dented pistons

[ludwig]

alright more crap :Awe: after pulling off the left head i noticed something shiny.#4 piston has a pretty good dent towards the bottom just above the part that looks like a moustache.#2has a dent too but not as bad as 4.i know that probly caused shock waves further down.well i dont have the tools,space or resources to do a piston job so im gonna replace the bad valves, guides and seals put it back together and run it till it dies or i die.ive heard mechanics say they have reused pistons in worse condition then mine,im thinking that who ever had this bike before me threw a belt.who cares;the valves caused the damage so hopefully after putting in new oem valves and guides i can get a few thousand more miles on it. :deadhorse:

 

[AApple]

Depends on how bad they are...can you get pics?

 

[joedrum]

the pistons are probably fine it weather or not the piston pins or rpiston rods got hurt ...its a good sign if the valves are not broke ...damaged is usealy associated with broken off valves that get crunch into pistons and absolute stopaged not dents ...id say someone tryed to change belts got it out of time and tried to run it denting the pistons and loss of compression and gave up on it ...it a good gamble to fix heads and retime to see if its okay ...in my opinion...could go fifty thousnd miles after this

 

[ludwig]

yeah i'll try and get some pics of what i got going on here.but in the meantime i noticed while turning the engine by hand,there is some resistance when #4 piston is compressing.but it does turn without struggle.i am pretty sure there is some kind of bottom end damage,but it ran before with the way it was so all i can do at this point is redo the top end and hope for something like or close to the best.i sure appreciate y'all being here to help me out.after i get straight with buying parts and all,i will be buying some patches,stickers and donating the change to CGW

 

[ludwig]

:thank_you: :thank_you:

yeah i'll try and get some pics of what i got going on here.but in the meantime i noticed while turning the engine by hand,there is some resistance when #4 piston is compressing.but it does turn without struggle.i am pretty sure there is some kind of bottom end damage,but it ran before with the way it was so all i can do at this point is redo the top end and hope for something like or close to the best.i sure appreciate y'all being here to help me out.after i get straight with buying parts and all,i will be buying some patches,stickers and donating the change to CGW

 

[dan filipi]

Take the plugs out then turn it.
This way you getting a true feel for resistance. With compression it can be deceiving.

 

[ludwig]

there are no plugs in.the heads are off.the resistance feels like it starts getting a little harder to turn when approaching t.d.c.then it gets a little stiff then it gets a little easier after you pass that point.

 

[dan filipi]

Ok then it should roll smooth full circle.

 

[ludwig]

my guess then is its probly a connecting rod or bent shaft or other things.

 

[mcgovern61]

my guess then is its probly a connecting rod or bent shaft or other things.

My old '81 engine had the same issue....turned out the journals on the crank were oblong at the connecting rod for #3. My engine was well worn (169K hard miles) and the bearings had nothing left on them.

viewtopic.php?p=56923#p56923

 

[AApple]

there are no plugs in.the heads are off.the resistance feels like it starts getting a little harder to turn when approaching t.d.c.then it gets a little stiff then it gets a little easier after you pass that point.

That could just be carbon build-up on the cylinder, or rings. Was this thing making any knocking noises before? Also, when one piston is at TDC, the opposite piston is at BDC, so it could still be carbon, or rings sticking in the bore....
Well worth putting it back together and seeing how it runs, as long as it wasn't knocking before. Might also be a good idea to spray down the cylinders around the piston rings with WD40(or you favorite stuff), and let that sit for a while, then spin the crank.

 

[joedrum]

thats to bad lugwig ...dont sound good at all ...check the 4 piston and see if it decks out at the same place as the other side strait accross from it ...that might give indication rod is bent or if it deck out like the one beside it ....meaning as high as the other pistons come up ...it sure dont sound good from what your saying

 

[ludwig]

#2 piston has a dent towards the lower left and cyl. #4 has a dent on the lower right.#1 and 3 pistons have no marks on the at all.the walls of 2 & 4 look ok i dont see any burn marks or cracks.but then again i have no experience at this, im just going to try and make the best with what i have.i am only 58 y.o. i feel alot older but i keep going with diabetic neuropathy,i limp along but somehow keep going.this bike is only 32 y.o. and probably like me feels older too.so if i could keep it limping along for a while then ill be happyim pretty sure ill get er runnin again.how good and how long?i dont know but i cant do anything the same as i used to either.

 

[slabghost]

Sounds like one belt was installed wrong. Do you feel a ridge near the top of the cylinder walls? You might want to just replace the heads rather than chance the valves also managed to deform or crack the guides or heads. 1100 head are often pretty cheap on ebay. Some of the guys here may also have a pair at a good price.

 

[ludwig]

nope no ridges in any cylinders they are smooth all the way to the end.i did spray p.b.blaster in each cylinder then rubbed each one with a thin film of ultra disc brake grease.after turning a couple times it turns pretty smooth.i don't know if i should have put the brake grease in there but i figured if its good for brake pistons it would be o k for any pistons.i decided to take the valves out (after i get a spring compressor)and check sprigs and all.the bottom of #2 & #4 valves don't look to good.i will replace those and lap the rest.i checked each head surface with a straight edge and cant get the smallest feeler gauge between the edge and head.i think i may have over dramatized the whole situation here a little.this is all scary stuff to me i will admit.this is my first bike,maybe my last.the odometer shows 26,000 miles,i put on about 7,000 of that.judging by what i hear other wingers have on their clocks i think i may have a pretty good chance at getting on the road again.

 

[backlander]

now your talking, hard to keep a good wing down, that thing ain't even broke in yet.