5 minutes of bliss...

bpdinse · Post by **bpdinse** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 7:05 pm

I just finished rebuilding the transmission on my '64 CA77 (shift forks, shift drum, 2nd gear – all replaced). I put the engine back on and everything else. Now for a short maiden voyage. Wonderful – it drives like a… Dream. Shifts perfectly. Back into the driveway, check it all over. Looks good. Now for an around-the-block. Nice drive. Pull into the driveway, roll up to a stop with a backfire… oil dripping out of several places. The cam seal is leaking, the drive seal is leaking… Not what I had wanted to see.

I love to work on things but I wanted to drive the bike for a bit! My lesson: When you take an engine off of a bike that has been sitting for 40 years, don’t put it back on until you replace everything that could have gone bad.

The oil seals must have lost their ability to seal over that amount of time. The funny thing is that when I first got the bike running, before I took the lower end apart, it didn’t leak oil from anywhere. Now I understand that the drive seal would leak as I took that off at one point (I should have changed it!) but the cam/points seal?? I don’t get that. And you’d think that only a little oil would come out up there – nope, a lot is coming through.

I’m not asking any question here – just needed to vent. It would have been so much easier to replace everything when the engine was off and on the bench. I might as well do an entire rebuild now including cylinder/rings/top-end.

Snakeoil · Post by **Snakeoil** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 7:49 pm

What you have just gained is a thing called wisdom. The stuff you learn the hard way is never forgotten.

Best regards,
Rob

Hotshoe · Post by **Hotshoe** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 9:02 pm

If everything else is working properly (the backfire could be due to oil on the points), I'd give myself 50 lashes (figuratively speaking of course.... my back is in figurative shreds) and change out the seals w/o disassembling the engine.
It's not fun but it can be done.

G-Man · Post by **G-Man** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 2:52 am

Hi

Welcome to the world of restoration. As stated in a previous post: Experience is a thing you get just after you needed it most.....

Your last sentence says it all. Seals and gaskets are an important part of an engine and should be replaced whenever you tear it down. If the seal has been sitting on a dry shaft for 40 years it will get damaged when the motor starts up. Always install new seals onto a lubricated shaft to prevent that delicate surface being abraded away. The sharper the sealing lip the better the seal will withstand pressure.

At least you've discovered that you're getting oil to the top end..... :-)

Cheers

G

bonjour · Post by **bonjour** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 11:50 am

Just a little no-brainer : Not to much oil in it ? :P

If not, good luck with the process.

bpdinse · Post by **bpdinse** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 9:29 pm

Ah yes - I have gained some wisdom and experience here :). Thanks for all the words... I feel a bit better about it now. I like the 'glass half full' comment, G-man, that at least I know I am getting oil to the top end.

Is it so that I can change out the oil seals w/o disassembling the engine?? If this is so, I'd be a happy man. Hotshoe, can you outline how to do this without damaging the seals? How do you get the old ones out? If I can avoid taking the engine off and apart, it would be wonderful.

Thanks for all the comments!
Brian

Sascha · Post by **Sascha** » Fri Dec 24, 2010 11:34 am

Well said snakeoil...

-Sascha

Snakeoil wrote:What you have just gained is a thing called wisdom. The stuff you learn the hard way is never forgotten.

Best regards,
Rob