New piston rings only ?

[JVD]

Good day. Bought a 85 max a year ago. First off ... it did not start , wanted to, but nothing. tested the compression and it was low. Like very low on no. 1 and 3 .
got the engine out and heads off. was hoping for the best but expecting the worst.
Surprisingly not too bad . ( have not tested the valves for leakage )
In this forum everything regarding a V-Max is known , tried and tested (. see Pics attached )
I know its not the best way to see a sleeve , but can I hone and replace the rings on this without going all out re-sleeving and stuff ??

(and then obviously have the heads checked . )

 

[Fire-medic]

Looks like a hone is in-order, if that won't do it, then a re-bore/oversize pistons/rings. Checking the valves, lapping them in, at a minimum, perhaps a re-grind if lapping doesn't seal. Maybe valve guides & seals.

Having that particulate material looks to me like the engine say for years, and then was turned-over. You can see where apparently the oil control rings sat immobile for years.

One cyl having oil issues says to me either rings or bad valve seals/guides. What kind of measurements are you getting for piston clearance and ring end gap? I think you're looking at removing the engine to really do things properly. You need to remove the pistons, so bottom end time. It is a false economy to try to leave the engine in the frame to open the bottom end to remove the pistons.

 

[MaxMidnight]

If you are going to the trouble of stripping it down then I'd go the next step and measure the bores. You will then be working with factual data to decide what is needed.
Given it's age and therefore unknown service history you might also consider splitting the crankcases and plastigauging the bearing shells to make sure they are within spec.
Would be a shame to put it all back together and find there is a problem.

 

[JVD]

If you are going to the trouble of stripping it down then I'd go the next step and measure the bores. You will then be working with factual data to decide what is needed.
Given it's age and therefore unknown service history you might also consider splitting the crankcases and plastigauging the bearing shells to make sure they are within spec.
Would be a shame to put it all back together and find there is a problem.

That was my thoughts too... The issue is getting spares in SA , new or used .
But i agree ... when opening a engine , do the measurements and make a choice. Better to do the work now and build a engine that wil last than trusting the unknown.
Thank you for the insight

 

[JVD]

Looks like a hone is in-order, if that won't do it, then a re-bore/oversize pistons/rings. Checking the valves, lapping them in, at a minimum, perhaps a re-grind if lapping doesn't seal. Maybe valve guides & seals.

Having that particulate material looks to me like the engine say for years, and then was turned-over. You can see where apparently the oil control rings sat immobile for years.

One cyl having oil issues says to me either rings or bad valve seals/guides. What kind of measurements are you getting for piston clearance and ring end gap? I think you're looking at removing the engine to really do things properly. You need to remove the pistons, so bottom end time. It is a false economy to try to leave the engine in the frame to open the bottom end to remove the pistons.

Abselutely right ... was sitting for years before i got it
will be checking thr heads , might not be as bad.
And getting the engine out of the frane too.
Thank you for your response

 

[MaxMidnight]

And getting the engine out of the frame too.Thank you for your response

I use a short piece of scaffold pole lashed between the V. If you can get this reasonably tight it allows a fait degree of steerage to manoeuvre the engine out or the frame and, perhaps more importantly, back in again.
It's heavy but dooable between two.

 

[Fire-medic]

I use a floor jack w/the frame piece removed, on my own.

 

[JVD]

I use a floor jack w/the frame piece removed, on my own.

Gonna give that a GO!

 

[JVD]

And another Question : This would be a good time to repaint !
Any suggestions on type of paint I can Use ? (using paint stripper to remove old paint first )

 

[Stephan]

Powder coating is best although not cheap...

 

[MaxMidnight]

Any suggestions on type of paint I can Use ? (using paint stripper to remove old paint first )

I wouldn't (didn't) strip the old paint off on the basis that if it's stayed on for XX years it's quite happy there.
What I did do was flatten back until the base metal is ghosting through. This has the advantage of providing a flat surface but also a base coat.
You will need to remove any areas that are flaking and feather the edges back to the good surface.

Once done thoroughly de-grease the parts before painting.
I used VHT paint which is available in some fetching colours as well as black. Once cured in the oven (make sure the management isn't at home) you have a tough fuel and oil proof covering.
IMO this not only looks better than powder coating but is easier to repair and a damn sight cheaper.
That said it's only as good as the preparation you are prepared to put into it.

 

[Fire-medic]

I have several powdercoating businesses I've used. Their results are better than any attempt I made to oven-bake anything. We recently had a car chassis done. It looks great.

 

[Jack Hammer]

How many miles on the bike? Did you measure the scratch depth? The gauge itself is not difficult to find from local machine shops unless you live in a... trying to find a good word... area. Sorry.

 

[JVD]

How many miles on the bike? Did you measure the scratch depth? The gauge itself is not difficult to find from local machine shops unless you live in a... trying to find a good word... area. Sorry.

In km , about 32500km on clock 20.195 miles... hahaha not a sorry ares . A
mazing riding country and climate all year round a. Only problem is the postal /courier services ...
Did not think of such a test . No deep scratches I can feel,