FJ1346 from ashes to... Well, we'll see...

[andyb]

I've always liked spiral wrap myself, but I have one of these and ain't afraid to use it! 

[red]

I've always liked spiral wrap myself, but I have one of these and ain't afraid to use it!     

or maybe this, ~US$28
http://www.cableorganizer.com/cable-tie-installation-tool/

Cheers,
Red

[skymasteres]

Loosing valve clearance means that the valve is receding into the valve seat. Time to get a shim and tool from Randy. The Yamaha maintenance specifications say to check your valves at the first 500 mile mark for just such a reason.
The valve is moving further away from the piston crown when the clearance tightens...
The sequence of the tapping, is it 1/2 the crank speed? The cams rotate at 1/2 the crank speed.

Can you get access to a bore scope? Take a look at the cylinder walls of #2.
Perhaps you just need to rehone and reseat your rings but, doubtful with that amount of oil consumption.

I think the majority of my "changes" in clearance are due to differences in the oil film on top of the shim
buckets. I am slightly concerned with the tightening up on the number 4 intake valve, but I'll re-shim it
today or tomorrow.  (Maybe I completely spaced out and put the wrong shim in.)

Not sure about the frequency of the tapping. (I never have been good a telling if it's half speed or not.)
It's kind of a rattle more than a tap I suppose. Hard to say. I'll see if it goes away when I re-shim the valve.
(Fingers crossed)

Unfortunately no, I don't have access to a bore scope. That would be a great tool to have for peace of
mind and being able to inspect things without having to tear them completely down.  As it stands now,
I have taken a step back and decided to chill out with all of the panicking. The engine only has 1500 miles
on it. It's got carbs that are not evenly fueling the cylinders. (Some are rich some are lean) I haven't been
really getting on it like I should at this point so it's up in the air as to whether or not I've really done a
nything terrible yet, or if I just haven't been getting enough pressure in number two to load up the rings...

running that much oil in the crankcase you risk the crank webs aerating the oil by contact. this aeration
of the oil results in decreased lubrication in the bearings because the oil loses its ability for hydrostatic lift. it also loses enthalpy, its ability to transfer heat. removing heat from the engine and rejecting heat in the cooler.I hope this hasnt happened, more oil isnt better.
Scott

You're definitely right about the 6 quarts being too much. When I pulled the oil out it was more like 4.
So I was definitely way over filled, and probably encountered some of those issues. We'll see when I
get it filled back up and running again.  The only thing that really has me concerned is the increased
amount of metal on the oil plug magnet this time around.

A couple of suggestions. In case you missed this in the body of Pat's text or failed to attach sufficient importance to it, 6 qts is way too much oil and overfilling engines is one way to bring on leaks.
Once you fill it above the sight glass, you have no idea how much is in there.

The clutch shouldn't get hot unless it's slipping and even then should return to oil temperature pretty quickly. Are you sure it's not the oil that's hot? If the heat source was the clutch there should be a very distinctive smell with cap off.

Is there any chance the oil ring expander was not fitted correctly (butted not overlapped) or the gaps sufficiently staggered? I know, it's a depressing thought, but do you remember addressing this when installing the rings?

Noel

Noel, I appreciate the insight. I'll smell it next time to make sure about the clutch, but now that you mention
it I know the smell that you're talking about.  I'm 99.99% sure that I had the oil rings installed correctly.
The ends of the expander where it comes together are both bent away from the piston at a 90* angle making
over lapping it impossible. Then the two thin rings that ride above and below it hold it in place. And yes my
ring gaps are staggered.

You know, I normally don't use that many zip ties. But, if you look at the way instrumentation harnesses are
all trussed up... then yeah, I didn't use nearly enough.   

We use this stuff a lot...

Here's how http://www.dairiki.org/hammond/cable-lacing-howto/

It makes for a much smaller bundle, and saves a LOT on zip ties.

You are correct. That IS the proper way to do it. It was just quicker and MUCH easier for me to just use
the zip ties. (It's not like I have to protect the wiring from +9gs -5gs.)  Those properly trussed harnesses
are nearly indestructible. Of course they're also using shielded Teflon insulated wire.

Okay, so last night I pulled the carbs off and dumped them in the ultrasonic cleaner for 90 minutes.




Holy crap do they come out clean when you do that.




Spent another 20 minutes blowing them out with air then put them back on the engine and cranked her
up to see if it ran any better. (Also discovered that my bowl plug o-rings are shot so those are getting replaced tonight)




Of course it started puking fuel from that center vent 'T' fitting in time with the fuel pump so I think I have
a stuck float or something. It was coming out at fairly high pressure. When I unplugged the fuel pump it
stopped puking. I shut it off and figured I'd deal with it tomorrow.  (And poll the collective consciousness for
something I may have missed or not know)

Speaking of things missed. If you've been reading along you'll probably have noticed that I missed something
else kind of important as well. I little detail like starting the engine with NO OIL IN THE CRANKCASE!  

Well, I guess I've just put these coatings to the test. I'll fill it back up tonight and see if I did anything terrible.
(I maybe ran the engine for 45 seconds) Fingers crossed. (Guess I won't ever leave the crankcase empty again)
The sad thing is it sounded great...

[skymasteres]

Crap, now that I realized that I'm really torqued.
I mean, I still had the oil from the filter in the system, but that's not enough to be picked up and pumped.
It was really fresh 10W-40 oil, so the film should be pretty good, but I don't know how long it would last
with the engine running. (and here I was thinking that whaterver is happening on the top end with the
cylinder and rings, at least the bottom end is still good...)

[Pat Conlon]

Yes, the proper amount of oil in the crankcase is a must...

You really need to get those TMR carbs sorted before you run them on your new motor.
Even if you have to put a set of oem CV36's back on for break in...
If you are dumping gas out the float vents, you can bet gas is washing down your cylinder bores.

You have been warned.

[skymasteres]

Yes, the proper amount of oil in the crankcase is a must...

You really need to get those TMR carbs sorted before you run them on your new motor.
Even if you have to put a set of oem CV36's back on for break in...
If you are dumping gas out the float vents, you can bet gas is washing down your cylinder bores.

You have been warned.

Well, the dumping fuel out of the vent was a new symptom. It did that for about 10 seconds before I
yanked the fuel pump plug. Then it stopped and everything sounded great. I shut it down and went in
for the night figuring it was a stuck float or something.

As for sorting these out, I'm doing my best. I'm a lot more familiar with these things than the stock carbs
right now. The devil I know vs. the one I don't. (In a sense they're simpler and there's less to go wrong)

I cleaned them out in an attempt to eliminate gunk as a reason for uneven fueling.  As for getting them
"sorted" I'm running out of ideas. I mean, if they're clean, jetted properly to provide adequate fuel, and
balanced between each other what else is there that makes them "sorted" I'm really asking here. They're
simpler than the CV carbs in the sense that there is only one idle screw you can adjust per carb. Syncing
them is accomplished by popping the top covers off and turning an allen bolt then tightening a jam nut.
(It's an eccentric bolt that gives you an adjustment range)

Here is an awesome blow-apart animation of the carbs I have.

http://youtu.be/XYvgUlszW4g

I finally found a German manual for these things and I translated the parts identification page.
(Google translator works pretty well here)



If I understand what's going on here I have one air adjustment screw, a main jet, and a needle jet that I
can mess with. With the carbs cleaned out and all of the same main and needle jets, the only reason they
should meter differently is if the air screws or sync settings are different. Right?

[Flynt]

On the FCRs at least, the float height is also a critical tuning parameter.  You might want to get a dyno and some help...  it is harder than you'd think to get it right, but the benefits should be huge.

And good luck with the "no oil" incident.  The bearings rely on oil pressure to function properly, so don't be too optimistic.  On the other hand, I had a '65 Ranchero with a 289 (legendarily tough like an FJ) and loud stereo in high school.  One night I was out with a buddy partying and rocking down the road.  At one point we came to a stop sign and the music went silent... I heard the valves clattering (hydraulic lifters), looked down at the oil pressure (aftermarket I had added) only to see ZERO, then shut down immediately.  Towed the car home and found the hex shaped rod that drove the oil pump had rounded off and wasn't engaging the oil pump drive at all.  I have no idea how long I was without oil pressure, but I changed the rod and poured oil in the damned thing and it ran another 80,000 miles before I sold it. 

Frank

[skymasteres]

On the FCRs at least, the float height is also a critical tuning parameter.  You might want to get a dyno and some help...  it is harder than you'd think to get it right, but the benefits should be huge.

And good luck with the "no oil" incident.  The bearings rely on oil pressure to function properly, so don't be too optimistic.  On the other hand, I had a '65 Ranchero with a 289 (legendarily tough like an FJ) and loud stereo in high school.  One night I was out with a buddy partying and rocking down the road.  At one point we came to a stop sign and the music went silent... I heard the valves clattering (hydraulic lifters), looked down at the oil pressure (aftermarket I had added) only to see ZERO, then shut down immediately.  Towed the car home and found the hex shaped rod that drove the oil pump had rounded off and wasn't engaging the oil pump drive at all.  I have no idea how long I was without oil pressure, but I changed the rod and poured oil in the damned thing and it ran another 80,000 miles before I sold it. 

Frank

Ahh, that's a good point. I hadn't thought of the float height. I'll have to keep digging to see if I can find
some sort of reference for where to set it on these? As it stands I have to hook my fuel air meter back up
to see where the engine is fuel wise the carbs all squeaky clean.

While on the carb front, I actually have the thing locked up tight now. (At least it doesn't run the fuel pump
till it times out three or four times when I turn it on)  Turns out that the plastic 'T' fitting that I cracked
before going to the rally was in worse shape than I thought.  I started to see fuel dripping off of the fuel
line coming from the pump and ran it back to the really "wet" looking fitting that I had JB Welded before. 
The JB Weld was holding just fine, it was the damage from snapping off the bottom part of the 'T' that did
me in. The crack extended up into the horizontal section and I didn't see it. (Or it grew, not sure which)

Since I already had the carbs off the engine, fixing it was by default easier than it could have been. I had
all of these ideas about how I was going to re-JB Weld the part, or solder it, or do something unique. The
solution ended up being delightfully simple. Just take a brass 1/4" 'T', cut the two ears shorter, and put
the original seals over it. (Well after smoothing the cuts)



I put it back together with the new piece and it works like a charm. No leaks and when I come out to the
garage in the morning and turn the key on the fuel pump clicks twice and stops. If I have to replace the
other fitting this is exactly how I will do it. (I still can't believe they used plastic fittings on the carbs for
the fuel anyway)



As for my bearings and the bottom end, I'm going to be shamelessly optimistic.  I mean, heck, it's not like
I'm going to split the cases unless I absolutely have to. I'm going to assume that I basically used up my
get out of jail free card that these coatings I have on all the moving parts gave me. (That and any oil left
in the lower galleys and filter) I know the oil pressure was zero for its little run (Less than 60 seconds) I
think I'm okay, but I know for sure when my shim comes in today and I can get it out on the road... I mean,
the bearings are designed to handle a little operation with zero oil pressure at start up anyway. I just
inadvertently extended that from like 0.5 seconds to just shy of 60...

I too have experience with engines that have been run without oil Dad's 78 Towncar (Big Block 460) that
had a valve job done. They forgot to refill the case before they started it. Then there was the time the oil
pump failed and sheared the hex drive shaft that went up into the distributor. He ended up driving it the
whole 10 miles home, then to the shop with the oil light on not knowing that there was no oil pressure.
He ran that car for many years after that and the bottom end was never torn down. Engine had around
260,000 miles on it when he sold it. (Of course it got about 12 miles to the gallon so it wasn't tuned
particularly well.)

[skymasteres]

Well, there's good news and bad news. We'll start with the good since the bad is just too depressing.

I got my 15 amp diodes in so I went out to the garage and started adding them to the harness to quell
the little issues like the accessory switch lighting up all the time and not being able to hook up the stock
ignition because it would keep the lights on.

This one took care of the LED issue. Now when the bike is running the switch doesn't light up and when it's off it does.



This little setup lets me keep the stock ignition hooked up so it'll start if I have the front panel unhooked
(Like if I'm jumpstarting it) Otherwise because of the voltage drop from the diode it'll feed off the relay circuit.
(And yes, I did heatshrink the diodes before I put the tank back into place)



Now with everything in place up top I have everything I need to see what's going on. (The temp gauge issue
turned out to be the signal wire grounding to the frame.) That and I added one of those little voltmeters to my
"intrument panel" More good news is that my voltage regulator is just fine as the voltage never goes above
14.3v reguardless of RPM. 




And then there's this nifty little temperature sensor that is wrapped around sparkplug wire number 1 and
gives me a cylinder head temperature reading.




I fired her up with oil in the case this time and everything was normal except that my garage started smelling
like cotton candy. Don't know why. Couldn't figure it out. She seemed okay so I was going with the "everything
will work out" theory. I warmed it up a little and all of the temps and sounds were in line with what they should
be. (Or at least the baseline I have)  Turns out I only dropped a half shim instead of a whole one when I did
that valve on cylinder number 4. With that fixed the strange noise went away.

All in all, pretty good for a couple hours in the garage.

[skymasteres]

Thank you all for your help comments and for being along for the ride with me.    
This is such a great community and I doubt I could fully list all of the little nooks and crannies of this site
from which I have found little golden nuggets of information. I hope that my little adventure here has been
even half as helpful to you guys as it has been for me.  

I don't have enough answers for all of my own questions and I won't know until I take the time to fully
investigate what happened. I am just WAY to emotionally wrapped up in this project and I think I need to
just stop for now because I have reached the limit of what I can handle.

I suppose on the bright side I have a nifty new paperweight that means a lot to me.

[racerrad8]

Damn....which hole is that from?

Randy - RPM

[fj1289]

Thank you all for your help comments and for being along for the ride with me.    
This is such a great community and I doubt I could fully list all of the little nooks and crannies of this site
from which I have found little golden nuggets of information. I hope that my little adventure here has been
even half as helpful to you guys as it has been for me.  

I don't have enough answers for all of my own questions and I won't know until I take the time to fully
investigate what happened. I am just WAY to emotionally wrapped up in this project and I think I need to
just stop for now because I have reached the limit of what I can handle.

I suppose on the bright side I have a nifty new paperweight that means a lot to me.

WAIT!  WHAT DID I MISS? 
Looks like time for XJR rods...or Carrillos...

[racerrad8]

WAIT!  WHAT DID I MISS? 
Looks like time for XJR rods...or Carrillos...

It was an XJR rod...

Randy - RPM

[FJmonkey]

What the hell happened (besides it broke).....?

[fj11.5]

Nice work mate, really like the dash panel you've made  ,, is that an rc car temp sensor, have a few of those here, never thought to use them on a real bike