Just how screwed am I?

[rarick123]

So, I bought a bike unseen from Craigslist. The ad said the existing bike had no title, but it also came with a clean title frame. Just move the parts over and ride, sounds reasonable enough. Famous last words...

I started cracking open the carbs in an effort to clean them out, and this is what I'm seeing... AFTER about 2 hours of forcing water into the fuel inlets through a funnel, shaking it, and pouring out the mud. I can only assume after seeing this, that the bike was flood damaged. (South Carolina mud is red like that, it's not rust)

Has anyone tried to resurrect a flood bike? Because of the butcher job someone had already done on the wiring, I had already ordered a new harness anyway. Once I get the carbs cleaned up, I'll crack open the engine itself and see if anything got down that far. There's a lot of dirty parts on the top half of the engine, but the two lower pieces are shiny, gloss black, so I'm thinking maybe someone already did some restoration and gave up.

 

[4gasem]

I'd be more tempted to say the tank is full of rust but I know what you're saying about the red clay down there.

If it's a flood victim and it didn't get cleaned out then the motor will be toast IMO.

Check the tank.

 

[one2dmax]

Man, those are NASTY. I'm not sure my sonic cleaner would even do the job but it probably would. Looks rusted as hell to me too. new harness? What's wrong with the other one? A used harness or new? I may be able to help save some money as you go along with the project and some of the guys here may even have stuff cheaper then me.

We do have a carb cleaning service but I would suggest taking a look at Jeffs carbs that he has for sale. I think he would take $500-$550 for them and they are from a 2005 with my jet kit installed already. Would be cheaper in the long run.

Sean

 

[rarick123]

Well, a used harness... just one that doesn't have lots of parts chopped off and taped back on. The existing harness had some connectors just outright missing (mostly stuff like turn signals) and some where the wire corroded enough to snap off, leaving the crimped-on connector inside the plug.

I started breaking them up into the individual carbs and cleaning them with vinegar, steel wool, baking soda, purple power... even let one soak with some diet coke in it. In the end, I can soften the rust enough to get them downright shiny, so I'm thinking all I "should" need to replace is needles/jets. At least as far as the carbs go. Once I get them cleaned up, we'll see how bad the engine is.

 

[4gasem]

Don't forget the tank...

 

[95spfldmax]

Once I get them cleaned up, we'll see how bad the engine is.

I dunno...with the looks of those parts I don't think i'd leave the motor as a last minute "surprise"......I'd check to make sure it turns through and drain the oil to have a look see before putting any more money into it....IMHO.

 

[rarick123]

Yes, Chris, I won't forget the tank.

I'm rebuilding this in my living room (yes, newly single) so the bike is outside and the parts are coming inside one by one as I remove them from the old frame. We had a spat of freezing rain/snow, so I haven't been able to get the bike up on the patio in order to drop the engine out yet, and my solid motor mounts aren't here yet either. Figure if I'm gonna move it, I might as well upgrade those at the same time.

What's really odd is that some parts are clean as a whistle in some areas, and completely caked in mud in others. Like the tach/temp pod... the faces were white as the driven snow, but the back of the plastic lens that covers them was so covered in dirt, you couldn't see through it. It almost looked like mud daubers (or whatever you call them) decided to use the vent holes to gain access to a nice shelter. The bulbs were also clear as a bell, while the holes they sit in had dirt at least a quarter inch thick.

 

[satariel666]

I'd be more tempted to say the tank is full of rust but I know what you're saying about the red clay down there.

If it's a flood victim and it didn't get cleaned out then the motor will be toast IMO.

Check the tank.

Absolutly +1 for that.

Also the fuel pump may be toasted.

 

[rarick123]

Being new to the Vmax... is the fuel filter the little plastic thing in between what I believe is the pump (would be right under "The Boys" if I'm sitting on the seat) and the hose going to like a T in the carbs? Mine looked kind of like two funnels stuck together, only about 1/4" thick, and I saw some wire mesh/screen in there. Other than the plastic yellowing like a coolant reservoir, I didn't see any dirt or anything in there.

Perhaps I'll try to pull the tank tonight... I assume I'm just looking down inside it for rust/mud/small animals?

 

[rumblethump]

[Allright, now you are worrying me!
Pull the oil pan & report what's in it.
Anything short of a vat wont help those carbs.
OK I feel better now.

Yes, Chris, I won't forget the tank.

I'm rebuilding this in my living room (yes, newly single) so the bike is outside and the parts are coming inside one by one as I remove them from the old frame. We had a spat of freezing rain/snow, so I haven't been able to get the bike up on the patio in order to drop the engine out yet, and my solid motor mounts aren't here yet either. Figure if I'm gonna move it, I might as well upgrade those at the same time.

What's really odd is that some parts are clean as a whistle in some areas, and completely caked in mud in others. Like the tach/temp pod... the faces were white as the driven snow, but the back of the plastic lens that covers them was so covered in dirt, you couldn't see through it. It almost looked like mud daubers (or whatever you call them) decided to use the vent holes to gain access to a nice shelter. The bulbs were also clear as a bell, while the holes they sit in had dirt at least a quarter inch thick.

 

[rarick123]

Dropping the oil pan any more involved than removing the oil filter (and cover), and then a bunch of bolts? I've looked at the service manual, and that appears to be all that's involved, but it's such a lo-res scan that I can't see much detail.

 

[4gasem]

It sounds like it's has a cheap filter stuck in place. I use one like that on my snow thrower. lol

Mr Gasket makes a universal (replaceable filters) one that works GREAT!

Chris

 

[rumblethump]

Dropping the oil pan any more involved than removing the oil filter (and cover), and then a bunch of bolts? I've looked at the service manual, and that appears to be all that's involved, but it's such a lo-res scan that I can't see much detail.

If my memory is working, Pull exhaust,oil level wire & pan bolts.

 

[4gasem]

If my memory is working, Pull exhaust,oil level wire & pan bolts.

Correct! Gonna have to do that to move it anyway... You'll need a gasket and scraper...

 

[tugla]

sounds like you'll have your hands full regardless with this project, hope it was a steal of a deal?

 

[06VMAXIMUS]

Hope the cylinders don't look like the inside of those carbs!

 

[dannymax]

Rarick....that wasn't an eastern Massachusetts bike was it?

 

[KJShover]

After looking at your pictures, being a river rat myself, they reminded me of how smowmachines look when they don't make the ice gaps and sink in the river and have to be recovered at a later time.

Several snowmachines and even a few trucks have been ressurected after being submerged, I've seen them under for as long as a week. In many cases it was the matter if the engine was running when it went under, depended on the amount of damage.

The good thing is they can be fixed. the bad thing, as your finding out, is it takes time and now you have to go through everything.

 

[rarick123]

Well, I bought it from Georgia, but that doesn't mean that's where it's always lived.

So I started by removing the cover over the oil filter... not looking good. Have you ever been grilling a chicken breast or a pork chop and seen that string of fat that hangs down from the spot where you poked it with a fork? Yeah, that times a gozillion. Now I'm really depressed... at least it looks like just water, and not mud. Then I removed whatever the two things are on the bottom of the pan. One was a sender of some sort, and one was like an 18mm bolt with a phillips screw in the center. Both of those let pure, golden honey oil pour out.(check out the second pic) After pulling the pan, there was a mix of what looked like brand new, never been heated oil and chocolate mousse. At least there was no rust, right?

 

[tugla]

looks like they had water in it, then chg it and put in some new oil, but takes a while to get all the water out. hopefully they didnt run the motor with water in it, could have some bent parts. You ever turn the motor over with starter?