Honda Pacific Coast ipcrc Archives

Title and Body Title Only	All Words Any Word Phrase
Author:
Search Start Date:
Search End Date:
Sort Order	Newest Posts First Oldest Posts First
Sources to include:	Both Yahoo Groups and List Server Only Yahoo Groups Only Older List Server
OR Message ID:

Oil Leak (and other) Opinions Requested
Written by literidr on 7/31/2009 at 05:19 pm

Hey pacificghost (must be an 89!)

Here's a composite from one of my posts and a reply to another query about this
procedure. I think is will work together as a whole, but if you have any
questions, drop me a note.

You will need to remove the carbs, however, it isn't necessary to take the
cables loose. Just loosen the two phillips head clamps at their base, and pull
them up and out of the rubber intake seals. Then lay the whole assembly over to
the side, out of the way until you're done. You will spill some gas when you
turn them upside down so be careful.

After you remove the carbs, you need to take the upper coolant hoses loose from
the engine. Then take the plastic rivets loose from the rubber cap covering the
cylinders. (They have a small phillips head looking screw in their center the
can be unscrewed a little bit if you're careful, until you can pull that center
"screw" directly out. After that you can remove the rivet from the rubber cap
and the fiberglass shroud underneath it. When you re-install them, push the
outer piece through the rubber cap and then just PUSH the center pin all the way
in.) You only need to release the rubber cap from the sides and the rear of the
engine. The front can be left attached, just roll it forward out of the way to
the front of the engine. Remove the spark plug wires from the spark plugs and
place them out of the way. You'll need a trouble light or a flashlight to look
down the sides of the heat shroud to locate the screws that attach the shroud
to its base.
If I remember correctly, the shroud comes out in two pieces. The left one
comes out still attached to the rear corner. The right one only covers the
right side.

You need to check whether or not the 'O' Rings are leaking where the coolant
outlet pipes are mounted to the cylinders. If there's any sign of leakage,
now's the time to do the job. Mine were just fine so I left them alone. This
would also be a great time to change the rubber boots that connect the carbs to
the intake tubes.

I bought a couple cans of brake clean (carb cleaner will also work) and sprayed
off the sides of the engine so they would be clean when I was done.

The repair is fairly straight forward. Many thanks to L.A. Pryor for informing
us that this was possible.

To remove the cam plugs, you need a small drill, a sheet metal screw, and a claw
hammer. First drill a small hole, start the screw into the hole, then use the
claw hammer or similar tool to pull the screw and the plug from the engine.
(They come out fairly easily.) Be sure to clean up any material left from
drilling out the hole.

Take care, when grinding a bevel to the holes, to prevent getting abrasive into
the engine.(you only need 1/32" bevel) I used a rotary file and a drill (a
dremel tool would be ideal) to file the edges off the holes and stuffed a piece
of paper towel in place to keep shavings from getting into the engine. I used
red high-temp RTV (silicone) to seal the plugs (use it sparingly, a thin coating
is all it needs - more is not better), which also makes it easier to push the
plugs into their holes. Saying I pushed the plugs in is an understatement. I
needed a prybar to push three of them in, and a straight claw hammer worked to
install the final one. Start each plug in on one side and then push it sideways
and in until it moves into place.

It takes about as much time to remove the plastic as it does to make the repair.
I took a couple of days to do mine, but I wasn't in a hurry, and since it was my
bike, I was checking everything out that I could while I was there. If I do it
again, I could do it in a day.

Hope this helps.


--- In ipcrc@yahoogroups.com, "pacific.ghost" <pacificghost@...> wrote:
>
> I now have most of the upper plastics off (for paint/replacement) and to
evaluate the damage. It's a little more serious than I'd thought. Going to need
a couple more parts, but that's okay.
>
> I knew the thing had an oil leak when I got it, but I didn't realize it was
quite this bad. Here's the new album: http://tinypic.com/a/z49t/4
>
> It's been sitting in that position for a little over a week. Does anyone have
any idea what's leaking off the back of the motor like that? It seems to be some
sort of oil, can't tell if it's motor or otherwise - is it possible for the cam
seals to leak *that* badly?
>
> Also, the engine seems to be encrusted in oil as do the bottoms of the carbs.
I'm assuming cam seals, but it seems rather, well, excessive for cam seals (from
my experience with other engines and motorcycles. Can all that mess really be
from the cam seals?
>
> Next, how big a bevel should I cut on the outside edge of the head when I
change the cam seals? Does anyone have pictures?
>
> Finally, while I have all the plastics off, I (obviously) intend to change the
cam seals using the "wood screw and bevel" technique. Is there any other normal
or preventative maintenance task I should perform while the engine is exposed
like this?
>