The continuing story of the bevel drive leak on the W650 moved forward yesterday and I finalized my "attack plan" such as it is. I started by removing the upper bevel drive unit. Before I started I took a brass punch and knocked the bearings, gear and spacer out of the carrier with a brass punch. Since the bearings and carriers slide in the bore for adjustment, it was an easy task to pop them out, I have a new carrier coming from Japan, scheduled currently after Christmas, so we shall see. Note the marks from pipe wrench use on the threads. Once I had seen this, I had to order another carrier and I said a silent prayer that the threads in the head would be ok as well. Also of note is more of the liberal use of bathroom caulk used in lieu of a factory o-ring for sealing the bearing carrier bore.
Here is the lock ring and the adjuster from the head bearing carrier. Again I removed a good bit of caulk from these as well.
Looking down the bore from the cam gear you can see the edge of the bearing carrier after I removed the bearings, spacers and pinion gear.
Another couple of shots showing the as found condition of the bearing carrier threads as I tapped out the bearings, spacer and pinion. So sad, I am hoping I can rehab the threads in the head well enough to screw the carrier in by hand, otherwise, I might be seeking a new head and that would be very sad.
The bearing carrier emptied of it's bearings, spacer and pinion gear.
Looking up the bore from the bottom of the inside of the bearing carrier. Very sad that someone disassembled this and had no idea what they were doing. I hope the previous owner didn't pay a shop for this, that would be sad. To say it was a poor effort would be an insult to poor efforts over the years. Despicable.
Then, while still drinking some coffee and mulling over the next move, I spied this....I thought it was a piece of wire brush, but it is in fact a piece of thread from the head. This actually got me a little anxious as I don't want to have to purchase a new head. That would be upsetting. The plan for proceeding has hinged on the outcome of the bearing carrier removal and the condition of the threads in the head. After finding the pipe wrench was used to jam it back it, I had zero hope for head survival.
So, since she was already ruined, I whipped out a 10 in pipe wrench and went to town on her. Actually, it was much easier to remove than the lowere one, but, luckily I decided to order a new one since this one was already ruined from pip wrench use. But wait! There is always more. The sharp eyed will notice the marks on the barrel where a pipe wrench was also used. This was probably an attempt at cleaning the threads up in the head. This is the most worrisome finding so far. Note that I didn't double the damage on the threads, but it was almost this bad when I started. But, hope reigns eternal in PPSS and we always go forward.
So I looked up the bore and here is what I saw. Looks like, while there is damage, it isn't too bad. I ran the threads with the new bearing carrier and I can get it almost fully in by hand, so I will clean these threads up properly and be able to restore it at least. Of note, THERE IS NOT A FACTORY O-RING INSTALLED IN THE BORE, it should be in the groove, yet she isn't there and YES, THE BATHROOM CAULK DID NOT SEAL IT ONE LITTLE WHIT. Clearly, I should have had a longer discussion of this oil leak with the previous owner. I honestly think this was done in the garage without a service manual using the Braille method of bike repair and plumbing tools since they are obviously appropriate for a leak. OH HOW I WISH I COULD TRULY INCLUDE ALL THE VOCABULARY I DEVELOPED VIA MY US NAVY AND COMMERCIAL NUCLEAR POWER EXPERIENCES. ONLY THEN COULD I TRULY EXPRESS MY EXPERT OPINION ON THIS WORK. I will defer and say FOOEY and FUDGE.
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So, going forward, as I am likely to do, I find that I only have one worry left. My as found valve clearances were below minimum spec on all 8 valves. So I properly shimmed them and she ran better. I have done almost all of the difficult work to remove the head and so I added that to my plan. I will remove the head, verify the cam is in good shape and the valve seats/valves do not need attention. If needed the Service Manual recommends lapping the valves and seats, so I can pretty much fix whatever is wrong, if anything. I am hoping the valves seal fine and I will just clean up the threads in the head, make sure all of it is set with proper backlash and the pattern is good on the top and bottom. Then after we install it on the bike, I will adjust it per the manual. While the head is removed, I will replace the other 8 o-rings that seal the high pressure oil supply pipe to the head and the low pressure oil return pipe from the head. These pipes seal into the crankcase and bottom of the head between the cylinders. There is evidence of leakage there as well. So, I am hoping to have all the parts and work done by the end of January since I am going back to work on 1/2/2024. Lots of fun in the scooter shop ahead.
Moving on, my beautiful wife returned my Despicable Me "Fart Blaster" that she had taken and hidden. Apparently, I abused the privilege of making the joyful noises and annoyed her, for this I am sorry and will not use it in the house further. But, I do now keep it in the shop and it brings me joy, I have used it a lot during the disassembly of the W650 to remain centered when I have issues pop up. If you come by PPSS sometime, I might even let you play with it. Such a wonderful toy.
Tomorrow, I am taking the Super Adventure up north for a trade deal. We are swapping her for a new bike for Diana and Bradley. I will post that up when the deal is done. Also it will allow me to repatriate the KTM 990 Super Duke to the Scooter Shop. What a long driving day it will be. Going up to Dennison, then to Corsicana then back home, pulling a trailer. Should be fun. Lots of questions about the deal, but when we show you, all will be understood. I took a final ride on the Super Adventure, did a wheelie or two because I know it would annoy Mitch if he was watching. Did the ton (and change), ran her down the twisties all while hauling egg cartons to a friend who has chickens and on the way to Old Guy Lunch. She is still a fabulous ride, I am still too short for her, and I still think of Mitch while I ride her. She will go to a new home and be ridden like she should. Here are a couple of pics I took yesterday for folks that want to see them. I may get a few more today as I load her up to go.
And, in true PPSS style, the front tire TPMS stopped working. It worked a week ago, so there you go. Luckily, I am including a new front tire with the bike so the new owner can afford to replace the sensor when he mounts the tire.
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