thirdgen's massive F4i rebuild thread.... pix intense!!

[thirdgenlxi]

Well... I just uploaded 265 pictures to photobucket, won't be posting every one of them, but just be warned.... this is gonna be a looooong thread with ALOT of pictures!! LOL

Anyways, some may remember I went down back in Dec and the whole ordeal that followed. For those that don't.... back on Dec 17th I was on my way to work and while veering off on a road to the left, I hit a patch of oil/diesel fuel/antifreeze/something slippery, and lowsided at about 25 mph. All was fine until the bike slid into the curb, did a little highside and then rolled over itself into the grass. I got right up, not even so much as a scratch on me, thank god (leathers FTMFW!!), went over to the bike and it was completely covered in engine oil. Not a good sign already!

Luckily another guy from work was several cars behind me when this happened, so he saw it and recognized it as being me, and pulled right into the parking lot there and made sure I was OK. Luckily he had his pickup and an empty bed, so we lifted the bike into the bed of his truck and off to work we went





He gave me a ride home after work and we unloaded the bike into the garage. I was able to get a little better analysis of the damages







Right side didn't really get much at all




Swingarm got gouged up pretty good




Now for the really bad part.... when it slid, the flywheel took a hard and direct hit with the curb




Took a good size chunk out of the lower crankcase




All that was left of my stator cover


Definitely not a good sign there!


A couple weeks later, after much persuasion with a pry bar I was able to get the mangled stator out of the flywheel. Thanks to a generous member of 600rr.net for loaning me the OEM flywheel puller tool, I was finally able to remove the flywheel and inspect behind it. I was quite sad with what I found

Crank was definitely bent


The crack in the case was also worse that I had originally seen


Several weeks went by waiting for the insurance adjuster to come out to the house and look at it. I already knew they were gonna total it, but it was pretty much my only option at this point. They finally came out and looked at it, then had to wait another couple of weeks for them to process everything. Contrary to everyone else telling me "don't bother, it's not worth anything anyways", I'm glad I didn't listen, cuz the insurance company thought otherwise. They valued the bike at $4400, subtract $500 deductible and we're at $3900.... then the buy back was $600, and I went ahead and did just that. So I kept the bike, and got a check for $3300. For a bike with 177k miles on it, can't really complain at all

I was in the process of moving at the time, so I didn't really have much of any time to work on it, plus I didn't want to tear it apart before I moved, then end up having to move it in pieces and loosing stuff. I moved the bike over to my new residence and it sat there for another couple of weeks. My buddy Matt's boss down in Greenville, SC is an engineer with a full machine shop, CNC machines, welders, lathes, etc. He said he might be able to fix it, so he said bring it on down and we'll tear it open and have a look

Finally by the end of Feb, I was settled into my new place and had some time to work on the bike. I quickly got to work tearing it down





Rafters and ratchet straps are a godsend!!

[thirdgenlxi]

And milk crates too, hahah


Had the engine out shortly after


After 177k miles, she's a little dirty, as one might imagine








Wasn't much left of her after that




Oh and around this time, I came across this little gem on ebay so I picked it up for a steal ($300 for both). I asked the guys in the body shop at my work if they could paint it up and fix a small crack, and they said sure, so I dropped it off ever there. Also took my tail section which had a few scratches and cracks, and a few other goodies I bought as well (you'll see those at the end)


So in March our schedules finally work out and I take it down to Greenville, SC and have my buddies boss take a look. We start tearing the engine open. Nothing has been cleaned in these pics, it's exactly as we tore it apart





Remove the cyl head (first time ever been off).... pistons have a little carbon buildup, but nothing major




Flip it upside down and remove the oil pan so we can split the cases


Engine is spotless inside




Lower crankcase removed


Crank journals and bearings still looked brand new




We pull the crankshaft out, and sure enough, just as we thought. Bent beyond any conceivable repair

[thirdgenlxi]

The case was severely cracked under the end crank journal bearing


So.... I wasn't too happy at this point. This was the last little bit of hope I was hanging onto to possibly fix my original engine. But, not gonna happen. I gave it some thought, and pretty much my only option at this point was another engine. The timing could not have been better, as I quickly went on ebay and found a 2004 F4i engine with 15,000 miles. It was at $200 with no reserve, only catch was he wouldn't ship it, pick up only in Atlanta, GA. I watched the auction like a hawk, nobody was bidding on it for several days so I thought I was in the clear. I sit there and watch it in the final several minutes, and lets just say I won the auction in a furious snipe at about 5 sec remaining, outbidding someone else who had the same idea, hahaha. Ended up getting it for $256.... hell of a deal!

So that weekend I hop in the trusty Accord and make my way down to Atlanta, GA from Asheville, NC




Getting closer!


As I'm approaching Atlanta, I tighten my seatbelt and say a little prayer for my life as I merge onto, what I always appropriately like to call, the "I-285 GP". Wow..... I was quickly reminded just why I hate driving in Atlanta....ever!!


I make my way into the city, where I'd meet up with a guy named Sean. We met up at the Cycle Gear since we both knew right where it was


Picked up the engine and stuffed it in my trunk, right next to my old engine


Went over to my buddy Kevin's house north of Atlanta where I'd crash for the night. We took the new engine out and did a valve check on it just to see where it was at, and how it looked


Had 2 valves that were slightly out of spec. One was loose, one was tight, so we were able to swap shims and got both in spec. Everything else looked pretty good, and clean




The next night I make my way back home to Asheville, NC, driving through some of the worst rain I've driven through in YEARS, might I add, lol. On the nice 5 hour drive home I gave the whole situation lots of thought. Me being the stubborn SOB that I am, still wasn't truly happy with just replacing the engine. I kept thinking...there's GOTTA be a way to keep at least part of it original. Then... DUH.... *lightbulb*

So I took the new engine into work the next morning






I needed to take the clutch out anyways to swap my Factory Pro shift star and detent spring I had put in mine awhile back


Got the clutch out, and wasn't too happy with what I saw. Had some pretty good bluing and burn marks on the clutch plates, as well as some pretty deep grooves in the ears on the inner and outer clutch baskets. RED FLAG!!


Now that my suspicions are raised, I keep digging a little further. By now my decision was pretty much made up as to just what I was gonna do








About the same amount of carbon buildup on the pistons as mine had.... not too bad

[thirdgenlxi]

Split the cases and take a look inside. Overall it was clean and didn't look too bad. Some of the edges of the gear dogs in the transmission had some wear






Numbered the pistons on the new engine and popped them out


Within an hour or so, had the new engine town down to nothing but a bare block


Then I brought out my original engine and started to tear it fully down




My cylinder head had a little carbon as well, but overall not bad at all.... all valves and seats were in great shape












Stripped it down to the bare block as well


Now here's the pretty amazing part.... hard to see in the pics, but believe it or not, after 177,428 miles, all 4 cylinder walls still have PERFECT crosshatch. No joke!




Crank bearings.... perfect






Here's a better pic of the crack in the block. It took a smack for sure!

[thirdgenlxi]

Bent crank


It bent so much that it actually squished and buckled the metal on the one side...


...And stretched it on the other side


As for the crank journals themselves... perfect








Time to start assembling the "new" engine. I hone out the cylinders real good on the new block to deglaze them


Now here's another little interesting tidbit. I start measuring ring gap, and I'm curious how my 177k mile engine compares to this 15k mile engine (which I now believe was run a bit hard). The service limit on the upper ring is 0.40mm. So using cylinder 1 in the new block, I take the upper ring from both cylinder 1 pistons of the new engine and my old engine. The ring from the new engine is right at the 0.40mm service limit. My 177k mile ring measured 0.27mm. Yea..... figure that one out!


Used a brass scraper to clean the surface of the block up


After cleaning the carbon off the pistons and making sure the ring grooves are nice and clean, gotta index the rings before reinstalling each piston (each ring gap has to be facing a certain way)


Install each piston


Use lots of this stuff!!


My original rod bearings.... perfect




After several gradual steps, make my way to 19 lb.ft on the rod caps


Hard to see in the pics, but the lighter color timing chain guide on the left has more wear than the one on the right. One on the left is out of the 15k mile engine, one on the right is my original. I put my original back in


Finally installed the new timing chain that I've had sitting in my toolbox since.... 2005?? LOL




Used my original oil pump

[thirdgenlxi]

Installed oil pump and my Factory Pro roller bearing detent spring


Installed my original shift drum with the Factory Pro shift star




My shift forks were still in perfect shape, so reused those too




Can't forget the oil control orifices! That would be a very bad thing to leave out


Bottom end... complete!


After applying some assembly lube on all the crank bearings, install the lower crankcase


Torque all case bolts down to spec




Install oil pick-up and pressure release valve


Oil pan


Flip over and install oil cooler




Install shift shaft


Oil pump drive chain and sprockets


Install the outer clutch basket


Then the inner hub, then tighten the nut (94 lb. ft = FUN when the engine is out, lol)


My original (yes 177k mile original) clutch was still in great shape, so I reused it


Coat all the clutch friction and steel plates with clean engine oil before install

[thirdgenlxi]

Install clutch pressure plate and springs, tighten to 9 lb.ft


Time to button up the top end




Cleaned the carbon off my original head and it cleaned up nicely




Easy does it when it comes to torquing a head. Lots of small increments is my preferred method


Final torque of 35 lb. ft (much better than the 245 lb. ft for the ARP head studs I usually do on the diesels, lol)


Install exhaust camshaft and line up timing marks




Install intake camshaft and line up timing marks




Gotta torque the cam hold down plate in the EXACT sequence numbered on the plate




Rotate the engine slowly by hand to make sure no problems, then recheck timing to make sure it's dead on


And at the crank too


Looking like an engine again!




Do a quick compression test just to make sure no major problems. Not perfect, but for an engine that is cold (supposed to do it warm) and hasn't run yet, that's still pretty damn good


Install spark plugs

[thirdgenlxi]

Reused my original water pump


The stator cover that came on the new engine had some rash, so I sanded it down to remove the scratches


Then just painted it flat black with some hi-temp paint


Install the stator back in the cover


Install the stator and cover, valve cover, and thermostat housing and hoses, and she's complete, ready to go back in!






So I hung the ratchet straps from the rafters once again, and wheeled the bike into position




Get the engine into position


Slowly lower the frame down onto the engine


Annnnd.... she's in!




Gotta tighten the engine mount bolts in a certain sequence to center the engine, then use the special tool to tighten the adjuster lock nuts on the right side


Install the radiator


Tighten all coolant hose clamps


Attach clutch cable


Fill it up with quality cooling juices


Never forget the lube


Double check level.... it takes a little more oil after a major surgery

[thirdgenlxi]

By this point, the anticipation was absolutely KILLING me!! For the past 4 months, all I wanted to do was hear her run again. Cosmetics or anything else I wasn't worried about, I just wanted to hear her run. So I stopped there, made sure I had everything connected engine wise, bolted the exhaust on, and stuck the gas tank on. Had a gas can with a little bit of gas in it so I poured a little bit in the tank. I was just saying a prayer.... pleeeeeease start up, please start up! There were so many things running through my mind... "did I tighten that?".... "Did I remember to put that piece in?".... "Did I leave anything loose?"..... "I did put oil in right?"..... "What if it doesn't start?". Seriously all the "what if's" running through my mind at 100 mph. But, I connect the battery and all the lights come on and the fuel pump primes. I switch it off and on several times to fill up the lines with fuel. I had my fingers crossed and made this video..... it is indeed the very first attempt to start it. Watch and see!

YouTube - MOV01897.MPG

WoooooooooHooooooo!! Success!! Seriously, words can't describe how happy I was to hear her start right up and run.... perfectly. Both a huge sigh of relief, as well as a huge feeling of accomplishment, I was almost crying happy tears just to hear her run again, and something I assembled piece by piece with my own two hands. It's a feeling like no other!

So.... after she was running like a champ, I moved on to other stuff. Remember the swingarm that was all rashed up??




I sanded it down with my whiz wheel (same as the stator cover). It slowly shaves the metal down and removes the scratches little by little until they're gone


I then used some Mothers metal polish and an orbital buffer to smooth it down to a nice shine


I then used course steel wool and hand sanded for about 3 hours, slowly removing any little scratches from the sanding, and giving it that brushed aluminum finish that was on it originally


It turned out pretty damn good if I do say so myself!


There's still a small bit of rash at the very bottom.... it was too deep I'd have to sand too much. It's alot better than it was though


Apply several coats of commercial grade clear coat to protect the metal


Install the swingarm on the bike


Hey sometimes you gotta get creative when you don't have a big enough hex bit, haha


Hey whatever works, right??


After centering the swingarm, use the special tool to tighten the adjuster lock nuts




And of course the pivot bolt


Install rear wheel and rear brake caliper


OMG... starting to look like a bike again!


My fairing stay was tweaked just a little bit, mostly on the left side




So I replaced that too


Now.... my plastics!! I got them back from the body shop, and they turned out fantastic! They repaired the small crack in the upper fairing, fixed some rash and cracks in the tail fairing, and fixed a big rock chip in the hugger, then painted them all black. The headlight had a tiny scratch so he sanded that down and got it nice and clear again. Solo seat cowl was red prior, they painted that black too. All of this cost me.... nothing. I tried to pay them, they don't take it, not even for paint. Good thing for having buddies in the body shop who are also riders themselves, huh?? LOL

[thirdgenlxi]

Got my HID bulbs and Proton flushies transferred over to the new headlight


Front and side fairings installed


Tail installed








Well... she's back together!! Only things I was missing here were my Puig DB windscreen and the left side fairing. Waiting for both of them to arrive in the mail, but damn it I wanted to go ride! Still had my stock windscreen so I put that on, and everything was tight enough without the left side fairing, so screw it, lol. So... Sat April 3rd around 5pm or so, letting her warm up, about to go take our maiden voyage!


Rode around town staying close to home just to be safe, incase anything went wrong. Everything was perfect though.... temp was staying where it should, plenty of power, everything was smooth and crisp, no vibrations... nothing. So I get on the highway for a short bit...all good there! Make my way up to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Made a quick video just to show how good she's running. Ended up logging 110 miles before the night was over

YouTube - MOV01943.MPG

Several days later my windscreen and left fairing show up in the mail


I've always been one for a clean stock look, so I put the decals back on (still waiting on the ones for the front upper... they were on backorder)




So today I had everything all done and got her all cleaned up. I took her up to that special place up on the BRP for some quality pix. Here's the ending result of my past 4 months of work












I still need to get a 'new' left side fairing... this was just a cheapo ebay one to cover it up for now. Couldn't spend the $400 right now, ugh


I'm damn proud of how well the swingarm came out, hahah