Engine installation time

[Mike on a bike]

Hi guys n gals, the time is almost here for me to put the engine back in the frame, having never been in this position before as I bought the bike with the engine already out of the frame I was wondering if there is any preferred method of man handling this heavy lump back into the frame. I have an aftermarket hardtail so not to much on the restriction side. Is there a preferred side to slide in from, which bolt to secure first etc. I do have a chronic back problem  and heavy weights are a no no for me, so I will not be alone when fitting it back in. Any advice or guidance greatly appreciated. I do have an electric winch hanging from the rafters so it that can help me I will use it. This won't be a final fitting as there are still lots to do to the frame before being stripped again for painting.
 

[RGP750]

Best of luck you will need help.
The easiest way i have found is to lay the engine on a soft padded surface on the off side.
and lower the frame over the engine.
Slide any of the long bolts in and stand the bike up.
put the two engine plates on the off side.
Don't forget the earth strap on the top rear bolt before you push it through.
Good luck Rich

[Johnwebley]

there is a way of fitting,

 remove the oil filter,lay the engine on its side,and then lower the frame over it,

secure a few bolts,
 then lift the bike upright,

 some were on the site,is a better description,but that is the gist

[Lobo]

A pic worth a 1000 words.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9vsNdT-6nB8

[haynes66]

mike, if you need a hand one evening, i.m more than happy to come and give you a hand. i'm just up the road in carmarthen.

[Mike on a bike]

Thanks for the info guys, much appreciated. I have heard of tipping the bike on its side but did wonder if it was an urban myth.
Unfortunately the lack of space might mean lifting the booger in.

Haynes66. That is a very kind offer but my cousin and son are available to help me. My cuz was supposed to come around this evening to help me do it but it has now been postponed till Tuesday evening. 

[mike the bike]

When I fitted my 400four engine a made an MDF table the same height as the frame rails.  Then using some 2 X 1 bits of wood between the table and the frame, I just slid the engine on the sticks into  popinion and slid the sticks out. It worked a treat. 👍
You may have to modify the idea for your bike but good luck anyway.   BTW wrap some cloth or cardboard around the tubes so you don't knock the paint off.

[Mike on a bike]

Well guys, she is in, no problems, just two sets of muscles and it slipped in nicely. 

[tom400f]

Yes but look at all the room you've got 

[Mike on a bike]

OK folks, I have a slight problem. Originally my engine had snapped a camshaft due to a blocked oilway. I have had the top end all replaced and rebuilt. The other evening we hooked everything up and put diesel in the engine and turned it over with the plugs out and the cam cover off to flush it through. The diesel was getting to the cams so drained the diesel out again. Tonight we hooked everything up again and repeated the flush with "engine flush" Now here is where the problem started. It seems the thicker oil is not getting through to the same side of the damaged shaft. Now the oilways are so small can a thin wire like a guitar string be pushed through the oilways to check if they are clear? I intend to do a reverse strip of the cam carriers etc and check at each stage if oil is getting through to try and find the blockage. Is this a realistic thing to do or can one of you mechanical gurus point me to a way forward. Getting frustrated now 

[Waggles]

Hi Mike,

When you had the top end overhaul did the barrels come off too? just wondering if its a partial blockage lower in the barrels, such blockages are frequently gasket goo etc and hard to remove without stripping the motor. Using wire might damage something and cause swarf by scratching the alloy and make matters worse. Could also just poke a blockage further down till it lodges in a corner somewhere.

Also have you checked the oil pump, pump screen and oil filter? If oil pressure is low it could be there is only sufficient 'oomph' to supply thicker oils to the 'easiest' side. Agree partial blockage is more likely tho.

Could also be a missing / malfitted head O ring, so rather than oil not getting through due to blockage it could be leaking pressure.

If you don't fancy a head and barrel strip only other suggestion I can think of is to pump more diesel through and leave it for a bit, it might dissolve a blockage ( but this is unlikely if its gasket goo. )

Your plan of sequential strip and check sounds good to me, but you just may have to strip further than you had hoped. I hope not but be prepared.

[Trigger]

Sounds more like low pressure from the pump. Oil should run through the engine the same as the diesel. The pump needs to be investigated first. If you test your oil pressure and it is lower than 50, the pump is at fault.

[Bryanj]

Did you remove and clean the tiny restrictor jets that fit into the head under the cam carrier, have a small "O" ring round them---VERY eary heads they don't come out but most do

[Mike on a bike]

Well that was fun. Leave it to the experts they say hahaha.
We (my cousin and his mechanic mate who rebuilt the top end for me) took off the cam carriers and all surrounding gubbins, we turned the engine over and oil spurted out of the left side and hit the garage rafters, so I think we can rule out the pump which was checked before fitting, as some kind gent in the States sent me free of charge 2 pumps. The right side was a different matter, the oil only spurted out about a foot, so that I think was telling us there must be a partial blockage somewhere. We removed the head and in doing so accidentally lifted the barrels as well as they are all held in place by the same bolts, oh well just need new gaskets now. 

So we continue to hold down the barrels and turned the motor over and oil pours everywhere. After a quick mopping up we remove the barrells and check all oilways that we can find and they are all clean as a whistle. So we go back to the head and start scratching our heads again. Everything we can see and poke seems clear. Then I remembered watching the youtube video of a guy rebuilding this motor and remembered the restrictor jets, the mechanic and my cousin both well versed with building engines didn't realise these existed on this engine untill I pointed them out, even I had forgotten about these until now, (should have read the above post from bryan J first Ho Hum ) We stuck a pin down the left jet and it went strait through, but the right one stopped halfway down, at this point we removed the jet and lo and behold half of the holes were blocked. I am now convinced that this is/was the problem.

Just waiting on new gaskets now then the fun will begin again.

  Happy bunny again!

[Bryanj]

Not an unusual problem, way back when fitted qite a few cam kits(cam, followers and carriers) where the owners had "Fixed" a leaking gasket but not cleaned out everything. was always an expensive job but got to the point where even as a "small" workshop and not even a Honda dealer we kept a "Kit" on the shelf ready---even had a local engineer who would bore out the carriers and fit half round bronze pegged bushes if they weren't too bad