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Posted by Elmo Hayride
- December 04, 2014, 20:42:19 PMThank you for your suggestions Troll. If anything seems funny along the way I'll certainly ask you so (hopefully) nothing gets missed.
Posted by 49Reo
- December 04, 2014, 20:12:52 PMTroll, what year used the plastic oil pump gear?
Posted by Troll
- December 04, 2014, 19:32:46 PMTo check the bearings, the crank must be removed.....if everything else seems to be decent, and there is no funny business when you take the covers off, I guess I would chance it....These engines have a very automotive bottom end, with car style plain bearings, so they are probably going to be all right....It was just a thought....
Posted by Elmo Hayride
- December 04, 2014, 19:03:20 PMI am going to avoid splitting the case unless something unusual comes up when I pull off the L&R covers. I soaked the HLA's and 5 are good and 3 on order. Yea, the valves I will check real careful especially from the growth/corrosion that was on the intakes (seen when I removed the throttle body).
Do I need to split the case to check the main & rod bearings?
Posted by Troll
- December 04, 2014, 18:31:34 PMThat's a good sign there is no serious wear on the engine. Are you planning on splitting the cases? You should check the main and rod bearings. One thing I would suggest is that you either soak the hydraulic units in a STRONG solvent, or replace them. I have one of the 8 that sometimes bleeds down and will click...very annoying. Check the valve stem/guide clearance very carefully. In this day of nolead fuel, valve guides wear more than they ever did. Maybe when I get 150,000 on the engine I will tear it down and replace them all...93,000 on it now, and that's the only issue.
Posted by Elmo Hayride
- December 04, 2014, 17:02:43 PMIt sure is nice to have the people in this forum to assist when there's a question CDNRatMan.
Troll, we (machinist and I) measured the wear and clearance and everything is in spec (0.06604mm piston/cyl clearance).
Posted by CDNRatMan
- December 04, 2014, 14:51:42 PMI had replaced the front fork oil in bikes before, never have I done as much work on a bike as I have on the Drifter. Reason is because I have confidence in my skill set to a certain point, I know when I am outside my comfort zone that help is now an e mail away or forum distance. I have rebuilt the complete front end of my bike, and GB and Troll were more then readily available to answer my questions, not sure if they wanted to but they did. The info on this forum is outstanding in learning from and to gather ideas and tips. In return when I did my rear shock I documented it all and took plenty of pictures and notes and posted what I did so the next person can get the idea.
Posted by Elmo Hayride
- December 04, 2014, 11:26:24 AMGranted, some people have little to no mechanical skills. If one is willing to read, absorb, and experience I truly believe just about anyone can fix their bike. Most of the work is equation exact and well documented.
Posted by mittico68
- December 04, 2014, 04:46:25 AMQuote from: Elmo Hayride on December 03, 2014, 11:06:21 AMmittico68, to be fair, my knowledge about mechanics comes from reading and trying.
If only it were an equation exact (reading & proving = ability), I guess we all should be able to do everything...
But there are so many variables that make the difference between a good mechanic and a bad theoretical! 
Posted by Troll
- December 03, 2014, 19:14:37 PMAnd so...it begins!
Posted by Elmo Hayride
- December 03, 2014, 16:58:21 PMHere's the 1st shipment of parts I got today.
Posted by Elmo Hayride
- December 03, 2014, 14:11:08 PMThat's great Troll, thank you for your input. I see that the factory provides over sized pistons and rings for that very issue. I'll measure it to see where I'm at.
Posted by Troll
- December 03, 2014, 13:44:05 PMThe fit of the piston thrust skirt is VERY important to engine longevity and overall noise level. A loose piston will knock when cold, and may stop knocking when hot...or may not. This will not only make for a noisy engine, but there will be a penalty in performance and oil control. The piston is not round, but rather oval, and the piston skirts are at 90 deg. to the wrist pin. Scoring and/or wear will cause the clearance to be too great. Depending on bore diameter, it might be more useful for long term use to have the engine cylinders bored first oversize and fitted by an expert machinist/engine builder. I see you have a factory manual, so look at section 4, pages 4-5 and up to get the specs.
Posted by Elmo Hayride
- December 03, 2014, 11:06:21 AMmittico68, to be fair, my knowledge about mechanics comes from reading and trying.
Posted by Elmo Hayride
- December 03, 2014, 11:03:56 AMTroll, what is the skirt clearance? I am not a veteran mechanic by any means so if you could use layman terms I'd really appreciate it 