Thanks Joe, and you're right silverbear... I forget the "mystery" of pullin' an engine apart for the first time... I also fear to sound "condescending" when attempting to explain something I think of as basic knowledge... overlooking the fact that it's not "basic" if it's simply unknown.
I'll start with the basic tools needed;
A Dremel is pretty much a must-have, you don't
need this spiffy one: Dremel 4000-3/34 Variable Speed Rotary Tool (about $75), even a "generic" brand or the $30 base model will do just fine - yet the 4000 is such a great muti-use tool it's a worthy investment should you wish to get one.
While you can buy individual Dremel bits, they're over priced when purchased separately. Fortunately there's two lil kits perfect for the job & include almost everything ya need;
Dremel 686-01 Sanding Grinding Kit (usually $11)
Dremel 684-01 20-Piece Clean & Polish Kit (usually $11)
Other than what tools you'd need anyway to pull the motor apart (the four head bolts and the intake/exhaust manifolds, 10mm & 14mm sockets) all you'll really need beyond the above is some really fine sandpaper (400gt or finer), some soft cotton cloth... and new intake/exhaust/head & base gaskets ofc - you
may be able to pull a new engine apart without damaging the gaskets, but an older, used engine is bound ta need 'em.
I should mention that ANY alteration of the engine can result in accidents and failure - DO NOT attempt this if you're not willing to say "doh" and get a new cylinder should you mess up or break something. I
won't say "don't try this" if you've never done it before as this is the perfect lil engine to learn with... but I will say that even the "experts" screw up from time to time heh
Oh right -
before ANY of this process is started make sure you're working in a clean, dry environment. If the engine is used, clean it thoroughly before you disassemble it. The whole point is ofc to get rid of what garbage may be in the engine - not add more lol You outa have some various containers to put parts in and I like to work on engine parts with some cardboard as a work surface - this helps prevent dinging up whatever part you're working on.
Remove exhaust
Remove intake
Remove spark plug
Remove four nuts holding the head on
Remove head
Remove cylinder
When removing the head and/or the cylinder you may find it's stuck. DO NOT "pry" at it with a screwdriver or whatever - this aluminum is
soft and if you dig at it at all you'll gall it (making it hard for gaskets to seal) and/or break something. One trick is to find a piece of wood that fits in between the cooling fins to the nice, solid cylinder itself (the more surface area the better) and
gently tap on the wood with a rubber mallet or it's equivalent.
The reason its sticking is the gaskets so you may need to tap a bit on one side, then some more on the other. You're trying to get the gaskets to release and they're not always cooperative (one reason I don't like insta-gasket goop). Believe it or not - this may indeed be the most difficult part of the entire procedure... stupid gaskets lol
Once the head is off the only thing holding the cylinder on is the base gasket being stuck - there's no "hidden" fasteners nor is the piston messin' with ya. If it just
wont come off - hit the base gasket with some carb cleaner and let it soak... sometimes that helps. If you've tried repeatedly to get the cylinder off a used engine with no luck at all... you may wish to consider skipping the port & polish and just do the intake and exhaust manifolds. I'm not sayin' it's impossible, but this mod may not be worth broken cooling fins on a used engine - new (just) engines are cheap enough it may not be worth the effort... that's your call tho.
Now that you've gotten the base gasket free, the cylinder just slides up and off - but be wary, the piston will wanna slap up against the cylinder studs and if it's hard enough it'll leave a mark. You don't want any scoring or marring on the piston or cylinder walls - that's why we're doing alla this heh, so have a lil chunk of cardboard ready to put between the piston and the studs - you may wish to put a clean plastic bag over the piston and case just to keep crud out while yer working... you will be creating some metal dust when ya get to Dremeling.
*For a better tutorial about pullin' yer head and cylinder w/pics - check Norm's thread out:
Engine top end rebuild & engine stand
Now that you've got yer engine all apart and the cylinder in hand, I'm gonna leave ya hanging for a few as I've got to go get summore parts for my bike and some foodstuffs fer lil ol' me FTW I'll continue babblin' on when I get the chance, other ppl's tips are ofc welcome
To be continued...
