots) and the pistons (ring replacement).

 

[Kutrax]

Dude although i don't ride R1..

i really enjoy reading the post..thanks for sharing.

 

hope everything goes well

[firefox87]

gosh! that's impressive! do you have prior engineering experience or anything of that sort prior to this? i'm thinking of doing the same thing but i'm lost on what to do first. the only thing i did is to find the manual for my bike from the internet and read it. what's next?

[h4hahak1m]

Haynes manual would help if u're new.

 

Marcheline: Very good work there

[Marcheline]

gosh! that's impressive! do you have prior engineering experience or anything of that sort prior to this? i'm thinking of doing the same thing but i'm lost on what to do first. the only thing i did is to find the manual for my bike from the internet and read it. what's next?

Experience, no. But I did study engineering in Polytechnic and I'm doing my degree currently. Read up on forums, particularly American ones, read thru the manual and summon a lil bit of courage to just go ahead and get it done! If you don't understand what a specific part does (e.g Crankshaft, Camshaft), just google it! It's the information age anyways.

 

If you're riding a Japanese bike, the manuals are usually idiot-proof.

 

Things are not looking so rosy now. After removing the oil pan and peeking through the bottom with a torch, I'm beginning to suspect the engine spun a rod bearing on the 4th cylinder. Will update later..

[firefox87]

Experience, no. But I did study engineering in Polytechnic and I'm doing my degree currently. Read up on forums, particularly American ones, read thru the manual and summon a lil bit of courage to just go ahead and get it done! If you don't understand what a specific part does (e.g Crankshaft, Camshaft), just google it! It's the information age anyways.

 

If you're riding a Japanese bike, the manuals are usually idiot-proof.

 

Things are not looking so rosy now. After removing the oil pan and peeking through the bottom with a torch, I'm beginning to suspect the engine spun a rod bearing on the 4th cylinder. Will update later..

 

that was what i'm thinking. anything unsure of just need to be googled. armed with a manual, i really thought it might be possible to overhaul an engine on my own. thanks for showing to me that it's possible. now all i need to do is to strap myself up with the right tools and equipments! like you've said, japanese bike's manual are indeed idiot proof. my only complain is the mix of different languages all over the manual.

 

a 200 or 400 cc engine seems decent enough. but an r1 for your first time? woah! that's a major feat! let's hope the engine will be good to go soon! btw, you bought only the engine right? then, how are you gonna use the engine later on?

Edited January 10, 2010 by firefox87

[ulysses_sc]

Respect to you for attempting an in-line 4 on your first overhaul attempt! I am not so ambitious, and chose to start with a simple air-cooled single cylinder XR250.

 

Please do keep this thread running. I will be a good read for those who are simply terrified of internal combustion engines.

[Marcheline]

that was what i'm thinking. anything unsure of just need to be googled. armed with a manual, i really thought it might be possible to overhaul an engine on my own. thanks for showing to me that it's possible. now all i need to do is to strap myself up with the right tools and equipments! like you've said, japanese bike's manual are indeed idiot proof. my only complain is the mix of different languages all over the manual.

 

a 200 or 400 cc engine seems decent enough. but an r1 for your first time? woah! that's a major feat! let's hope the engine will be good to go soon! btw, you bought only the engine right? then, how are you gonna use the engine later on?

By strapping it onto my bike frame, just like you strapping yourself with the right tools?

 

I'll tackle the problem of performing the engine swap in my carpark once I get there.

Respect to you for attempting an in-line 4 on your first overhaul attempt! I am not so ambitious, and chose to start with a simple air-cooled single cylinder XR250.

 

Please do keep this thread running. I will be a good read for those who are simply terrified of internal combustion engines.

It's terrifying alrite, but once its open, how it works starts becoming much clearer. Remember to perform proper bag-and-tag of the different components, nuts and bolts. Otherwise you're gonna have a really exciting time assembling it back together!

[Marcheline]

The oil level sensor.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/DSCF0100.jpg

 

The look of the oil pan from the inside. Sorry I covered Gwendolyn's huge milky assets, there was no more space on the newspaper.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/DSCF0101.jpg

 

Nevermind the o-ring. What worries me are the pieces of metal in the oil strainer. Some are as big as 2mm across. I also noticed some scuff marks by shining a torch inside, but won't know for sure until the bottom half of the engine is out.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/DSCF0103.jpg

 

The water and oil pump assembly. On the left, coolant is pressurised and pumped around the system. On the right, oil is similarly pumped around the system through a system of tubes. Logically, they do not mix, but are driven by the same sprocket, connected to the gear system.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/DSCF0107.jpg

 

The belly of the beast, gutted and ready for lower half removal. Before that, it was a myriad of tubings, relief valve, pump assemblies, strainer etc.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/DSCF0108.jpg

[Wayang]

absolutely love the pics.. kudos to u marcheline..

[Marcheline]

To separate the lower half of the crank-case, 28 bolts of 10 different types have to be undone systematically. Yamaha numbered them 1 - 28 (embossed in the crankcase itself) and it has to be loosened in decreasing order, 1/4 turn at a time! That took a while.

 

Lower crankcase removed.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/DSCF0109.jpg

 

The crankshaft with the con-rods connected to the pistons underneath.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/DSCF0111.jpg

 

The transmission or tranny in short. Notice some of the blue loc-tite in the thread. I'm fine with blue, the red ones are a real pain in the ass! The bonds require nothing short of a nuclear bomb in order to shake loose the bolt!

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/DSCF0112.jpg

 

Bag-and-tag. This is gonna be a challenge to assemble, having to make sure every single part goes back into the engine. Inside every zip-lock bag are numerous smaller plastic bags.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/DSCF0113.jpg

 

Updates are going to be a lil slower from now. School term's starting tomorrow and I'm having my industrial attachment for this current semester.

 

[areal]

woww...really interesting to see the intricate internal workings of the engine revealed!!

kudos to u for attempting a project of this scale. thanks for all the clear pics too, its pretty awesome!

 

all the best for ur IA btw~

[Marcheline]

The teardown is more or less complete. Pistons have been removed.

 

The 4 con-rod end caps removed, revealing the pistons in the cylinder. The caps had to be knocked out softly with a mallet. With that, the crankshaft is removed. The driven gear on the top left was simply lifted out from the assembly. The pistons cannot be simply removed from hereon. They have to come out from the top of the cylinder, not the bottom.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/DSCF0115.jpg

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/DSCF0117.jpg

 

The numerous un-threaded holes you see on all the parts are the oil galleries. That is where the oil flows to lubricate the bearings and other critical components of the engine.

 

With the driven gear removed, the drive gear is visible. The two parts sticking out are the two shift forks.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/DSCF0118.jpg

 

The end caps have to be installed in their original positions. Hence, the markings. The journal bearings will be removed and replaced when its time to purchase the parts.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/DSCF0124.jpg

 

Overturning the engine again. The styrofoam pieces that you keep seeing in the pictures all came from a toy which was bought for my niece.

 

The cylinder head is then removed to accomodate removal of the pistons.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/DSCF0120.jpg

 

And they're out! Somehow, this photo reminds me of the death-pods from War of The Worlds.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/DSCF0123.jpg

 

The upper part of the engine, separated from the bottom. All that's left is a T30 Torx socket to remove the drive gears, which I will have to purchase soon. Should cost about $5 at most.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/DSCF0121.jpg

 

Basically you can see how the engine works. See the pistons? Those are providing the motive force, transmitted to the crankshaft which rotates and turns the clutch on the top right-hand of the photo. The clutch is connected to the drive gears, which in turn is connected to the driven gears at the top. This then outputs to the front sprocket!

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af182/wadafark/DSCF0114.jpg

 

That's a Cotton-On shirt btw!

 

Next on the list:

Parts purchase and assembly.

Edited January 16, 2010 by Marcheline

[Wayang]

this thread is a MUST sticky..