RIP Hunley?

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pidjones

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Decided to ride the Hunley in to the Time Warp Tea Room this afternoon for Bike Night. Got about 2 miles from home and she began to loose power and stutter. Turned around and got about 1/2 mile back when she quit on me. Noticed that tach was not working and seemed to not be pumping fuel. Crap - broken right cam belt? Pulled to the side of the road and (after walking ~1/4 mile to get a signal) called the wife to come pick me up. Went home, hooked up the trailer, went back and loaded it to bring home. Once home I left it on the trailer to pull the right belt cover. Belt still in place? Removed tach drive/fuel pump. Bumped starter. Cam sprocket turns, tach drive doesn't. Removed right belt and sprocket. Rolled it in the garage and pulled the right valve cover. metal shavings spread around. Shazbot!
 
dan filipi":vli9hhvq said:
Broken cam?
Very quick inspection reveals broken somewhere near the front. Very little resistance to turning the front by hand and can feel broken ends interfering with each other. I'll be disassembling the head and removing it in the next couple days.
 
Yep, that head (and cam) is toast. EBay order in for another complete right head (from a '76 - same part numbers). The valves and such look fine in it, must have stopped the #3 cylinder valves out of the way, and front was still in time. Broke right in the middle due to oil starvation. Why oil starvation? THIS IS WHY YOU NEVER ALLOW RTV IN AN ENGINE! Must have been a PO, I know better. I remember cleaning lots off of the valve cover gaskets when I first got it. The only place that I have used it is on the exhaust header/muffler joint. The piece was lodged in the oil restrictor, completely stopping oil flow to the right head.
 

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It’s something that it broke. I’m looking at the broken cam imagining that journal scrubbing dry creating intense heat, then I guess a part of the cam and journal fusing together locking up, then SNAP.

Amazing what just a thin film of oil does.
 
Yes, and I didn't hear anything! Have to admit I'm pretty deaf and had ear plugs in. Lost power obviously, but only dropped the #3 cylinder as #1 was still in time. Finally died by running the carbs dry (still no hearing any issues besides being down a cylinder).
 
Further forensics today. Drained the oil and pulled the oil filter, then pulled the cover off of the side of the sump. A lot of black sludge-like particles in the bottom attracted by the magnet, but that has been common in all of the GL1000s I've had. One very small aluminum flake drug out by a paper towel used to swab the sump bottom clamped by bilge tongs. Two very small black steel chips held by the drain plug magnet - but I see those occasionally from the transmission. No trash in the drain port from the right head. Strainer had a few particles of what appeared to be phenolic in it - not metallic. Filter no metal on it (had only been in for ~50 miles or so). Bottom trolling the oil brought up no particles. I'll probably suspend a magnet shielded by a condom in it for a while to see if anything migrates to it.

Rotated the engine to belt change position and ordered two new ones. If the right one saw enough force to break a cam in half, it needs replaced and the other is due, too. Finished cleaning the surface for new head gasket install and dug through o-ring supplies for new ones for the water tube. Intake o-rings still look very good and will be reused. water elbow gasket needs a new one made.
 
Wow! eBay head came in today! I've cleaned the gasket off and rebuilt it with valves, springs, keepers, lands, and seals from the other head that had probably about 600 miles total on it. Hope to show Geneva ('76 RD400c) tomorrow. New belts are due in Tuesday. Might actually get Hunley back on the road next week! I am so surprised that there is no more damage. I'm giving the head to a friend that recycles aluminum. Wondering what I should do with the cam halves?
 
Gee I've missed this totally takes some luck to have this happen ..oil feeds to heads on 1000s and 1100s are small ..I certainly use the 1200 feed on hooch ...I'd say this is where it plug up ...wow
 
She is back together to the point of new belts, which are due tomorrow. Fresh oil, filter, coolant. Once belts are on I will set the valves on the right side (adjusters backed out all the way right now), install the valve cover and plugs, and roll her outside for a trial (weather permitting). Yes, I will bar it over with the new belts on to avoid uh-ohs.
 
They delivered the final belt at about 6:30 pm. (My normal delivery driver said that when he looked for them yesterday, but he learned they had been put on the wrong truck - guess the "adult signature" was a CYA for UPS.) Took all of about 30 minutes to install, set #3 Intake valve, install the valve and belt covers, clean up and put tools away, and.... IT'S ALIVE! Once fuel got to the carbs she fired and sounds great! Everything is too wet to take her out for a trial run this evening, but as soon as roads dry well I'll take her for a spin.
 
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